205 



punitor (^fr. T. X. rre(>('cn) duiino' Tuly. Auo-usI, and 

 September, 1!J()4 ; makino- a total of ;}2T. All the iisli 

 were placed I'ji the spawnino: pond as sf)nn as possible after 

 capture, and no ditficulty was experienced in keopiiio' them 

 ill a healthy couditiou tliroughoiit tlic year. They wimc 

 fed daily upon mussels, with the addition of ln<>-worms 

 as often as tlie lattei' were procurahle. The worms are 

 dug", for the most part, by the assistant, at Port St. Mary: 

 but the mussels have to be obtained fiom Lancashire, and 

 about one cwt. per week is i-eqnired to keep the fish in 

 tjood condition. 



■' 'V\ie state of the ])ond has been (|niie satisfactory. 

 It was emptied and examined carefully in September, 

 1904, and ao-ain at the conclusion of the piesent s]>awninf> 

 season, in May, lOO-"). 



" '^riu' hatcJiin<i' a])paiatus was caretully overhauled 

 and put into woi-kino- order during the latter part of 

 January, and was in continuous operation, without 

 mishap of any kind, from 14th February to l^llh May. 

 The improvements in the structure of the tanks and boxes 

 alluded \o in last report have noAv been eflected. and liave 

 resulted in a g-reat saving of eg'gs during- this season. 



■' The first fertilized eggs fif the plaice were found in 

 the pond on 14th Febrnary, 17 days earlier thau last year: 

 and on the ITth there were 12,o00 incubating in the boxes. 

 The daily yield of eggs gradually increased, until the 

 maximum was reached on -hd A])ril, whoi •■)l-4,(i()0 were 

 collected. After this date the numbers ranged from about 

 324,000 to over 100,000 daily, until 2-3th Apiil. when a 

 marked diminution was observed, and the last batch of 

 the season, numbering 4-3,000, was jdaced in the boxes 

 r>ii 1st May. 



" The metliod of estimatijig the number of oarers was 

 essentially the same as that of last year. Ten ilips with 



