1879.] OF WESTON-SUPER-MARE. "43 



the migration of marine and littoral species of fish this year has 

 been rather peculiar. Along the coast of France some forms have 

 almost forsaken their usual haunts, but appeared in other stations, 

 from which they had in former seasons been almost absent. Cap- 

 tain Salmond, of the ' Charlotte and Jane,' observes, respecting his 

 fishing-voyages to the North Sea this year: — "It turns out, up to 

 the time I write (June 2nd), that it is a failure in regard to Soles ; 

 also the offal is not so plentiful as in other summers. At Heligo- 

 land the fishermen have had a bad time, some being on the brink 

 of starvation." It was stated in the papers during October that 

 " Eastern Siberia has been suffering from famine, no whales or fish 

 having visited those waters this summer." 



Temperature is well known to exert a great influence on the mi- 

 gration of fishes, while we are aware of having experienced a long and 

 severe winter, followed by a very cold spring and a comparatively 

 colder summer. This may to a considerable extent account for the 

 abnormal manner in which the distribution (not general supply) of 

 marine forms has occurred throughout the last season. I therefore 

 deem it advisable to give the temperature of the air as observed at 

 the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, and for which I am indebted to 

 W. Ellis, Esq. 



Deviation of Mean Temperature from Average of 20 Years. 



November 1878 -iCO 



December „ —7*1 



January 1879 -6-9 



February „ — 1*5 



March „ -0'3 



April „ —4-3 



May „ -4'7 



June „ —2*9 



July „ —4-5 



August „ —2-0 



The above figures show that the temperature of the air has been 

 below the average of that experienced during the last twenty years 

 in every month referred to. 



While engaged on this paper, by the kindness of the Earl of Ducie, 

 F.R.S., 1 have been permitted to examine and make use of the diary 

 kept by his lordship while on the yachting-tours which he has for 

 several successive seasons made to Ballinskellig Bay, in Ireland, situ- 

 ated on the same latitude as Greenwich and Weston-super-Mare. The 

 notes are so complete and interesting that I cannot but regret merely 

 giving a summary, for such accurate data are probably unattainable 

 elsewhere. During the last four years fishing has been done from 

 a 30-ton cutter, but in 1873 and 1874 from yacht-boats. The takes 

 have been as follows : — 



Proc. Zool. Soc— 1879, No. XLVIII. 48 



