MAEINE BIOLOGICAL STATION AT POET EEIN. 73 



in filling and posting the cards. They come from various 



parts of the coast of the Irish Sea — Scotland, England, 



Wales, Isle of Man, and Ireland. Some of the bottles 



have gone quite a short distance, having evidently been 



taken straight ashore by the rising tide ; while others 



have been blown ashore by the wind, e.g., two (post cards 



211 and 214) let off near New Brighton stage on 9th 



October, 1895, the tide ebbing and the wind N.N.W., 



were found next day near the Red Noses, 1 mile to the 



west. Others have been carried an unexpected length, 



e.g., one (No. 35), set free near the Crosby Light Vessel, 



off Liverpool, at 12.30 p.m., on October 1st, was picked 



up at Saltcoats, in Ayrshire, on November 7th, having 



travelled a distance of at least 180 miles* in thirty-seven 



days ; another (H. 20) was set free near the Skerries, 



Anglesey, on October 6th, and was picked up one mile 



north of Ardrossan, on November 7th, having travelled 



150 miles in thirty-one days ; and bottle No. 1, set free at 



the Liverpool Bar on September 30th, was picked up at 



Shiskin, Arran, about 165 miles off, on November 12th. 



On the other hand, a bottle (J. F. 34) set free on November 



7th, in the Bibble Estuary, was picked up on November 



12th at St. Anne's, having only gone 4 miles. 



It may be doubted whether our numbers are sufficiently 



large to enable us to draw very definite conclusions. It 



is only by the evidence of large numbers that the vitiating 



effect of exceptional circumstances, such as an unusual 



gale, can be eliminated. Prevailing winds, on the other 



hand, such as would usually affect the drift of surface 



organisms, are amongst the normally acting causes which 



we are trying to ascertain. Mr. W. E. Plummer of the 



Bidston Observatory has kindly given us access to his 



* More probably, very much further, as during that time it would 

 certainly be carried backwards and forwards by the tide. 



