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Part III. — Seventh Annual Report 



the planting of new beds, and conveniently situated so as to be serviceable 

 to the fishing community. These are only a few of the many questions 

 awaiting solution. It is first of all necessary to conserve those beds which 

 we have at present, then attempt to resuscitate those which have been 

 depleted, and afterwards form new beds in suitable localities where the 

 biological, physical, and other conditions are favourable. 



VIII. REPOKT ON BAIT EXPERIMENTS. By 



J. H. Fullarton, M.A., B.Sc. 



These experiments were designed by Dr T. Wemyss Fulton, Secretary 

 of the Scientific Committee, in order to ascertain the relative success of 

 different kinds of bait, and the preference by different fish for certain 

 baits, and to endeavour to discover a cheap substitute for the commonly 

 used forms of bait. No similar systematic investigation had previously 

 been made into this question, and the results are therefore of considerable 

 interest. 



The Scottish fishermen are conservative in their habits. They have 

 used mussels for years, and have found them fairly successful. They have 

 demonstrated in their own experience the value of mussel baits, and 

 provided a sufficient supply can be obtained at a fair price, they seem 

 willing to depend on the mussel. Till some equally good, equally 

 abundant, and equally cheap bait can be obtained, they appear determined 

 to keep to the mussel, and in this show their wisdom. When' mussels 

 are scarce or dear, they bait their lines with other animals, some of which 

 are reckoned equal to, and even by some persons superior to the edible 

 mussel. Of course the animal forms selected must be such that they 

 can be easily obtained in the particular district. In the Forth, and 

 formerly in the Clyde district, the clam, Pecten operculars, L., was often used 

 in preference to the commoner mussel. In some of the Western Isles 

 the spout fish, Solen siliqua, L., is used by the ling and cod fishermen. 

 In many places the lugworm, Arenicola piscatorium, Lamk., is considered 

 to be as good killing bait as any other. The cuttlefish, Loligo vulgaris, 

 Lamk., and Sepia officinalis, are preferred by some fishermen to all other 

 baits. Where herrings, Clupea harengus, L., are obtainable they make 

 capital bait, as also do cockles, Cardium edule, L. Limpets, Patella 

 vulgata, L., whelks, Buccinum undatum, L., and horse mussels, Mytilus 

 modiola, L. are secondary baits, used when any of the other first-class 

 baits cannot be had, or when such ground feeders as the cod are sought. 



Besides using most of these baits, the ' Garland ' lines were baited with 

 earthworms, garden-snails, bullock's liver, mussels preserved in boracic 

 acid, crayfish, and various other substances, which are classed together 

 in the tables as artificial lures. 



The experiments were carried on at various parts of the Firth of Forth, 

 in various depths of water. The line used had 1200 hooks, baited with 

 different baits in series of 40 hooks, so that a large variety of baits were 

 used under identical conditions, and the fish obtained by each kind of 

 bait were carefully noted and measured. Besides the ordinary baits used 

 by fishermen, various other animal forms were tried, such as common 

 earth-worms and garden-snails (which were recommended to be tried by 

 the late Mr Buckland). These two baits were fairly satisfactory, 

 especially the garden-snail (Helix) which was more successful than many 

 baits generally employed by fishermen (vide Table II.). The substances 

 used as artificial baits were formed of a variety of materials, many of 



