of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



351 



away ten miles from the Isle of May ; one was found twenty-one days 

 afterwards, 67 miles to the south, and the other 42 miles to the 

 south after twenty-three days. The third was set adrift fifty miles 

 from the Isle of May, and was found on 29th January 1897, six miles 

 south of Holy Island, Northumberland, that is to say, further north 

 than the others. There is little doubt, that, after going a long way 

 in the usual course, it was driven back in a N.W. direction by the 

 reversed movement that took place at this time, referred to below. One 

 of the two found on the coast of Norway was put away 250 miles 

 from the Isle of May (and, therefore, about eighty miles west of the 

 Naze of Norway), and it was picked up on the 15th October, fifty-five 

 days afterwards, on the island of Bommell, south of Bergen, 143 miles 

 N. by E. of the point where it was set adrift. The other was put 

 away 130 miles from the Isle of May, or a little over 200 miles west 

 of the Naze, and it was found on lbth January 1897 (150 days after- 

 wards) at Yelmesoen, West Lofoten, about 800 miles to the north. It 

 is evident that at this time there was, in addition to the southerly 

 movement on the east coast, a strong and rapid northerly movement, of 

 the water to the west of the Norwegian coast. This is also shown by 

 the results on the Hamburg route described below. 



The fourth series were set adrift on 23rd October 1896. They 

 comprised only twenty-five bottles and seventy-five drifters, and only three 

 have been recovered, two of which were put off fifty miles east of the Isle 

 of May, and picked up on the 24th January 1897, one at Monkwear- 

 mouth, Sunderland, and the other at South Shields, both, therefore, on 

 the coast of Durham. The third was found in an unexpected position, 

 namely, at Sandwich Bay, Shetland, on the 24th March 1897. It is 

 very probable that these bottles were driven back by the reversal of the 

 movement of the water in December and January, from a position 

 much further east and south. 



The fifth series were set adrift on 6th November 1896, at the distances 

 stated in the above table. Only one has as yet been returned. It was 

 put away 150 miles from the Isle of May, and picked up on 4th March 

 1897 at Sulen, eleven miles north of Bergen, Norway. 



The sixth series were put away on the 25th and 26th December 1896, 

 and a large number have been already returned. Of those set adrift 

 at 30, 100, and 150 miles east of the Isle of May none have up to 

 the present been recovered ; but nine of the twenty at 200 miles, 

 eight of the twenty at 250 miles, and seven of the twenty at 300 miles 

 have been found on the coast of Norway. The detail are given in 

 the Table (p. 394). The earliest found were those set adrift at 250 

 miles — that is about 80 miles west of the Naze of Norway. On 1st and 

 2nd January, six and seven days later, four were picked up near Stavanger, 

 at from 85 to 87 miles distant, in a N.E. by N. direction; on 2nd 

 January one was also found, 73 miles distant, at Fjorve, near Farsund. 

 In February three others were picked up, two near Stavanger, and one 

 near the Naze. Six of the seven recovered from the lot set adrift 300 

 miles from the Isle of May (or about 32 miles west of the Naze) were 

 found between 19th and 26th February, in the vicinity of Bergen, and 

 at Obristad Lighthouse, Jcederen. One was found on 4th March near 

 Molde. 



• About the same dates (20th-28th February) members of the lot put 

 away at 200 miles east of May Isle — or about 125 miles west of the 

 Naze — began to be found, some near Bergan, and some near Stavanger, 

 at distances of from about 120 to 185 miles from the point where they 

 were immersed. This lot therefore travelled much faster, in a north-east 



