our work on those."

"I wonder what I shall have to do?" said Colin, with a note of query.

"That I don't know anything about," the director answered. "As director
of the Biological Laboratory, I'm on the scientific division, and really
can't tell you much about the cultural and statistical ends. I
understand, however, that the Deputy Commissioner plans to send you to
the mackerel fishery."

"From Gloucester, Mr. Prelatt?"

"No, from Boston. At least that is where you are to meet Mr. Roote.
Rather a full review of the mackerel fishery has been made, so I
suppose this is some special inquiry. The regular statistics of Boston
and Gloucester fish-markets are so important that local agents are
appointed to make monthly reports. You have not been called on much for
extra collecting recently, have you?"

"No, sir," answered Colin; "almost all the research workers have enough
specimens for the work they're doing, because it's too near the end of
the time to start any new details. So I haven't much to do except to
look after the trap."

"We'll get a few days together on the oyster drill, then," said the
director, "before you go away."

When the time came for Colin to leave Woods Hole he found himself most
reluctant to go, and he rather regretted that he had accepted the
mackerel fishery investigation, because he saw that he could have got
permission to work on with Mr. Prelatt for a week or two. But the matter
had been arranged, and when the boy arrived in Boston, he was alert with
the interest of a new experience.

The statistician was a silent man. He greeted Colin with few words and
eyed him critically.

"Hm! You can handle a boat?"

"Yes, sir," said Colin in surprise.

"Get aboard the _Shiner_ at seven-thirty to-morrow, at the dock next to
Gray's," and he nodded his head and walked off, leaving Colin to stare
after him.

"Well," the boy said aloud, "that's short enough and clear enough, only
I don't happen to know where Gray's is!"

A little questioning around the waterfront, however, enabled him to find
the vessel, and as the lad had been in Boston a couple of times before,
the search was not long. The _Shiner_ hailed from Gloucester and was
"the real thing," as Colin said under his breath. One hundred and twelve
feet long she was, with an air, as she sat on the water, of knowing
every little wickedness of the ocean and understanding the way to
conquer it too; her mainmast cleared eighty-five feet, and wa