of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



365 



southwards at rates varying from about 13 to 5 or 6 miles a day. At 

 the beginning of March 1895, they travelled 40 miles in 3 days, the 

 wind blowing the whole time strongly from the north ; and, it may be 

 noticed, the water impinged on the coast at this time much more to the 

 eastwards than usual. In October 1894, the rate was about 5 or 6 miles 

 an hour, and at the time the wind blew partly from S.W., but chiefly 

 from N.E. In October 1896, the rate was much the same, the wind 

 blowing chiefly from the N.E., N.N.E., and E. On the east coast of 

 Scotland and England the rate was not, as a rule, so rapid. Thus, off 

 the Scotch coast, the southward movement in September 1894 was 

 between 4 and 5 miles per day, the wind blowing from the north- 

 east; in April and May 1895, with mostly light breezes from the south, 

 west and east, with a few days of strong wind from N.N.E., the rate 

 was considerably under a mile a day. At the end of July and beginning 

 of August 1895, with the winds chiefly variable, and light from the south- 

 west and west, the rate off the coast of Aberdeen was about 2 miles a 

 day. In the latter half of May 1896 and early part of June, with the 

 winds variable and light, but chiefly from E. and E.N.E., the rate was 

 between 2 and 3 miles a day. In July two were picked up at sea 

 off the coast of Aberdeen ; they had travelled in a southerly direction 

 at the rate of about 3 miles a day, the wind being light and variable, 

 chiefly from the east and north. Others of the same group were picked 

 up on the Northumberland coast, about 50 days afterwards, having 

 travelled 142 miles, a rate rather under 3 miles a day, the winds blowing 

 from various points. In October, with northerly and N.E. breezes, the 

 rate was increased to between 5 and 7 miles an hour. 



Those found on the English coast moved "at about the same speed, and 

 as the distance traversed was greater, and the period of flotation longer 

 (and the direction of the wind therefore more variable), the results are 

 perhaps of more value. In September-October 1894, the southward 

 rate was exactly 3 miles a' day. In December-January, from the Firth 

 of Forth to Yorkshire, the rate was from under 2 miles to over 4 miles 

 a day in different cases; the prevailing wind in December 1894 was 

 W. by N. at Bell Rock (33) and N. f E. (12) at Shields; in January 

 1895 it was K by E. (9) at Shields. The most rapid was 208 miles in 

 48 days (from Fifeness to Lincolnshire), or about 4 3 miles per day. In 

 March-April— May the rate ift different cases, varied from a little over 

 a mile a day to over 5 miles, the quicker movemeut being due to north- 

 easterly winds. In May-June-July 1896, the speed ranged from 

 between 2 and 3 to about 4 miles per day, the winds blowing chiefly 

 from N.W. A drifter put in to the water on 11th June, 12 miles 

 E.S.E. of the Isle of May, was picked up by a fi\shing-smack 32 miles 

 E.S.E. of Flamborough Head, on 26th August, having travelled 156 

 miles in 76 days, or at a mean rate of slightly over 2 miles a day. 

 In June-July, tlie speed was about 3 miles per day ; during the period 

 the wind blew chiefly in June from W., S.W., and W.S.W., and in 

 July from N.N.W. A bottle set adrift in the Moray Firth on 22nd 

 July was picked up on 3rd December about 65 miles N.E. from Spurn 

 Head, Yorkshire, having travelled about 248 miles southward in 134 

 days, or rather under 2 miles per day. In August-September, the 

 rate was from about 2 to a little over 3 miles per day. In October, 

 the mean speed was, in some cases, as high as over 6 miles per day 

 (93 to 133 miles), and, in other cases, over 4 miles, the effective wind 

 being N. by W. and strong. 



As a general rule, it may be said that the surface movement southwards 

 along the east coast, ranges about 2 or 3 miles a day ; that its speed 



