1884.J Artificial Fertilisation of Herring Ova. 451 



members to continue the observations, and extend them so as to 

 embrace as far as possible the consideration of all the food fishes. 



But while little has been done in this country to increase by means 

 of continuous observations our information as to the habits and life 

 history of the herring, important results have been obtained by the 

 German Fish Commissioners, and from observations made for the 

 Norwegian and Swedish Governments and the United States Com- 

 missioner of Fish and Fisheries. Nearly all the work hitherto done 

 is summarised in the valuable " Reports of the United States Com- 

 missioner of Fish and Fisheries," more especially in Parts III and YT, 

 where Widegren, Lyungman, and Sar's researches are referred to, and 

 a full account of D, H. A. Meyer and Dr. C. Kupffer's work will be 

 found in the " Jahresbericht d. Commission z. wissenschaftlichen 

 Untersuchung d. deutschen Meere in Kiel f. d. Jahre 1874, 1875, 

 1876," and the " Vierter Bericht d. Commission f. d. Jahre 1877 bis 

 1881." 



During the autumn two members of the Fishery Board Committee 

 (Sir James R. Gibson Maitland and myself) having had H.M.S. 

 " Jackal " (Lieutenant Prickett, B.N., commander) placed at their 

 disposal by the Admiralty, were enabled to examine the more impor- 

 tant spawning-beds in the Moray Firth, and to make experiments 

 with the view of determining the best mode of artificially fertilising 

 and hatching herring ova. A preliminary report of the work done 

 has already been presented to the Board (" Nature," 29th November, 

 1883), and a complete report will be published at an early date. 



The Fishery Board, keenly appreciating the importance of the 

 scientific work it had instituted last autumn, on learning that the 

 winter herring fishery had begun off the Ayrshire coast, requested 

 me, on the 3rd March, to join the fishery cruiser, H.M.S. "Jackal," 

 at Girvan, with the view of inspecting the famous Ballantrae spawning 

 grounds. 



On reaching the bank I found that it was chiefly occupied by seine- 

 net fishermen, and that, although the bank is about 3 miles in length 

 and from 1 to 2 miles in breadth, the principal spawning and fishing 

 ground were confined to a comparatively limited portion of that area. 

 There being, in addition to seine-net, both trammel- and drift-net 

 fishermen, and an abundant supply of mature herring, it was 

 evident that Ballantrae was not only unique as a fishing ground, 

 but that it afforded facilities for prosecuting the inquiries which the 

 Fishery Board had instituted, such as were not likely to be found on 

 any other part of the British coast. Accordingly arrangements were 

 at once made (1) for taking temperatures and examining the nature 

 of the bottom, and (2) for securing and keeping alive a number of 

 mature herring to enable us to study the process of spawning, and to 

 make experiments in artificial cultivation. At the outset it is only 



vol. xxxvi. 2 I 



