SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY. 87 



water, which has scooped out regular well-defined gullies 

 in the more level stretches of the shore, and although the 

 adjoining parts of the shore may be almost dry, there is 

 still a considerable current sweeping down these gullies. 

 By closing up the smaller gullies, and digging gutters 

 between them and the larger ones, we were able to divert 

 almost the whole of the retiring water on certain parts 

 of the shore into one or two main gullies, which we after- 

 wards partially closed up with stones, leaving only sufficient 

 space in the centre to hold a tow-net. On going to these 

 places during particular states of the ebb, which later on 

 we were able to locate with considerable accuracy, and 

 fixing our nets so that the water passed through them, we 

 were able to secure practically all the material swept off 

 a considerable area of the shore by the force of the 

 receding tide. On favourable days, when there was no 

 wind and the water free from suspended mud, we could 

 actually see the various kinds of young fishes, Crustacea, 

 &c, being carried into the net with the current. The 

 nets were lifted up from time to time, and their contents 

 emptied into collecting bottles. After the water had 

 ceased running, we removed the nets and returned to the 

 Laboratory with our captures, where they were sorted 

 out, the fish being placed in tanks and glass aquaria. 

 The Crustacea captured were chiefly used for feeding fish 

 already in the tanks. 



It was amongst the fish taken in this way that we 

 obtained the majority of our Leptocephali. Occasionally 

 others were captured by forcing the tow-net over the 

 surface mud at the roots of Zostera, which is fairly 

 common in some parts of our district. With everything 

 in our favour, we could almost depend with certainty on 

 having at least one Leptocephalus each time we tried for 

 them, Sometimes we would get two, and once we cap- 



