SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY. 167 
REPORT ON TEMPERATURE OBSERVATIONS IN 
THE IRISH SEA DURING 1907-8. 
By Jas. JOHNSTONE. 
In another paper in this Report Dr. Bassett discusses 
the results of the periodic hydrographic cruises carried 
out during the last year, and gives a series of tables 
recording the temperature observations made on those 
occasions. In addition to these data we are now in 
possession of other temperature records. These are :— 
(1) daily observations made on board some of the Light 
Ships stationed on the West coast of England and Wales ; 
and (2) hourly observations made on board the “ James 
Fletcher” by the officers of the vessel. I propose to 
summarise the results apparent from a consideration of 
these records. 
Methods. The light-ship observations are made for 
the Meteorological Office, and copies have been supplied 
to the Lancashire and Western Sea-Fisheries Committee 
by the Director, Dr. Shaw. The readings are Fahrenheit 
ones, and have been converted to Centigrade values. The 
deep-sea temperatures of the periodic cruises have been 
taken by means of the Nansen deep-sea thermometer, used 
in the Nansen-Pettersson insulating water-bottle, a method 
which seems preferable to the use of reversing ther- 
mometers. Surface temperatures on the periodic cruises 
are taken by thermometers made by Richter, of Berlin. 
All these instruments are provided with Charlottenburg 
certificates. They are read to the nearest 0°0dth of a 
degree. As a rule the correction is not applied, this 
being a needless refinement of method when the special 
conditions prevalent in the Irish Sea are considered. The 
temperatures taken on board the “James Fletcher’ in 
M 
