of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



171 



rich character formerly observed. To the naturalist this is a most inter- 

 esting locality, — more so, perhaps, than any other we had traversed, — while 

 it has also proved from time to time a very rich centre for the herring 

 fishery. A red gurnard was here taken, and it contained a young 



dragonet (Callionymus lyra). 



It is to be regretted that to none of these isles has the telegraph yet been 

 extended, so that although lobsters, white-fish, and herring are all 

 abundant in their season, the lack of prompt communication by wire with 

 the southern markets seriously impedes fishing operations. 



As we had been forced out of our course by the weather, we were 

 obliged to return to the north of Skye, where we spent some days filling 

 up the gaps in our knowledge of that locality. We had heard much of 

 the Gairloch and the ground outside as a resort of white-fish, and the fish 

 obtained there were undoubtedly good, but very few. The fish go out- 

 side to deeper water at this season. Amongst them we again came upon 

 the black-mouthed dogfish (Pristiurus melanostomus) with its beautiful 

 golden-syrup tinted egg-cases ready to be deposited. The dredge proved 

 much more interesting than the trawl in these waters, more especially in 

 the neighbourhood of Croulin Island, where on a well-known fish-bank we 

 found multitudes of Pecten similis, upon which the flat-fish of the district 

 undoubtedly fed, as the deeper ground outside was largely composed of 

 the dead valves of this dainty pecten. 



As we found it impossible in the prevailing weather to test the central 

 Minch, we 'returned to Oban to coal, and to meet Mr Thomas Scott, 

 our naturalist and entomostracan specialist, whom we took on board with 

 the object of examining the fresh-water Loch Morar, while the vessel com- 

 pleted the examination of Lochs Hourn and Nevis. Mr Scott has a 

 special report of his examination of this interesting fresh- water loch and its 

 fauna (p. 220). In Loch Hourn we captured the first ling taken during our 

 whole experience with the ' Garland's ' trawl in the west. We feel confident 

 that if it trawled on the West Coast daring the winter months this would 

 not be the record. Smelt again appeared in our trawl from Loch Nevis, and 

 the black-mouthed dogfish were also present in both Lochs Nevis and 

 Hourn, in the latter in great numbers. In both lochs also Astronyx Loveni 

 and Funiculina quadrangular is were plentiful and beautiful ; while from 

 Loch Hourn the largest holothuria cf the expedition were captured 

 (Oucumaria frondosa and Phyllophorus drummondi), as well as the quaint 

 crustacean Munida Rondeletii. Herring were at that time plentiful both 

 in Nevis and Hourn, but somewhat immature, and the fishermen were 

 obtaining wretched prices for their fish, yet more than would have been 

 obtained for the same class of fish on the East Coast at the same time. 

 It is somewhat remarkable that we on no occasion throughout the 

 expedition ever obtained a herring in the trawl ; nor, although so many 

 herring were about, did we capture any white-fish with herring in the 

 stomach ! This to us is a further evidence of the inadequate character of 

 our examination, as the use of the long line, the seine-net, and the 

 trammel-net would possibly have shown very different results. 



It will be necessary in future, in order to do full justice to such an 

 examination, to not only have more of our naturalists on board, but to 

 employ more effective apparatus. Our proposals in this direction will be 

 found elsewhere. 



From Loch Linnhe two specimens of Isocardia cor were obtained alive, 

 proving the presence of this fine shell still in these waters, from which 

 they have not been often captured of late years. 



We had the advantage of the skilled aid of Mr Alfred Brown, author 

 of " The Mollusca of the Clyde," during the early part of the expedition, 

 for which we specially thank him. The report of Mr Brown on the 

 mollusca taken during the expedition is appended. 



