370 



Part III. — 'Eighteenth Annual Report 



X. — ADDITIONAL NOTE ON THE SURFACE-CURRENTS OF 

 THE NORTH SEA. 



By T. Wemyss Fulton, M.D., F.R.S.E., Scientific Superintendent. 



In the Fifteenth Annual Report of the Board I described in detail the 

 experiments devised by me to ascertain the direction and rate of the 

 surface-currents in the North Sea, and the results obtained up to the 

 beginning of 1897. The method adopted was to set adrift a large 

 number of floats (chiefly bottles) at brief intervals over a long period and 

 at various localities, and to collate the results derived from those 

 that were recovered. Up to the time mentioned the number of " drifters " 

 which had been returned to me, out of some 3550 which were made use 

 of, was 502. Since then an additional 132 have been received, making 

 a total of 634, or nearly 18 per cent, of those thrown into the sea. The 

 " drifters " were of two kinds, paraffined wood and sealed bottles ; and 

 the statement previously made that the bottles proved far superior to the 

 other kind is borne out by the further experience, since all of the 132 

 since recovered were bottles. About 30 per cent, of the bottles made use 

 of were recovered. 



The places where the 132 referred to were found were as follows : — 

 Scotland 7 (5 at the Shetlands, 1 at the Orkneys, and 1 recovered by a 

 trawl net east of May Island) ; England 1, on the coast of Northumber- 

 land ; Germany (west coast of Schleswi^) 6 ; Denmark, west coast, 49 ; 

 Sweden, west coast, 16 ; Norway, 53. None were received from Holland, 

 and those from Norway were found on various parts of the coast, from 

 the entrance to Christianiafjord to the North Cape. When the previous 

 results are combined we have the following : — 



England. 



Holland. 



Germany. 



Denmark. 



Sweden. 



Norway. 



95 



5 



4 



57 



6 



46 



1 



_ 



6 



49 



16 



53 



96 



5 



10 



106 



22 



99 



As may be seen from the Tables appended, the great majority were 

 recovered in 1897 ; eight were recovered in 1898, and two in November 

 and December 1899 ; but some of them did not reach me until the 

 beginning of the present year. 



Many of the bottles found belong to lots of which others were 

 previously obtained, and the additional information which they furnish 

 may be considered. Five of them were among the number thrown over- 

 board by H.M.S. Research, when engaged in survey work in the Faroe- 

 Shetland Channel, in July and August 1896. The one previously 

 recovered from lat. 61° 1' N., long. 3° 13' W.. was found near Lerwick, 

 Shetland, about 100 miles to the south-east, in December 1896, One of 



* The Currents of the North Sea, and their Relation to Fisheries, Part III., p. 334. 



