of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



335 



extending for 500 or 600 yards north of Dronner's Dyke on both sides of 

 the small stream Scaud Man's Head was laid down with mussels nine 

 years ago. The mussels were laid down close together, but after an 

 interval of nine years only small clumps here and there are to be seen. 

 The mussels are stunted, thick shelled, blunt at the siphonal end, and a 

 thick greyish crust is formed on the outside of the shells. Such mussels 

 are known as ' Crocks,' and if transferred to suitable soil begin to grow, 

 but should they be allowed to remain on the soil north of this part of 

 Dronner's Dyke they seem to continue in a stunted condition. 



8. Tayoch and Gaswork Burn Banks. — A triangular shaped area at the 

 junction of the Gaswork Burn with the Tayock was laid with mussels six 

 years ago. The length of it along the Gaswork tributary is about 400 

 yards, and the breadth of the part south of the Gaswork Burn is 100 yards 

 at the most, that to the north being a little more. The bottom is sandy 

 clay. The mussels laid down on it six years ago were shifted to 

 Broad Water Bauk to fill up. The mussels on the south of the Gaswork 

 Burn are in better condition than those to the north. 



0. The Badn Bank.— In the neighbourhood of the Briggs of Binny, an area 

 of 000 yards by 400 yards called the Basin, is utilised as a mussel bank. 

 Mussels which were laid on it seven years ago are not nearly ready. The 

 manager says that seed after being transferred from the river to this bank, 

 if left to come to maturity here without transplanting them to the Broad 

 Water Bank, will take ten years before they attain to the size approved for 

 bait. This is chiefly due to the ground being a little too high for mussel 

 growing. 



C. Common Bed. 



East Tayock Bank. — This is a portion of ground claimed by the town 

 of Montrose, and lies to the East of the middle of Tayock Burn from 

 about opposite the Flour-mill to opposite the Royal Infirmary. It is 

 about 200 yards in length along the burn, but its breadth is not great. 

 Mussels have been laid down on this bed recently by seven men who took 

 them from the bed of the river It is alleged that although the town 

 claims this bed, it has no power to let it, and consequently there is no 

 protection obtainable by those who lay mussels down on it. 



IV. Fauna of Beds. 



We have made a preliminary examination into the fauna of the mud of 

 Broad Water Bauk and Salthouse Bank. The mud was gathered in 

 March last just after a 'fresh' in the River Southesk. Doubtless after 

 the waters are heated during summer the fauna will be much more 

 numerous and very different. Much yet may be done in the way of 

 ascertaining the life present on mussel scalps, and great assistance may be 

 derived from a knowledge of the minuter animals associated with mussels, 

 and of the forms on which the mussel lives. When these 1 biological facts 

 become better known, and the physico-chemical properties of the water 

 suitable for mussel culture are tabulated, a scientific basis will be gained 

 which should be helpful to the mussel cultivator. 



The following is a list of the Foraminifers, Ostracods, and Copepods 

 found on two of the best growing banks. Besides these, great numbers of 

 embryonal mussels and the cast off cases of the barnacle were found. 



