SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY. 193 



There are, on the other hand, some organisms, such as 

 the Algae Halosphcera and Tetraspora, the Infusorial] 

 Noctiluca, and the Copepod Anomalocera, which seem to 

 vary greatly in their abundance from } T ear to year ; but 

 probably when we have a more complete knowledge of 

 the plankton of the North Atlantic, and of the relations 

 existing between physical conditions and the distribution 

 of organisms, we shall be able to assign rational causes 

 for these curious irregularities in the floating population 

 of our seas. To give an example of such irregular distri- 

 bution, one of our very few records of Noctiluca during the 

 year is "off the Morecambe Bay Light Vessel," on June 

 28th, when it is said there were " miles of this material." 

 The gathering consists entirely of Noctiluca. It was 

 taken during a heavy thunderstorm. 



It is interesting, in this connection, to note that of all 

 the tow-net gatherings which I took this summer in 

 crossing the Atlantic twice, between Liverpool and 

 Quebec, once at the beginning of August, and again at 

 the end of September, those from the sea around the Isle 

 of Man, between Liverpool bar and the north of Ireland, 

 were the richest in species. The lists of organisms 

 observed in the gatherings in question, are given in full 

 in a paper which has been recently published by Mr. 

 Thompson, Mr. Scott, and myself.*: — 



We have arranged that during 1898 plankton gatherings 

 will be taken weekly at the same six localities as in 1897, 

 but a little further out to sea to avoid the disturbing 

 influences of the shore. 



Experimental Sea-Fish Hatching-. 

 During the last spawning season we continued our 

 experiments, commenced the previous year, on the hatch- 



* Trans. L'pool. Biol. Soc, vol. XII., p. 33. 



