1 6 Professor Gregg-Wilson on 



records of all animals found in these had been kept. They were 

 thus gradually getting an idea not only of all the local animals, 

 but of their associations. In the course of this work a considerable 

 number of species not known previously as Irish had been met 

 with, and a few of these had been recorded in the " Irish 

 Naturalist." Further, in connection with the local work it had 

 been found necessary to prepare lists of all known Irish species 

 of some groups, and several such lists had been compiled. One 

 of them — a list of the copepoda of Ireland, by Mr. Joseph 

 Pearson — was now in the printer's hands, and would be published 

 by the Fisheries Branch of the Department of Agriculture. This 

 list would be of great use as showing in handy form the results of 

 all previous work at Irish copepods, besides recording new species 

 obtained by Mr. Pearson. The group was one of the most im- 

 portant for the marine biologist, as members of it were largely fed 

 on by fishes. Besides their lists of marine animals they had now 

 a list of the sea-weeds of Ulster, prepared by a Dublin visitor to 

 their laboratory — Mr. J. Adams. A totally different but equally 

 important kind of work had been carried on by Mr. C. Cunning- 

 ham, who had undertaken the investigation of the drifts of our 

 waters by means of bottles containing postcards. The bottles 

 were prepared so as just to float, with very little surface exposed 

 to the action of the wind. They were distributed at intervals 

 along definite tracts, and the distribution was repeated with 

 changed conditions of wind and tide. From such work very 

 definite results had already been obtained, and these would soon 

 be published. The facts were important in connection with the 

 drift of floating eggs of fishes, as well as with reference to the 

 movements of minute animals that served as food for fish. A 

 great deal of attention had been given of late by members of the 

 Association to the study of the herring. This fish was increas- 

 ingly important for Ireland, but very little was really known as to 

 its habits and the reason of its movements. Yet every stage of its 

 life-history offered problems for study. Its eggs were eaten by 

 fishes and destroyed by fishermen, but the numbers of adults 



