H.—IS.

before you and was agreed to by yourself. Accordingly in November the Board was reconstituted as follows, His Excellency the Governor-General in Council appointing the Hon. Geo. M. Thomson, Professor W. B. Benham, Messrs. C. W. S. Chamberlain, A. E. Hefford, and G. W. Howes as members. The first meeting of the newly constituted Board was held on the 7th January, when, inter alia, the following resolutions were agreed to : — " (1.) That the name of the station be altered from ' The Marine Fish-hatchery' to ' The Marine Fisheries Investigation Station.' " (2.) That as Mr. Maxwell Young, Biologist at the station, is a Government employee, the Minister be asked to bring the fact under the notice of the Public Service Commissioner in order that he fiiay be recognized as a member of the Civil Service." The alteration of the name emphasizes the fact of the widened scope of the work of the station, and its national character. Instead of being a local or provincial affair, it is now recognized as a New Zealand concern. It is doing biological fishery-work of national importance, and is inaugurating research on hydrographic problems, dealing with the New Zealand seas generally. The meeting also approved of a scheme of hydrographic work suggested by Mr. Hefford. This includes temperature and salinity observations of the sea off Otago Heads, to be taken as frequently as weather conditions permit. These at first would be surface observations only, but later on midwinter and bottom layers would be similarly tested by special apparatus (e.g., Nansen-Patterson water-bottles, &c.). To begin with, stations five and ten miles from the Heads would be observed, to be extended later to fifteen and twenty miles. By enlisting the co-operation of fishermen and coasting-steamers, these observations will be extended both north and south, and thus a considerable amount of observational material will be obtained. Such observations would probably indicate any seasonal changes in the drift, which may possibly correlate with such variable phenomena as the irregular distribution of the sprats and pilchards off the coast. In last year's report it was stated that the United States National Museum had kindly undertaken to work out the tow-net material forwarded from this station. Accordingly during the year Mr. Young has forwarded to the Museum 178 tubes of such collections, consisting chiefly of surfaceswimming Copepoda. He has made somewhat extensive collections of dredged and netted material during the year, much of which has been distributed to other workers. This includes tube-forming and other Polychsetes, Boltenia, &c., to Professor Benham; Zostera to Professor Holloway, and prepared fish-jaws to the late Dr. Raynor Bell ; Mollusca to Mr. Finlay; Goniocidaris to the British Museum ; Tunicates and Crustacea to Professor Chilton, of Canterbury University College ; a new species of Holothurian to Dr. Mortensen, of Copenhagen ; prepared heads of elephant-fish (Gallorhynchus) to Mr. Kesteven, of Billahdelah, New South Wales; and eggs of the same species for Professor Edgeworth, of Bristol University. He has continued his researches on Tunicates, and on the growth of native fishes, including smelts (Retro-pinna), of which a number were taken in January. Towards the end of the present season, in response to a request from the Marine Department, the Board detached Mr. Young for work in conjunction with Mr. Hefford, on the oyster-beds of Foveaux Strait, and he made his preliminary visit to the Bluff in March. In order to facilitate his work and to give him the requisite authority in case of any difficulty arising in the course of investigation, he was duly appointed an Inspector of Fisheries. Mr. S. Broadley, assistant curator of the station (and Inspector of Fisheries for the Ot&go District), has made two visits of inspection to the outlying fishing-ports, both north and south. He has also inspected the Dunedin Fish-market at regular intervals. In response to a request from the Department he is to be liberated next month for salmon-netting at the mouth of the Clutha River. In addition to the paper already referred to on " The Occurrence of Clupeids in New Zealand," Mr. Young has contributed the following papers throughout the year : "On Malignant Tumours of European Turbot " (Journal of the Marine Biological Association of Britain) ; " Range and Nomenclature of Physiculus rhacinus," and " Fishing Industry of Otago " (both in N.Z. Journal of Science and Technology) ; " Marine Fauna of the Chatham Islands " (in the press); " Marine Biological Notes, embracing the Growth of Crayfish, Commensalism of Tunicates and Mollusca, Food of Starfishes, &c." (in the press). He has also ready for publication the following: "On Cristaculeus dyscritus, a new Genus and Species of Stomateid Fishes " ; " On the Occurrence of Mora mediterranea " ; " On the Occurrence of Gentrolophus maoricus." The library continues to increase by the addition of recent papers and publications of scientific societies, and the very full card-indexing renders it most valuable for reference. The whole of the buildings and plant are kept in very good order by the staff, while the renewal of piping and pumping apparatus required is now provided for. Yours, &c., Geo. M. Thomson, Hon. G. J. Anderson, Minister of Marine, Wellington. Chairman.

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