362 
Part III. — Eighth Annual Report 
is a paper by Mr Bourne on the destruction of immature fish. It is 
stated that very young flat-fish are not captured in the large beam trawls 
working off Plymouth in depths of thirty to forty fathoms ; and that 
while flat-fish somewhat less than six inches in length are not uncommon, 
they invariably belong to worthless or nearly worthless species. Mr J. 
T. Cunningham, the naturalist of the association, found very young flat- 
fishes in Mevagissey Harbour in the pools at low tide. There were a 
few soles, about half an inch long, but the great majority were flounders, 
from three-eighths to three-quarters of an inch in length. Mr Bourne states 
tli.it in regard to ' round-fish it is known that when young they frequent 
( rocky bottoms where the trawl cannot work, and their rarity in the trawl 
1 proves that they are not destroyed by it.' — This is probably true, without 
much qualification, in regard to very small haddock ; but it is not the case 
wit h regard to cod or whiting, several thousand immature whitings having 
been taken in one haul of the ' Garland's ' special trawl ( vide, p. 173). In 
the director's report it is stated that the first practical investigation last 
year was a renewed study of the development of the herring, but the 
larvae perished as soon as the yelk-sac was absorbed, from the common 
difficulty of providing them with suitable food. The experiments in the 
hatching and rearing of lobsters were carried on with success up to a 
certain stage ; but the welled vessel in which they were confined 
unfortunately sprung a leak and sank, and the young lobsters escaped. 
In the second number of the Journal * there is a valuable and suggestive 
paper by Mr W. Bateson, on the sense organs and perceptions of fishes ; 
with remarks on the supply of bait. Mr Bateson after describing the 
sense organs of fishes, gives the results of his researches and experiments 
on the mode in which various fishes use them in obtaining their food. 
The majority of fishes seek their food chiefly if not entirely by sight, but 
a certain number hunt for and recognise it by the sense of smell alone, 
while a few species are also aided by special organs of touch. Lists of 
these fishes are given and the results of various experiments. This part 
of Mr Bateson's paper is most excellent, and throws much light upon the 
habits of fishes. It is however questionable if it will furnish the readiest 
path to the solution of the bait problem ; and for this reason, that the 
baits found most successful by fishermen have usually little relation to 
the natural food of the fish. For instance, mussels form the best bait for 
haddocks and codlings, and many thousands of tons of these fish are 
caught off the Scotch coast every year with mussel bait ; but a mussel is 
never found in their stomachs. The same observation may be made in 
regard to the clam (Pecten) and many other baits. At the same time 
there is no doubt Mr Bateson's experiments may be useful in suggesting 
a cheap substitute for natural bait. The experiments I made on a large 
scale in 1888, by using a great variety of substances, differently coloured, 
and scented with fish and other extracts, were unsuccessful. + Another 
paper of interest in this number of the Journal is Mr Cunningham's 
on anchovies in the English Channel. Mr Cunningham gives an account 
of all that is known about the anchovy, and describes its appearance in 
the English Channel. This paper is referred to elsewhere (p. 351). 
An account of the work carried on at the Marine Biological Station at 
Puffin Island is given in the third volume of the Proceedings of the 
Liverpool Biological Society, by Professor Herdman, the Director. It is 
mentioned that myriads of young mussels are sometimes found in the 
neighbourhood, in such abundance that all projecting objects are almost 
blackened by the adhering masses; but that very few reach maturity, 
* New Ser., vol. 1, No. 3, April 1890. 
t Vide Seventh Annual Report Scot. Fishery Board, part iii. p. 352, 1889. 
