of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



169 



supplied the common flat-fish, and these were mainly empty of food, while 

 a haddock and a hake were equally badly nourished. The long rough 

 dabs from deep water were, however, richly supplied with pteropods 

 (Spinalis). One of the commoner jelly-fish taken in Little Loch Broom 

 was occupied with a half-digested fish, that had become so closely incor- 

 porated as to be almost irremovable. 



The lochs further north than this are so small in area and so rocky in 

 character that in the prevailing weather we did not deem it advisable to 

 risk their investigation. We consequently proceeded to Stornoway with 

 the purpose of trawling Broad Bay. But here the weather did not favour 

 us, and after coaling we continued on to Loch Erisort, where we again put 

 down the trawl. On our way we also trawled in the Minch in 50 fathoms, 

 bringing up a fair take of common fish (offal !), but of better quality and 

 better fed. Pteropods abounded in the bottom tow-net, while Copepoda 

 were also numerous and Sagittse present. Astronyx and Pennatulce were 

 plentiful. It may be said here that throughout our experience, in the 

 Hebridean lochs and the waters bordering thereon, the fish as well as the 

 Entomostracan fauna were more numerous and of superior character — that 

 is to say, the fish were not only of a better class and in better condition, 

 but the floating fish food was more numerous and more nourishing. 



Sea-trout and other salmonidae seemed especially plentiful in this loch, 

 and there can be no doubt that poaching is universal amongst the resident 

 population, which is numerous. Shell-fish of a suitable character for bait 

 are not plentiful, and we found Tapes pullastra in use to bait the hand- 

 lines for codling and other fish, towards the head of the loch. The 

 dredge in this loch was very rich in Mollusca, both as to variety and 

 number. The next loch towards the south is Loch Shell, very open to 

 the Minch, and better supplied with fish than those that are more con- 

 tained. Like most of the lochs we had examined up till then, as well as 

 those afterwards investigated, the muddy bottom was rich in magnificent 

 Pennatulce. These Pennatulce in many cases showed that they were a 

 favourite food of the starfish we have mentioned (Astronyx Loveni), 

 which came up in large numbers in various localities throughout the 

 expedition. Large quantities of their luscious polypi were also fed upon 

 by Arcturus longicornis, a crustacean which we have also found elsewhere 

 to prey upon this zoophyte. This muddy ground may therefore be the 

 means of supplying a very valuable food to many classes of fish, not only 

 as providing food for Crustaceae, but as being rich in annelids of many 

 species, some of great size and beauty. We regret that owing to our 

 inability to make full use of the opportunities supplied by the 1 Garland,' 

 through lack of assistants, a proper collection of annelids could not be 

 made ; and we consider that in any future expedition, facilities should 

 be provided for the collection of this, one of the most valuable of all 

 classes of fish food. The net of the 'Garland' failed to capture an 

 adequate supply, even if we had had the proper means of differentiating 

 and preserving them, in the midst of our other work. Annelids mainly 

 constituted the contents of the stomachs of the fish taken here, which 

 were naturally mostly flat-fish. A haul of the small seine on the shores 

 of the Shiant Isles produced nothing but young Gadus virens, all richly 

 coloured from dwelling amid the tangle : but the tangle zone was full of 

 minute Crustacea, and abounded in Pteropods, giving evidence of no lack 

 of food for certain classes of fish. 



Loch Seaforth is one of the longest lochs in Scotland, but did not 

 prove to be specially fitted for the use of the trawl, although the bottom 

 is muddy. We here took a specimen of that rare fish the Phycis blennoides, 

 and again met the Hebridean smelt, in fine condition. The picked dogs 

 taken were heavy with young in various stages of development, and some 



