212 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



men and boats has increased from six or seven yawls, with five 

 men, to twenty-one modern boats, of treble the size, and with 

 all the new appliances, so that six or seven men suffice. Besides, 

 Broughty Ferry and Arbroath send a large contingent. 



The work of the ' Garland ' in the closed waters of St. 

 Andrews Bay and other areas will probably long remain unique, 

 for it is unlikely that such a series of observations, continued 

 over ten years, will ever again be made. With all the faults 

 arising, amongst other things, from the small size of her trawl 

 (25 ft.), and her unfitness for the rough seas of the eastern coast, 

 the observations made by the aid of this ship have been note- 

 worthy, and useful, by way of contrast, with those made in 1884. 

 The results have corroborated the view that the marine food- 

 fishes are able to withstand man's interference. By its aid, 

 more or less, the rate of growth of fishes, the size and age at 

 which maturity occurs, the fecundity of fishes, period of spawn- 

 ing, distribution of fishes — adult and young — and other features 

 have been considerably advanced. Even Dr. Garstang, the 

 author of a paper on the " Impoverishment of the Sea," 

 observes : — " I am satisfied that the experiments have been 

 largely successful in throwing light on the problem which they 

 were designed to elucidate, in spite of the unfortunate errors of 

 method with which the conclusions have been associated." 



It is eleven years since the ' Garland's ' experiments in St. 

 Andrews Bay have ceased, and it is therefore quite fair now to 

 ask, with reference to the supposed diminution of Plaice in it, 

 where and when this has occurred ? The introduction of Plaice- 

 nets alone gave this notion a short shrift, not to speak of the 

 swarms of tiny young along the tidal margin every spring, and 

 of those of larger size all over the bay. The uncertainty, more- 

 over, of relying on one line of investigation is shown by the fact 

 that, at certain seasons, few or no Plaice can be caught in the 

 gill-nets, whilst Dabs are abundant ; but if hooks baited with 

 lobworms are scattered on the same ground — from which some 

 suppose the Plaice have "migrated" — a good supply will be 

 obtained. 



Since the publication of the ' Besources of the Sea,' in which 

 the details of the experiments in the closed areas are dealt with, 

 a Select Parliamentary Committee, under the presidency of the 



