82 JOURNAL OF MARINE ZOOLOGY AND MICROSCOPY. 



berried females. This obviates the certain destruction of the eggs as 

 they would otherwise pass to the cannery along with the parent. During 

 five years, dating from 1890, the almost incredible number of 

 2,840,657,000 lobster fry have been liberated from these floating 

 incubators alone ; about 645 millions of cod, and about 33 millions of 

 lobsters were in addition set free from the main hatchery. The total 

 annual expense of the Newfoundland establishment is from £1,000 to 

 £1,200 ' annually, out of which the Superintendent draws a salary of 

 £600. 



Canada does similar work, dating from 1891, at Bay View, Picton 

 County, Nova Scotia, and is likewise largely concerned with the hatching 

 of lobsters. 



In the U.S.A. two chief marine hatching stations are in operation, 

 viz, Gloucester (Mass.) and Wood's Holl ; from the latter alone were 

 hatched during 1895 seventy millions of cod and whiting fry, two 

 millions of plaice fry and seventy-five millions of lobster larvse, while at 

 several sub-stations vast quantities of shad fry fClupea sapidissimaj were 

 hatched and set free. 



Turning to other forms of practical fishery work, we find that the 

 Congested Districts Board of Ireland are planting the coasts of Galway 

 and Donegal with large and efficient fishing boats, built and furnished 

 with gear after the most approved Scottish pattern, to replace the flimsy 

 canvas and wicker coracles and curraghs still in use by the impoverished 

 fishers of the districts. Picked fishermen from the Fraserburgh district 

 are provided by the Board to introduce and teach the fishing methods as 

 practised successfully on the Aberdeenshire coast, and the Irish fishers 

 are found very apt to learn and quite alive to the advantages of this 

 training. Nor is this all ; the Board lends money on the recommenda- 

 tions of the Pishery Inspectors for the purchase of improved boats and 

 gear ; up to the 31st March, 1896, £9,515 had been so issued. 



The Pishery Commissioners for Ireland have pursued the same plan 

 since 1891, for districts outside the jurisdiction of the Congested Districts 

 Board, and up to 31st Dec, 1896, had issued £14,843 in loans to 

 fishermen, whereof £6,782 has already been repaid in capital and 

 iuterest. Considering the largeness of the figures, and the character of 

 the people lent to, it is extremely satisfactory to learn that the entire 

 arrears for capital amount to the comparative^ trifling sum of £160. 



Another striking and very practical instance of the energy developed 

 by governing bodies at the present day in favour of improvement in 

 fisheries is the step taken this year by the Cape Government in obtaining 

 a first-class steam trawler to place at the disposal of their scientific staff. 

 The dimensions of this vessel, the " Pieter Faure," are 110ft. by 21ft., and 

 she is fitted with triple expansion engines of the highest class. Her first 

 and primary duty is to explore for fishing grounds off the coast of Cape 



