26 



begun in February and continued throughout the year. 

 The tow-nettings for February fom})rised eight surface 

 and five bottom samph's. T'opepoda, so far as number 

 of species go, reached the maximum point in this month, 

 when fourteen forms were noted, but only four of these 

 (the same as in -Tanuary) wei'c nt all common. Sagittc 

 was again al)Uii(hini near llic bottom. (V»pe])()(l nauplii 

 and the nauplii of l);unacles made their a])])earancc in 

 February. Sc-vcn species of fish eggs were noted and 

 tAvo species of diatoms. Five other coastal areas were 

 examined, one ott-sliore station and l-'ort Erin. Diatoms 

 appeared to be scarce in distribution throughout tlie Irish 

 Sea. Iliree genera were represented at Port Erin, two in 

 Caidigan liay and (tnc in Fishguard Bay. Altogether 

 thirty distinct organisms were detected in Cardigan Bay. 

 Port Erin, with fourte(>n, was the next richest area. 



In ]Mar(di owing to picssuvc of othei' work llic 

 steamer was unable to investigate Cardigan Uay. but tlie 

 Fishery Otficers sent in five sani|>les, wliich v,vvv r(^])i<'- 

 sentative of the whole month. 'rwenty-three organisms 

 were noted, in( luding eight species of (Vtpepoda and five 

 species of fish eggs. The ostracod stage of barnacles and 

 the eggs of s])ecies of Ascidians appeared for the first 

 time in 1!)05 in this month. Five coastal ai'cas were 

 investigated, also fou]' stations in the <-entral ])ortion of 

 the Irish Sea, l)ut Port Erin was not represented. 

 Diatoms were apparently ]nesent tlnoughout the whole 

 of the Irish Sea in Marcli, and weic represented by the 

 genera fVidd iil jilna and ('oscnKxhsctis. 



The steamer was again engaged in other A\drk in 

 A])ril, and the collections sent by the Fishery Otficers 

 contained the only material available. These were 

 taken on the 12th, 18th (two tow-nettings ) and 29th. 

 The org-anisms numbeied twentv-five, and included six 



