ld spread over the oyster-bed
and the drills with them, since they would have so excellent a breeding
ground. No, the problem is still unsolved, and the people of the United
States are looking to the Bureau of Fisheries to solve it. The Bureau
has given it to me. That's the fascination of this work, that on your
own toil and your own skill and ingenuity a factor of world-wide
importance may depend."

"Perhaps----"

"What is it, Colin?"

"It just occurred to me, sir," the boy answered, "that perhaps some
parasite which would prey on the drill might be found."

"It might--but I have as yet found none."

"Or perhaps," Colin again suggested, "some chemical which would unite
with lime might be put into the water so that the oyster shell might be
poisonous to the drill, but not for food, because we eat the oyster and
not the shell."

The director laughed.

"That suggestion is new, at least," he said, "but I don't think it would
work because this is a marine question and the water changes
continuously. There must be some solution, there's always a way of doing
everything, and some one will find it out. I'm going to stick at it till
I do, that is, when I'm not engaged on other Bureau work. But I'm always
glad of suggestions, and when you can help me in any way I'll let you
know."

"Thank you ever so much, Mr. Prelatt," Colin answered; "I'll be glad to
do anything I can."

The boy had a fertile brain, and, before a week had passed by, a line of
experiment suggested itself to him in connection with the oyster-drill
problem and he explained it to the director.

"To work that out properly would take several years!" the latter said
tentatively.

"I thought it would," said Colin, "but perhaps some one else could carry
it on, and the work ought to be done, anyway."

"You have the right idea," the director replied; "it's the problem, not
the man who solves it. Now," he continued, "I have a surprise for you.
Dr. Jimson, who has been working on swordfish for some time, is anxious
to try and capture a large specimen and is going out with a swordfish
sloop next week. I can probably arrange for the trap to be looked after,
if you are off for a day or two. Do you want to go?"

"Indeed I do," said Colin. "Mr. Wadreds was telling me some stories just
the other day about swordfish-catching."

"I suppose he told you the famous story of the swordfish which charged a
vessel and drove its sword through 'copper sheathing, an inch