96 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



on examination it is found that so many gaps occur in 

 the series that they are not so complete and not so 

 valuable for scientific purposes as might have been 

 expected. It is very unfortunate when a series of 

 observations is deprived of much of its value through 

 some monthly observations having been omitted on 

 account of the steamer being called off to other duties. 

 Every endeavour ought to be made, now that we are 

 starting work with a new, more powerful and more 

 scientifically-equipped vessel, to carry out the periodic 

 observations with punctuality in order that the statistics 

 acquired may be of the greatest possible value — not 

 merely for our own immediate purposes but also for the 

 benefit of future fishery administrators. 



Dr. H. Bassett, of our University Chemical Depart- 

 ment, has most kindly for the last couple of years 

 undertaken the physico-chemical work in connection with 

 the examination of the samples of sea water obtained on 

 the periodic hydrographic cruises, and he now contributes 

 to this report a paper on his results which is of very great 

 interest ; and shows that this work ought certainly to be 

 continued and extended. 



Mr. Johnstone has been engaged during the year in 

 his usual important work on the bacteriological examina- 

 tion of the shell-fish beds of the district, but is not yet 

 prepared to report further on the matter. He has also 

 been engaged in working up the results of the marked 

 fish experiments, and has continued to devote attention to 

 the parasites of fishes in the district, and we have from 

 him in this report articles on these two latter questions, 

 to which I need not allude further. 



I have pleasure in appending to the report this year 

 a comprehensive memoir on Cancer — the Edible Crab, 

 written by Mr. Joseph Pearson, M.Sc. of the Zoological 



