Wy 
SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY. 165 
condition of the fish caught. This work was continued 
practically till the end of May, when the spawning season 
had finished. : 
With the exception of a few eggs obtained by the tow- 
nets from the surface of the sea, no fertilised eggs were 
secured until the end of February. From that time 
onwards to the end of the spawning season eggs In various 
quantities, from a few thousands to nearly four millions 
on some occasions, were collected. The total number 
landed during the season was just a little over nine 
millions. Owing, however, to their unripe condition more 
than half of these 9 millions were unfertilised or otherwise 
unsuitable for incubation. These were, therefore, rejected, 
leaving about four millions fit to incubate in the boxes. 
As in the previous season, the Fishery Board for Scotland 
kindly allowed the steamer to trawl for a few days, for 
scientific purposes, in the closed waters of the Firth of 
Clyde, and it was there, on February 28th, that the first 
fertilised eggs were collected. They were taken from plaice. 
A small lot of cod and another lot of witch eggs were also 
collected at the same time, but these were not fertilised. 
On March 10th, 14th, 16th, 17th, and 23rd, and on April 
6th and 12th, supplies of cod, haddock, plaice, and flounder 
eggs were collected from fish caught by the trawlers work- 
ing on the off-shore grounds. On April 28th another small 
supply was obtained from the Clyde. 
The incubation of the various lots of eggs, after the 
unsuitable ones had been removed, proceeded satisfactorily. 
The plaice eggs collected in the Clyde on February 28th 
began to hatch out on March 17th. Four days later 
113,000 fry from these eggs were set free from the steamer 
near the Morecambe Bay Light Vessel. On the morning 
of March 3lst, 2,751,660 fry, comprising cod, haddock, 
plaice, and flounders were set free, about eight miles from 
