of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
391 
and were obtained from shallow tidal pools in Mevagissey HarLour. 
Soles spawned in March completed their metamorphosis by the middle 
of May, when they were 12 to 15 mm. long; on May 31st they were 
about 18 mm. long. Mr Cunningham failed to obtain any iirst-year 
soles after they had reached this size, but he infers from other evidence 
that in one year they grow to the length of five inches. The artificial 
propagation of the sole is a matter of some difficulty, owing to the 
character of the testes and the milt. Mr Cunningham, in May last 
year, fertilised thousands of the eggs of the sole on board a trawl (!r 
in the Bristol Channel, and a large number were successfully hatched, 
but they all died as the yolk was absorbed and they began to feed. 
Statistics are given which show the decreased quantity of soles now 
landed in England, and artificial fertilisation of the ei'gs is recom- 
mended. 
The first of the numbers of the Journal of the Association* contains 
several interesting papers. Mr W. L. Calderwood, for some years zoologist 
on the staff of the Fishery Board for Scotland, has been appointed Director 
of the Association's Laboratory, Plymouth, in succession to Mr G. C. 
Bourne. As heretofore, the labours of the Association relate to the 
scientific study of fishery questions, as well as pure zoology. In the 
Report of the Council it is stated that, by the- co-operation of the medical 
staff of the Deep-Sea Mission to Fishermen, an extensive inquiry has been 
arranged into the presence of immature fish in deep waters in the North 
Sea, their movements, and their destruction by beam-trawling. The in- 
vestigation of the great offshore fishing banks, such as the Dogger, 
especially in regard to the distribution of immature flat-fish, and the 
presence of nurseries and spawning-grounds, will become more and more 
important as time passes. The Association have begun experiments in 
keeping young soles in enclosed ponds, with the view of rearing them to 
a marketable size, and also as to cultivating soles in fresh water. It is 
pointed out that the want of a suitable vessel for off'shore work is every 
day more strongly felt. At present the Association possesses a small 
steam-launch (the ' Firefly') ; but with a larger vessel it would be in their 
power to undertake ' continuous and systematic investigations into the 
' problenis of the spawning-grounds, nurseries, and migrations of fnod- 
' fishes, valuable work such as the " Garland " is at present doing for the 
* Scottish Fishery Board,' The experiments made at the laboratory at 
Plymouth in the rearing of lobsters are being continued. Although these 
experiments have not, from various causes, been yet completely successful, 
they have furnished results of value as to the most promising methods, 
and serve to show that a large body of water is required. After experi- 
ments for a year or two in hatching and rearing operations at Plymouth, 
it is stated : • The conditions which seem to us most likely to yield success, 
' both in hatching fish and lobsters, are the following : — The establish- 
* ment of a large and deep pond (say 1000 square feet in area, and 2 to 3 
' fathoms deep at some places) on a rocky coast, the levels being so 
' arranged that it should stand always about four-fifths full, while the 
* remaining fifth should fill through filters on the top of ordinary and 
' spring floods, emptying slowly on the ebbs.' 
Mr J. T. Cunningham, the naturalist of the Association, has reared a 
number of flounder and brill in the tanks from early stages. The obser- 
vations are of interest in regard to the rate of growth ; in the course of 
three and a half months flounders grew from about half an inch in length 
to 3 inches, and brill, in the course of two and a half months, from about 
* Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, now series 
vol. i., No. 4, 1890. 
