SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY. 95 



CLASSES, VISITORS, &c, AT PIEL LABORATORY. 

 By Andrew Scott. 



The Fishermen's Classes, conducted at Piel under the 

 auspices of the Lancashire County Council and the Sea- 

 Fisheries Committee, have now become an established in- 

 stitution. Each year they are held the competition for 

 places gets keener. The grant given by the County 

 Council in 1903 enabled us to take forty-five men, fifteen 

 more than in the previous year. Applications for places 

 were to be sent to Mr. Dawson, and by the beginning of 

 March no less than sixty-two names had been received, 

 all of fishermen from between Southport and Roosebeck. 

 Three classes of fifteen men to each were formed, and the 

 selected men were notified regarding the date and times 

 of attendance. They all duly presented themselves at 

 Piel and went through the course of instruction as in 

 previous years. At the end of each class the usual votes 

 of thanks to the Sea-Fisheries Committee and the County 

 Council for the privileges afforded the men for acquiring 

 a better knowledge of the life histories and habits of the 

 economic marine animals were duly proposed and carried. 

 Some of the men expressed the hope that in the near 

 future a second and more advanced course would be pos- 

 sible for those who had already gone through the first 

 one. The suggestion has also been made by some 

 Members of the Committee that one or two prizes, such as 

 a small microscope and some pocket lenses, might be 

 offered for competition in each class. This would have 

 the additional advantage of encouraging some of the men 

 to continue the work after returning to their homes. 



Mr. -Johnstone, from the Liverpool Laboratory, again 

 had charge of the classes, and the following are the names 

 of the men who attended : — 



