of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



337 



OSTRAOODA. 



Cythere pellucida, Baird. Common. 



„ confusa, Brady. Frequent. 



„ porcellanea, Brady. Frequent. 



„ macallana, B. and R. Scarce. 



„ lutea, Midler. Scarce. 

 Paradoxostoma variabiles Baird. Scarce. 

 „ jlexuosum, Brady. Scarce. 



COPEPODA. 



Longipedia eoronata, Claus. Very rare. 



Ectinosoma melaniceps, Brady. Common, habit burrowing. 



Dactylopus sp. Very few. 



On the higher banks great quantities of the eggs of the edible whelk 

 were present. In close correlation with the stunted appearance of the 

 'crock' mussels was the existence of the stunted variety of the edible 

 whelk, Littorina litorea, L., var. paupercida. Egg cases of Buccinum 

 undatum, L., doubtless washed in from the sea, were picked up, and here 

 and there could be seen dog-whelks Purpura hqrillus, L., in close 

 proximity to their egg cases. The number of dog-whelks were com- 

 paratively few, the policy of the Ferryden Society and Messrs Johnston's 

 manager being to gather and bury them. Star-fish do not give the 

 cultivators much trouble, as the water is too brackish for them to main- 

 tain a vigorous foothold. 



V. Ferryden and Usan Fishermen's Mussel Society. 



The formation, organisation, and mode of working of the Ferryden and 

 Usan Society, furnishes an example of what fishermen can do, when 

 assisted by energetic and capable leadership, to help themselves. The 

 proceedings which led to the foundation of this society are given in a 

 ' Report of the Proceedings of the Ferryden and Usan Mussel Society,' 

 by James Johnston, junior, manager and treasurer, dated March 1858, 

 and published at the Standard Office, Montrose. Information as to its 

 organisation and the mode of working is given in the * Rules and 

 ' Regulations of the Ferryden and Usan Fishermen's Mussel Society,' and 

 in the evidence taken by the Scottish Mussel and Bait Bed Committee * 

 at Montrose in October 1888. Besides these sources we have had the 

 advantage of receiviug the personal testimony of Mr James Johnston, of 

 Messrs Johnston's manager — Mr Andrew Lonie — and of Mr James West, 

 the Secretary and Treasurer of the Ferryden and Usan Society, on the 

 formation and management of the beds, and desire to express our obliga- 

 tions to them for the ready manner in which they answered all our 

 enquiries, but this slight acknowledgment cannot exhaust our recognition 

 of the indebtedness due to Mr Johnston for the facilities which he placed 

 at our disposal in furthering a complete examination and survey of the 

 beds. 



The Ferryden and Usan Society was formed by Mr J ames Johnston, fish- 

 curer, Montrose, on 17th October 1853, at a meeting in Ferryden, when 

 all the line fishermen in the village attended. A week afterwards a 



* Report of Committee on Scottish Mussel and Bait Beds, together with evidence 

 and appendix, page 78 et seq. 



