64 TRANSACTIONS LIVEEFOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



exceptional — and our work at sea ceased of necessity in 

 September on the Fisheries Steamer, " James Fletcher," 

 being taken over by the Admiralty for government service. 

 The small tug-boat, chartered by the Committee to undertake 

 some portion of the work of the " James Fletcher," and the 

 Bailiffs' boats up and down the coast have been able to carry 

 on some in-shore work ; but hydrographic and planktonic 

 observations at the off-shore stations, the fish-marking experi- 

 ments, and several other series of records have all had to be 

 abandoned since September. 



It was hoped for some time that the use of some smaller 

 steamer might be obtained for the purpose of carrying on 

 at least the more important of the quarterly and monthly 

 observations at sea, and the services of the steam-yacht 

 " Runa " — a very suitable vessel for such work — were freely 

 placed at the disposal of the Committee. Before, however, 

 this offer could be definitely accepted, it was felt by all 

 concerned that the difficulties and risks, resulting from the 

 then state of war at sea, were such that the Committee 

 would scarcely be justified in taking the responsibility. The 

 proposed arrangement in regard to the " Runa " is, however, 

 not abandoned but only postponed, and it is hoped that any 

 month now conditions may have so far improved that it will 

 be right to resume work at sea along some of our usual 

 lines — so as to preserve, if possible, a thin thread of 

 continuity in the series of observations, or what perhaps 

 might better be described as a few scattered stepping- 

 stonps set down in the hope that they may help us to bridge 

 the unfortunate gap between our records of past years and 

 the investigations we hope to return to under happier circum- 

 stances in the future. 



This gap, it is to be feared, will exist throughout 

 all the observations in the European seas. The worlf of 

 the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea 



