88 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



shall remark upon here ; the others will be discussed more 

 fully in the separate sections that follow. 



This year we have no appendix on a marine animal of 

 economic value, like the detailed work on the Plaice, by 

 Mr. Cole and Mr. Johnstone, which adorned the Report last 

 year ; but we have several such in progress — on the Oyster, 

 on the Fisherman's Lug-worin, on the Edible Whelk, and 

 others — which we hope may appear in future Reports. 



The Piel Hatchery. 



Mr. Scott's account of the Sea-Fish Hatching work at 

 Piel will be found in the next section of the Report. 

 During this year we have added Plaice to the Flounders 

 dealt with previously. The result has been, because of 

 the larger size both of the adult fish and of the ova, and 

 therefore the impossibility of accommodating so many 

 spawners in our very limited space, a diminution in the 

 total number of ova dealt with' and of fry set free. But 

 still over a million of young Plaice and over ten millions 

 of young Flounders have been set free during the 

 season in our district. Our greatest want in this connec- 

 tion is a large spawning pond, which could be used in part 

 for the adult fish and in part for the rearing of the young. 

 We are unable to do anything in that direction until this 

 want is supplied. The pond at the Aberdeen Hatchery 

 is, we understand, proving a success; and the new 

 hatchery which has been erected by the Manx Govern- 

 ment in connection with the Biological Station at Port 

 Erin has a pond measuring nearly 100 by 50 feet, and 

 from 3 to 10 feet in depth, which it is hoped will enable 

 adult fish to be kept all the year round, and will also serve 

 for the rearing of young both of fish and lobsters. It is 

 not too much to ^ny that no hatchery is complete without 

 ;\ spawning pond, and that the want of one at Piel seriously 



