92 JOURNAL OF MARINE ZOOLOGY AND MICROSCOPY. 



entirely upon the general set of the currents, and no inference of any 

 real value can be deduced until a long and severe series of experiments 

 with " drifters " be instituted, on the same lines as those adopted by the 

 Deutsche See w arte and the U.S. Hydrographical Survey in working out 

 the Atlantic currents, by Prince Albert of Monaco in following the 

 course of the Gulf Stream, and nearer home by the Fishery Board for 

 Scotland. The drifters in use by the latter body are small thick glass 

 bottles of loz. capacity, each containing a card with a request in English, 

 German and Norwegian that the finder post particulars of the recovery 

 of the bottle to the office of the Board in Edinburgh. These bottles are 

 tested in a tub of water before being set free, and by means of a piece of 

 lead wire twisted round the neck, they float mouth downwards, showing 

 no surface above the water to catch the wind, attention to the latter 

 point being very important. Wooden slips bearing the instructions 

 tacked on and weighted at one end, so as to float upright, have also been 

 used, but are found to be less satisfactory than the bottles, as the coating 

 of paraffin was necessary to prevent the soaking of the card and of the 

 wood, is very liable to abrasion. 



Various indications which have come to my knowledge incline me to 

 entertain strong hope that the set of our currents, under the prevailing 

 condition of S.W. winds, is such that any floating objects set free at 

 definite times of the tide are carried backwards and forwards and even 

 round and round our island, thus rendering economically feasible the 

 liberation of fry from a hatchery on our coast. The indications I refer 

 to are (a) the general belief held by fishermen that objects floating at 

 the mercy of the tide during prevalence of certain winds perform the 

 entire circuit of the island, reappearing at the place where they were 

 first seen ; and (h) the fact that in September, 1 895, out of fourteen cases 

 containing brood oysters which broke loose from the oyster beds at 

 Green Island during a gale from the S.W., thirteen were recovered on 

 this coast ; all began by travelling to the eastward, nine were recovered 

 at La Rocque, one or two were sighted off the north-east coast, and one 

 off l'Etacq, the latter travelling southward ; two were picked up at the 

 Corbiere, while the last two were found at the Sambue, not far from the 

 starting point, having either travelled to and fro, or having made the 

 complete circuit of the island. The longest afloat of the thirteen 

 recovered was so for twenty-one days 



As regards improved bait supplies, I believe that great help could be 

 accorded by a local Fishery Committee to the fishermen at little or no 

 expense, in several ways. My own favourite idea is the initiation of a 

 dry-air refrigerator, in which supplies of bait acquired here, or imported 

 from abroad, would be stored — until such time as needed — when the 

 fishermen would be allowed to purchase it at a price just sufficient to 

 cover actual expenses. No greater boon could be granted to our fish- 



