214 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



other in its knowledge of the reproduction, the development, and 

 the life-histories of its marine food-fishes. Whilst St. Andrews 

 took the lead in this work, it is only fair to say how ably the 

 Laboratory at Plymouth exerted itself amongst the southern 

 fishes, and the scientific staff of the Scotch Board amongst the 

 northern fishes. 



Very early in these inquiries it was shown how easy it was to 

 hatch the pelagic or demersal eggs of every sea-fish, even though 

 they had to be transported from Shetland or the middle of the 

 North Sea. A lecture on the subject, indeed, was given in the 

 Eoyal Institution in 1889. This brings us to one of the recom- 

 mendations of Lord Dalhousie's Commission, viz. that experiments 

 should be instituted to test the possibility of augmenting certain 

 valuable sea-fishes by artificial hatching of their eggs. Much had 

 been said to the Commission about the success of the Americans 

 in this department, and the picture thus sketched was supposed 

 to be somewhat discreditable to our country. In view of the im- 

 portance of the subject the Scotch Fishery Board made inquiries 

 in Norway, where Capt. Dannevig had hatched Cod in large 

 numbers for some years, had a duplicate of his hatching-house 

 and boxes made under his supervision in that country, con- 

 structed a concrete tank, various enclosures of the sea, and 

 started a hatchery at Dunbar in 1892 under the management of 

 Dannevig's son. The fishes selected for experiment were Cod, 

 Plaice, Lemon-Dabs, Soles, and Turbot. In 1899 the hatchery 

 was transferred to Aberdeen. For fifteen years the Board has 

 continued the operations, and has endeavoured to test their value 

 by stocking — e. g. with young Plaice — such areas as the upper 

 reaches of Loch Fyne and Loch Gair. Unfortunately, no definite 

 general result appears to have been obtained, for none has been 

 published. Probably a considerable amount of time was lost 

 from inexperience in the early efforts, but after the lapse of 

 fifteen years' expenditure the country has a right to know the 

 result. Hatching operations have likewise been carried on at 

 Piel, in Lancashire, by the North-Western Sea-Fisheries Com- 

 mittee, under Prof. Herdman, but here also evidences of their 

 practical influence on the sea-fisheries are wanting. In France 

 considerable success has attended the efforts of M. Fabre- 

 Domergue* to rear to the length of 12-15 mm. Soles, but the 

 * ' Developpement de la Sole.' Paris, 1905 



