SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY. iti 
in 1906 by the Committee. As Dr. Bassett points out, 
we have in two successive years a late and weak Gulf 
Stream Drift associated with a wet and gloomy summer. 
The hydrographic observations made during the present 
winter (October and December, 1910) showed that the 
Gulf Stream Drift is again becoming stronger; and, as 
Dr. Bassett states, observations taken this Iebruary 
fully bear out the conclusion that our sea-area 1s 
returning to a more normal state after the period of 
depression which it has experienced during the previous 
two years. It may be added that Mr. Scott and I have 
arrived at the same conclusion from an examination of 
the plankton samples, as will be seen in our article on 
the subject at the end of this report. 
Mr. Johnstone’s account of some additional parasites 
and diseased conditions of fish which have been sent to 
us at the Liverpool University Laboratory for examina- 
tion during the year contains, amongst other interesting 
matters, a detailed description of a very remarkable 
‘* Melanotic Sarcoma,’’ a pitch-black malignant tumour 
which we found attached to the head of a ray caught in 
our trammel net in Port Erin Bay last August. This 
is a rare occurrence, and a welcome addition to our 
scanty knowledge of the distribution of such cancerous 
erowths in the lower animals. 
In this report Mr. Johnstone gives us a general 
summary of all the results obtained up to date from the 
fish-marking experiments that have now been running 
for some years. No fresh plaice have been marked and 
liberated since 1908, but every now and again fish 
marked some two or more years ago are received. 
However, we think it probable that practically all the 
fish liberated which are likely to be recovered have now 
come to hand. The results of these experiments are 
very interesting and important. The whole of 
