-5 ^ i-y — ._ Return to LIBRARY OF MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY WOODS HOLE, MASS. Loaned by American Museum of Natural History ■ / ' V *£ .-LO o. i si m ^ * m ■ ^M >v^ PKOCEEDINGS AND TRANSACTIONS OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. VOL. II. (New Series.) 1886-88. GLASGOW: PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY AT ITS ROOMS, 207 BATH STREET. 1890. *• *,*L ^ J CONTENTS. -*♦- Transactions— paqb A Contribution towards a Catalogue of the Amphipoda and Isopoda of the Firth of Clyde. By David Robertson, F.L.S., F.G.S., 9 Observations on some West-Coast Fishes. Lochbuie Marine Institute, per W. Anderson Smith, - 100 On the Development of Syngnathus acus, Lin. By W. Anderson Smith. With one Plate [I.], - - - - 105 On Carex spiralis, a Species new to Science. By Peter Ewing, - 110 On some Scandinavian Forms of Scottish Alpine Plants. By Peter Ewing, Ill On the Oral Apparatus of the larva of Wormaldia, a Genus of Trichoptera. By Kenneth J. Morton. With one Plate [II.], 115 A Glance at the July Flora of Alyth. By R. S. Wishart, M.A., 118 Notes on some Species of Land and Fresh- Water Mollusca and Land Isopoda from Bute. By Thomas Scott, - . 125 Remarks on some Land and Fresh Water Mollusca from Tarbert, Loch Fyne. By Thomas Scott, - - - 129 Notes on a small Collection of Neuroptera from the Island of Coll. By James J. F. X. King, ... 183 Botanical Notes from Portpatrick, 1886. By Jas. M' Andrew, 135 Jottings from My Note-Book. By David Robertson, F.L.S., F.G.S. — Purpura lapillus, Lin., 139 Observed Depths in Loch Lomond, - 141 Corystes cassivelannus, Penn., 143 Mytilus edulis, Lin., 144 The Food of Fishes, .... - 146 On some Marine Mollusca, 150 On the new Apochromatic Micro-objectives and Com- pensating Oculars of Dr. Carl Zeiss, Jena. By Adolph Schulze, F.R.S.E., F.R.M.S., 154 5%^ CONTENTS. PAGE Notes on the Foraminifera of the Faroe Channel and Wyville Thomson Ridge, with a Description of a New Species of Hyperammina. By Fred. G. Pearcey, of H.M.S. Challenger Expedition. With one Plate [III.], 163 Notes on the Turnstone, Strepsilas interpres, Lin. By William Craibe Angus, 180 Notes on the Flora of the Island of Barra. By Alex. Somerville, B.Sc, F.L.S., - - 183 Dredging off Portincross, Ayrshire. By Alex. Somerville, B.Sc, F.L.S., - - - 189 On Parthenogenesis in the Hymenoptera. By P. Cameron, F.E.S., 194 On the Occurrence on Ben Lawers of Arenetra pilosella, Gr., a Genus of Ichneumoiiidce new to the British Fauna. By P. Cameron, F.E.S., 202 On a Monstrosity of the Common Earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris, L. By R. Broom, B.Sc, Glasgow University, 203 Botanical Notes from Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbright- shire. By James M 'Andrew, 207 Jottings from My Note-Book. By David Robertson, F.L.S., F.G.S. — On the Local Distribution of Pinnatida %)lwspliorea, Lin., Virgularia mirabilis, Lam., and Pavon- aria quadrangular is, Pall., 211 The Pike, Esox lucius, Lin., 212 Isocardia cor, Lin., 215 Hyas araneus, Lin., 216 Stenorliynchus longirostris, Fabr., .... 218 On Some Differences Between the Marine Faunas of the Firth of Clyde and Firth of Forth, - 220 The Cadzow Herd of White Cattle. By Robert Turner, 222 Notes on Some of the Rarer Plants Occurring in the Valley of the Garnock. By J. Smith, .... 245 A Contribution Towards a Neuropterous Fauna of Ireland. By James J. F. X. King, 269 On the Occurrence in North Ayrshire of the Water Shrew and Otter. By D. A. Boyd, - - - - 293 Notes on the Land and Fresh- Water Mollusca of Iona. By Alex. Somerville, B.Sc, F.L.S., - - - - 296 The Jay, Starling, and Kingfisher in Ayrshire. By David Landsborough, 298 Notes on the Nepenthaceai, or Pitcher-plants. By George Russell, 303 A Contribution to the Topographical Botany of the West of Scotland. By Peter Ewing, 309 Report on Excursions, 1887, 322 Contents. 5 Proceedings— „»,._ PAGE Reports of Meetings, etc., i-lxxii Abstract Statements of Accounts, - xxviii, Ixxiii List of Societies, etc., with which Publications are exchanged, ]xxiv List of Members, Ixxviii Index to Species, etc., referred to in Vol. II., xci INDEX TO PROCEEDINGS. Accounts, Abstract Statements of, xxviii, Ixxiii Alcyonaria?, xxxii Algae, xxvi, xxxviii Alpine Plants, Notes on, i, vii, xi, xvii, xxv, xxvi, xxx, xxxii, xlvii Amphibians, iv, xx, xxxv Apatania, On the British species of, 1 Associates, List of, lxxxix Ataccia cristata, Notes on, xxxi Barilla, Notes on, xliv Birds, vii, xix, xxv, xlii, xlv, xlvi, liv, lv, lix, lxi, lxxi Bitter Apple, Notes on, xliv Calyptra sometimes abnormally placed in certain Mosses, xxx Casuarina, Notes on, xlvi Cephalantheraensifolia in Arran and Ayrshire, Notes on, lix Characeae, xxxi Coleoptera, ii, iii, xxxiv Collembola, xxxix, xlvi Colocynth Gourd, Notes on, xliv Constitution, Adoption of Re- vised, lxii Crustacea, xviii, xxv, xxvi, xxxi, xxxiv, li, lxi Darwin and Vines, their views on the irritability of Plants, xxiii Echinodermata, xv, xvi, xxxiv Equisetaceae, v, viii, xi Esparto Grass, Notes on, xliii Excursions — Ben Lawers, etc., xlvii Bridge of Weir, vi Cadzow Forest, x, xx Cleaves Cove, xxxvi Cleghorn and Lanark, iv Dairy, xxxii, xxxvi Devol's Glen, i Greenock, i, xxxv Hamilton, x Irvine, iii Killin, xxxv Lochlibo, xxxvii Lochwinnoch, xxxv Milngavie, xxx Port-Glasgow, i, xxxvii Portincross, vi Wemyss Bay, xxxiii West Kilbride, xxxvi Ferns, iv, v, vii, viii, ix, xxv, lv Fishes, xxiv, xxvii, xxxiv, xxxvi Foraminifera, lxi Fungi, vii, viii, xi, xv, xvii, xviii, xxi, xxiii, xxxi, xxxii, xxxvi, xxxvii, lviii, 1, lix Fungi, Preservation of, xlvii Gifts to the Society, xiv, xx Hydrida, xxxv Hymenoptera, i, iv, xii, xvi, xxxvi, lxxi, lxxii Isopod Crustacea, Notes on, ii, iii, xxxi, lxi Lepidoptera, xlvi, lix Lichens, v, xxx, xxxvii CONTENTS. Mammals, x, xxxvii, xxxix, xlix, liv, lvi, lxxi Members, List of, lxxviii Meteorology, xvi, xxvii, xlii Microscopy, i, v, xii, xxi, xxxv, xxxvii Mollusca, iv, xviii, xix, xx, xxv, xxvi, xxvii, xxix, xxxi, xxxv, xxxvi, xliii, xlvi, xlix, lvii, lxxi Mosses, ii, iv, v, vi, vii, viii, ix, xi, xii, xiii, xvi, xvii, xviii, xx, xxi, xxiii, xxv, xxvi, xxix, xxx, xxxii, xxxv, xxxvii, lxxi Museum Methods, On, lv Neuroptera, iii, xix, xx, xxi, xxiv, xxvii, xlvi, 1, liv, lxxii Neuroptera, Irish. Notes on, xix, xx, 1, liv Noddsdale, Largs, Notes on Flora of, viii Obituary — Baird, Dr. Spencer Fullerton, xlv Ballantyne, Thomas, xxx Dickson, Prof. Alexander, M.D., etc., Ii Gray, Robert, F.R.S.E., xxii xl Milligan, W. J., xxxiii, xl Noble, Alexander, x Office-Bearers Election of, xiv, xlii Office-Bearers, List of, lxxviii Orthodontium gracile, Notes on, xxvi Palmipes membranaceus, Notes on, xv Plants, Flowering, i, ii, etc. A method of preserving, xxi Polyzoa, xxxv Potatoes, Experiments with Chilian, 1 Rat, Black, Notes on, lvi Reports, Annual — Council, xii, xl Librarian, xiv, xii Treasurer, xiv, xii Reptiles, iv, viii, xxix, xxxii, xxxvi Scandinavian and Scottish Floras compared, vii, xxvi Skull, Changes in form during growth, xlix Societies, etc., with which Pro- ceedings are exchanged, lxxiv Spiders, xix Sponges, xxxvii, 1 Star-fishes, xv, xvi Sunflower, Notes on abnormal inflorescence of, x Teratology, iv, ix, x, xviii, xxx, xxxii. xxxix, lix Trichoptera, see Neuroptera. ERRATA. PAGE. LINE. 13 16, fo 22 8, „ 39 6, „ 56 18, ,, u 19, „ II 21, „ 67 14, „ 69 1, ,, 88 15, „ 92 30, „ »» 33, „ 96 9, „ »» 10, „ >» 4, „ 186 1, „ 16, for microdentopa read microdeutopa. Hippornedon Sivammardamii LORENI Loreni Loreni Sphcerium Rhizotoma stones Zeuker Zeukeri NONOIDES nonoides nonoides " Hippornedon. Swammerdamii. LOVENI. Loveni, Loveni. Sphceroma. Rhizostoma. shores. Zenker. Zenkeri. NANOIDES. nanoides. nanoides. altei^niflorum. altemifolium ,, 270 jESCHNID^E gomphina (forming lines 32 and 33) should be placed before Gomphus (line 30). vi line 33, for Primu lascotica read Primula scotica. xxxviii „ 22, „ flavida ,, flavidus, TRANSACTIONS OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW I. A CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS A CATALOGUE OF THE AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. BY DAVID ROBERTSON, F.L.S., F.G.S. [Read 27th April, 1887.] For this contribution I have been gathering materials during a number of years. In the last two summers I was enabled to make a considerable advance towards the end in view, having, through the kindness of Mr. John Murray of the Challenge?* Expedition, had the privilege of accompanying him in his steam yacht Medusa, of the Scottish Marine Station, Granton, during his dredging in the Firth of Clyde. The tight little vessel is fitted up with all modern improvements, whereby the dredging work is carried on at all depths, and with the greatest ease and expedition. I had the advantage, moreover, of getting all the Amphipods that were taken, thus adding much to the list that could not otherwise have been obtained, besides throwing important light on the distribution of the species in different depths of water. I owe grateful thanks to Mr. Murray * and to all the staff, for their kind attention; also to the Rev. Canon A. M. Norman, and Mr. C. Spence Bate, of Plymouth, for their kind and willing help ; and to the Rev. Thomas R. 10 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. R. Stebbing, of Tunbridge Wells, for his ever liberal and painstaking assistance. Unfortunately there have been few workers on the Amphipoda of the Firth of Clyde ; and the literature on that branch of zoology, with the exception of scattered reports, is confined to Messrs Spence Bate and Westwood's valuable Monograph oj the British Sessile-eyed Crustacea. It is now nineteen years since the publication of that "work, and during the intervening period there have been many addi- tions and rearrangements in both genera and species. In the following list I have adopted in some cases the arrangement of Boeck's exhaustive work De Skandinaviske og Arktiske Amphipoder. In preparing the list an endeavour has been made to give the haunts and habits of the animals where- ever opportunity occurred. With the exception, however, of those found within tide-mark, this could not always be satisfactorily done. The dredge, by which the greater number of species is procured, allows few opportunities for studying their habits. When an attempt is made to do so in confinement in a glass jar or other vessel, the conditions are so different from those existing at a depth of from 10 to 100 fathoms at the bottom of the sea, that little value can be attached to the results. Those species most easily attainable and most abundant inhabit the littoral belt between high and low - water, chiefly under stones and decaying sea- weed, where any number may be procured with very little trouble. They belong chiefly to the two genera Talitrus and Orchestia. Besides with the dredge, good work can also be done between tide-mark on the sandy shore and sheltered bays, with a sieve that will allow the sand and mud to be washed out but is close enough to retain the animals. The surface-net is another successful appliance yielding many forms of great interest. It can be AMPHTPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. H worked from an oar-boat with as much success as from a faster-going vessel, as great speed is rather an objection when the water is made to rush into the net more rapidly than the meshes can let it out. For the surface work the best time seems to be after sunset, and the darker the better. I am not aware that any of these marine animals which crowd the surface of the water at night are peculiar to the surface. With few exceptions, all that have come under my own observation in the surface-net have also been taken by the dredge. Considering the depth of bottom from which many of them must have come, it is a question how (if ever) these tiny forms get back through the strong currents and tides to their wonted habitat. These nets were used by the steam yacht Medusa with great advantage, not only as surface-nets, but attached to the dredging-line at various depths, thus giving a tolerably correct idea of the minute inhabitants of the various zones in the water, to what extent they were distinct or intermixed, and whether those found at the surface by night were met with in the under zones by day. There are a number of species occasionally met with on the surface, floating on sea-weed carried from the shore far out to sea by the winds and receding tide. Whether in general they take the journey willingly or are carried off by accident may be difficult to determine. The Amphipod most frequently found in this way, during the summer season, is Deocamine spinosa, and the Isopod Idotea tricuspidata. As the latter has been brought up in great abundance by the dredge among wrack (sea- weed) from a depth of twenty fathoms, it is not improbable that their raft of sea-weed from the shore may have got water-logged and taken them safely in concealment to the bottom, which may not be altogether inconsistent with their habits. It is a curious fact that the Amphipoda are very seldom taken by the tow-net more than three or 12 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. four fathoms under the surface, and when they do occur it is only in ones and twos. Those prevailing most on the surface in summer months (chiefly Dexamine spinosa) almost entirely disappear during winter, and are replaced by another (Atylus Sicammerdamii ) that is seldom taken by the same means, and is but sparingly met with round our shores, whether by the net or dredge. When taken by the tow-net, it is generally without any accom- panying amphipodal species ; whereas in summer, with few exceptions, a variety of different species belonging to the same order may almost always be met with. This periodical appearance of different species seems to hold good even to a greater extent with the smaller organisms. Ceratium tripos, one of the Infusoria, was met with last summer in the Firth of Clyde in great abundance from surface to bottom ; but, by the time winter had set in, it had wholly disappeared. The same may be said of Noctihica miliaris. A few years ago it occurred in excessive abundance in Millport Bay for a very short time, but has not come under my notice since. In regard to this section of the work, the staff of the Millport Marine Branch Station purpose to include the whole of the Invertebrate Fauna of the Firth of Clyde, taken at various depths from the surface to the bottom, whereby some knowledge may be gained concerning the various depths at which the food of fishes is attainable or most abundant, and whether the food of the herring may not be plentiful at depths hitherto unsuspected, where the fish may resort when they leave shallower water. The following list of the Amphipoda and Isopoda taken by the surface-net after sunset, may be useful to compare with deeper takes of the net during day, and with those of the surface-net during sun- light : AMPIIIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 13 Ampelisca Gaimardi. laevigata. tenuicomis. Anonyx serratas. Aora gracilis. Atylus Sivammerdamii. Batliyporeiapilosa, 8 and ? . Calliope hcriuscula. Cheirocratus Sundevalli. Corophiiun Bonellii, 8 . crassicorne. Dexainine spinosa. Eur y dice pulchra. Gammarus locusta. marinus. Gossea microdentopa. Hyale imbricatus. Hyalc Lubbock iana. Nilssoni. Hyperia medusa/rum, and var. Idotea p«raZ/e/<7. f iicuspidata. Lysianassa Costa\ longicomis. Mcera Othonis. Melita obtusata. Monoculodes ccqiiimanus. Pherusa bicuspis. Proto ventricosa. Protomedeia Wliitei. Stenothoe monoculoides. Urothoe marinus, $ and $ . norvegica. Another useful appliance, called the dip-net, con- sists of a stout ring of galvanized iron about ten inches or a foot in diameter, with a thin strong bag attached, about twenty inches deep, and rounded at the bottom. The coarse material called "cheese- cloth" answers the purpose very well. The ring is fitted with a strong handle ten or twelve feet long ; and by this means the algae and zostera-beds in shallow water may be swept from the side of a row- boat. The net may be also used, without a boat, for sweeping along the edges at low water among weedy and stony ground; and many good things may thus be obtained from spots where the dredge cannot work. We may assume that the more suitable the appliances are for the different grounds we have to work on, the greater our success is likely to be. On this point I may remark that many species are in one sense justly considered rare, i.e., with the usual means of finding them, their haunts and habits being unfavourable for the ordinary means of capture. This accounts in some measure for our being indebted for many of our rarer species to the stomachs of birds and fishes. The small Ostracod Philomedes interpuncta, Baird, for a long time appeared from my gatherings to be moderately rare ; but when the surface-net was used after sunset this species was occasionally met with in great abundance. With regard to many others 14 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. that we have long considered rare, we need not be surprised if one day, by some new or different cast, we should find the same in hundreds. Class CRUSTACEA. Order AMPHIPODA. Family ORCHESTIID^J. Genus Talitrus, Latreille. TALITRUS LOCUSTA, Pallas. Oniscus locusta, Pallas, Spicil. Zool., fasc. 9, tab. 4, fig. 7. Astacus locusta, Pennant, Brit. Zool., iv., p. 21. Talitrus locusta, Latreille, Hist. Nat. des. Crust, et Ins., t. 6, p. 229. — S. Bate, Ann. Nat. Hist. (2nd Series), vol. xix., p. 135. Cancer (Gammarus) saltator, Montagu, Linn. Trans., ix., p. 94, t. 4, f. 3. Talitrus saltator, Milne Edwards, Ann. des Sc. Nat., t. 20, p. 364. " This species is abundant all along our sandy shores, near high-water, under decomposing sea- weed ; and higher, above the ordinary tide-mark, where they burrow to the depth of three to four inches, ' till they find sufficient moisture for their wants and comfort.' Their burrows are small, round, perpendicular holes, about the size of a goose-quilL In some places the sand is so much riddled that the holes are very conspicuous. If rudely disturbed, the occupants are seen leaping about in all directions, and it takes nimble fingers to get hold of one of them. When the sand is gently rubbed off, layer by layer, with the edge of the hand, till the animals are partially exposed, they lie motionless, seemingly feigning death ; but if tossed out, as already stated, they at once bound olf, endeavouring to escape, which most of them generally succeed in doing. AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 15 "The belt of sand they usually occupy at high- water is above the ordinary tide -mark, whereby in continuous wet weather they must be exposed to a considerable amount of fresh- water. To test how long they could live in that element, two were put into a cupful of rain-water, where they swam about freely for a time. By three hours they were lying on their backs, but when disturbed they made efforts to swim and to stand on their feet, which they only did for a very short time. When taken out of the water they could still walk and leap a little. At this stage one was laid on sand damped with sea- water, and after a little while it recovered, and burrowed into the sand. The other, after five hours' immersion, ceased to live. From this experiment they appear to be able to bear much drenching under heavy rain, where the water drains quickly through the sand ; yet we find that a few hours' close confinement in fresh-water is destructive to life."* As this species is said never to be found volun- tarily inhabiting the sea, to test how long they could live in salt-water twelve of them were put into a glass jar with about a pint of sea- water. They seemed at home for two or three days, but by the sixth day had begun to become somewhat languid. Although the experiment could not satis- factorily be carried further in the absence of food, it showed that they were fitted against any contin- gency of rain or flood that was likely to overtake them in their natural haunts. Genus Orchestia, Leach. ORCHESTIA GAMMARELLUS, Pallas. Oniscus gammarellus, Pallas, Spicil. Zool., fasc. ix. (1772), tab. 4, fig. 8. Cancer gammarellus, Herbst, Versuch einer Natur- gesch. der Krabben und Krebse (1782-1804). * Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Glasg., vol. i., p. 130. 16 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Cancer (Gammariis) littoreus, Montagu, Linn. Trans., ix., p. 96, t. 4, f. 4. Orchestia littorea, Leach, Eclin. Encyc., vii., p. 402. Orchestia Erichore, F. Muller, Archiv. f. Naturgesch., xiv., p. 53, pi. 4. Talitrus tripudians, Kroyer, Nat. Tidsskr., 2 R., i., p. 311, tab. iii., fig. 2, a-e. This species has been called the shore-hopper, in contradistinction to the last-named species — the sand-hopper — which is more frequently found on tracts of sand. The shore-hopper occupies a similar belt at the upper verge of high-water mark, as well as lower down under stones and decaying sea-weed cast ashore ; and it is frequently met with in moist situations, far above high-water mark, under stones grown round with grass, and in pasturage under the decaying droppings of cattle. Bate and Westwood remark that " this species is more frequently found on rocky shores than on sandy bays, although it is met with where the two conditions meet,"* which agrees with my own ex- perience. Like the sand-hopper, it does not seem to be able to live long continuously under water, although it appears quite at home in it for a time. When put into a vessel with sea-water, it swims along the bottom, but is more inclined to walk. In attempting to ascend in the water, it seems to de- pend more on the stroke given by the tail on the bottom of the vessel than on any other swimming appendage. A dozen were put into a saucer filled with sea- water at 5.30 p.m., and at 11 p.m. they appeared less active. Next morning, at 7 a.m., two only were living. These were replaced in renewed sea- water, where they lived five hours longer. I suspect that these two had got up during the night to the edge of the water, and had been refreshed by a supply of air. I have one of this species in my collection, with the second hand fully one-half smaller on the left side than on the right. * Brit, Sessilc-cyed Crust., vol. i., p. 29. AMFHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 17 ORCHESTIA MEDITERRANEA, Costa. Orchestia mediterranean Costa, Rend. dell. Accad. Sci. Napoli (1853), p. 171. Orchestia littorea, Milne Edwards, Ann. Sc. Nat., t. 20. Orchestia loevis, Spence Bate, Ann. Nat. Hist. (2nd Ser., 1857), xix., p. 136. Habitat. — One only was taken at west end of Cumbrae under stones above high-water mark ; another was sent me from the mouth of the Garnock, Ayrshire, by Mr. John Smith, Kilwinning. It has been taken far above high-water mark in Langland Bay, near Swansea, and on the shore near the Bailey Lighthouse, Dublin Bay, by Messrs. S. Bate and West-wood ; also off Rough Island, Strang- ford Lough, by Mr. W. Derragh. Genus Hyale, H. Rathke. hyale nilssoni, Rathke. Amphithoe Nilssoni, Rathke, Acta Acad. Leopold., t. xx., p. 264. Allorchestes Nilssoni, Bruzelius, Bidrag till Kann. Skancl. Amphip. Gam., p. 35. Allorchestes Danai, Spence Bate, Rep. Brit. Assoc. 1855, p. 57. Hyale Nilssoni, Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 14. Habitat. — Taken by the dip-net in a shallow creek at Karnes Bay, Millport, Buteshire. Four 'were taken at the time and put into a glass vessel, where they swam about freely. One of them had another firmly clasped under its body (in the manner of Gammarus pulex and others), and main- tained its hold till forced asunder next morning. hyale imbricatus, Spence Bate. Allorchestes imbricatus, Spence Bate, Report Brit. Assoc. 1856, p. 57. Habitat. — Taken by the surface-net after sunset along the rock edges at low- water on the east 18 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. side of Karnes Bay, Cumbrae. This species has seldom come under my notice. It has been taken at Penzance by Mr. G. Barlee, and also on the breakwater at Plymouth. hyale lubbockiana, Spence Bate. Galanthis Lubbockiana, Spence Bate, Brit. Assoc. Report 1855, p. 57. Nicea Lubbockiana, Spence Bate, Cat. Brit. Mus., p. 51. Habitat. — Amongst algse on the walls of Largs pier ; in tide pools, Cumbrae ; and by the surface- net along the edges of rocks about half-tide, Cum- brae. It has also been taken at Falmouth by Mr. W. Webster ; at Penzance by Messrs. Harris and Barlee ; and on the coast of Northumberland by the late Mr. Joshua Alder. Tribe NATATORIA. Family GAMMARIDJE. Sub-family STEGOCEPHALIDES. Genus Stenothoe, Dana. STENOTHOE MONOCULOIDES, Montagu. Cancer (Gammarus) monoculoides, Montagu, Trans. Linn. Soc, xi., p. 4, pi. 2, fig. 3. Montagua monoculoides, S. Bate, Rep. Brit. Assoc. 1855. Typhis monoculoides, Milne Edwards, Ann. Sci. Nat.,. xx. (Aug., 1830). Probolium monoculoides, Norman, Rep. on the Shet- land Crust. (1868), p. 273. Habitat. — Dredged in 40 fathoms on Antennularia ramosa, and between the Allans in one and two fathoms, gravelly bottom ; also among the algse fringing the rocks near low-water on the east side of Karnes Bay; and by the surface-net after sunset, Cumbrae. It has been taken in Salcombe Harbour by Montagu; Falmouth and Tenby, Mr. Webster; AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 19< Penzance, Mr. Harris and Mr. G. Barlee ; Moray- Firth, Rev. Mr. Gordon ; Skye and Shetland, Mr. Barlee ; Plymouth, Mr. Howard Stewart ; Sligo and Belfast Bay, Ireland, Mr. W. Thompson. stenothoe marina, Spence Bate. Montagua marina, Spence Bate, Brit. Assoc. Report 1855, p. 57. Stenothoe marina, A. Boeck, Forh. ved de Skand. Naturf., 8de mode (1860), p. 655. Probolium marinum, Heller. Deukschr. d. k. k„ Acad. d. Wissensch. (1867), 2 Abth., p. 14. Stenothoe marina, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 59. Habitat. — Among floating sea-weed at low- water, Cumbrae ; also dredged off Dunoon. It has been taken on the coast of Northumberland by Mr. Joshua Alder; Banff, Mr. Edward; Macduff, Mr. Gregor; and amongst trawl-refuse near Eddy- stone Lighthouse, Messrs. Bate and Westwood. Genus Danaia, Spence Bate. danaia dubia, Spence Bate. Montagua dubius, Spence Bate, Report Brit. Assoc. 1855, p. 57. Danaia dubia, Spence Bate, Ann. Nat. Hist. (1857), xix., 137. Habitat. — Washed off stones and nest of Lima hians that were dredged in 7 to 8 fathoms west of Tan Buoy, Cumbrae. This was the only time I met with it. Bate and Westwood had it from Plymouth amongst trawl-refuse. Genus Lysianassa, Milne Edwards. lysianassa cost^e, Milne Edwards. Lysianassa Costa?, Milne Edwards, Ann. des Sc. Nat., t. xx. (1830), p. 365, pi. 10, fig. 17.— S. Bate, Report Brit. Assoc. 1855. 20 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Gammarus glaber (Spinola), White, Cat. Brit. Mus. Crustacea (1847), p. 89. Habitat. — Dredged in 6 fathoms on a weedy- gravelly bottom, and at about double the depth amongst Melobesia, and in sandy mud at Tan, C um- brae ; also off Skelmorlie Buoy, in 8 to 10 fathoms, bottom muddy gravel. It has been taken at Tenby by Mr. Webster ; on the coast of Northumberland by Mr. Joshua Alder ; Belfast Bay, Mr. Hyndman ; and Plymouth, Messrs. Bate and Westwood. lysianassa tumida, Kroyer. Anonyx tumidus, Kroyer, Naturhist. Tidsskr., 2 R. 2 B. (1846), p. 16. Lysianassa tumida, Goes, Crust. Amphip. Maris Spetsb. (1866), p. 2. Lysianassa Andoiiiniana, Spence Bate, Brit. Assoc. Report, 1855. Aristias tumidus, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 27. Habitat. — A single sr^eeimen dredged at the mouth of Loch Fyne, in 40 to 60 fathoms, in a sponge, bottom gravelly mud. It has only been recorded before from Plymouth by Bate and Westwood. LYSIANASSA LONGICORNIS, Lucas. Lysianassa longicornis, Lucas, Expl. Sci. Algerie Zool. i. Crust., p. 53, pi. 5, fig. 2. Lysianassa Chausica, Spence Bate, Ann. Nat. Hist. (1857), vol. xix., p. 138. Habitat. — Dredged at the Tan, Cumbrae, in 7 to 8 fathoms, among the roots of Laminaria saccharina, bottom Melobesia. It was taken in the surface-net after sunset, in the month of September, off the west end of Little Cumbrae. It has also been taken at Banff by Mr. Edward, and in Dublin Bay by Professor Kinahan. AMPIIIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 21 lysianassa atlantica, Milne Edwards. Gammarus atlanticus, Milne Edwards, Ann. des. Sc. Nat., t. xx. Lysianassa atlantica, Milne Edwards, Hist. des. Crust., t. iii., p. 22. Lysianassa marina, Spence Bate, Ann. Nat. Hist., vol. xix. (1857), p. 138. Opis typica, White, Pop. Hist. Brit. Crust., p. 168. Habitat. — Dredged near the Tan Buoy, Cumbrae, in 7 to 8 fathoms, bottom Melobesia. Taken in Plymouth Sound by Bate and Westwood; Banff, Mr. Edward; Strangford Lough, Ireland, Mr. W. Thompson. Genus ANONYX, Kroyer. ANONYX SEKBATUS, Boeck. Anonyx serratus, A. Boeck, Forhandl. ved de Skand. Naturf., 8de mode (1860), p. 29, fig. 8. Anonyx Edwardsii, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus., p. 73, pi. xi., fig. 5. Lysianassa cr is pa fa, Goes, Crust. Amphip. Maris Spetsb. (1865), p. 3, fig. 3. Orchomene serratus, A. Boeck. Habitat. — Dredged at the Tan Buoy, Cumbrae, 6 fathoms, at roots of Laininaria saccharina that were matted with Melobesia and nests of Lima hians. It was moderately common in the surface- net after sunset one night in the month of August. Recorded from Moray Firth by Rev. G. Gordon ; Banff, Mr. Edward ; Falmouth, Mr. Webster ; and Plymouth Sound, Messrs. Bate and Westwood. anonyx obesus, Spence Bate. Anonyx obesus, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. (1862), p. 74, pi. xii., fig. 1. Acidostoma obesuni, Lilljeborg, On the Lysianassa magellanica, etc. (1865), p. 34, pi. v., fig. 53-65. Habitat. — Dredged off the Fairland Point, Cum- brae, and taken in the Moray Firth by Mr. Edward of Banff. 22 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. anonyx holbolli, Kroyer. Anonyx Holbolli, Kroyer, Naturhist. Tidsskr., 2 R. 2 B. (1846), p. 8. Anonyx denticulatus, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 75. Lijsianassa Holbolli, Goes, Crust. Amphip. Spetsb. (1866), p. 4. Hippornedon Holbolli, A. Boeck, De Skan. og Arkt. Amphip., p. 136, pi. v., fig. 6, pi. vi., p. 7. Habitat. — Dredged near the Tan Buoy, Cumbrae, in 10 to 12 fathoms ; Castle Bay, Little Cumbrae, in 7 fathoms, bottom sand and sea- weed ; Loch Fyne, in 80 fathoms, bottom mud; also taken by the sieve in muddy sand near low-water, Balloch Bay, Cum- brae. It has been taken in the Moray Firth by the Rev. G. Gordon and Mr. Edward ; Dublin Bay, by Professor Kinahan ; and in Vedlom Voe, Shet- land, by Dr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys and the Rev. A. M. Norman. anonyx longipes, Spence Bate. Anonyx longipes, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus., p. 79, pi. xiii., fig. 4. Anonyx ampulla, Spence Bate and Westwood, Brit. Sessile-eyed Crust. (1863), t. i., p. 113. Typhosa longipes, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 38. Habitat. — Dredged in muddy sand off the north- east corner of Little Cumbrae, in 14 fathoms, washed out from the roots of Laminaria saccharina ; also between Kilchattan and Cumbrae, in 66 fathoms, bottom soft mud. It has been taken on the Haaf fishing- ground, off Shetland, by the Rev. A. M. Norman and Dr. J. G. Jeffreys ; and the $ from the Moray Firth by the Rev. G. Gordon and Mr. Edward. anonyx gulosus, Kroyer. Anonyx gidosus, Kroyer, Naturh. Tidsskr. 2 R. 1 B. (1884), p. Oil. AMPHIPODA AND ISOrODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 23 Anonyx norvegicus, Lilljeborg, Of vers, af Kgl. Yeteusk.-Akadem. Forh. (1851), p. 22. Anonyx Holbolli, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 75, pi. xii., fig. 4. Lysianassa gulosa, Goes, Crust. Amphip. Maris Spetsb. (1866), p. 4. Habitat.— T)r edged between the Allans, Cumbrae, in 2 to 4 fathoms, sandy-weedy bottom. It has also been taken by the Rev. G. Gordon of Elgin and Mr. Edward of Banff. Mr. Barlee dredged it on the Haaf, about 30 miles off the Shetlands, and the Rev. A. M. Norman and Dr. J. G. Jeffreys in the Outer Skerries Harbour, Shetland. Mr. Loughrin has taken it at Polperro, and Messrs. Bate and Westwood in Plymouth Sound. On one or two occasions I have taken in the surface-net a specimen with long under-antennse, which I believed to be the male of the same species. Genus Callisoma, Costa (1851). callisoma crenata, Spence Bate. Scopelocheirus crenatus, Spence Bate, Brit. Assoc. Report 1855. Callisoma crenata, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Brit. Mus., p. 85, pi. xiv., fig. 5. Habitat. — Loch Fyne, in 80 fathoms, bottom soft mud ; Lochgoil, in 12 fathoms, mud and gravel ; off Garnock Beacon, in 5J fathoms, muddy gravel ; and a little off Kilchattan Bay, in 30 fathoms, bottom sandy mud. On one occasion, while washing dredged material through a sieve in a large tub, this species was seen in great abundance floating on the surface of the water. On lifting up an old spineless and partly broken test of Brissus lyrifer, it was found to be crowded with the same species ; and there can be little doubt that those floating in the tub had escaped from the old test. I have since observed it again under the same conditions. The eyes in life are moderately large and red. 24 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. This species has been recorded from Plymouth by Messrs. Bate and Westwood, and from Banff by the late Mr. Edward. It has also been found, in 40 fathoms, on the Middle Haaf fishing-ground, Shet- land, in great abundance, by the Rev. A. M. Norman and Dr. J. G. Jeffreys. Genus Ampelisca, Kroyer. ampelisca gaimardi, Kroyer. Ampelisca Gaimardi, Kroyer, Voy. en Scand., pi. 23, fig. 1. Araneops diadema, A. Costa, Rend. del. Accad. Sc. di Nap. (1853), p. 171, tab. i., fig. 1. Tetromatus typicus, Spence Bate, Brit. Assoc. Rep. 1855, p. 58. Bijblis Gaimardi, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 148. Habitat.— This species is common all round our shores. It is found off Dunoon in 15 fathoms, bottom sandy gravel ; off the Row pier, towards Roseneath, in 10 to 12 fathoms, bottom stinking black soft mud, which seemed to be relished by not a few genera of the Crustacea ; off the Caple Rock, Cum- brae, in 10 fathoms, bottom mud, gravel, and shell debris ; west of the Tan Buoy, in 14 fathoms, mud and dead shells ; off the south side of the Allans, Cumbrae, in 8 to 10 fathoms, mud and stones ; and off the east side of Callum's Bay, Bute, in 14 fathoms, bottom gravelly. It has been taken in the Moray Firth by the Rev. G. Gordon ; off the island of Skye by Mr. Barlee ; on Nishbank, Dublin Bay, by Professor Kinahan; in Plymouth Sound, by Mr. T. P. Smyth and Messrs. 1 Sate and Westwood ; in 20 fathoms, at the entrance of Belfast Bay, by Messrs. Hyndman and E. Goodsir ; in the Shetlands, in Outer Skerries Harbour, in from one to two fathoms ; and sixty miles east of Shetland, in from 70 to 90 fathoms, by the Rev. A. M. Norman and Dr. J. G. Jeffreys. AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 25 AMPELISCA LAEVIGATA, Lilljeborg. Ampelisca laevigata, Lilljeborg, Of v. af Kgl. Vet.- Akad. Forh. (1855), p. 123. Ampelisca Belliana, Spence Bate, Catal. Amphib. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 93, pi. xv, fig. 3. Tetromatus Bellianus, Spence Bate, Brit. Assoc. Rep. 1855, p. 58. Habitat. — Taken in the dredge in sandy gravel, 15 fathoms, off the south shore of Cumbrae, opposite Largs ; and off Fairlie in 20 fathoms, bottom sandy mud; also taken by the sieve in pure sand at low- water, at Crarae, Loch Fyne; and by the same means at low-water in muddy sand, Kilchattan Bay, Bute. Dredged off Seamill, below Portincross,, in 6 fathoms, bottom sand and stones ; in 1 to 2 fathoms, gravelly sand, between the Allans, Cum- brae ; in the surface-net after sunset, Campbeltown Loch, September ; and by the same means, after sun- set, off Cumbrae, July. In this case all observed were females. This species has also been taken in the Moray Firth by the Rev. G. Gordon and Mr. Edward of Banff; and in Plymouth Sound by Messrs. S. Bate and Westwood, who also report it from the North Atlantic, and the coasts of Norway, America, and Greenland. ampelisca tenuicornis, Lilljeborg. Ampelisca tenuicornis, Lilljeborg, Of v. af Kgl. Vet.- Akad. Forh. (1855), p. 123. Ampelisca lazvigata, Spence Bate and Westwood, Brit. Sessile-eyed Crust. (1868), ii. App. p. 504. Araneops diadema, Costa, Mem. d. R. Accad. d. Sci. di Napoli. (1856), p. 178, t. 1, fig. 1. Habitat. — A single specimen (the only Amphipod seen in the haul) was dredged in Loch Fyne in 80 fathoms, bottom soft mud. Another was taken be- tween the Tan, off Cumbrae and Bute, in 35 fathoms, bottom shelly mud. 26 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. AMPELISCA PROPINQUA, A. Boeck. Ampelisca propinqua, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 145. Habitat. — Dredged in Lochgoil, in 12 fathoms, bottom gravelly mud. One only was taken. AMPELISCA ASSIMILIS, A. Boeck. A?npelisca assimilis, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 142. Habitat. — Dredged in 10 to 12 fathoms in Row Bay, Gareloch, bottom black stinking mud. AMPELISCA MACROCEPHALA, Lilljeborg. Ampelisca macrocephala, Lilljeborg, Of v. af Kgl. Vet.-Akad. Forhand. (1852), p. 7. Ampelisca Eschrichti $ Lilljeborg, Of v. af Kgl. Vet.-Akad. Forh. (1851), p. 22. Araneops brevicornis, Costa, R. Soci. Crost. Amfip. del regno di Napoli. (1851), p. 180, tab. i., f. 2. Habitat. — Dredged off Brodick Bay in 80 fathoms, bottom soft brownish-coloured mud. Rare. Genus Haploops, Lilljeborg. haploops tubicola, Lilljeborg. Haploops tubicola, Lilljeborg, Of v. af Kgl. Vet.-Akad. Forh. (1855), p. 135. Haploops tubicola, S. Bate and AVestwood, Brit. Sessile-eyed Crustacea, vol. ii., p. 505. Habitat. — Dredged off Little Cumbrae in 60 fathoms, bottom soft mud; in Loch Striven, 35 fathoms, bottom soft mud, where their tubes were found in great abundance ; off Dunoon in 15 to 25 fathoms, bottom mud; and off Fairlie in 6 to 8 fathoms, sandy mud. When a mass of their tubes is brought up in the dredge (as is often the case) and emptied on the deck, a number of the species may generally be seen sprawling about free, having most rn'obably escaped from their tubes in alarm. AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 27 Some of the tubes, which were suspected to be those of an Annelid, were put into water over-night ; and in the morning a few of the Amphipods were found swimming free, which led to the discovery of the occupants. The animal can swim about briskly for a time, rolling itself up when it settles down to rest. None of them were seen to return to their tubes. The tubes are flat, of a soft leathery consistence, chiefly composed of clay, and deriving strength and flexibility from the secretion of the animal. They are from one to two inches in length, are sometimes bent more or less, and frequently have small lobes or sacs projecting from the lower ends. When undisturbed, the creatures are seen to lie with their head just so far out as to bring the red eye into view beyond the margin of the tube, with the antennae spread out, no doubt awaiting passing prey. haploops setosa, A. Boeck. Haploops setosa, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 148. Habitat. — Dredged off Skate Island, Loch Fyne, in 100 fathoms, bottom soft mud ; two only were met with. Genus Phoxus, Kroyer. phoxus simplex, Spence Bate. Phoxus Kroyeri, Spence Bate, Brit. Assoc. Rep. 1855, p. 58. Phoxus simplex, Spence Bate, Ann. Nat. Hist., vol. xx. (1857), p. 525. Habitat. — Taken at the roots of Laminaria sacchar- ina, in G fathoms, at the Tan Buoy, Cumbrae. This species is very minute. In their description of the species, Bate and West- wood appear not to have seen the eyes. These are small, round, and white, having a few red spots placed at regular distances near the circumference. 28 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. This species is recorded by Messrs. Bate and West- wood from Plymouth Sound where it has been taken by the dredge. phoxus holbolli, Kroyer. Phoxus Holbolli, Kroyer, Naturh. Tidsskr., 1 R. iv. (1842), p. 151. Habitat. — Dredged between the Allans, Cumbrae,. in 2 to 3 fathoms, on a sandy-gravelly bottom, with zostera and other fragmentary sea-weed; and taken by the sieve in muddy sand, near low-water, in Balloch Bay, Cumbrae. The male of this species is furnished with long under-antennse. It has been dredged in Plymouth Sound by Bate and Westwood, and obtained by them from Mr. Edward of Banff. Dr. G. S. Brady and I took it in the surface-net at Roundstone, Ireland, after sunset. phoxus plumosus, Kroyer. Phoxus plumosus, Kroyer. Nat. Tidsskr., 1 R. iv. (1842), p. 152. Phoxus plumosus, S. Bate, Report Brit. Assoc. 1855, p. 58. Harpina plumosa, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 55. Habitat. — In 6 to 8 fathoms, muddy bottom, Loch- ranza, Arran ; in 80 fathoms, Loch Fyne. It has also been taken in Plymouth Sound by Messrs. Bate and Westwood ; in the Shetlands, by Mr. Barlee, the Rev. A. M. Norman, and Dr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys; and on the coast of Greenland by Mr. Holbol. Genus Westwoodilla, Spence Bate. westwoodilla cjecula, Spence Bate. Westwoodilla cazcula, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus., p. 102. Habitat. — Dredged in 6 fathoms, sandy bottom,. Cumbrae ; and taken in the tow-net off Lochranza in 20 fathoms, a little above the bottom. It has AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 29 also been taken among trawl - refuse from near Eddystone Lighthouse, Plymouth, by Messrs, Bate and Westwood; in the Moray Firth, by the Rev. G. Gordon; and at Banff, by Mr. Edward. Genus Monoculodes, Stimpson. MONOCULODES AFFINIS, Bruzelius. (Ediceros affinis, Bruzelius, Bidrag till Kann om Skand. Amphip. Gammar., Kgl. Yeteusk.-Akad.'s Handlingar. Ny foljd. B. 3. (1859), p. 43. Westwoodia carinata, Spence Bate, Brit. Assoc. Rep., 1855, p. 58. Kroy evict, carinata, Spence 'Bate, Synop. Ann. Nat. Hist., 2nd Ser., xix. (1857), p. 140. Monoculodes cavinatus, Spence Bate, Cat. Brit. Mus. (1863), p. 104, pi. xvii., fig. 2. Monoculodes affinis, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 84. Habitat. — Taken by the sieve in the sand at low- water, Karnes Bay and Fintry Bay; and dredged at the Clach Rock, Millport Bay, in 5 to 6 fathoms, sand and shell debris, and at the Tan Buoy in 7 fathoms, bottom Melobesia — Cumbrae ; Castle Bay, Little Cumbrae ; also off Seamill, below Portincross, Ayrshire, in 7 fathoms, bottom sand and gravel. It has been taken at Banff by Mr. Edward and Mr. Gregor. monoculodes stimpsoxi, Spence Bate. Monocidodes Stimpsoni, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus., p. 105, pi. xvii., fig. 3. Habitat. — Taken at Cumbrae in the surface-net, after sunset, in the month of October, and dredged in Loch Fyne at a depth of 105 fathoms. It has also been found amongst trawl-refuse in the neigh- bourhood of Plymouth, by Messrs. S. Bate and Westwood ; and on the Northumberland coast, by the Rev. A. M. Norman. 30 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. monoculodes longimanus, Bate and Westwood. . Monoculodes longimanus, Spence Bate and West- wood, Brit. Sess.-eyed Crust., vol. ii., p. 507. Habitat. — Dredged off the Cloch Lighthouse, and at Whiting Bay, Firth of Clyde, in 15 to 20 fathoms; and taken at Banff by Mr. Edward. monoculodes ^eqtjimanus, Norman. Monoculodes wquimanus, Norman, MS. Habitat. — Taken in Karnes Bay, Cumbrae, in 3 to 4 fathoms, bottom fine sand; and in the surface-net after sunset ; and by the same means off the Scilly Islands, by Dr. G. S. Brady and the writer. Genus Kroyeea, Spence Bate. kroyera arenaria, Spence Bate. (Ediceros norvegicus, A. Boeck, Forhandl. ved. de Skand. Naturf., 8de mode (1860), p. 650. Kroyera arenaria, Spence Bate, Tyneside Nat. Field Club, vol. iv. (1863), pi. i., p. 15, pi. ii., fig. 1. Pontocrates norvegicus, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et. Arct. (1870), p. 91. Habitat. — In sandy bays plentifully, from half-tide to low-water, and sparingly to a few fathoms beyond low-water. When put into a vessel with water, they dart through it with great rapidity; but they soon settle down with their tail under their body, forming an oval like a small barley-corn, by which they can be readily distinguished. When a little sand is introduced, they burrow quickly into it. When in life, their eyes are a bright red covered by a white areola ; and these organs may almost be said to be confluent, so closely do they come together on the front of the head, although in many cases a thin ridge may be seen between them. . AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 31 During the summer months the females are mostly with ova, which some of them appear to produce when very young. The number of ova carried is generally about eight. They carry the young under their body for a time, but these are not readily seen till the parent is put into spirits, when the young drop out. It occasionally happens that one or two females with ova are greatly larger than the others. There are others in the same gather- ings of smaller make, with long thin under-antennse ; these I take to be the males of the same species. To try how they would behave in fresh-water, three of the females were put into a cupful, where they at once dropped motionless to the bottom. After having lain for a few seconds, they rose, making a few gyrations till they reached the surface, and then dropped gently down to the bottom, where they remained motionless. When disturbed they again performed their upward gyra- tions, dropping to the bottom as before ; but in the course of fifteen or sixteen minutes they were unwilling or unable to rise up into the water, making only a few curving movements on the bottom. In twenty minutes they only showed life, and in half an hour they were dead. The tracks made in the sand by this species formed the subject of observation by Mr. Hancock, as described in his Memoir on Vermiform, Fossils, read at the meeting of the British Association at Leeds, September 22nd, 1858.* I have found Kroyera arenaria to be the chief burrow-maker here. kroyera altamarina, Spence Bate and Westwood. Kroyera altamarina, Spence Bate and Westwood, Brit. Sessile-eyed Crust., p. 177. Habitat— Dredged off Callum's Bay, Bute, in 16 fathoms, mud and shell debris. Not common. *S. Bate and Westwood, Brit. Sessile-eyed Crust, vol. i., p. 175. 32 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Genus Amphilochus, Spence Bate. amphilochus manudens, Spence Bate. Amphilochus manudens, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 107, pi. xvii., fig. 6. Habitat. — A single specimen was obtained on two different occasions off the Tan Buoy, Cumbrae, in 7 to 8 fathoms, among the roots of Laminaria saccharina. The animal, when taken, was of a beautiful purple colour. While looking over some small ascidians (Molgula), taken in 60 fathoms, a little north of the lighthouse, Little Cumbrae, one of the above species was found with them. There can scarcely be any doubt that it had been brought up in the dredge attached to one of the ascidians. AMPHILOCHUS TENUIMANUS, A. Boeck. Amphilochus tenuimanus, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 51. Habitat. — Dredged in 17 fathoms off Foreland Point, Cumbrae. Genus Sulcator, Spence Bate. sulcator arenarius, Spence Bate. Oniscus arenarius, Slabber, Natuurkundige Ver- lustigingen, etc. (1775), p. 92, pi. ii., f. 4-3. Bellia arenaria, Spence Bate, Ann. of Nat. Hist., vol. vii. (1851), p. 318. Sulcator arenarius, Spence Bate, Ann. of Nat. Hist., vol. xiii. (1854), p. 504. Habitat. — Moderately common all round our sandy shores near low- water, and taken most successfully by the sieve. They burrow more deeply than most of their allies, and are generally found four or five inches beneath the surface. Most of their time seems to be spent in their burrows; and in confine- ment, when supplied with sand, they are seldom to be seen on the surface. Their feet are short, stiff, AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 33 and well adapted for burrowing, which they do with great rapidity, throwing the sand out behind them with much force. They swim generally with their backs downwards, but their movement in the water is heavy, and is not long sustained. Like many of their kind, on coming to the sur- face they incline to go round in circles ; and after a few whirls, or other gyrations, they allow them- selves to drop gently down, tail foremost. They make almost no progress out of the water. They are of a bluish-white colour, sometimes with a tinge of brown along the back, apparently derived from the colour of internal parts. The eyes are of a cream colour, and when immersed in spirits they sometimes become dark, or almost black. Like some others of the sand-dwellers, they come to the surface to die. This species has been taken near Falmouth by Dr. Leach ; at Moray Firth by the Rev. G. Gordon ; on the coast of Cumberland by Mr. Albany Hancock ; and in Ox wick Bay by Mr. Moggridge and Dr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys. Genus U R o t h o e , Dana. UROTHOE NORVEGICA, A. Boeck. Urothoe norvegica, A. Boeck, Forhandl. ved. de Skand. Naturf., 8de mode (1860), p. 647. Urothoe Bairdii, Spence Bate, Catal. of Amphip. in Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 114, pi. xix., f. 1. Habitat. — Moderately common in the sand between tide-mark, Lamlash Bay, Arran ; Fintry Bay and Karnes Bay, Cumbrae — in the latter bay in sand in a little fresh-water stream near low-water. Dredged between the Allans, Cumbrae, 1 to 2 fathoms, bottom sand and gravel; and off the same shore above forty were taken in the surface- net after sunset. Among these were two or three nearly double the size of the others, but in no other respect were they found to differ from the 34 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. rest. This species has also been taken in the Moray Firth by Mr. Gregor, Mr. Edward, and the Rev. G. Gordon; and off the Shetlands by Mr. Barlee. urothoe marinus, Spence Bate. Urothoe marinus, Spence Bate, Cat. Amph. Brit. Mus., p. 145, pi. xix., f. 2. Sulcator marinus, Spence Bate, Synop. Brit. Amp. Gammarus elegans 3, Spence Bate, Rep. Brit. Assoc. 1855. Urothoe elegans $, Spence Bate, Synop., Ann. Nat. Hist., 2nd Ser., xix. (1857), p. 145. Habitat. — Not uncommon in sandy bays between tide-mark. I have taken it by the sieve in the sands at Irvine and Fairlie, Ayrshire ; Lamlash Bay, Arran ; Karnes Bay, Fintry Bay, and Balloch Bay, Cumbrae ; and off the same shore by the surface-net after sunset. Those taken by the sur- face-net are mostly males (=elegans), and often have a beautiful pink blush along the inferior portion of the pleon. Some of these were kept in water for a night, and in the morning they were all found floating on the surface, showing little inclination to attach themselves to bits of sea-weed or other floating objects, as Atylus Sicammerdamii and Dexamine spinosa do. The females swim briskly through the water, and can burrow into the sand with great speed. They are of a yellowish-brown colour, in some cases darker along the back. The young have two longitudinal bars along the dorsal region that are well seen before they leave the parent. The eyes of the adult are dark purple, thinly studded, as it were, with white points. This species has also been taken in Dublin Bay by Professor Kinahan ; in trawl-refuse from near to Eddystone Lighthouse by Messrs. S. Bate and Westwood; and in from GO to 70 fathoms near Outer Haaf, Shetland, by the Rev. A. M. Norman and Dr. J. G. Jeffreys. AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 35 Genus Iphi media, Rathke. iphimedia obesa, Rathke. Iphimedia obesa, Rathke, Acta Acad. Leopold., t. xx. (1843), p. 85, pi. i., f. 1. Microcheles armata, Kroyer, Nat. Tidsskr., 2 R 2 B. (1846), p. m. Habitat. — Dredged near the Tan Buoy, Cumbrae, in 7 to 10 fathoms, bottom nullipore. It has also been taken in 15 fathoms off the Garroch-head, Bute, bottom hard ; and in Lochranza, Arran, 4 to 5 fathoms, mud. This species is very variable in colour and colour- markings. On the fronds of Lamiuaria saccharina, where it is frequently met with, I have always found it marked across the back with black dotted bars ; while among the roots of the same plant a few were found white, with small patches of reddish brown irregularly covering over the body. At other times its colour varies to red and reddish purple. One taken in the dredge off Garnock Beacon, in 5 h fathoms, was closely covered over the whole body with small black dots. Iphimedia obesa generally lies folded up, allowing itself to be lifted without effort to escape. When it does move, it darts off to the opposite side of the vessel, where it again folds itself up, making no continuous effort to swim. The species has also been taken at Tenby, where it was dredged by Mr. Welsh; in the Moray Firth by Mr. Gregor; in Shetland and Loch Fyne by Mr. Barlee ; dredged in 20 fathoms, in Belfast Bay, by Mr. Thompson ; and off the north side of Drake's Island, in Plymouth Sound. Genus Otus, Spence Bate. otus carinatus, Spence Bate. Otus carinatus, Spence Bate, Cat. of Amphip. in Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 126, pi. xxiii., f. 2. 36 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Odius carinattts, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 102. Habitat. — Off Garnock Beacon, in 5J fathoms, gravelly mud. The colour of the animal is a purplish brown. It has also been taken in from 70 to 80 fathoms east of the Shetland Isles by the Rev. A. M. Norman and Dr. J. G. Jeffreys. Genus Epimeria, Costa. epimeria CORNIGERA, Fabricius. Ga?n?narus corniger, Fabricius, Reisenach Norwegen (1779), p. 383. Cancer corniger, Herbst, Yersuch einer Naturgesch. Krabben und Krebse (1792). Epimeria tricristata, A. Costa, Cat. di Crost. Ital. del. Rev. Hope (1851), p. 46. Vertumnus Cvanchii, White, List. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1847), p. 89. Acanthonotus Cranchii, White, Cat. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1847), p. 57. Acanthonotus testudo, White, Cat. Brit. Crust. (1850), p. 51. Acanthonotus Owenii, Spence Bate, Rep. Brit. Assoc, 1855, p. 58. Amphithoe parasitica, Sars, Overs, over norksk-arct. Krebsdyr. Forhandl. i Videnskabs Selsk. i Christiania (1858), p. 131. Epimeria cornigera, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 105. Habitat. — Not uncommon in deep water. Off Inver- aray, 25 fathoms, bottom soft ; off Skelmorlie Point, 39 fathoms, mud. Colour red. It has also been taken off Arran in 80 fathoms, bottom mud and stones ; and off Cumbrae Lighthouse in 55 fathoms, mud. About a dozen were taken in the haul, all being of a bright red. Genus Dexamine, Leach. DEXAMINE SPINOSA, Montagu. Cancer (Ga?n?narus) sfyinosa, Montagu, Trans. Linn. Soc, vol. xi. (1818), p. 3, tab. ii., fig. 1. AMPI1IP0DA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 37 Dexamine spinosa, Leach, Edin. Encyc, vol. vii., p. 433. Amphithoe Marionis, Milne Edwards, Ann. des Sci. Nat., xx. (1830), p. 375. Amphithoe tenuicornis, Rathke, Fauna d. Nor- wegens, Acta Leopold., t. xx. (1843), p. 77, tab. 4, fig- 3. Amphithoe spinosa, Gosse, Mar. Zool. (1855), p. 144. Amphitonotus Marionis, Costa, R. sui Crost. Anifip. d. regno d. Napoli, Mem. d. Real. Accad. d. Sci. di Napoli (1857), p. 195. Dexamine tenuicornis, Bruzelius, Skand. Amphip.. Gamm. (1859), p. 79. Habitat. — Moderately common all round our shores, generally in a few fathoms of water, and taken not unfrequently in the surface-net. The eye is oblong, slightly arched posteriorly, and slightly concave anteriorly, of a dark red, shading off to a paler red towards the margin. In some cases the whole animal is beautifully dotted with red, and closely studded along the back with white spots made up of small irregular points, some of the spots having a red space in the centre. The lower-antennae of the female are about one third shorter than the upper - antenna?, a few knobbed hairs taking the place of the pubescence on the upper surface of the third and fourth joints of the peduncle of the lower-antenna?. The lower- antennas of the male are generally longer than the upper, and have the pubescence on the third and fourth joints. This species may be readily distin- guished by the blunt tooth on the first joint of the upper-antennae. DEXAMINE TENUICORNIS, Rathke. Dexamine tenuicornis, Rathke, Beitr. zur Fauna Norweg., Nov. Act., xx. (1843), p. 77, pi. xliv., fig. 3. Habitat. — Taken at Portloy, Cumbrae, under muddy stones near low-water ; at the Clach Rock, in 38 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Millport Bay, in 7 fathoms, muddy sand; and at Lochranza, in 2 to 5 fathoms, bottom black sandy mud much mixed up with small triturated vegetable matter. It has also been taken between tide-marks at Lerwick, Shetland, by the Rev. A. M. Norman and Dr. Jeffreys. DEXAMINE THEA, A. Boeck. Dexamine Thea, A. Boeck, Forh. ved. de Skand. Naturf., 8de mode (1860), p. 658. Habitat. — Dredged off Hunterston, opposite Mill- port, in 12 fathoms, bottom sandy gravel and sea- weed, and taken in the surface-net after sunset. The one taken in the dredge is a female in ova, and much larger than the one taken by the surface- net. Genus Atyltjs, Leach. atylus gibbosus, Spence Bate. Atylus gibbosus, Spence Bate, Cat. Amph. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 137, pi. xxvi., fig. 3. Lampva gibbosa, A. Boeck, Crust. Amph. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 108. Tritacta gibbosa, A. Boeck, De Skand. og Arkt. Amph. (1876), p. 318, pi. xii., fig. 2. Habitat — Taken frequently by the dip-net among the fronds of sea-weed, such as clumps of Halidvys siliquosa, Desmarestia aculeata, and the flaccid masses of Ectocarpus, along the borders of low-water. In the latter instances the young are sometimes plenti- ful, the fibrous, bushy tufts affording good shelter from their many enemies. The colour of this species appears to be more or less variable, and to depend in some degree on the plant it frequents. On an old plant of Desmarestia aculeata, dredged up from 8 fathoms, gravelly bottom, six were taken, all of a dark brown colour. On this occasion live wanted the antennae ; others taken on Ectocarpus, in shallow water, were lighter brown. AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 39 Taken in the surface-net after sunset, also em- bedded in a sponge, Cumbrae ; Shetland, Mr. Barlee ; in from 60 to 90 fathoms, 60 miles east of Shetland, Rev. A. M. Norman and Dr. Jeffreys; coast of Northumberland, Mr. Alder. atyltjs swammardamii, Milne Edwards. Amphithoe Swammerdamii, Milne Edwards, Ann. d. Sci. Nat., xx. (1830), p. 378. Amphithoe compressa, Lilljeborg, Of v. af Kongl. Vet.-Akad. Forhandl. (1852), p. 8. Dexamine Gordoniana, Spence Bate, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 2nd Series, xix. (1857), p. 142. Paramphithoe comioressa, Bruzelius, Skand. Amphip. Gamm. (1859), p. 72. Epidesura comjoressa, A. Boeck, Forh. v. de Skand. Naturf., 8de mode (1860), p. 659. Dexamine Loughrini, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus.' (1862), p. 132, pi. xxiv., fig. 3. Atylus Schicammerdamii, Spence Bate, Catal. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 136., pi. xxvi., fig. 2. Atylus compressus, Spence Bate, Catal. Amphip. Crust. Brit, Mus. (1862), p. 142. Habitat. — Not uncommon in a few fathoms of water on a sandy or sandy - gravelly bottom. Dredged off the Tan Buoy, Cumbrae, in 7 fathoms, bottom Melobesia; and between the Allans, in 2 to 3 fathoms, sand and gravel ; off Seamill, below Portincross, Ayrshire, 6 fathoms, bottom sand and stones. Also taken by the surface-net after sunset; those so obtained during summer are generally small. On 16th December, 1886, they were taken very abundantly in Millport Bay by the surface-net after sunset, and were equally abundant a night or two after. It was remarkable that, with a single excep- tion, no other amphipod occurred in the gathering. It has been taken in the Moray Firth by Rev. G. Gordon, and at Plymouth by Mr. S. Bate. 40 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. atylus vedlomensis, Spence Bate and Westwood. Dexamine Vedlomensis, Spence Bate and Westwood, Brit. Sessile-eyed Crust. (1863), i., p. 242. Atylus Vedlomensis, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 112. Habitat. — Not uncommon. Dredged off Fairland Point, Cumbrae, in 17 fathoms, shelly mud; off the Tan Buoy, in 6 to 7 fathoms ; Lock Goil, 12 fathoms, mud and gravel. Taken by the Rev. A. M. Norman in the Vedlom Yoe, Shetland. Genus Pleustes, Spence Bate. pleustes bicuspis, Kroyer. Amphithoe bicuspis, Kroyer, Gronlands Amphip. Danske Vid.-Selsk. Afhancll., vii. (1838), p. 273, tab. 2, fig. 10. Pavamphithoe bicuspis, Bruzelius, Skand. Amphip. Gamm. (1859), p. 73. Amphithopsis bicuspis, A. Boeck, Forhandl. ved de Skand. Naturf., 8de mode (1860), p. 662. Pherusa cirrus, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 113, pi. xxvii., f. 6. Pherusa bicuspis, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 144, pi. xxvii., f. 7. Habitat. — Taken by the surface-net after sunset, Cumbrae ; and by Mr. Edward at Banff, Mr. Webster at Tenby, Mr. Thompson in Belfast Bay, and at Sligo and Bangor in 6 to 10 fathoms. PLEUSTES FUCICOLA, Leach. Pherusa fucicola, Leach, Eclin. Encyc, vii., App. to Art. Crust., p. 432. Amphithoe fucicola, Milne Edwards, Ann. des. Sc. Nat., t. xx., p. 377. Amphithoe Jurinii, Milne Edwards, Ann. des. Sc. Nat., t. xx., p. 376. AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 41 Amphithoe microura, Costa, Rend, della Beale Accad. delle Scienze di Napoli (1853), p. 175, tab. 3, fig. 2. Dexamine facicola, Spence Bate, Ann. Nat. Hist., 2nd Ser., xix. (Feb., 1857), p. 142. Habitat. — Taken in the dip or hand-net along the rocky shores of the Allans, Cumbrae ; at Falmouth and Tenby by Mr. Webster; Banff, Mr. Edward; off the coast of Naples by A. Costa; on the Atlantic coast of France, Milne Edwards; and recorded by Professor Bell as being among the Crustacea brought home from the Arctic seas by Sir Edward Belcher. Genus Calliope, Leach. calliope l^viuscula, Kroyer. Amphithoe Iceviuscula, Kroyer, Gronlands Amphip. Danske, Vid.-Selsk. Afh. vii. (1838), p. 253, tab. 3, fig. 13. Amphithoe Ratlxkei, Zaddach, Syn. Crust. Prus* Prodr. (1844), p. 6. Calliope Leachii, Spence Bate, Pep. Brit. Assoc, 1885, p. 58. Amphithoe serraticornis, M. Sars, Forh. i Vid.-Selsk. i Christiania (1858), p. 140. Paramphithoe Iceviuscula, Bruzelius, Skand. Amphip* Gamm. (1859), p. 76. Amphithopsis Iceviuscula, A. Boeck, Forh. ved de Skand. Naturf., 8de mode (I860), p. 662. Calliope Iceviuscula, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust, Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 148, pi. xxviii., ^g. 2. Calliopius Iceviusculus, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 117. Habitat. — Moderately common, sometimes in sandy tide-pools among the algse, Karnes Bay, Cumbrae ; and in Balloch Bay by the dip-net at low-water. The colour of this species is a brownish yellow, and not unfrequently it has a whitish blotch a little behind the head. In some cases the dorsal ridge is finely crenated. It is very active in the water, and swims hither and thither with great rapidity. It has also been taken on the Devonshire 42 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. coast by Dr. Leach, at Tenby by Mr. Webster, in the Moray Firth by Mr. Edward and the Rev. G. Gordon, and by Kroyer on the coast of Greenland. calliope grandoculus, Spence Bate. Calliope grandoculus, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Brit. Mus., p. 149, pi. 28, fig. 4. Habitat. — Taken at low -water by the dip or sweep-net among weedy stones, Cumbrae. It has also been taken in the Moray Firth by the Rev. Geo. Gordon, and at Banff by Mr. Edward. Genus EusiRUS, Kroyer. eusirus longipes, A. Boeck. Eusirus longipes, A. Boeck, Forh. ved de Skand. Naturf., 8de mode (1860), p. 656. Eusirus Helvetia?, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 155, pi. xxix., fig. 2. Eusirus bidens, Heller, Deukschr. d. K. K. Acad. d. Wissench., 26 B., 2 Abth. (1866), p. 32, tab. iii., fig. 19. Habitat. — Dredged a little west of the Tan Buoy, Cumbrae, in 10 fathoms, bottom mud, gravel, and dead shells ; and in Lochgoil, in 12 fathoms. Also taken in the Moray Firth by Mr. Edward. The eye of this animal is white, dotted with black points. Genus Leucothoe, Leach. leucothoe spinicarpa, Abildgaard. Gammarus spinicarpus, Abildgaard, Zool. Dan., iii., p. 66, pi. cxxix., fig. 1-4, 17. Cancer (? Gammarus) articulosus, Montagu, Trans. Linn. Soc, vol. vii., p. 70, pi. 6, fig. 7. Leucothoe articulosa, Leach, Edin. Encyc, vii. (1814), p. 403. Leucothoe denticulata, Costa, Rend, della Reale Ace. d. Sci. di Napoli (1853). Leucothoe spinicarpa, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 78. AMrHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 43 Habitat. — Dredged near the Tan Buoy, Cumbrae, in 5 fathoms, bottom Melobesia. The animal was reddish - brown and very quick in its movements, although at times, when undisturbed, it walked leisurely on the bottom of the vessel. Taken in 92 fathoms, bottom mud, Loch Fyne. It has also been taken in the Moray Firth, by the Rev. G. Gordon ; at Polperro, Cornwall ; in Ply- mouth Sound, by S. Bate and Westwood ; on the Devonshire coast, by Montagu ; and on the south coast of Sweden, by Lilljeborg. Genus Gossea, Spence Bate. gossea microdeutopa, Spence Bate. Gossea microdeutopa, Spence Bate, Cat. Amph. Brit. Mus., p. 160, pi. xxix., fig. 6. Habitat. — Taken in the dip-net at the margin of low- water, amongst algae, moderately common ; and in the surface-net after sunset, Cumbrae. This species was first taken at Ilfracombe by Mr. Gosse, whose name it bears ; and it has also been taken in the Shetlands by the Rev. A. M. Norman. Genus A o R A , Kroyer. AORA gracilis, Spence Bate. Lonchomerus gracilis, Spence Bate, Rep. Brit. Assoc, 1855. Lalaria gracilis, Spence Bate, Ann. Nat. Hist., 2nd Ser., xx. (1858), p. 525. Aora gracilis, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Brit. Mus., p. 160, pi. xxix., f. 7. Habitat. — Dredged at the Clach Rock, 7 fathoms, bottom muddy gravel and small algae ; at the Tan Buoy, in 6 to 7 fathoms, bottom Melobesia and clumps of Laminaria saccharina ; between the Allans, Cumbrae, in 2 to 3 fathoms, muddy sand and sea-weed ; and off the Holy Isle, Arran, in 5 fathoms, among sea-weeds. 44 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. It has also been taken in Oxwick Bay by Bate and Westwood, at Polperro by Mr. Loughrin, and in Loch Fyne by Mr. Barlee. Dr. Jeffreys and the Rev. A. M. Norman obtained it in 40 fathoms, one mile north of Whalsey Light-house, and in 5 fathoms in the outer Skerries Harbour, Shetland. Genus Microdeutopus, Costa. MICRODEUTOPUS GRYLLOTALPA, Costa. Microdeutopus gryllotalpa, Costa, Rend. d. Reale Accad. d. Sci. di Napoli (1853), p. 178. Lembos Daumoniensis, Spence Bate, Brit. Assoc. Rep. 1855, p. 58. Autonoe grandimana, Bruzelius, Skand. Amphip. Gamm. (1859), p. 26, fig. 5. Microdeutopus grandimanus, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), App., p. 378. Habitat. — A single specimen taken south of the Tan Buoy, in 8 fathoms, bottom Melobesia. It has also been taken under the Hoe, Plymouth, in a sponge, by Mr. Howard Stewart ; at Polperro, by Mr. Loughrin ; dredged in from 70 to 90 fathoms, east of Shetlands ; and taken by Costa at Naples. microdeutopus websterii, Spence Bate. Gammarus longipes, Lilljeborg, Of v. af Kgl. Vet.- Akad. Forhand. (1852), p. 10. Autonoe longipes, Bruzelius, Skand. Amphip. Gamm. (1859), p. 28. Lembos Websterii, Spence Bate, Ann. Nat. Hist., 2nd Ser., xix. (1857), p. 142. Microdeutopus Websterii, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust, Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 164, pi. xxx., fig. 2. Microdeuteropus Websteri, Norman, Rep. on the Shetland Crust. (1868), p. 282. Microdeutopus longijies, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 166. Habitat. — Taken under stones near low-water, Port- loy, Cumbrae ; at the same place on two different AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 45 occasions, twenty yards apart. It has also occurred at Falmouth, where it was first taken by Mr. Webster ; at Skye and Shetlands by Mr. Barlee ; and dredged in 4 fathoms, in Bressay Sound, Shet- lands, by the Kev. A. M. Norman and the late Dr. Jeffreys. MICRODEUTOPUS ANOMALUS, Rathke. Gammarus anomalies, Rathke, Acta Accad. Leop,, xx. (1843), p. 63, t. iv., fig. 7. Lembos Cambriensis, Spence Bate, Brit. Assoc. Rep., 1855, p. 58. Autonoe anomala, Bruzelius, Skand. Amphip. Gamm. (1859), p. 25, pi. 1, fig. 4. Microdeutopus anomalus, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 154, pi. xxx., fig. 3. Microdeuteropus anomalus, Norman, Rep. on the Shetland Crust. (1868), p. 281. Habitat. — Dredged off the Tan Buoy, Cumbrae, in 6 to 8 fathoms, bottom Melobesia calcarea, var. rubra, which seems to favour the growth of La- minaria saccharina, whose fronds (especially the large fibrous roots) yield a rich harvest of many orders of invertebrates. The search is all the more successful when the contents of the dredge are repeatedly washed in a white basin or glass jar. Also dredged, a little farther out, in mud and sea-weed ; and between the Allans, in 2 to 3 fathoms, the bottom here being all covered over with patches of sea- weeds of various kinds, of which portions are generally brought up in the dredge, in most cases accompanied with a large diversity of species ; and off Hunterston, opposite Millport, in 12 to 14 fathoms, on mud, sand, and gravel. This species was first taken by Bate and Westwood in Oxwick Bay, on the coast of Glamorganshire ; and by the Rev. A. M. Norman and the late Dr. Jeffreys, in 5 fathoms, in the outer Skerries Har- bour, Shetlands. Rathke and Lilljeborg have taken it on the coast of Norway. 46 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. microdeutopus versiculatus, Spence Bate. Lembos versiculatus, Spence Bate, Rep. Brit. Assoc. 1885, p. 58. Microdeutopus versiculatus, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Brit. Mus., p. 165, pi. xx., fig. 5. Habitat. — Dredged in muddy sand a little beyond low-water, Cumbrae ; and taken near Plymouth by Messrs. Spence Bate and H. Stewart. Genus Peotomedeia, Kroyer. protomedeia hirsutimana, Spence Bate. Protomedeia hirsutimana, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust., p. 168, pi. xxx., f. 6. Habitat. — Dredged at the Clach Rock, Millport Bay, in 6 fathoms, mud, gravel, and sea-weed ; also on different occasions in the neighbourhood of the Tan Buoy, Cumbrae, among the roots of Laminaria saccharina, some of those taken being with ova; and between Fairlie and Millport. When in con- finement they walk on the bottom of the vessel much like Sulcator arenarius, but they do not seem to burrow. This species has also been taken near Banff by Mr. Edward. Genus Bathyporeia, Lindstrom. bathyporeia pilosa, Lindstrom. Bathyporeia pilosa, Lindstrom, Of v. af Kgl.Veteusk.- Akad. Forhandl. (1855), p. 59. Thersites Guilliamsonia, Spence Bate, Rep. Brit. Assoc, 1855, p. 59. Bathyporeia Robertsoni, S. Bate and Westwood, Brit. Sessile-eyed Crust. (1863), i., p. 307. Bathyporeia pelagica, S. Bate and Westwood, I.e., L, p. 309. Habitat. — Common, burrowing in sand between tide- mark, and occasionally a few fathoms beyond low- water. On the sandy shores of Arran, Ayr, Ardrossan, Hunterston, Port - Bannatyne, Bute, Helensburgh, Fintry Bay and Karnes Bay, Cumbrae. AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 47 In Karnes Bay, Millport, they are very abundant from low-water up to about three-quarters tide-mark. From thence down to about half-tide their tracks are very numerous, and pass in all directions and at all angles and curves, a little under the sand, raising it up into tiny rough ridges. When the animal works a little deeper, the ridges are rounder and smoother. When above ground they make little furrows in the sand. That the ridges are more numerous a little above half-tide appears to be accounted for by the fact that the animals have more time between tides to extend their burrows than nearer low -water. In a small fresh -water stream that runs down over the sandy bay, they are found in the sand near high-water. To test how long they could live in purely fresh- water, ten of this species were put into rain-water. In a few minutes they seemed to suffer from the change, and now and again darted to the surface, then allowed themselves to drop down to the bottom, back downwards, rising again to the surface and repeating over and over the same movements. Occasionally, when half down, they would re-ascend to the surface, making a few dashes hither and thither, and then dropping again to the bottom. By two-and-a-half hours eight of them were dead, and the other two nearly so. Suspecting that some- thing might be hurtful to them in the water from the rain-barrel, I took more of the species from the sand in the middle of the stream at about half-tide, and put them in a vessel containing water taken from the same part of the stream. In two hours a few of them were dead, but the others were living next morning, and most of them on the surface. A number of the same species, taken from the same place, were put into pure sea-water in the afternoon. Next morning they were all right, sporting through the water, but none on the surface. Again, another batch was taken from very low water, away from any fresh-water, and put into water from the stream 48 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. about half-tide, as in the last experiment. In less than half-an-hour they were all dead. In the first experiment, it is probable that those which died so soon had recently come up from a lower zone of the tidal belt ; and having been less exposed to a mixture of fresh water, they were less able to bear the sudden change. This result is con- firmed by the experiment with those taken from very low tide, which rapidly succumbed when placed in fresh water. These experiments show that while those speci- mens taken from sea-water suddenly succumbed to the influence of fresh water, yet, by getting up the stream by degrees, they appeared to acquire the power of living in nearly fresh water for a considerable time. If all other conditions were favourable, there can be little doubt that they could be gradually brought to live in purely fresh water. Nothing could be better for such experi- ments than such a little fresh-water stream passing down over their habitat, where they can come up, sheltering under the sand, bit by bit, as they feel disposed, to where the tide covers them at shorter and shorter intervals, till the water is almost fresh. Bathyporeia Robertsoni, Spence Bate and West- wood. — There can scarcely be any doubt that this is the male of Bathyporeia pilosa. It is generally rather smaller, having long under - an tennse. The males occur in much fewer numbers than the females : in my experience not more than one to twelve. There is also another variety with long under-antennsB, but the flagellum is closely ringed. The eyes of both male and female are oval and dark red, becoming black in spirits. The female of this species "was first taken at Wisby, on a sandy bottom, from 18 to 20 fathoms, by Professor Lindstrom. It has been taken by Professor Williamson on a fine sandy bottom off Weymouth," and by Mr. Webster near Tenby. AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 49 The male (Robertsoni) was dredged by the late Dr. Jeffreys in the Shetlands. bathyporeia pelagica, Spence Bate. Bathyporeia pelagica, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Brit. Mus., p. 174, pi. xxxi., fig. 6. Thersites pelagica, Spence Bate, Rep. Brit. Assoc. 1855, p. 59. Habitat. — Taken off Callum's Bay, Bute, in 16 fathoms, bottom sandy mud; off Ardrossan in 20 fathoms, bottom stones and mud; and west of Tan, Cumbrae, in 10 fathoms, bottom mud and stones. It has also been taken in the Moray Firth by the Rev. Geo. Gordon, in a considerable depth of water. Boeck and Norman doubt whether this is other than B. pilosa, Lindstrom. It differs in some minor particulars from B. pilosa, yet no less than in many other accepted species. I have never found B. pela- gica between tide-marks in the sandy bays, where the other is so abundant, but only in from 10 to 20 fathoms, bottom mud and stones, and sandy mud. Where a difference of locality concurs with a more or less distinct change of character in a species, it becomes important to know under what conditions the change has taken place. To the geologist this clue is still more important. It matters little to him whether the forms are known by the name of " species " or " variety " ; but it would be a loss to obliterate under one appellation so valuable a dis- tinction between the two. Genus Cheirocratus, Norman. CHEIROCRATUS SUNDEVALLI, Rathke. Gammarus Sundevalli, Rathke, Acta. Acad. Leopold., t. xx. (1843), p. 65, t. iii., fig. 2. Lilljeborgia Shetlandica, Spence Bate and West- wood, Brit. Sessile-eyed Crustacea (1863), p. 206. Cheirocratus Sundevalli, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 133. 50 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Habitat. — (L. Shetlandica $.) Near the Tan Buoy, in 7 fathoms, bottom Melobesia; near the Lion, 10 fathoms, gravelly; at the Clach Rock, 6 fathoms, sand and gravel, Cumbrae. Off shore, a little west of the pier, Holy Isle, Arran, 6 fathoms, bottom gravel and sea-weed. Loch Fyne, 12 fathoms, sand and gravel. Off Seamill, Ayrshire, 7 fathoms, sand and stones. Also taken by the surface-net after sunset, Karnes Bay, Cumbrae. (P. Whitei ?.j In Loch Fyne, 12 fathoms, bottom sandy gravel. Between the Tan Buoy and Little Cumbrae, 25 fathoms, mud. Off Garroch-head, Bute, in 15 fathoms, mud, shells, and gravel ; in one or two cases those obtained here were covered with orange dots of unequal shape. Taken by the Rev. A. M. Norman, in 40 fathoms, near Whalsey Light- house, and in 2 to 5 fathoms in Outer Skerries Harbour, Shetland. CHEIROCRATUS ASSIMILIS, Lilljeborg. Gammarus assimilis, Lilljeborg, Of v. af Kgl. Vet.- Akad. Forh. (1851), p. 23. Cheirocratus Mantis, Norman, Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Northumberland and Durham, vol. i. (1865), p. 12. Cheirocratus assimilis, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 134. Habitat. — Taken in deep water off the Holy Island, Arran, by the Rev. A. M. Norman. Genus PHiEDRA, Spence Bate. phjedra kinahani, Spence Bate. Phaedra Kinahani, Spence Bate, Cat. Amph. Crust. Brit. Mus., p. 119, pi. 21, fig. 1. Habitat. — In 7 fathoms, bottom nullipora, near the Tan Buoy, Cumbrae. The colour of the animal was pale orange, its length yff inch. AMPH1P0DA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 51 Genus Gammarella, Spence Bate. gammarella noemani, Spence Bate and Westwood. Gammarella Normani, Spence Bate and Westwood, Brit. Sessile-eyed Crust. (1863), vol. i., p. 333. Habitat. — Brought up in the dredge, with a great deal of Laminaria saccharina, off Hunterston, opposite Millport. It was first taken by the Rev. A. M. Norman in Moulin Huet Bay, Guernsey, in about 10 fathoms, on sand and zostera. Genus Melita, Leach. melita obtusata, Montagu. Cancer (Gammarus) obtusatus, Montagu, Trans. Linn. Soc, xi. (1815), p. 5, t. 2, fig. 7. Amphithoe obtusata, Milne Edwards, Ann. d. Sci. Nat. (1830), xx., p. 377. Gammarus maculatus, Lilljeborg, Of v. af Kgl. Vet.- Akad. Forhandl. (1852), p. 10 (1853), p. 138. Gammarus obtusatus, Lilljeborg, Ofv. af Kgl. Vet.- Akad. Forhandl. (1854), p. 452. Melita obtusata, Spence Bate, Cat. Amph. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 183. Habitat. — Found between the dead valves of Cyprina islandica, brought up on a fisherman's line, in 14 fathoms, Cumbrae ; the shells were covered inside and out with small Balani. Another, in ova, was found in the same shell ; but the two first pairs of legs of this were slightly different, the other parts, however, agreeing with M. obtusata, of which I suspect it may have been a sexual form. Taken also in Plymouth Sound by Mr. S. Bate and Professor Kinahan ; and in Salcombe Bay, by Col. Montagu. melita proxima, Spence Bate. Melita proxima, Spence Bate, Cat. Amph. Brit. Mus., p. 184, pi. xxxiii., fig. 4. Habitat. — Taken plentifully all round our coast among the suckers of the larger sizes of the star- fish Uraster rubens, sometimes on Solaster papposa, 52 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. and at other times free. It appears, therefore, not to be confined to one species of starfish. In regard to those found free, it is a question whether they may not have been detached from the starfish by the rubbing and rolling in the dredge, or whether they may not seek the starfish for shelter or for food. The eyes of this species are small, round, and white, with about ten to twelve red dots. Bate and Westwood say of this species that it " may be readily mistaken for M. obtusata, of which, indeed, we are sometimes inclined to think that it may turn out to be a variety; an examination of a greater number of individuals is, however, necessary to determine this point." It may be remarked that the fact of this animal living among the suckers of starfishes points to a peculiarity in its habits not recorded of M. obtusata. This species has been taken in Plymouth Sound by the authors of the Brit. Sessile-eyed Crust, and on the coast of Banff by Mr. Edward. melita alderi, Spence Bate. Megamcera Alderia, Spence Bate, Cat. Amph. Brit. Mus., p. 228, pi. xl., fig. 1. Habitat, — Dredged between the Allans, Millport Bay, in 2 fathoms, bottom weedy gravel and sand. This species has also been taken on the Northumber- land coast by Mr. Alder, and at Banff by Mr. Edward. Genus Gammaropsis, Lilljeborg. GAMMAROPSIS ERYTHROPHTHALMUS, Lilljeborg. Gammarus ( Ga?nmaropsis ) erythro-phthalmus, Lillje- borg, Kgl. Vet.-Akad. Handl. (1853), p. 455. Eurystheus tridentatus, Spence Bate, Brit. Assoc. Rep., 1855, p. 58. Autonoe erythrophthalma, Bruzelius, Skand. Amphip. Gamm. (1859), p. 27. Eurystheus erythroplithalmus, Spence Bate, Cat. Amph. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 196, pi. xxxv., fig. 7. AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 53 Gammaropsis erythrophthalmus, A. Boeck, Crust* Amph. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 161. Habitat. — Taken on Spatangus purpureus and among the roots of Laminaria saccharina, Cumbrae ; and dredged off the upper side of the Otter, Loch Fyne. Taken also in the Moray Firth by Mr. Gregor and Mr. Edward. Genus Amathilla, Spence Bate and Westwood. AMATHILLA SABINI, Leach. Gammarus Sabini, Leach, App. to Ross's First- Voyage (Oct., 1819), Edit, ii., p. 178. Amathia Sabini, Spence Bate, Cat. Amph. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 197. Amathia carinata, White, Hist. Brit. Crus. (1857), p. 182. Amathia caiHno-spinosa, White, Cat. Crus. Brit* Mus. (1847). Amathilla Sabini, Spence Bate and Westwood, Brit. Sessile-eyed Crust. (1863), p. 361. Amphithoe Moggridgei, Spence Bate, Ann. Nat. Hist., 2nd Ser., vii. (1855), p. 318, pi. x., fig. 10. Amphithoe carino-spinosa, Gosse, Mar. Zool. (1855), p. 141. Dexamine carino-spinosa, White, Cat. Crus. Brit. Mus. (1847). Cancer carino-spinosa, Turton, Lin. Syst. Nat. iii., p. 760. Habitat. — This species is of wide distribution. It was first taken by Admiral Ross and General Sabine in Baffin's Bay, also on the coasts of Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Scandinavia ; and it is common both in the German and Baltic Seas. It has been taken in Berwick Bay by Dr. Johnston, in the Mersey by Mr. Byerley, and on the coast of Nor- thumberland by Mr. Hodge. I have only taken it on one occasion at Cumbrae, in the surface-net after sunset. 54 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Genus Gammaeus, Fabricius. GAMMARUS MARINUS, Leach. Gammarus marinus, Leach, Linn. Trans, xi. (1815), p. 359. Gammarns Olivii, Milne Edwards, Ann. d. Sci. Nat., xx. (1830), p. 369, pi. 10, fig. 9, 10. Gammarus gracilis, Ratlike, Mem. de l'Acad. Imp. d. Sci. St. Petersb., iii. (1837), p. 291, t. 4, fig. 7-10. Gammarus pcecilurus. Rathke, Nov. Act. Acad. Leop., xx. (1843), p. 68, t, 4, fig. 2. Gammarus Kroyeri, Rathke, Nov. Act. Acad. Leop., xx. (1843), p. 69, t. 4, fig. 1. Habitat. — Not uncommon under stones, and gliding in small pools left by the tide, and among the Fuci at low- water ; dredged between the Allans, Cumbrae, in 2 to 3 fathoms, on a weedy bottom. The eyes are oblong and dark red, covered with white fret-work. It has been taken on the coast of Devon by Dr. Leach ; Plymouth ; from the mouth of the Mersey to the River Dee ; the Shetlands ; the River Ban, and Lough Neagh, Ireland. GAMMARUS LOCUSTA, Linne. Cancer locusta, Linne, Sys. Nat., Ed. xii. (1767), p. 1055 ; Fauna Suecica, Edit. 2da. Cancer pulex, Linne, Sys. Nat., Ed. xii. (1767). Cancer macrourus, thorace articulata, cairuleus, Linne, Gothl. Resau. (1745), p. 260. Cancer (Gammarus) locusta, Montagu, Linn. Trans, ix. (1804), p. 92, t. 4, fig. 1. Gammarus locusta, Fabricius, Sys. Entom. (1775). Oniscus pulex, Fabricius, Fauna Gronl. (1780), p. 254. Gammarus Arcticus, Scoresby, Arct. Reg. (1820), i., p. 541. Gammarus boreus, Sabine, Suppl. to App. Parry's First Voy. (1824), p. 229. Gammarus Duebeni, Lilljeborg, Ofv. af Kgl. Vet.- Akad. Forh. (1851), p. 22. Gammarus mutatus, Lilljeborg, Kgl. Vet.-Akad. Handl. (1853), p. 447. AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 55 Gammavus Sitchensis, Brandt, Meddendorff's Siber. Reise. (1851), ii., part i., p. 133. Habitat. — Between tide-mark, and dredged at the Clach Rock in 6 fathoms ; near the Tan Buoy about the same depth, and farther out in the channel at a depth of 35 fathoms ; also taken in the surface-net — Cumbrae. "It has been taken in the Crimea by Ratlike, and by Lilljeborg on the coast of Sweden, and if we judge by its size, its home is in the Arctic Seas, where specimens frequently exceed two and a half inches in length." — Dr. Walker, Naturalist to the last Arctic Expedition under Sir F. L. M'Clintock. On 16th February, 1886, four of this species were taken far up on the tidal belt under stones, and put into a 4-oz. bottle about half full of salt-water. On the 18th one was dead, which was allowed to remain in the bottle. Shortly afterwards it was observed that the living ones had commenced to eat their dead companion, all whose remains in a short time disappeared bit by bit. Another dead amphipod was then put into the bottle, which also gradually dis- appeared. An air vessel of Fucus nodosus was also put into the bottle, where it floated on the water, and to this the amphipods often attached themselves. When at the bottom of the vessel, however, they generally lay on their back. About the beginning of April, in removing to another house, the bottle got out of sight, and was not discovered till 11th May. Two of the three amphipods were found to be still alive, and to all appearance in good health ; but the other had no doubt gone the way of its deceased brethren. By this time the water had lost about one-third of its bulk by evaporation, and had become very green and nocculent. Still, with this great addition of saltness and discoloration to the water, they seemed to be able to accommodate themselves to that state of things, apparently experiencing little if any inconvenience. Although we have seen that they eat their dead companions, there seems no evidence 56 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. that they kill and devour one another; and, as they live gregariously, it is not at all likely that such could be the case. Since the above was written, I have taken this species at Cardross, between tide, in brackish water. gammakus pulex, Pennant. Squille Puce, De Geer, Mem. pour servir a l'Hist. d'Insectes (1752), t. vii., p. 525, pi. 33. Cancer pulex, Pennant, Brit. Zool. (1776), vol. iv., p. 17. Gammarus pulex, Desmarest, Consid. sur les Crust. (1825), p. 266, t. 45, fig. 8. Gammarus fluviatilis, Milne Edwards, Hist. Nat. des Crust. (1840), t. hi., p. 45. Habitat. — Common in slow-running streams, or in ditches well filled with vegetation. Genus MiERA, Leach. m^ra loreni, Bruzelius. Gammarus Loreni, Bruzelius, Skand. Amphip. Gamm. (1859), p. 59, fig. 9. Moera Loreni, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 193, pi. xxxv, fig. 1. Habitat. — Taken off the light-house, Little Cum- brae, in 55 to 60 fathoms, and off the Isle of Arran, in 80 fathoms, bottom soft mud. Most of this genus, taken from a depth of from 60 to 80 fathoms, were pale in colour, and soon became white when put in spirits. Depth, however, does not always affect the colour of the animals, as some of the Paloemonidai brought up in the same hauls were bright red. mjera semiserrata, Spence Bate. Megamaira semiserrata, Spence Bate, Cat. Amph. Brit. Mus., p. 226, pi. xxxix., fig. 6. Habitat. — Dredged on two different occasions at the Tan, C umbrae, in 6 to 7 fathoms, bottom Melo- besia ; and off the Allans in 6 fathoms, bottom stony mud. Taken near Mallard Buoy, in Plymouth Sound by Bate and Westwood. AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 57 m^era othonis, Milne Edwards. Gammarus Othonis, Milne Edwards, Ann. des Sci. Nat., t. xx., p. 373, pi. x., fig. 11. Megamcera Othonis, Spence Bate, Cat. Am ph. Brit. Mns., p. 227, pi. xxxix., fig. 8. Habitat. — Dredged off the Garroch-head in 15 fathoms, bottom sandy gravel; on the xAllans bank, 10 fathoms, bottom gravel; off the Lion in 15 fathoms ; and at the Tan, Cumbrae. Taken in Plymouth Sound by Bate and Westwood, and at Polperro by Mr. Loughrin. MiERA longimana, (Leach) Thompson. Gammarus longimanus, Thompson, Ann. Nat. Hist., 1st Ser., xx. (1847), p. 242. Gammarus losvis, Bruzelius, Skand. Amph. Gamm. (1859), p. 60, fig. 10. Megamwra longimana, Spence Bate, Cat. Amph. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 227, pi. xxxix., fig. 7. Maira longimana, Norman, Rep. Shetland Crust. (1868), p. 281. Habitat. — Dredged at the Tan in 6 to 8 fathoms, bottom Melobesia, and off the south side of the Allans in 6 fathoms, bottom stones and mud- Cumbrae ; also in Loch Fyne in 90 fathoms, bottom soft mud. Those from deep water are larger than those from 6 to 8 fathoms. It has also been taken on the south coast of England by Leach, near Belfast by Mr. Thompson, in Dublin Bay by Professor Kinahan, on the coast of Cornwall by Mr. Webster, and in the Moray Firth by the Rev. G. Gordon. Subdivision DOMICOLA. Family COROPHJID^E. Sub family PODOCERIDES. Genus A M phi t hoe, Leach. AMPHITHOE RUBRICATA, Montagu. Cancer (Gammarus) rubricatus, Montagu, Linn. Trans., ix., p. 99, pi. v., fig. 1. E 58 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Gainmarus rubricatus, Leach, Edin. Encyc, vii., p. 402. Amphithoe rubricata, Leach, Edin. Encyc, App., p. 432. Habitat. — Taken at low -water, Portloy, and off Fairland Point in 17 fathoms — Cumbrae. The colour of the animal is a bright reddish-purple ; the eyes are moderately large, and dark red, dotted with white points. Although a confirmed nest-builder, it is occasionally met with free. Bate and West- wood report it from the south coast of Devonshire, where it was taken by Col. Montagu, from Ply- mouth Sound, and Penzance, on the shore at low spring - tides. The Rev. A. M. Norman and Dr. Jeffreys have taken it in 2 to 5 fathoms in Outer Skerries Harbour. Mr. Norman has obtained it at Cullercoats, and it has been recorded from Strang- ford Lough by Thompson and Hyndman. AMPHITHOK PODOCEROIDES, Rathke. Amphithoe 2^odoeeroides, Rathke, Acta. Leop., xx. (1843), p. 79, t. iv., fig. 4. Amphithoe albomaculata, Kroyer, Nat. Tidsskr. Isy Rakke (1845), 2 B, p. 67. Amphithoe littorina, Spence Bate, Brit. Assoc. Rep. 1855, p. 59. Amphithoe punctata, Johnston, Zool. Journ., iii\, p. 127, 490. Suna?npJiit1toe podoceroicles, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 251, pi. xliii., fig. 7. Habitat, — Frequently found between tide-mark in leathery tubes attached to the under-side of stones. When the stones are turned over, the animal seems readily to leave its tube in alarm. As there are generally two in the tube, a male and a female, frequently the male one only leaves the tube, his better half no doubt remaining to see how matters stand. If a little probing be used to the domicile, she too soon makes a speedy appearance. They AMPIIirODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 59 are sometimes met with in the hollows of the alga, Leathesia tuber i for mis, and in the air-vessels of Fucus nodosus. In almost every ease where the air-vessel was perforated it contained one of this species, and sometimes twTo, as above mentioned. The perforations in the air-vessel were generally irregular, both in form and size, frequently so large as to let in the point of the little linger, and often extended through both sides of the vessel. Those containing the amphipod were filled more or less with a soft leathery substance under which the animal was concealed. It did not appear that the amphipod had perforated the hole, as it was irregular, and much larger than was required for the animal to get in and out by, and therefore more exposed to the attacks of its enemies. These air-vessels are also occupied by a hydrozoon, but whether it can be credited with the cutting of the opening I cannot say. As I have not, however, observed such lacerations on any other portion of the plant, it may be inferred that the air-vessel has some attractions for the depredators, whatever they may be. As the Fucus nodosus is found plentifully about half-tide, the anrphipod must often in wret weather be exposed to the fresh -water which then fills its -cell. To test how long the animal could live in that element, one wras placed in a cupful of rain- water, where it sank to the bottom as if dead. About a minute later, when touched, it swam round the dish with much vigour for a short time, and afterwards settled on its feet for a little, where it remained motionless, the antennae stand- ing out and forming a kind of square. In 16 minutes it turned over on its back, the movements of the natatory legs becoming less regular, and stopping at short intervals for a second or two. In 10 minutes more they became more rapidly worked, the claws widely opened, and some of the posterior legs twitched a little. At 30 minutes they stopped 60 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. moving altogether ; but when the animal was touched, the legs began again to move irregularly and more languidly. At 36 minutes they stopped for about a minute, and again commenced to give an occasional stroke or two. At 40 minutes the only motion, which was very weak, was confined to one of the swimming feet. At 45 minutes all motion had ceased. Another of the same species, when exposed to the same treatment, lived for 40 minutes, and another for 35 minutes, both going through nearly the same symptoms. When in confinement, if a little weed or such other material is in the water with them, it is difficult to get them away from it, as they make every effort against being dislodged. One that was dislodged with its nest from the side of a stone was put into a basin of water ; in a few days it had the nest firmly attached to the basin. Like many of their congeners, they carry their young under their body, but these are not readily seen in life. Spence Bate and West wood, Brit. Sessile-eyed Crust., vol. i., p. 422, state that the eyes are black ; but all those that I have examined are red, apparently with a white net- work or areole over the red, although by transmitted light they appear dark. I have taken this species among the roots of Laminaria saccharina near the Tan Buoy, in 6 to 7 fathoms water, and by the dip-net among Halidrys siliquosa, Cumbrae. Bate and Westwood (I.e., vol. i., ]>. 424) record it from Skye ; Moray Firth ; the Outer Skerries Harbour, Shetland; amongst confervse in pools left by the tide near Berwick; Plymouth, between tide-mark ; Co. Clare, Ireland ; the coast of Normandy ; and from Hummock's Island, Bass's Straits, and the Crimea. Genus S r x a m v ii i t ii o e, Spence Bate. SUNAMPHITHOE HAMULUS, Spence Bale. Sunamphithoe hamulus, Spence Bate, Brit. x\ssoc. Rep. 1885, p. 59. AMPIIIPODA AND ISOrODA OF THE FIKTH OF CLYDE. 01 Habitat. — Dredged in 8 fathoms, off little Cumbrae; and taken by the dip or sweep-net, at low-water, Portloy, Cumbrae, and in the surface-net after sun- set. It has also been recorded as having been taken in the Moray Firth, in rock-pools at Penzance, and in 2 to 5 fathoms, Shetland. Genus Podocerus, Leach. podocerus falcatus, Montagu. Cancer (Gammavus) falcatus, Montagu, Linn. Trans., ix. (1808), p. 100, pi. 5, fig. 1, 2. S juv. Jassa falcata, Leach, Edin. Encyc, vii., p. 433. S juv. Cerapus pelagicus, Milne Edwards, Hist. d. Crust. (1840), iii., p. 361. . 6, pi. 2, fig. 6. Proto pedata, Leach, Linn. Trans., xi. (1815), p. 362. Proto pedatum, Desmarest, Consid. sur les Crust. (1825), p. 276, pi. 28, (J ? . Leptomera rubra, Lamarck, Hist. Nat. des Anim. sans Vertebr. (1818). Leptomera pedata, Latreille, Regne Anim. (1817), iii., p. 51. Leptomera ventricosa, Desmarest, Consid. sur les Crust, (1825), p. 276, ? . Proto ventricosa, A. Boeck, Crust. Amph. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 188. 7() TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Habitat.— Male and female taken off Fairland Point, in 17 fathoms, bottom mud, gravel, and shell- debris ; off the south of the Allans, in 6 fathoms ; and between the Allans, in 2 fathoms, among weed and sandy gravel — Cumbrae. Also in Campbeltown Loch, in the surface-net, after sunset. It has been taken on the southern coast of Devonshire ; in the Moray Firth by the Rev. Mr. Gordon, Mr. Gregor, and Mr. Edward; in the Shetlands by the Rev. A. M. Norman : and off the coast of Cornwall by Mr. R. O. Couch. proto goodsirii, Spence Bate. Proto Goodsirii, Spence Bate, Ann. Nat. Hist., 2nd Ser. xix. (1857), p. 151. Habitat. — Dredged off Muggie Point, Little Cum- brae, in 20 fathoms, bottom mud, gravel, and Laminaria saccharina ; in the Moray Firth by the Rev. G. Gordon ; in the Shetlands, and on the Durham coast, by the Rev. A. M. Norman. Genus Peotella, Dana. PROTELLA PHASMA, Montagu. Cancer phasma, Montagu, Linn. Trans., vii. (1806), p. 66, pi. vi., fig. 3. Astacus phasma, Pennant, Brit. Zool., iv. (1812), p. 27. Caprella phasma, Leach, Edin. Encyc, vii. (1811), p. 104. Caprella spinosa, Goodsir, Edin. New Phil. Jour. (1842), p. 183, pi. 3, fig. 1-3. Caprella longispina, Kroyer, Nat. Tidsskr. (1845), 2 R., 1 B., p. 403. Mgina longispina, Kroyer, Nat. Tidsskr. (1845), 2R., IB., p. 476. Protella longispina, Spence Bate, Ann. Nat. Hist., 2nd Ser., xix. (1857), p. 151. Protella phasma, Spence Bate, Cat. Amph. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 351, pi. Iv., fig. I. ^JiJgina phasma, A. Boeck, Crust. Amph. Bor. et Arct. (1870), ]). 191. AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 71 Habitat. — Dredged off the " Hawk's Neb," near the south end of Bute, in 12 fathoms, adhering to zoophytes; off the Garroehhead, Bute, on Plumii- laria; west of Tan, Cumbrae, in 7 fathoms, at the roots of Laminaria saccharina ; off Fairlie, in 8 fathoms, sandy mud ; and off Ardrossan, in 16 to 20 fathoms. It has also been obtained on the coast of Devonshire by Col. Montagu ; Plymouth, Bate and Westwood ; Moray Firth, Mr. Gregor ; Firth of Forth, Mr. Goodsir ; Cullercoats, Northumberland, Rev. A. M. Norman ; Cornwall, Mr. R. A. Couch ; and Isle of Man, Dr. Fleming. Genus Caprella, Lamarck. CAPRELLA LINEARIS, Liline. Cancel* linearis, Linne, Sys. Nat. (1767), Ed. xii., p. 1056. Squilla lobata, Midler, Zool. Dan. Prodr. (1776), p. 197, No. 2359. Squilla quadrilobata, Miiller, Zool. Dan., fasc. ii., p. 21, p. lvi., fig. 4, 5, (?. Gammarus quadrilobatus, Miiller, Zool. Dan. (1789), fasc. iii., p. 58, t. cxiv., fig. 11, 12, ? . Caprella scolopendroides, Lamarck, Hist. Nat. d. Ariim. sans Vertebr. (1818), p. 174. Caprella linearis, Leach, Edin. Encyc. (1813-14), p. 404. Caprella lobata, Guerin, Icon. Crust. (1829), pi. xxviii., fig. 2. Caprella l&vis, Goodsir, Edin. New Phil. Jour., xxx. (1842), p. 189, pi. iii., fig. 4. Caprella pliasma, Rathke, Beitr. z. Fauna Nor- wegens (1843), B. xx., p. 94. Caprella acuminifera, Rathke, Beitr. z. Fauna Nor- wegens (1843), B. xx., p. 86. Habitat. — Dredged off Fintry Bay, bottom sand and Corcla filum ; by the dip-net, male and female, among weedy stones at low-water, Cumbrae ; and off Garroehhead, Bute, in 15 fathoms, on Plumu- laria. It has also been taken in Mora}' Firth by 72 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Mr. Edward; at Cullercoats, by the Rev. A. M. Norman ; Plymouth, Bate and West wood. caprella hystrix, Kroyer. Caprella hystrix, Kroyer, Nat, Tidsskr. (1842), 1 R., 4 B., p. 603, pi. viii., fig. 20-26 ; Voy. en Scand., tl 124, Kg. i. Caprella hystrix, Norman, Rep. on the Shetland Crust. (1868), p. 288. Caprella hystrix, Bate and Westwood, Brit. Sessile- eyed Crust., vol. ii., p. 63. Caprella hystrix, A. Boeck, Crust. Amphip. Bor. et Arct. (1870), p. 197. Habitat. — Dredged at the Tan, Cumbrae, bottom Melobesia ; on Northumberland coast by the Rev. A. M. Norman : and in the neighbourhood of Plymouth, Bate and Westwood. CAPRELLA ACANTHIFERA, Leach. Caprella acanthifera, Leach, Edin. Encyc, vii., p. 404. Caprella calva, Spence Bate, Cat. Am ph. Crust. Brit. Mus., p. 359. pi. lvi., fig. 11. Caprella acuminifera, Latreille, in Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., 2nd Edit,, vi., p. 433. Habitat. — In tide pool, about half -tide, on Outer Allans, Cumbrae. This was a female, with the body red, and closely studded with dark dots. This species was dredged plentifully between the Allans, male and female, in 1 to 2 fathoms, amongst Zostera and fragmentary sea - weeds. There were more females than males, the proportion being perhaps two to one. They vary much in colour, particularly the females. Taken also in February by the dip- net, a little south from bathing-shade on the east side of Kaines Bay, among stones and sea-weed at low-water; in this case all obtained were females in ova. It has also been taken at Plymouth at low spring-tides by Mr. Barlee; Banff, Mr. Edward; AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 73 Northumberland, Rev. A. M. Norman ; Spring Yale, County Down, amongst Corallina officinalis in shal- low pools between tide -mark, Mr. W. Thompson; and Firth of Forth, Rev. J. Gordon. CAPRELLA TUBERCULATA, Guerin. Caprella tuberculata, Guerin, Icon. R. An. Crust., pi. xxviii., fig. 1. Caprella acuminifera 9 > Johnston, Mag. Nat. Hist., vi., p. 40, fig. 7a. (Not of Latreille and Desmarest.) Caprella acanthifera ? , Johnston, Mag. Nat. Hist., viii., p. 671, fig. 70. Habitat. — Taken by the hand-net among stones and sea-weed at low spring-tides, Cumbrae ; it has, how- ever, seldom come under my notice. Recorded from the coast of Polperro by Mr. T. L. Couch, and from Guernsey by the Rev. A. M. Norman. Specimens from the Firth of Forth are in the collection of the British Museum. Genus Podalirius, Kroyer. podalirius typicus, Kroyer. Podalirius typicus, Kroyer, Nat. Tidsskr. (1845), 2 R., 1 B., p. 283. Caprella typica, Spence Bate, Cat. Amphip. Crust. Brit. Mus. (1862), p. 354, pi. lvi., fig. 2. Habitat. — Males and females dredged in 17 fathoms off Fairland Point, Cumbrae, in the month of August. Three years after, in the same month, I again ob- tained both males and females from off the same point in 17 fathoms, bottom gravel and the small zoophyte Campanularia dumosa ; also one male and female between the Allans in two to three fathoms, bottom Zostera, sand, gravel, and fragmen- tary weeds. This species has also been recorded from the Firth of Forth by the Rev. J. Gordon. 74 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Order ISOPODA. Group ABERRANTIA. Tribe VAGANTIA. Family TANAIDM. Genus Tanais, Andouin and Milne Edwards. TANAIS vittatus, Rathke. Crassurus vittatus, Rathke, Nov. Act., 20, pi. i., fig. 7. Tanais vittatus, Lilljeborg, Bidr. t. Kann. om de in. Sver. och Norr. Forek. Crust, af Isop. underord. och Tan. fam. (Upsala, 1864), p. 24. Habitat. — Taken on the wood piles of Millport pier among algae. Of the four specimens obtained, two were with ova, and the young had only newly left the egg-sacs of the other two. On the rocks among sea-weed (Cladophora rupestris) near low- water, Cumbrae ; Berwick Bay, Dr. Johnston ; and Polperro, Mr. Loughrin. Genus Paratanais, Dana. paratanais rigidus, Spence Bate and Westwood. Paratanais rigidus, Spence Bate and Westwood, Hist. Brit. Sessile-eyed Crust. (1868), vol. ii., p. 141. Habitat. — Taken at the roots of Laminaria saccha- rina, in 7 to 8 fathoms, nea^the Tan Buoy, Cumbrae, paratanais forcipatus, Lilljeborg. Tanais forcipatus, Lilljeborg, Bidrag Isop. Tan. fam., p. 25. Tanais Savignyi, Gosse, Mar. Zool., i., fig. 246. Zeuxo Westtvoodiana I Templeton, Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., ii., 203, pi. xviii. Habitat. — Taken on stones between tide -mark, Cumbrae. They are most readily got by putting the stones into a pail of water, when the animals soon appear and float on the surface. Being quite white they are easily seen, though very small. It has been taken in Plymouth Sound by Bate and Westwood, and at Banff by Mr. Edward. AMPHIPODA AND ISOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 75 Family ANCEIBM. Genus Anceus, Risso. ANCEUS maxillaris, Montagu. Cancer maxillaris, Montagu, Trans. Linn. Soc, vii., p. 65, t. 6, f . 2 d, Brit. Sessile-eyed Crust., vol. i. (1863), ]>. 386. AMPHIPODA AM) rSOPODA OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. ill* Gammarus mamnus, Milne Edwards, Hist, des Crust. (1840), t. 3, p. 40 (not Leach). Habitat. — Taken in the sand at very low water, Karnes Bay, Millport. Bate and Westwood record it from Devonshire. EISCLADUS longicaudatus, Spence Bate and Westwood. Eiscladus longicaudatus, Spence Bate and Westwood, Brit. Sessile-eyed Crust,, vol. i. (1863), p. 412. Habitat. — Two specimens dredged in 10 fathoms, Millport Bay, Cumbrae ; both were small and pro- bably immature, and one was larger than the other. Also obtained in 16 fathoms off the south end of Bute. This species has been taken by the Be v. A. M. Norman and Dr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys in the Outer Skerries Harbour, Shetlands, in from 2 to 5 fathoms. DULICHIA TUBERCULATA, A. Boeck. Dulichia tuberculata, A. Boeck, Skand. Arkt. Amphip (1876), p. 655. Habitat. — Taken in the dredging of the yacht Medusa near the Mull of Kintyre, at a depth of 49 fathoms. Only one imperfect specimen was obtained which leaves a little doubt as to its specific identity. A few amphipods, little known or new to science, together with some doubtful species that are reserved for further investigation, are intended to form the subject of another small supplement to the list of the Amphipoda of the Firth of Clyde. I cannot conclude without acknowledging my great obligations to Mr. D. A. Boyd for the great care he has taken with each page as it passed through the press. 100 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. II. OBSERVATIONS ON SOME WEST-COAST FISHES. LOCHBUIE MARINE INSTITUTE per W. ANDERSON SMITH. [Read 26th April, 1887.] Phycis blennoides, Gmel. — A fine specimen of this fish was obtained off Portree, in August, 1886, by the Expedition to investigate the West -Coast Fisheries, under the auspices of the Highland and Agricultural Society. It seems to be more solitary than rare, as single individuals are taken every season around the coast, and the captors of this had seen two others taken on the West of Scotland. Pristiurcs melanostomus, Yarr. — These dog-fish, in place of being so rare as is generally supposed, proved to be the most common captured by the liners off Portree, in August, 1886, and were then throwing their egg-cases. These are distinguished by being devoid of spiracle attachments for fixing to sea-ware, and are, besides, of a brilliant, rich, golden-syrupy appearance. Callionymus lyra, Lin. — I have taken these fish on the lines, or from the stomachs of cod-fish, from the West Coast of the Lewis to Loch Killisport. They seem to be a favourite prey of the cod, both male and female — the so-called " gemmeous " and " sordid " dragonets. Notidanus griseus, Cuv. — A specimen of this shark was taken in Lochbuie on 26th March. It measured 2 ft. 10 in., and was a young male with elaspers. Like the skate-fish, it renews its teeth ; and two rows of its saw-like lower teeth were ready to come forward and replace the others, should they break OBSERVATIONS OX SOME WEST-COAST FISHES. 1()1 away or be worn out. As the cartilaginous frame- work of the sharks and rays does not offer great opposition to a struggling victim caught by the outer row of teeth, these are frequently lost, as many as half-a-dozen rows of fresh teeth, completely formed, being ready to come forward in large skates. This fish was a very young specimen, the ordinary size being from 9 to 12 feet, while a specimen measuring upwards of 26 feet has been taken. As it is a sluggish ground-shark, the presumption is that it did not travel far, but was thrown originally off the coast. Rhombus megastoma, Donov. {Sail Fluke). — A specimen of this fine flat-fish was taken in Lochbuie in the early part of April. It was in bad condition, and bore evidence of having been assaulted by Crustacea whilst on the hook. I have previously met only two specimens of this northern fish in the West of Scotland, both taken in Lochnell Bay. They may be numerous enough, but the very large mouth and membranous jaws render it easy for them to break away from the hook. They are known to the fisher- men, but are not common amongst their captures. Zeugopterus unimaculatus, Day (Toji-hnot).— In my paper on the " Topknots " in the Transactions of the Society for 1884 (vol. i., p. 88), this fish was described as Rhombus punctatus, on the authority of Dr. Day, to whom the coloured drawing had been submitted in 1882. I then desired information as to its capture in the Clyde district, but received none. In the last Report of the Fishery Board, a similar fish is figured from the Clyde, where it is captured, as well as the ordinary species with which it is commonly associated as a variety. With us, in Lochs Linnhe and Creran, the unimaculatus is the only species known, and on rocky ground it is not uncommon comparatively. The spot on the lateral line is, in our specimens, much more marked and brilliant than that figured in the Report of the Fishery Board, 1886, pi. ix. 102 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Liparis Montagui, Cuv. — Since I first called attention to the presence of this little fish on the West Coast, I have, at certain seasons, found them by no means uncommon. During last month (March) they were quite numerous on the shores of Lochbuie, and heavy with ripe ova. They are then so distended that the least rough treatment bursts them and allows the ova to extrude. All varieties, from the lace-wTork sucker of Couch to the richly- coloured picta, are procurable at that time ; but should the day be exceptionally calm, these delicate fish seem to proceed farther to sea, and not to hover around their accustomed pools. Conger vulgaris, Cuv. — The young of this eel have been supposed to constitute the species Leptocephalus Morrisii, Anglesea Morris. I believe that the figure in Couch has been taken from a spirited specimen, which is much altered from the original. In life, the young of these eels, about three inches long (as taken for the Institute in the fresh water of a stream flowing into Loch Spelvie, and again on the shore at Lochbuie), were strips of transparent gelatine, but yet unmistakable offspring of the old Conger in movement and appearance. They differ in toto from the young of the fresh - water eel, which are never transparent, and are more robust and vigorous at the same size. It was interesting to find this peculiarly sea-fish freely entering fresh water at this stage, at a time when the fresh-water eels are breeding in sea-water, as if invading each other's territory ? RAIA clavata, Lin. (Thornback Skate). — Professor MTntosh is in error as to the habits of this fish, as recorded in last Fishery Board Report. The Thorn- back throws its purses in the months from May to July, affixing them to sea-ware in shallow water, on rocky ground, by means of a mucus that sur- rounds them at exit, and stiffens in the sea-water. I have taken these egg-cases from the females when OBSERVATIONS ON SOME WEST-COAST FISHES. 103 they came inshore to spawn, and hatched them out in my ponds after a period of six months. The purses are never deposited on sandy ground, but may be driven there by the gales from their attach- ment on the sea-ware. The egg-cases are by no means such secure protection as one would suppose from their tough texture, seeing that I have found them in scores, as well as those of the nurse-hound, all punctured by the well-drilled hole of a borer that had thence emptied the contents. Gadus minutus, Flem. (Poicer-Cocl), and Gadus luscus, Lin. (Bib or Whiting Pout) — If the former is but the immature form of the latter, as has been suggested, it is remarkable that I have taken the minutus over a great extent of the West of Scotland; but so local is the Whiting-Pout that I have never once met with it myself. The extreme prevalence of the one and rarity of the other seem scarcely consistent with their being different stages of the same fish. Gadus morrhua, Lin. — Lochbuie is during the month of April largely frequented by spawning cod, a male and female frequently coming up alongside in the cod-nets, when they can be readily spawned artificially in the boat. At this time their food consists, to a large extent, of Norwegian Lobsters (Nephrops norvegicus), and, in a minor degree, of other Crustacea, such as Corystes cassivelaunus. The cod does not throw all its ova at once, but from time to time as they ripen, so that the same fish may be for a considerable period in this condition, getting steadily softer in the flesh and deteriorated with the exhausting process of maturing and casting free such a multitude of ova. Trachinus draco, Lin. (Greater Weever). — Professor MTntosh seems to conclude that this is merely a larger specimen of T% vipera, Cuv., or that T. vipera is the young stage of the other. Having some 101 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. years ago taken T. draco in the dredge (this being, so far as I am aware, the only recorded specimen of the fish from the West of Scotland), and my specimen being a young one, I was able to compare it with T. viper a. This left no doubt on my mind that there was a marked distinction between the two, as the small T. draco had none of the short bunchy appearance of T. vipera, but the more lengthened and elegant shape of the full-grown fish. T. vipera is not so very uncommon on the West of Scotland, from districts as wide apart as the Lewis and the Clyde, but the larger species does not seem to have been noted before our specimen. Blennius pholis, Lin. (Shanny). — While other blennies are not infrequent on the shores of the inner lochs, we have not met with this little fish, which is yet so common on the shores of the islands of Mull and Canna. While frequenting rock-pools, and apparently able to endure long exposure to the air, as well as change to fresh water, it seems thus to avoid those waters that are distant from the stronger seas. ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SYNGNATIIUS ACUS. 105 III. ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SYNGNATHUS ACUS, LINN. BY W. ANDERSON SMITH. With one Plate [I]. [Read 26th April, 1887.] One of the most interesting of our families of fishes is that of the Syngnathidce, and it has the further advantage of belonging to an order readily procur- able, not being at all pelagic in its ways, although instances of its occurrence in quantity at sea have been recorded. Anyone who has been in the habit of frequenting the beach where Zostera marina abounds, or wandering along the rocky shore at low-tide and searching amongst the sea-ware, or sitting in a small boat on a fine day in June or July and peering down amongst the wealth of life that haunts the foreshore, must have seen some specimens of this so-called " sea-adder," our most common species, Syngnathus acus, Linn. They may be thrusting their long, woodcock-like snout slowly and leisurely amongst the ware, their large simple eyes looking upwards ; or they may be twined around some sea-weed stem, with the strange head seeking in a childish sort of way for the wherewithal to sustain their existence, for they cannot be looked upon as a remarkably wise family. They are by no means a swift one ; and their continued existence in comparative plenty may be mainly attributed to the armour of tough chitinous plates, which completely protects a body that, from a gastronomic point of view, is unworthy of protection. Perhaps no class of fishes has such strange relations at the present H 106 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. day in all parts of the world, and some of these are remarkable among the denizens of the water as the most striking instances of security from assault through resemblance to inanimate objects. The Australian species, Phyllopteryx eques, Gunth., as figured in Gunther's Fishes, would scarcely have led us to suppose that it could be devoured, even if it had not chosen to assume the appearance of a ragged bit of sea- ware. We have never taken any of the Syngnathidce from the stomachs of other fishes, and, according to authorities, they are not supposed to be at any time food for other fishes ; but yet they must be defended against some foe, and we suspect, from their comparatively limited number, that they must, at one time or other, be a prey. For although the number of ova in the pouch of the male averages, perhaps, 120, and of these a small proportion, from some cause or other, do not incubate ; yet, as they are carried, through the care of their parent and the especial provision of a pouch, through the most dangerous days of infancy, until, by the absorption of the umbilical sac, they are prepared to start on their own career, this small number may in reality represent as great a reproduc- tion as the more lavish supply of larger fishes, of whose ova not one per cent., and frequently not one per thousand, can arrive at maturity. It would be a matter of interest if observers would note whether at any time these fishes are found in the stomachs of our more voracious fishes. Even in their first exit, after the absorption of the sac, they are of a chitinous nature, and could scarcely titivate the ordinary fish appetite. But how are they kept down? Great shoals have appeared off the English coast at various times, and their dis- appearance requires to be accounted for. Accord- ingly, while giving great weight to Dr. Day's authority, we are disposed to consider that such fish as the cod or the haddock (that unhesitatingly devour large crabs and buckies, shell and all, as well OX THE DEVELOPMENT OF SYNGNATHUS ACUS. 107 as the least nutritious of starfish) would not hesitate to allay the wolf at their vitals if a shoal of Syngna- thido? gave them the opportunity. The pouch of the male fish is merely external, as in the kangaroo, and is in reality two pouches, formed hy the softer integument of the belly folding around the adhering ova as a still more efficient protection. In the case of our common species, S. lumbriciformis, Kroyer, the ova simply adhere externally, the skin cupping slightly to receive each ovum individually. And here a very interesting fact is worthy of note, in connection with the discussion as to the presence of oil globules in the pelagic ova having relation to their flotation. The presence of oil globules, indeed plentifully, in certain ova, wTith a little - transparent zona radiata, affixed to objects at low-water, so far settles this question; but the supply of oil globules in plenty to these ova carried about by the fish until incubated, may either be looked upon as settling this question or as raising others ! Are these globules of special utility during the formation of the embryo within the ovum, or are the shore species of fishes that deposit their ova in a glutinous mass, adhering to stones or sea-ware, and those deposited on the breast of the parent, both adaptations from an original pelagic con- dition ? If this were the case, the presence of the oil globules would partly explain the fact that some shore fishes, as the rocklings, throw still pelagic ova, while others, like the lumpsucker, throw ova of a more opaque kind, that develop more rapidly, are surrounded by a somewhat tenacious zona radiata, containing sometimes a liberal supply of colouring pigment, and are thus less capable of floating. We find, then, that purely pelagic transparent ova, richly coloured adhesive ova, and ova carried about by the parent, have a supply of oil globules more or less ; so that, whatever their use may be, it does not seem to have any reference to additional float- 108 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. ing power. It may well be that all these fishes originally cast free their ova, and only gradually developed the instinct that now leads them to place it in safe keeping. It may have been a simple accident that caused the ova of the Syngna- thus to adhere to its breast, as that of other fishes, throwing mucus-clad ova, always threatens to do until driven away by the ventrals. As it is, we find the young of SyngnatJius acus hatched in the long pouches, whence they can be withdrawn and examined by the observer, who will find that, as was to be expected from unduly coddled young, they are greatly behind other young fishes in taking care of themselves. When a young fish breaks the zona radiata and starts forth on its own account, even with a considerable umbilical sac, it displays an amount of intelligence, and capacity for taking care of itself, far greater than the same fish when matured. This is not the case with the fostered Syiignathus, which, even when all the sac is absorbed, will return to the paternal pouch with the compla- cency of a scapegrace. It may be worth noting how the mouth, in the youngest forms in our possession, has the soft, sucking, turned -up lips of a young mammal. In the next stage the lips are more prominent, but still of the same sucking character. This character it continues to display as it advances ; and, dropping all but the smallest approach to jaws, it lengthens its sucking, siphon-like mouth in homogeneity with its lengthening body, and reduces its gills to a puncture anterior to the eyes. The accompanying outlines (Plate I.) will best explain the character of the change that takes place in the mouth as the creature advances towards maturity. Here also may be observed the differentiation that takes place in the advancing alevin, which, with quite as much development of external jaws as other less coddled youngsters at the same stage, continues through disuse to allow them to lose their ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SYNGNATHUS ACUS. 109 comparative importance. Their sluggish existence in this external womb, where they do not require or receive rapid aeration of the blood, obviates the necessity for that constant action of the jaws that even in the young alevin with unabsorbed sac, in other families of fishes, aids in the development of the muscles of the jaws when there is yet no need for using them for procuring food. We are strongly tempted thus to suggest, that the siphon-tube mouth is the direct consequence of the attempt to keep the young fish too long in leading-strings, more especially as the S. lumbricifovmis (whose mouth, and head in advance of the eye, have no such excessive develorjment as the pre-orbital portion of S. acus) has only external attachment and no pouch. That the pouch may be of comparatively recent development in the family may also be suggested from the great development of eye in the young of & acus, as in other youngsters whose sight is more necessarily acute than in this nursed alevin. The large eye and brain is a marked characteristic in most young creatures, but here they seem to be developed for a totally different set of conditions from those to which the young Syngnathus is exposed. Explanation of the Plate. Plate I. Fig. 1-4. Progressive stages of development of siphon of Syngnct- tJius acus, Lin. 5. Head of Adult, life size. HO TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. IV. ON CAREX SPIRALIS, A SPECIES NEW TO SCIENCE. BY PETER EWING. TRead 20th March, 1887.] Carex spiralis, sp. nov. Stems often solitary, 10 to 15 inches high, describing one turn of a spiral ivhen growing, acutely triquetrous, rough from a little way below the lower spike. Leaves narrowly linear, very slightly recurved on the edge. Spikes erect, male 1, fusiform or cylindrical ; females 2 5, 5-I inch long, exserted on short stalks, cylindrical, narrowed and laxly flowered towards the subfusiform base. Bracts strict without sheaths, but having dark purple auricles; lower bract leaf -like, overtopping the stern. Glumes dark brown with a light brown midrib ; those at base of male spike spathulate, but ovate-lanceolate towards its apex; those of female spikes ovate • lanceolate. Stigmas 2. Fruit obovate, planoconvex, without veins. Hob. — Alpine rills. Loc— Near the ridge between Forfarshire and Aberdeenshire {Eiving, 1881). I have found it a matter of considerable difficulty to determine the precise position of this plant. Its affinities seem to be partly with C. rigida and partly with C. aquatilis ; but the constant exsertion of the spikes, and the conspicuous leafy bracts, distinguish it from the former species, while its triquetrous stem shows it to be distinct from the latter. As it seems to possess characteristics of both plants, I consider its place to be between them ; and its remarkable habit of growth is in my opinion a sufficient warrant for its description as a new specios. This view is supported by the fact that the plant seems unknown to some of the best authorities on Carices in Britain and on the Con- tinent. A plant identical with the one now exhibited has been sent to Kew, and these may be regarded as illustrating the typical form of the species. SOME SCANDINAVIAN FORMS OV SCOTTISH ALPINE PLANTS. HI V. ON SOME SCANDINAVIAN FORMS OF SCOT- TISH ALPINE PLANTS. BY PETER EWING. [Read 29th March, 1887.] Having become thoroughly tired of searching for known plants in known localities, I made an effort, during the last two or three days of my stay in North-East Perthshire this year, to discover some forms unknown or hitherto unrecognised as forming part of our Scottish Flora. In this I have been more successful than I can at present show, as I have not yet been able to get identified some of the plants then gathered. The close resemblance between our alpine Flora and that of Norway and Sweden has long been recognised by botanists ; and as the Flora of these countries has been much better wrought out than our own, a comparison of unusual forms of Scottish alpine plants with forms known only as Scandinavian has frequently enabled their identity to be established. It has accordingly become a matter of course to call these forms " Scandinavian species." While I do not wish to deny that Britain and the extensive tract of country termed Scandinavia were at one time a continuous continent, I object to the theory that for our alpine plants we have been indebted to Norway. On the contrary, it seems to me more likely that the disappearance of the snow and ice of the glacial epoch would gradually extend from the south northwards, and that a similar northward movement of plants would follow the melting of the ice. With this reservation, the term 112 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. " Scandinavian species '! may be used with reference to plants described in the Scandinavian Floras but not hitherto included in our own. Cerastium alpinum, L., var. glabratum. — Judging from the appearance of the foliage and size of the flowers of this the most beautiful of all the forms of C. alpinum, it seems to occupy an intermediate position between vars. pubescens and Edmonstonei. I have no description of the plant, having been indebted to Mr. A. Bennett, F.L.S., of Croydon, for its identification ; and as the specimen now shown is unfortunately the only one in my possession, I do not care to destroy it in order that the materials for a description may be obtained. I may remark that I have always believed the plant formerly described as C* latifolium, Smith, to be an unhealthy form of one or other of the varieties of C. alpinum. I have, for a good many years, put it in my exchange-list as a desideratum, but have only got C. alpinum vars. lanatum and pubescens sent me for it. This view seems to be supported by The London Catalogue of British Plants (Eighth edition, 1886), from which C. latifolium has been excluded. According to my experience, C. alpinum var. pubescens is simply the form lanatum grown in a shady or moist situation, and therefore with greener leaves and shorter pubescence. C. triviale, Link., var. alpestre, an alpine form of an allied species, is distinguished from the typical C, triviale by its more woolly pubescence and much larger petals, which in well-developed specimens are always longer than the sepals. It is a much more straggling plant than any of the forms which C. alpinum usually assumes, although I have speci- mens of var. lanatum from Ben Laoigh and Ben Lawers which seem in this respect to approach var. alpestre. SOME SCANDINAVIAN FORMS OF SCOTTISH ALPINE PLANTS. 113 €arex pallescens, L., var. undulata, Kunze. — In general appearance this variety closely resembles the type, but is distinguished by having the first bract shorter than in the normal form and undulate at the base. This appears to be the most common form in alpine and subalpine localities. Carex vaginata, Tausch, var. borealis, Andersson. — C. vaginata is one of the rarer of our British Varices, and is often confounded with C. panicea, L., one of the commonest, to which it bears a considerable resemblance. In the normal form of C. vaginata the stem is quite straight ; but in the var. borealis the male spike is geniculate at the base, thus presenting- a very characteristic appearance. This variety is often found growing with the type. Carex capillaris, L., var. alpestris, Andersson. — The usual height of C. capillaris is from two to five inches ; but in this form named var. alpestris we have to all appearance a new species. In a former paper on the Flora of Glen Shee,* I referred to C. ca}Dillaris attaining a height of from 12 to 16 inches. The specimen now shown measures 16 inches, and some even larger have been sent by me to correspondents. This variety grows in similar situations to those in which the type occurs, and is a beautiful plant when growing. Poa alpina, L., vars. lapponum, Laestad, and alpestris, Andersson. — The following short descrip- tion of this species and its Scandinavian forms is based on Andersson's Planta? Scandinavian : POA ALPINA, L. — Root fibrous. Base of the stem more or less thickened by the persistent witliered sheaths of forme?' leaves. Leaves broadly linear, apex constricted and mucronate ; upper ligule long, acute. Panicle equally diffused, branches in * Transactions, i., 158. 114 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. pairs, glabrous ; spikes broad, ovate, 3 9 flowered ; flowers sometimes connected by woolly hairs, lower palere slightly one-nerved, nerve densely pubescent on back. Hab — Common in alpine localities. Var. a. lapponum, Laestad. — Root small. Leaves elongated,, soft. Panicle lax ; spikes large, lower glumes subrotund, often growing solitary ; colour variable, pale and obscure green or purple violet and flavescent. Hab. — On rich soil in subalpine localities. Var. b. alpestris, Andersson. — Stems laxly ca?spitose, robust. Leaves short, horizontally spreading. Panicle oval or oblong, contracted ; spikelets largely ovate or broadly oblong ; often viviparous. Hab.— On rocky places at great elevations. Var. c. australis, Andersson (P. alplna var. collina (Hort.) Whg. ; P. badensis, Willd., Reich.; P. brevifolia, Waller & Schech). — Stems slightly digitate, very eccspitose, base straight and densely leafy. Leaves rigid, subglaucous. Panicle con- densed, often small, oval or oblong ; spikes oval, of a beautifully variegated violet-green, glumes long. Hab. — Dry subalpine localities. It will be observed that the plants now shown agree perfectly with the vars. lapponum and alpestris. I hope that some of us may be able, before the end of this season, to compare var. australis with the description given above, as I am sure it is to be found growing on the south-western slopes of Ben Laoigh. OX THE ORAL APPARATUS OF THE LARVA OF WORMALDIA. 115 VI. ON THE ORAL APPARATUS OF THE LARVA OF A\ ORMALDIA, A GEXUS OF TRICHOPTERA. BY KENNETH J. MORTON. With one Plate [II]. [Read 22nd February, 1887.] My chief object in giving some account of the larva of Wormaldia is to direct attention to the structure of the mouth parts, especially of the labrum, which has no parallel amongst the larvae of Trichoptera that have hitherto come under my notice. It may be well to say the determination of the genus is based on evidence more collateral than direct, as I have not yet succeeded in rearing the perfect insect. Usually where the waters of small springs find their way with rather rapid and shallow flow over rocks into larger streams, these larvae are to be found. In a locality of this nature in our neigh- bourhood. I have met with them very commonly in April, when they live in webs loosely spun amongst stones. Later, in cases formed of small stony fragments heaped together and fixed to larger stones, I have found the same larvae evidently ready for metamorphosis, and from such a case I have reared Wormaldia occipitalis, Pictet. As no other Hydropsychid seems to frequent the spot, the chance of error as to the species is not great. The general appearance of the larva of Wormaldia is quite similar to the figure Pictet gives of that of his Hydropsyche montana (=Philopotamus montanus. Don.), RecJierches, 210, pi. xviii., fig. 5 ; but by this I do not mean to imply a possible error on Pictet's part, as Pliilopotamus and Wormaldia, being allied genera, may well have larvae agreeing in facies.. 116 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. The head and prothorax are orange, the latter margined with black posteriorly ; legs and claws yellowish, the legs having dark streaks on the coxae; rest of body whitish. Head elongate, rounded anteriorly, the antennae very minute and, when viewed with a high power, apparently biramous. Prothorax almost quadrate, slightly contracted pos- teriorly. The other segments increase in breadth gradually to about the middle of the abdomen, and then fall off* in size to the posterior end ; the meso- and m eta- thorax being, however, longer than an}- of the abdominal segments ; anal limbs long and slender, terminating in a much-curved claw. From the anal cavity proceed filaments which have no doubt a respiratory function ; they are retractile, and in an alcoholic specimen before me are exserted in stellate form. The legs are short, and not markedly different in length amongst the pairs. The whole larva is sparsely covered with hairs. When the labrum is fully exserted, it is seen to be broadened out, and to terminate in two large fleshy transverse lobes having a close regular fringe on their margins and a row of cilia on their under side. Many larvae possess soft parts under the plate of the labrum - bearing fringes ; but in Wormaldia there does not appear to be a hard plate at all, or, at least, if there is, it is concolorous with the soft white parts, which is unusual. The lobes can be withdrawn out of sight into the cavity of the mouth in such a way that I believe the fringed margins then face each other. The mandibles are large, falcate, ending in a large tooth ; they have also one or two smaller teeth, and a row of indistinct denticulations. First maxillae with lacinia ending in several spines and with a strong fringe internally ; palpi four jointed, first almost transverse, second about twice as long, third longer still and more slender, fourth very slender and terminating in two or three minute processes ; the other parts modified to form the OX THE ORAL APPARATUS OF THE LARVA OF WORMALDIA. H7 spinneret, at whose sides appear minute projections which probably represent the palpi of the second pair of maxilla?. On the upper side of this composite part may be the tongue, with a somewhat concave centre, punctate space behind and hairy space in front; but all the inner mouth parts I have had difficulty in making out satisfactorily. The strong falcate mandibles are much used in the building of the fixed case, but they also suggest a predatory existence ; on the other hand, the form and fringes of the labrum seem to me to point to minute organisms being the usual food. Reverting to the retractile abdominal filaments, Pictet claimed these as the exclusive property of what is now considered the typical genus of Hydro- psychidce. viz., Hydropsy che; but they are by no means confined to one group, for, in addition to Wormaldia, they are found amongst Hydropsychidce, also in Tinodes, but not, so far as I have seen, in the group containing Plectrocnemia and allies. Of Rhyacophilidce, Agapetus has them. While there is little doubt that they are breathing organs, it is strange they should be so prominent in Hydropsy die, which is so richly provided with lateral filaments. Nor can they well be the sole organs of respiration in such larvae as possess no lateral filaments. I suspect larvae in the latter condition must have tracts of the integument modified to subserve respiration, as Mr. Eaton has indicated is probably the use of the spaces thickly overrun with tracheae found on the head and prothorax of the nymphs of JEcdyums, &c, in the Ephemeridce, Explanation of the Plate. Plate II. Fig. 1. Head above, showing labrum much exserted. 2. Mouth parts from beneath ; (a) labrum, (b) 1st maxilla?, (c) spinneret. 3. Antennae. 4. Apex of 1st maxilla. 5. Apex of mandible. 118 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGO^Y. VII. A GLANCE AT THE JULY FLORA OF ALYTH. BY R. S. WISHART, M.A. [Read 2Gth April, 1887.] Geographically, Alyth is situated on that bend of Perthshire which may be described as pushing itself into the county of Forfar. It is built at the foot of the hill of the same name, and commands a pleasant view across the valley of Strathmore to the Sidlaw Hills on the south. The leading local river is the Isla, into which the Alyth Burn flows about two miles to the east of the burgh, carrying with it the waters of many little tributary streams from the slopes within its basin. With considerable diversity of hill and dale, varied by woodland, moorland, marsh, and meadow — all within easy access, — Alyth affords a good field to the botanist who may chance to alight there for a few days. In a walk along the burn-side, the variety and luxuriance of the grasses, on either side of the stream, are at once noticeable. Of the eighty- eight species which I collected from widely spread localities in 1885, over fifty were gathered within a short distance of the Alyth Burn. Among those that strike us most at this spot are Festuca pratensis, var. loliacea, Arena pratensis, A. pubescens, Bromus secalinus, D. vaeemosus, and Lolium italicum ; while at the shingly places there sometimes appear stray specimens of Poa alpina, Plialaris eanariensis, and more rarely SesJeria ex vr idea. A little further down I have gathered Phleum pratense with heads 7J inches long. At a little marshy spot on the left Carex hirta prevails, while C. fulva, C. flava, C. stelhdata, &c, also make their appearance. After crossing the burn, on the way towards the moor A (J LANCE AT THE JULY FLORA OF ALYTII. H9 of Pitcrockney, Lepidium Smithii may be seen by the side of a sandy broom-topped hillock ; and L. campestre is also found at various places in the district. On entering the moor by the side of the railway bridge, we soon come upon Gentiana cam- pestris, Genista anglica, Galium boreale, and the two pretty grasses Briza media and Koeleria cristata. These two grasses are quite a feature of this district from the great abundance in which they occur, while we know that in Clydesdale we might walk for days without chancing to see either of them. Of orchids this moor has a large share. Orchis mascxda, O. I at i folia, 0. maculata, Habenaria bifolia and H. chlorantha, are all very abundant ; and large patches of Gymnadenia conopsea occur here and there, sending a delightful fragrance along with the breeze. Of the less-common orchids, it may be noticed that Neottia Nidus-avis and Listera ovata both occur of very large size in the Den of Airlie, a few miles to the north-east ; the former is found sparingly and the latter abundantly, growing side by side with Paris quadri folia. In the marsh near the side of the railway there is a great supply of Menyanthes trifoliata, which I here observed to be dimorphous — an important fact not referred to in the books I consult.* While watching many species of Parnassia jmlustvis, to see the well- known way in which the stamens rise singly to shed their pollen near the stigma, I have noticed that the systems of little shining balls on the non-pollen- bearhig stamens contain nothing for the nectar- seeking insects which they exist to allure. They are, on the contrary, hard in consistence, and only succeed in attracting the insect-workers by appearing to be what they are not. By the side of the marsh there is a carpeting of Drosera rotundifolia, mixed with the contrasting yellow flowers of Nartheciam ossifragum. At several * I find that Sir John Lnbbock notes that Menyanthes is *l said to be dimorphous." 120 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. spots there is a pure-white variety of Epilobium palustre ; while, among many other interesting- plants, Alisma ranunculoides and Sagina nodosa may be found at one or two places. Pinguicula vulgaris is plentiful in this and all similar places. Beyond the next moor is the River Isla, by whose banks there is a great display of Epilobiiun angusti- foUum and Lonicera Periclymenum. On the wooded bank the ground is covered with Luzula sylvatica, almost to the exclusion of rivals ; but at some spots the slender panicles of Poa nemoralis, and other grasses, are waving above the stiff leaves of the wood-rush. Down by the edge of the river, Bromus giganteus is in fine condition ; while along the banks, a little higher up, B. asper, Carex sylvatica, and others such, take an important rjlace. Across the mouth of the Alyth Burn, on a high precipice above the Isla, stand the ruins of the old castle of Inverquiech, supposed to have been originally a royal hunting-seat. The interior of this castle is converted into a garden, and the walls are almost destitute of vegetation, so that for the botanist there is nothing here of unusual interest. Tradition tells of a golden kettle hid somewhere in the ground below, and also of a subterranean passage between the cave-mouth which is seen here and that on Barry Hill, a mile to the north-west at a considerably higher elevation. Before reaching Barry Hill, plenty of Linaria vulgaris, Seclum Telephium, Galium cruciatum, G. verum, Hypericum perforatum, II. pxdchrum, II. humijtisum, II. Jiirsutum, and the white variety of Prunella vulgaris, may be observed, while Lycopsis arvensis is very abundant as a weed in corn-fields. Along the sides of Barry, Poly gala vulgaris is found pink, blue, and white, and various species of Viola form striking displays on the barer portions of the ground. Pteris aquilina, Sarothamnus scoparius, and Ulex europceus, are the most prominent plants here, and above them frequently rise tall stems of Digitalis A GLANCE AT THE JULY FLORA OF ALYTH. 121 purpurea bearing numerous showy flowers. At some places Saxtfraga granulata occurs, and more sparingly S. oppositifolia in fruit. At the top there is plenty of Polypodium Dryoptcris among the loose stones that there lie in heaps. Here it may be well to pause and see what remains of the ancient fortification which once stood on this hill. It is said that Modred, who had taken away Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur, kept her here for some time after having defeated her husband in battle at Dunichen in Forfarshire. Guinevere was buried at Meigle, where a curious old stone, elaborately wrought with hieroglyphical characters, long stood to mark her grave ; but this relic, with other similarly interesting stones, has recently been removed to the old school-house for better preser- vation. On the wooded hill to the west, as in all similar places in the district, Trientalis europoea grows in great abundance ; and in this and other woods I have found plentifully an apparently undescribed and unnoticed form, having the axis prolonged beyond the usual whorl-like system of leaves, and bearing a second whorl-like system at a higher level. In plants of this form, flowers arise in the axils of the lower or the higher leaves, or of both. Here, too, as well as in other woods, I have found plants with the leaf -bearing axis lengthened so as to present the leaves separated by considerable internodes, and consequently without the usual whorled appearance. This, I think, may be clearly regarded as a reversion to an earlier type.* On the heather and furze-clad hill beyond the wood Erica tetralix and E. cinerea are both abun- dant ; and among the herbaceous plants not already mentioned may be noticed a pink form of Euphrasia officinalis, and some plants of Meurn Athamanticum which is so abundant near the Kirkton of Glenisla. * I have already dealt with this plant in Science Gossip for April, 1887. 122 'TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. All over tlie hill, Antennaria dioica, Polygonum viviparum, Carex oralis, and Festuca vivipara, grow plentifully ; and on the way down to Alyth I have got Festuca sciuroides, this being the only place in the district where I have seen that grass. In addition to the plants noticed as occurring within the circuit above described, a few notes may be added to enable a general view to be obtained of the Flora of the district. The more common species of Compositor are very much the same as are generally met with all over the country. But it may be noted, inter alia, that Gnaphalium idiginosum and G. sylvaticum are both much more abundant than in Clydesdale — especially the former, which is common at road-sides, and as a garden weed it seems to hold a place second to no rival. Carduus heterophyllus is also quite com- mon in nearly all the shady woods in the district. Filago germanica and Centaurea Cyanus are rather rare; Tragopogon pratensis, Arctium lappa, Tanacetum vtdgare, and Doronicum Pardalianches, are occasional — the last, as well as the less-common D. planta- gineum, and Onopordon Acanthium, being no doubt escapes from cultivation. The most noticeable feature about the district TJmbelliferai is perhaps the scarcity of Chosrophyllum temidentum, which is so abundant around Glasgow. I have seldom noticed it about the neighbourhood, excerrt in some hedges near Meigle. JEthusa Cynapium, Conium maculatum, Daucus Carota, and Peucedanu?n Ostruthhim, are very rare and local. Carum Carui and Astrantia major are occasionally found as escapes from gardens, and Fiinpinella Saxifixiga takes a place with the most common species in being particularly abundant. Leguminous plants are very prominent all around in July. The Broom is particularly abundant and rich. Vetches occur in great variety, and Vicia sylvatica deserves special notice for its abundance in all shady dells. Knowing that while this plant is A GLANCE AT THE .JULY FLORA OF ALYTII. 123 rare about Glasgow, it is abundant in Wigtownshire on the one side and in Strathmore on the other, I have sometimes wondered if the coal district had an influence in causing the scarcity of this beautiful and conspicuous flower. Anthyllis Vidneraria, Genista anglica, and Ononis arvensis are common; Ornithopus perpusillus is found occasionally on dry banks ; and Trifolium arvense is plentiful in various parts of Forfarshire, although I have not seen it near Alyth. Of the Grasses less common about Glasgow, besides those already mentioned, Melica uniflora and M. nutans are found in the Den of Airlie ; Air a brevifolia occurs on rocks and at shingly places by the Isla ; Triodia decnmbens is on all the moors ; Festuca sylvatica is plentiful at some places in the Craighall Den, near Blairgowrie; and Br achy podium sylvaticimi appears in large masses in shady woods. The late Rev. Mr. Simpson of Glenisla, whose botanical knowledge was both wide and accurate, told me that Lolium temulentum was occasionally met with by the edges of fields in Glenisla, and that it was called " sleepy grass," a name which doubtless arose from its narcotic qualities. To complete our glance, a few more particulars may be given without reference to classification. Sllene inflata and Helianthemum vidgare are quite common in their respective habitats, and Germanium sylvaticum is often strikingly abundant in shady woods. Pyriis Malus, Berberis vulgaris, Viburnum Opidus, Carpinus Betulus, Cytisus Laburnum, Cas- tanea vulgaris, and jFscidus Hippocastanum, are frequently seen in woods ; and Spiraza salicifolia, Sambucus nigra, and Symphoricarpus racemosus, in hedges and bushy places. As escapes from cultiva- tion, Spiraea Filipendida, Hesperis matronalis, Lunaria biennis, Aconitum Napellus, and Aquilegia vulgaris, turn up occasionally. Agrimonia Eupatoria, Galium Mollugo, Chenopodium Bonus-Henricus, and Origanum vulgare, are frequently met with ; while Verbascum Thapsus, Lychnis vespertina, Campanula latifolia, and 124 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Vinca minor, are less common. On Mount Blair, and other hills, there is abundance of Alchemilla alpina and Rubus Chamtemorus ; in the district the succulent fruit of the latter is called " averns." Mimulus luteus occurs at some parts of the burn ; Convallai'ia majalis grows in the Dens of Airlie and Craighall ; Vaccinium Oocycoccos is sometimes abun- dant in bogs ; and Linaria Cymbalaria occurs on the wall of the Meigle church-yard. The scarcity of the genus Symphytum strikes a visitor from Glasgow ; although S. tuberosum is occasionally found — e.g., in the Bamff Wood just beyond the Alyth quarry. Pyrola minor is very common in all dry woods ; but P. secunda, as well as Echium vulgare and Solarium Dulcamara, are rare for miles around, just as is the case in the Glasgow district. I once saw Typha latifolia in the Marlee Loch, nearly two miles west of Blairgowrie. In this loch Phragmites communis is the prevailing plant ; and in the other loch beyond there is plenty of Nymphcea alba and Nuphar luteum, both of which also occur in standing- waters by the Isla, not far from Alyth. These notes have been taken from the point of view of a Glasgow botanist ; and no particular reference is here made to many of the plants that are common or abundant in both districts, because the design has been to afford the means of a general comparison of the July flowers of Clydes- dale with those of Central Strathmore. LAND AND FRESH-WATER MOLLUSCA FROM BUTE. 125 VIII. NOTES ON SOME SPECIES OF LAND AND FRESH- WATER MOLLUSCA AND LAND ISOPODA FROM BUTE. BY THOMAS SCOTT. [Read 29th March, 1887.] Mollusc a. Planorbis glaber, Jeffreys (=P. parvus, Say). — This fresh-water snail has, according to Dr. Jeffreys, a distribution co-extensive with Great Britain, or, in his own words, "from Burra Fiord in Unst to Penzance " ; but according to the same author " it is not generally diffused." In Scotland its distribu- tion seems to be very restricted. It has been found in Unst, one of the Shetland Islands, as recorded by Dr. Jeffreys ; and its occurrence in West Sutherland is recorded by Messrs. J. W. Taylor and W. Denison Roebuck, F.L.S., in the " Census of the Authenticated Distribution of British Land and Fresh-water Mollusca" (See Journal of Conchology for 1885). So far as I can discover, however, these are the only authentic records of its occurrence in North Britain ; and it is the more interesting, therefore, that we are now able to add it to our list of Clydesdale molluscs. The only place where I have found it, as yet, is in Greenan Loch, near Rothesay, and there it seems to be somewhat scarce. I first noticed it on the 28th of January, 1887, and have since obtained additional specimens from the same loch. The specimens are not very large, but better may be found further on in the year. It is, however, a small species, for Dr. Jeffreys refers to one " nearly a quarter of an inch in diameter" as being the largest he had ever seen. 126 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Besides this species of Planorbis, I have got other four near Rothesay, viz. : P. nautileus (L.), from marshy ground by the side of Loch Ascog ; P. albus (Mull.), from Greenan Loch, Loch Fad, and Loch Ascog; P. contortus (L.), from Loch Fad, where it is a common species ; and P. spirorbis (Mull.), from a little loch or dam on the hill immediately above the quarry at Ascog, on the south side of Ascog Burn. Vertigo antivertigo (Drap.). — This species has been previously recorded as occurring in Bute and also in Arran.* The specimens now exhibited were found, along with one or two more of the same species, in a somewhat marshy hollow by the side of Loch Ascog, on the 10th of last month. To judge from the few records of its occurrence, it appears to be one of the rarer species of this genus occurring in Scotland. Pisidium nitidum, Jenyns. — I find this species in all the lochs already mentioned, and it is not rare in any of them. Pisidium jmsillum (Gmelin) and P. fontinale (Drap.) are also found near Rothesay — the first occurring at Loch Ascog and Greenan Loch, and the second in Loch Fad. The Pisidia are a rather difficult group to work up, owing to the obscurity of the specific characters, and to "their great tendency to variation through being readily reacted on by their surroundings. There is no "way of getting over the difficulty but by the examination and comparison of large num- bers of specimens. Referring to his investigation of this group, Dr. Jeffreys says: "My own cabinet contains no less than 274 parcels of Pisidia, which have been, in the course of the last thirty or forty years, collected from different localities and sources, and comprise many thousands of specimens. . . . I have collected these tiny shells in many parts of •Fawna and Flora of the West of Scotland., p. 42. LAND ISOPODA FROM BUTE. 127 Holland, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Italy, for the sake of comparison with British forms." L VXD ISOPOD A. Porcellio ARM YDILLOIDES, Lereboullet. — This is a well-marked and easily distinguished species of "sclater"; and one characteristic- by which it may readily be identified, even by the uninitiated, is its habit of rolling itself into a perfect ball when alarmed. It need not be mistaken for Armadillo vulgaris, which it somewhat resembles in this habit of rolling itself together, for, if the tail appendages be examined, they will be found to differ very much from those of the Armadillo. In Bate and West wood's History of the British Sessile-eyed Crustacea, the only reference to the occurrence of this species in Britain is in these words : " Specimens taken near London (at High- gate ?) by Mr. Francis Walker are in the cabinet of the British Museum." It would therefore appear to have been at that time considered rare in Britain. It seems to be comparatively common in the vicinity of the Royal Aquarium at Rothesay ; and in looking over my collection I observe that an Isopod found near Dairy, Ayrshire, in June, 1885, is undoubtedly of this species. Its distribution in the West of Scotland may therefore be regarded as fairly wide. Philougria riparia, Koch.— This species has also occurred in the vicinity of the Aquarium. I have, as yet, only secured three specimens, and it may therefore prove to be scarce ; but its small size and inconspicuous appearance may be a reason for its having been less frequently recorded than it might have been if carefully looked for. Although no Scotch locality is given by Bate and Westwood, a number of places, both in England and Ireland, are mentioned where it occurs. It should be looked for in damp rather than dry situations. 128 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. It does not appear that the Land Isopods of Scotland have been worked np so thoroughly as many of the other groups of our land Fauna. They are generally looked upon with a [certain amount of repugnance ; and yet they are a very harmless and very useful clas« of animals, and certainly by no means uninteresting when either they or their habits are made the subject of examination. The absurd and almost superstitious prejudice with which many of these lowly organisms are viewed forms a great hindrance to the study of them ; and if one could throw such notions aside, and consider them all as made and cared for by the same great and beneficent Power whom we reverence as our Creator and Preserver, one's interest and pleasure in their examination and study would be greatly enhanced. Know . . . that he who feels contempt For any living thing, hath faculties Which he has never used ; that thought with him Is in its infancy. — Wordsworth. LAND AND FRESH- WATER MOLLUSC A FROM TARBERT. 129 IX. REMARKS ON SOME LAND AND FRESH- WA TER MOLLUSC A FROM TARBERT, LOCH FYNE. BY THOMAS SCOTT. [Read 26th April, 1887.] So far as could be ascertained during the time at my disposal, the specimens now exhibited are fairly representative of the Land and Fresh-water Mollusca occurring about Tarbert, Loch Fyne. When compared as a whole with those from other districts in Clydesdale, they present some rather interesting points of difference. It will be noticed that aquatic species are but poorly represented — one or two Pisidia, the same number of Limncece, and an Ancylus, exhausting the list. Of the Planorbi, which have a wide distribution, no fewer than five species are found within a short distance of Rothesay, but none were observed at Tarbert. This scarcity of fresh- water forms is probably due to the rugged and hilly nature of the district, which does not admit of conditions very favourable to the propagation of these molluscs. The land molluscs, on the other hand, are well represented both as regards genera and species ; and among them, especially in the larger Helicidce, a rather unusual number of varieties have been observed. Helix aspersa, Mull., showed a good deal of variation in the number and arrangement of the bands ; and three distinct varieties of form were observed. The following are some of the band variations : (12345) — unicoloured ; (12)(345), 12(34)5 — bands partly united and partly free ; 12345— all the bands distinct. 130 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. The three varieties of form comprise the type, the variety conoidfea, Picard, and a variety which I have named depressa. This last form I believe to be new, and the following is a short description of it. Helix aspersa, Muller, var. depressa, mihi. Spire much more depressed than usual (not from injury, but the result of natural growth) ; diameter 32 mm., altitude 25.^ mm. This form seems to be rare abont Tarbert, but I have observed two specimens near Rothesay that are even more depressed than the one now described. Their dimensions are respectively (1st) diam. 37 mm., alt. 28 mm. ; (2nd) diam. 32i mm., alt. 26 mm. Of Helix nemoralis, L., there were observed several varieties both of form and colour. These included the type form ; the variety minor, Moq. (diam. 19^ mm., alt. 17| mm.) ; variety major '! Fer. (diam. 24mm., alt. 19knm.) ; varieties roseolabiata, Taylor, albolabiata, Von Mart., libellula, Risso, and carnea, as well as several variations in the number and arrangement of the bands. Of Helix rotunclata, Mull., the two varieties alba, Moq., and Turtoni Flem., were also found ; but both appeared to be rather rare, especially the former. The latter is distinguished by its almost flat spire. Of Helix arbustorum, L., there were also several varieties observed in addition to the typical form, the most distinct of these being varieties mar- morata, Taylor, of the usual colour but without a band; flavescens, Moq., yellowish or yellowish-white, also without a band; cincta, Taylor,* of the same * According to this arrangement, the variety of H. arbustorum mentioned in my List of the Greenock Land and Fresh-water Mollusca as var. flavescens (see Transactions, vol. i., p. 285), should be var. ci/ncta. When preparing that list I followed Jeffreys in considering both forms as included in v ax. flavescens. 1 may here state, however, that owing to the interest taken in conchology by my son Andrew, I am now able to include a typical flavescens among the Greenock molluscs, a specimen having lately been found by him in the vicinity of that town, at a place which I have long known as a habitat of II. arbustorum. LAND AND FRESH-WATER MOLLUSCA FROM TARBERT. 131 colour as the last, but having a band of a darker hue ; and alpestris, Ziegl. All these varieties, with the exception of vars. roseolabiata and albolabiata of H. nemovalis, were found in the vicinity of the old castle at Tarbert. The very neat form of Zonites radiatidus, Alder, known as variety wridescenti-alba, Jeff., was also occasionally noticed, but for a more complete list see Journal of Conchology, vol. vii. (1886), pp. 75-78. Among the molluscs collected by me were a num- ber which had been more or less injured, but had afterwards been able to some extent to repair their shells. Where a piece of the original shell had become detached, the space was covered over with new shelly matter, but in no instance had the original colours been replaced. One specimen showed that the mollusc had been injured in such a way as to cause the formation of a concentric band of unfinished shell, while on each side of this band the shell was of the normal structure and colour. Another specimen showed that the mollusc had from some cause been unable to cover its shell with the usual epidermal layer, though otherwise the shell was comparatively perfect. Among the injured shells were two — one a specimen of Helix aspersa, the other of Helix nemoralis — which showed in a very striking manner the remarkable vitality of these creatures. The specimen of H. aspersa referred to (the shell of which is included in the collection now exhibited) had been so badly injured as to assume a very unshapely appearance ; and yet, on examining it when living, I found that the mollusc had not only survived the serious crush it had received, but had patched up its sadly damaged shell so as to make it fairly habitable. It was crawling about with its dilapidated tenement, evidently— to some extent, at least — enjoying life like its more fortunate neighbours, and acting on the principle of " making the best " — not simply " of a bad job," but of a very bad one. 132 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. In the case of H. nemoralis, the injury seems to have been equally serious ; and there is evidence of an equally heroic attempt, not only to endure, but to repair as far as practicable the sad misfortune that had overtaken itself and its shelly domicile. When found it was browsing on the dewy grass, seemingly striving "To share the pleasures of the genial feast." COLLECTION OF NEUROFTKRA FROM THE ISLAND OF COLL. 133 X. NOTES ON A SMALL COLLECTION OF NEUR- OPTERA FROM THE ISLAND OF COLL. BY JAMES J. F. X. KIXG. [Read 25th January, 1887.] During the summer of 1886, my friend Mr. William Watson of Newfield spent some time on the Island of Coll, and at my desire he collected all the Neurop- tera which he observed. As so little is known regarding the geographical distribution of these insects in the Western Islands, it has occurred to me that the information derived from working up this small collection, if put upon record, might prove of some value as a contribution to the Fauna of Coll. Of the insects collected, two-thirds are Trichoptera, some of the other families being merely represented. It is, of course, to be understood that the following- list is by no means exhaustive, as Mr. Watson, who is a lepidopterist, did not pay special attention to this group, but only collected such species as came in his way. Odonata. Sympetrum striolatum, Charp. — Both sexes of this species were taken. Pyrvhosoma ininium, Haw. — Common at a pond where water-lilies were in profusion. Agrio?i, Sp. — Very common with the last. I have not seen specimens, and cannot, therefore, ascertain the species. Planipennia. Chvyso'pa flava, Scop. — The only species of this family which occurred. 134 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Trichoptera. Phryganea varia, F. — A very small male represents this species. Limnophilus lunatus, Curt. — The two males which I have seen are remarkable as having the character- istic lunate spire almost obliterated. L. centralis, Curt. — Male and female of the ordinary form. Leptocerus aterrimns, Ste. — One male of this com- mon species. Tricenodes bicolor, Curt. — Two males of a very -pale, mealy form were taken. Mystacides azurea, L.— Specimens of the ordinary form. (Ecetis ochracea, Curt. — Four males of a pale ochreous colour. Poly centr opus flavomaculatus, Pict. — A very small but characteristically - marked male of this species was taken. BOTANICAL NOTES FROM PORTPATRICK. 135 XI. BOTANICAL NOTES FROM PORTPA TRICK, 1886. BY JAMES M* ANDREW. [Read 28th December, 1886.] During last summer I spent three weeks at Port- patrick, a sea - bathing resort in Wigtownshire, situated on the North Channel. As I was recover- ing from a sprained ankle, I could not ramble far in search of plants, but managed, nevertheless, to see a little of the botany of the neighbourhood. I was rather disappointed with the result. The sur- rounding country is almost entirely agricultural, and to a great extent arable, and has the common weeds of cultivation in abundance. The only wood and glen of any size are at Dunskey, where I found no species of mosses, hepatics, lichens, or flowering- plants, except what are found in almost every glen. The fern vegetation was very luxuriant, and con- sisted almost entirely of forms of Athyrium Filix- fcemina and Nephrodium Filix-mas, intermixed here and there with large patches of Equisetum maxi- mum. I saw no plants of Poly podium Dryoptevis, P. Phegoptems, or Scolopendrium vulgare. In this moist glen of the West Coast I had hoped to find such a moss as Ulota ccdvescens, but with the exception of a profuse growth of Ulota phyllantha, this genus of mosses was nearly absent. The coast both north and south of Portpatrick is very rocky, with the rocks of hard whinstone, and very unsuitable for mosses and lichens. These plants, therefore, were very scarce, with the exception, of course, of Grimmia mavitima, which was abundant. The only new lichen I gathered was Lichina pyg?ncea, growing to the south of the harbour on low rocks washed by the 136 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. tide. This lichen must be rare along the coasts of Galloway, for I had not previously seen it. The other British species, Ldchina confinis, was more plentiful, and is found all along the shore. On the shore of the West Lake at Dunskey, I found a hepatie which I had once previously gathered near New Galloway, and which is almost without doubt Rice i a bifurca. Until quite recently, West Galloway was almost a terra incognita as regards its botany. The late Professor Balfour and a few others had taken runs through the county, chiefly to the Mull of Galloway, and recorded some of its plant rarities.* About twelve years ago, while staying at Port Logan, considerably south of Portpatrick, I gathered some of its plants, and embodied a list of the rarer species in the appendix to my List of the Flozcering Plants of Dumfriesshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. In 1873, Mr. C. Bailey visited the county and recorded some of its plants ; and in 1883, Mr. Druce of Oxford sup plied a very full list of both common and rare plants of Wigtownshire in the Botanical Record Club Report for 1883. In his introductory remarks to this list, Mr. Druce's first sentence is : " The aceomyjanying catalogue of Wigtownshire plants fills up the only gap in the counties of Britain for which no list of common plants has been supplied to Mr. H. C. Watson or to the Record Club." A perusal of these lists shows that Wigtownshire has some very good and rare plants. During my stay at Portpatrick, I gathered the following plants not hitherto recorded for the county of Wigtown, No. 74 : Veronica hederifolia, Fumaria confiisa, Leontodon hirtus, Beta maritima, and Eicphoi-bia Paralias. Concerning the last-named plant, Mr. Arthur Bennett writes me : " Newr to Scot- land. Balfour reported it from Fife, but it was only * A goodly list of Wigtownshire plants is given in the Transactions of t/ic Philoso2)hical Society of Glasgow, vol. i» (1841-44). BOTANICAL NOTES FROM POKTPATRICK. 137 as an introduced plant, and Watson so places it. I suppose it is on this record that Babington in his Manual gives Scotland for it, as there seems to be no other record." From the rocky nature of the west coast of Wigtownshire, there are very few bays suitable for the growth of plants. In this respect Luce Bay has the advantage, and consequently more plants are found along its shores. In the immediate vicinity of Portpatrick, on each side of the hollow in which the town is situated, I saw such plants as Senebiera Cororwpus, Cerastium tetrandum, Lychnis vespertina, Honckenya peploides, Anthyllis Vulneraria, Conium maculatum, Daucus Carota, Glaux maritima, Samolus Valerandi, Plantago Coronopus, Hippophae rhamnoides (evidently planted), and other common shore plants. At the mouth of Dunskey Glen I found Geranium savguineum, Vicia sylvatica, Mimulus luteus, and Carex hirta. To the south of Portpatrick, near the old castle of Dunskey, I saw Trifolium arvense, (Enanthe Lachenalii, Orchis lati folia, Empetrum ni- grum, and Schcenus nigricans; and further south, in Morroch Bay, I gathered some very good plants, as Crambe maritima, Cakile maritima, Glaucium luteum, Beta maritima, Lamiiim intermedium, Helianthemum vulgar e (a scarce plant in Wigtownshire), Echium vulgare, Verbascum Thapsus, Eupatorium cannabinum, Polygonum Raii, Mertensia maritima, and Euphorbia Par alias. At Port Logan, still further south, on its sandy bay, I formerly gathered Eryngium mari- timum, Convolvulus Soldanella, Carduus tenuiflorus, Erodluni cicutarium, not seen above Portpatrick. All along the heughs grows Scilla verna, which must make a fine show of purple blossoms in spring. It is strange that this plant does not apparently grow further along the Solway than the mouth of the River Dee. On the west side of Luce Bay I have gathered Vicia hitea, Vicia sylvatica, Orchis pyra- midalis, and Raphanus maritimus. The typical plants of the county are Lepidium Smithii, Carum verticil- 138 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. latum, CEnanthe crocata, and Jasione montana, and the most common Hypericum is H. dubium. Some of the plants recorded for Wigtownshire are Artemisia maritima, Bartsia viscosa, Er odium mari- timum, Isolepis Savii, Brassica monensis, Apium graveolens, Scutellaria minor, Inula crithmoides, Pulicaria dysenterica, Hieracium inuloides, Crith- mum maritimum, Hypericum Androsoemum, Isoetes lacustris, Pilularia globulifera, Zostera marina, Pota- mogeton Zizii, Orchis incarnata, &c. ; but I have no doubt that several of these rare plants require reconfirmation. As there are no hills in Wigtown- shire of any great elevation, no alpine plants are found in the county, except such as are also found along the shore. PURPURA LAPILLUS. 139 XII. JOTTINGS FROM MY NOTE-BOOK. BY DAVID ROBERTSON, F.L.S., F.G.S. Purpura lapillus, Lin. [Read 8th June, 1886.] I find among some of my jottings made fourteen years ago, that on the shores of the Clyde at Langbank, where the river has a great admixture of fresh water, very large sized shells of this mollusc were found ; and although not one was found living, the dead shells were moderately plentiful among the stones near high -water mark. When, it may be asked, did these molluscs live ? Neither Forbes nor Jeffreys makes any mention of this species occurring in brackish water ; and it was therefore thought that it must have lived at a time when that part of the river was less subjected to the influence of fresh water than it is now. As the post - tertiary fossiliferous clays stretch alonsr the side of the river both above and below this point, it was thought possible that these shells mijrht have been washed out from some of the older clays. The post-tertiary beds of the Clyde, however, contain very few examples of this shell : and it is a rare occurrence to find even one of them in the clays. It is also to be remarked that none of the other shells belonging to the clays were seen strewn along the shore at this point, whereas they might have been expected to occur in a much greater number. Some time afterwards I examined the shore near the dry-dock at Cartsdyke, a few miles further down the river, and found Purpura lapillus in abundance and living. The shells were large, many of them 140 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. having the ventral whorl much expanded. Although the water must contain more of the saline element at Cartsdyke that at Langbank, still there is a great admixture of fresh water, the water at the time of my visit being quite brown with sediment. Last summer, while spending a few dajrs at Helensburgh, I noticed that on the shore east from the pier Purpura lapillus was large and strong, like those seen at Langbank and Cartsdyke, and much more so on an average than those found on the shores of Cumbrae and Arran, where the water is purer and less mixed. Thinking it possible that the brackish water might influence the size of the shells, I wrote to my friend Dr. J. R. Henderson, of Granton Marine Station, asking him to send me a few examples of that species from the neighbour- hood of Granton, where I thought the water would be brackish to a degree similar to the Clyde at Helensburgh. I explained the object of my request, that he might better understand what I wanted, and he kindly complied. The difference in size, however, was not so marked as at Helensburgh. I had specimens from the four localities — Arran, Cumbrae, Helensburgh, Granton — mounted side by side, the better to illustrate the difference between them; but unfortunately, during removal, the little case containing the specimens has gone amissing, and I have since been unable to find it. These facts, however, many of you may have an opportunity of verifying for yourselves; and the subject is worthy of being followed up with the view of ascertaining what is the cause or condition that disposes these changes to take place, often within a very small radius. On one part of Belfast Lough, the whelk (Littorina littorea) is found having the spire elongated and very much turreted. At Roundstone Bay, Ireland, the calcareous sea-plant Melobesia ttgariciformis is confined to one or two small patches only; and although these have been there for a long series of years, the plant has never OBSERVED DEPTHS IN LOCH LOMOND. 141 been known to spread beyond its limited area. Many other similar instances might be adduced of plants and animals persistently clinging to a par- ticular spot, without any very obvious reason for their so doing. Observed Depths in Loch Lomond. [Read 3rd August, 1886.] Some years ago I was desirous to ascertain at what depth of fresh water Ostracoda were to be found ; and the great depth of Loch Lomond offering a good opportunity for observation, my son and I proceeded to Tarbert, which is near that portion of the loch marked on the chart as having a depth of 105 fathoms. We were fortunate to find at the hotel a boatman who had assisted in taking the soundings of the loch many years previously. Under his guidance, and without much trouble, we reached the 105 fathoms, the area of which depth we found not to extend to any great distance. No Ostracoda were met with, nothing being found but a few Foraininifera of the genus Defflugia ; but Ostracoda were moderately common further down the loch, the species being chiefly Candonaz. Whether their range was determined by the depth of water, or the want of circulation in that deep part, it may be difficult to decide. In connection with this point, a somewhat similar result was experienced when dredging in Millroy Lough, County Donegal, Ireland, in company with Dr. G. S. Brady of Sunderland. The lough, accord- ing to my recollection, is about 7 or 8 miles long, by 3 or 4 broad ; the sea enters by a narrow channel, and the general depth is about 6 or 7 fathoms. It is rich both in animal and vegetable life ; but at one end there is a deep portion of 25 fathoms, where life appears to be almost absent. This we attributed to the want of circulation, in consequence of a barrier of shallow water between the deep trough and the inlet and outlet channel. 142 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. What interested us most in Loch Lomond, however, was that not very far from the 105 fathoms trough the dredge was let down ; and when the depth of 105 fathoms was reached, the bottom could not be found. More and more line was let out, till at last our supply was exhausted at 180 fathoms. The day was quite calm ; the bearings that we had taken showed that the boat had not drifted in the least ; and the line, so far as could be seen, was stretching straight down from the stern, and quite tight. The line was a new small Manilla twist, light and buoyant. At other places, when the dredge was let down, it was at once felt when it had reached the bottom ; and accordingly, when the requisite amount of additional line was thrown out, it floated on the surface till the slack was taken up by the boat being pulled along. In the deep trough referred to, how- ever, the line was carried away straight down as fast as it could be given out ; and when all the rope had been exhausted, the dredge still hung heavily on the hand. None of us had the slightest doubt that the dredge had not reached the bottom. At that time the late Mr. James Napier, F.R.S.E., was staying at Tarbert Hotel. I informed him of the deep hole Ave had discovered in the loch ; and we arranged to go at another time, provided with other appliances, to endeavour to place the depth beyond all doubt. Mr. Napier did go, along with some Edinburgh gentlemen who were interested in the matter, but unfortunately other engagements pre- vented me from joining the party. Although accompanied by the same boatman, they did not succeed in finding the deep trough. Mr. Napier admitted, however, that they could not find even the 105 fathoms depth, which is marked on the chart ; and this fact of itself throws great doubt on the thoroughness of the search. It is quite likely that the hole or depression may be of very limited circumference, and may therefore be readily enough passed over; but, taking every circumstance into CORYSTES CASSIVELAUNUS. 143 account, there can be no room for doubt as to its existence. CORYSTES CASSIVELAUNUS, Perm. [Read 30th November, 1886.] I brought some of the doings of this crab before the Society a long time ago* ; but as the history of many of these obscure animals cannot be gathered in one day, it has often to be taken piecemeal as opportunities may occur. This species, although it may not be considered rare (at least, so far as my experience goes) on the sandy habitat which it frequents, is seldom met with in the dredge, as sandy ground is generally avoided by the naturalist. In Bell's History of the British Stalk-eyed Crustacea (p. 161), he gives as its habitat the deep-sea between Holyhead and Red- wharf, Anglesea, and states that "it is generally a deep-sea species." I find it, however, in the shallow water of Karnes Bay, Cumbrae, and occasionally cast ashore on the sands along the side of a little fresh- water stream that passes through the bay, where specimens are to be obtained either dead or in a dying state. As this is the only place in the whole bay where I have found them, it may be that the fresh water kills or disables them from going back with the tide ; or perhaps there may be a bank opposite the mouth of the stream more suitable for their requirements than airy other part of the bay. From thence they might readily be brought ashore by tide or storm, and perhaps only when they become sickly or are too enfeebled to resist the action of the waves. The males are generally covered with green algae, but the females are usually free from such growth, with the occasional exception of a tuft of alga? attached to the points of the antenna?. * Proceedings of the Natural History Society of Glasgow, vol. i., p. 1 ; Proceedings of the Philosophical Society of Glasgow, vol. v., p. 55 (with a plate). 144 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. I have kept the female for months at a time, and found that it burrows, posterior end downwards, remaining for weeks with the points of the antennae just above the sand, which may account for the algae found only on that part of the animal. The abdominal relates of the female of this species are smaller and less fitted to cover the ova than is generally the case among the Bracliyura or short- tailed family, but the burrowing habits compensate for the small abdominal plates in protecting the uncovered ova. Mr. Bell mentions that he took ten in one day in the shrimp-trawl, all females ; and we may reason- ably infer, from their having been taken in the trawl, that they were captured on the surface. As the habits of the young Crustacea, however, often differ greatly from those of the adults, it may have been that these females were all young, or not in ova, and therefore not in a condition requiring their concealment under the sand. In reference to the habits of the male, it may be as^ed whether, like the female, it too may habitually burrow in the sand ; but the growth of the algae on the body and legs proves that sometimes at least it must remain on the surface for a considerable time. This species is by no means common at C umbrae ; but it will be of interest when a living male should occur, to ascertain whether he burrows and spends as much of his time under the sand as the female seems to do. It will also be interesting to know whether the barren female continues to burrow, keeping herself free of algae. Mytilus edulis, Lin. [Read 30th November, 1886.] Last summer I had a walk along the shores of the Clyde at Cardross. The water there, at that season, is decidedly brackish ; but during winter the fresh water must greatly prevail. Opposite the Railway MYtlLUS EDULIS. 145 Station, the tide retires a long- way, leaving a soft, bare, clay shore, which is irregularly covered by stretches of small gravel and green algae, chiefly Ulvcv and Enter'omorjphce, with numerous fronds of Porphyra and tufts of Ceramiwm rubrum. The variety of shells is not great. Hydrobia ulvce may be said to be plentiful amongst the green Ulvce; on the stones left by the tide Littorina littorea and L. obtusata are moderately common ; and there appeared to be no scarcity of My a arenaria, if sought for a short depth down in the muddy clay. What attracted my attention most, however, was the large size of the mussels, which were often anchored to each other in little bundles, among the stones near and at low-water, where the tide affords them protection from the children who seem to swarm over the shore at that season gathering all sorts of shell-fish that come in their way. The question has occurred to me — could these mussels not be turned to some economic use? There have been many attempts to establish musselries in various parts of the kingdom, with more or less success ; but the greatest difficulty seems to have been to get suitable ground for the healthy develop- ment of the molluscs, and their protection on the sea-ward side from vagrant boats that might choose to come and plunder. Cardross appears to be eminently suited to meet all the requirements of this industry. The profusion of well-grown mussels showed that the place is well fitted for an abundant development of the molluscs; and, as the estuary of the Clyde at this place is private property, privileges of protection could be obtained such as are seldom possible on the sea-shore. There can be little doubt that a profitable market would at all times be open for the disposal of the mussels, not only for esculent purposes but as bait. The statement of the total quantity and value of sea-fish landed on the coasts of Scotland during last month (October), as reported by the Fishery Board 146 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. of Scotland, shows the value of the mussels landed during that period to have been £1,959, of which the greater portion was landed at the port of Greenock.* From this statement it appears that the industry is not so insignificant as most people are ready to think. Some years ago (if not also at the present time) the mussel was fished between Port - Glasgow and Langbank, and sent to the East Coast for bait. In this industry there seemed no want of demand, but a want of facilities for proper culture to keep up the supply. If a few acres of the foreshore were staked off with rows of wood piles for the spawn to adhere to, the enormous productiveness of the mussel would, with care and judicious arrange- ment, enable the supply to be rendered practically unlimited. In view of conditions so favourable for successful and economic working, there appears good reason for believing that, with no great expenditure of capital, mussel culture at this place might be made a profitable industry. The Food of Fishes. [Read '22nd February. 1886.] In regard to the food of fishes, with them, as with other carnivora, there is a general dependence of one upon another. The fry must be supplied with food suitable for their tender organizations ; in like manner the young fishes, in their successive stages of growth, must prey on such smaller forms as they can overpower ; and so on. It does not follow, how- ever, that the adults must at length abstain from feeding on the smaller organisms, as it often happens that some species, especially the herring, are found to be gorged with microzoa. A close examination of the sea-water reveals the enormous quantity of microscopic lite floating in its midst, not in any particular zone but from top to * Glasgow Herald, November 17th, 1886. THE FOOD Or FISHES. 147 bottom. Many species frequent particular depths, some being found at the bottom, others in mid-water, and not a few at the surface ; but the last group, like the others, is by no means constant either in character or time of appearance. At night they are generally more abundant at the surface than during the day, but they are not always found on the same ground where they may have been met with the night before. It is also a curious fact that a gathering from the surface is often found to differ from that obtained a foot or so beneath it. Last summer, when at Lochranza with Mr. Murray in the steam yacht Medusa, Professor Herdman and I were out in a row-boat after sunset. He had a tow-net, which was pulled behind the boat and kept about a foot under the surface, while I had what is called the " hand- net " fixed on the end of a short rod with which I held the tip of the net only a few inches under the surface. It was found that the two gatherings were not alike, but differed considerably in the proi:>ortion of species obtained. I have since repeated the experiment at Cumbrae with the same results. The hand-net, that was kept at the surface, contained more larval forms and amphipods than were captured in the tow-net at a foot or so beneath the surface ; and 'when the two gatherings had been put into separate tubes, that obtained at the surface was seen to be much lighter in colour than the other, in consequence of the greater abundance of hyaline larval forms. Although some of these surface animals are widely spread in the water, they are often found in shoals here and there, abundantly at one jilace, and all but absent at another, perhaps not 100 yards distant. These shoals consist chiefly of copepods. and can often be traced on the surface by the fishes that follow them, whose noses may frequently be seen in the water gobbling them up and keeping the water in a state of ebullition. If the net be drawn 148 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. through the shoal it will be found to be full of these entomostracans. The surface groups do not appear to remain long above at any time during the day, but dip to some distance beneath ; and there, too, they are no doubt followed by their enemies until the latter are gorged or the shoal becomes too attenuated for further pursuit. Those that most abound in the district appear to be Calanus finmarchichus and Ternora longicornis, and over the deep parts of Loch Fyne Euchceta norvegica takes the place of Temora longi- cornis. Peridinium tripos was in great abundance last summer, at the surface and in trials of 20 fathoms. Some years ago the waters of Millport Bay were crowded for a few days with Noctiluca miliaris, which I have never seen since. Evadne Nordmanni is occasionally abundant, besides a great many others of less importance numerically, exclu- sive of the multitudes of larval forms of Crustacea, Echinodermata, Annelida, and Mollusca. We may assume that in studying the habits and movements of fishes it is necessary that we should know something of the habits and movements of the animals on which they prey. In reference to the herring, as they do not seem to take material food during the formation of the roe and milt* {which is generally believed among fishermen to be about two-thirds of the year), I have examined scores of them and never found food in their stomachs when the milt or roe was more or less advanced. At that time the stomach is contracted to a small gut, which is often lined with a consider- able amount of fat that may contribute to the increase of the roe and milt during their fasting- time. The gut-like stomach lies parallel to the roe * Since writing the above, Mr. Turbene, of the yacht Medusa, tells me that he has seen large herrings taken off Camp- beltown, full of roe or milt, with food in their stomachs. This may have .arisen from their fat getting exhausted, and food becoming necessary to sustain them over the spawning period. THE FOOD OF FISHES. 14$ or milt, leaving little if any provision for an exten- sion of the stomach such as is seen when the fish is in the condition called in some places "gut-poke" herring, i.e., when its stomach is greatly enlarged with food while in the roeless and miltless state. This being the case, the source of their food supply can be no guide to their whereabouts, at least during their abstaining time of about two-thirds of the year. When we consider the multitudes of enemies that the herring have, both of land and water, that greedily feed upon them all the year, from the earliest stages till the adult condition, we may reasonably believe that the portion which goes to mans share must be but a small fraction of the whole. It therefore seems clear that any restric- tion which may be put on the mode or time of fishing can be of little avail. Perhaps the best protection the herring have from the ravages of man is their erratic habits. If the long-line fishing had more support it might be advantageous, as the fishes taken by that means are known to include such species as are most destructive to the herring. The herring, on the other hand, do not prey on the kinds of fish taken by the long-line (or, if they do, it can only be for a very short season), and their increase cannot therefore be injurious to these fishes ; but the increase of the long-line fishes must be excessively destructive to the herring, which in all stages of growth are preyed upon by them. It is, I believe, commonly supposed that herring, when after spawning they begin again to take food, retire to greater depths ; and there can be no doubt that they do so, as they are often found with their stomachs packed full of the schizopod JYyctiphanes norvegica, a small crustacean whose habitat in the adult state is rarely less than 40 fathoms. In the Firth of Clyde this has been amply confirmed by the dredgings of the steam - yacht Medusa (of the Granton Marine Station), which seldom failed to 150 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOYY. capture that species as well as others at depths of from 50 to 100 fathoms. We may assume that the herring, when their time of feeding comes, go where they will be abundantly supplied with food ; and therefore, if the difficulty be not too great, there can be little doubt that the herring would be obtained there after they had left the ground from whence they are usually fished. On some Marine Mollusca. [Read 26th April, 1887.] Of the shells which I now bring under your notice as rare or doubtful inhabitants of British waters, the most doubtful and least known was taken from the stomach of a Long - tailed Ice - Duck (Harelda glacialis, Lin.). The bird was killed in Sls^e, and given by the late Dr. Dewar to Mr. M'Culloch, Glasgow, to be skinned. On being opened it was found to contain a large quantity of shells, all Lacuna divaricata with the exception of the one under notice. As this remarkable shell Avas quite unknown to me, I sent it to the late Dr. Gwyn Jeffreys, who at once pronounced it to be Cyclope neritea, a Mediterranean species. Taking all the cir- cumstances into account, particularly the northern habitats both of /fare/da glacialis and Lacuna divaricata. Dr. Jeffreys acknowledged the pro- bability to be very small indeed that the shell had been picked up by the Ice-Duck on the shores of the Mediterranean and carried thence in its stomach all the way to the North - West of Scot- land, where the bird was shot. Still he had a lingering reluctance to admit the species as British on the evidence of a single specimen. No more was thought of the occurrence till last summer, when one of my grandchildren found another specimen of the same species at low- water in Karnes Bay, Millport. The shell was empty when found, but ON SOME MARINE MOLLUSCA. 151 from its fresh appearance there could be no doubt that it had been voided in the bay by some bird. We all know that many of our British shells are common to European seas far apart; and when we consider the many favourite molluscan retreats and pastures extending along the submerged weedy rocks, which form the rich feeding - ground of many sea- birds, but are never attempted to be touched with the dredge, we may reasonably expect that when suit- able appliances are brought into use many valuable treasures will be brought to light which have never been supposed to exist in such j)laees. The great facilities which have recently been afforded by Mr. Coulson's yacht, and the Medusa from the Gran ton Marine Station, both steam-vessels fitted up with the latest improvements for dredging purposes, have enabled new light to be thrown on the Fauna of the Firth of Clyde and West of Scotland. Although many of the species have been taken sparingly and considered rare, Ave have hitherto had but an obscure idea of the precise location of their real home. Pectcn septemradiatus, for example, was at one time thought to be rare in the Firth of Clyde, and brought a high price. I have been informed by Dr. J. R. Henderson (now of Madras) that some of the English dealers still ask half-a- crown for a single specimen. This species is said to frequent rough stony ground, but, so far as the dredgings of the Medusa have shown, its home is on a mud bottom. There, at a depth of 50 or HO fathoms, it is not unusual to meet with a dozen or two at a haul. On one occasion, when in company with Mr. Murray in the Medusa, between C umbrae Light-house and Arran, in 80 fathoms, bottom soft mud, Ave brought up at one haul above 300 living specimens of this shell. Many years ago I dredged off Cumbrae the shell Siphonentalis lofotensis, which is noticed by Mr. Alfred Brown in his Mollusca of the Firth of Clyde. Last summer I found the same species moderately 152 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. common in material dredged by the Medusa in lower Loch Fyne at a depth of 100 fathoms, as well as in material that I have from Ireland. On looking over material dredged by the Medusa off Skate Island, at the mouth of Loch Fyne, in 90 to 100 fathoms, I found a few specimens of Sijjhon- entalis affinis (Sars) new to Britain. It may be readily mistaken for S. lofotensis, but the shell is thinner, smooth, pellucid, and wants the oblique striations of that species. In the same material, among other shells not common, I found Axinus croulinensis. Having had specimens of this shell kindly given me by Mr. A. Somerville, Glasgow, I could readily satisfy myself of its identity. On the shore between tide-mark we occasionally find shells and other animals hitherto unnoticed or doubtfully authenticated. Littorina neritoides was recorded by the Rev. A. M. Norman as having occurred on the rocks of the Outer Allans, Millport; but although carefully looked for, it had not been subsequently found until two years ago, when it was taken abundantly on rocks on the east side of Kames Bay, Millport, by Dr. J. R. Henderson, and on the rocks near the Battery by Mr. Cook, an English gentleman then visiting C umbrae. My a arenaria var. lata has been taken in the Firth of Forth and at Oban ; and although not recorded from the Firth of Clyde, it is quite abundant in a patch of small stones, mud, and sand, about half- tide mark, a short distance eastward from Mr. Charles Wallace's private pier, C umbrae. Last summer one of my grandchildren found a specimen of Donax vittatus, at low- water, Kames Bay, Cumbrae ; the shell had the two valves con- nected, but was empty. A month or two later another specimen" was found under precisely similar conditions. Although in both cases the animal was absent, yet the fact that the valves were connected together led me to believe that the species must ON SOME MARINE MOLLUSCA. 153 be living in the neighbourhood, especially as it had been previously recorded from the Firth of Clyde by Mr. Smith of Jordanhill, and the Rev. Dr. Landsborough ; and although their evidence had been doubted, the shell is so characteristic that it could scarcely have been mistaken for any other species, particularly by two naturalists of so eminent a reputation. During the present month (April, 1887) I am again indebted to one of my grandchildren, who found another of these shells at low spring-tide on the sands not far from where the other two were found. The shell contained the live animal, leaving no doubt of its living in the bay. This is all the more remarkable, as in the same bay, which has been my hunting-ground for many years, I have never noticed a vestige of that shell dead or alive ; and it should warn us from thinking that we had left nothing behind untouched, however long or diligently the ground may have been searched by us. 154 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. XIII. THE NEW APOCHROMATIC MICRO -OBJEC- TIVES AND COMPENSATING OCULARS OF DR. CARL ZEISS. BY ADOLF SCHULZE, F.R.S.E., F.R.M.S. [Read 2Sth September, 1886.] Dr. Carl Zeiss has had the kindness to send me for inspection four of his new aprochromatic objec- tives, and three of his new compensating eyepieces ; and as a short notice of only one of these objectives has to my knowledge appeared in this country — viz., in the Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society, vol. vi., part 2, fol. 375-6, I trust that the following remarks, culled chiefly from Dr. Abbe's pamphlet Ueber Verbesserungen des Mikroskopes mit Hilfe neuer Arten optischen Glases (" On improvements of the microscope by the aid of new kinds of optical glasses"), may be acceptable to the members of our society. Professor Dr. Ernest Abbe — who is " the first living authority on microscopical optics/' and to whom we are indebted not only for the greatest recent improvements in the construction of micro- objectives, but also for the theory of the formation of microscoj)ical images by diffraction spectra, and for lucid mathematical expressions of the relations of aperture, resolving power, focal depth, &c. — finding that the aperture of micro-objectives had been pushed to almost its theoretical limit, and foreseeing no adequate advantages in trying to increase the aperture with the means hitherto at our command, directed his attention to further improvements by an entirely different method. In conjunct ion with Dr. Carl Zeiss, the eminent optician of Jena, and with the assistance of Dr. MICRO-OBJECTIVES AND COMPENSATING OCULARS. 155 Schott, Dr. Abbe began in 1881 to make experi- ments with the view of producing new kinds of optical glasses. The relation of the optical properties to the chemical compositions of various kinds of experi- mentally produced glasses was first established by spectroscopical researches, and finally such glasses were produced as possessed the properties most desired. In this way, and by combining a far larger number of elements than formerly, especially by means of phosphoric and boric acids, besides silicic acid, two new and much desired results have been attained — viz. : (1) The production of crown and flint glass in which the dispersion for the different regions of the spectrum shows approximately the same ratio, and which, therefore, in achromatic combinations permits of the almost complete elimination of the secondary spectrum. (2) The increase of the number of optical media in such a way that with the same mean refractive index the dispersion, or with the same dispersion the refractive index, may be varied within con- siderable limits, especially so that high values of the refractive index can be obtained, not as hitherto only in combination with flint glass of high dis- persion, but also with lower dispersive indices as in crown glass. These new kinds of optical glasses are produced in the Glastechnisches Laboratorium in Jena, which has been supported in the most liberal manner by the Prussian Ministry of Public Instruction, and they are now being supplied to the trade. Dr. Carl Zeiss, who constructs all his lenses on strictly scientific principles, and according to the formulas of Professor Abbe, is the first optician who has produced micro-objectives of these new glasses, and he has thus been able to correct two important defects which up to now could not be overcome with the means at the disposal of opticians 156 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. and which offered insurmountable obstacles to the further improvements in lenses. In con- sequence, namely, of the great disproportion of the dispersion of the various colours of the spectrum, a property inherent in crown and flint glass, our best so-called achromatic lenses have up to now been corrected for only two colours of the spectrum, and the hitherto unavoidable remnant of unachroma- tism, the so-called secondary spectrum, was always more or less perceptible. With the crown and flint glass used by opticians it was equally impossible to correct the spherical aberration for more than one colour. All objectives, although fairly well corrected for the middle of the spectrum, showed, nevertheless, a spherical under-correction for the red and a spherical over-correction for the blue and violet rays, which imperfection appeared as a more or less great inequality of the achromatic correction between the central portion and the peripheral zones of the objectives. These defects caused an imperfect combination of the image-forming rays, and as a result objec- tives, especially those of large apertures, did not allow the employment of high magnifying oculars, because those deficiencies of spherical and achro- matic corrections became more apparent with them than with the lower magnifying ones. The practical advantages of Abbe's new objec- tives made by Carl Zeiss from the new optical glasses are the following : — (1) The full value of the large apertures of objec- tives becomes now only apparent, because owing to their perfect corrections, the images formed by the new dry and water immersion objectives are scarcely distinguishable from those formed respectively by the water and homogeneous immersion objectives of perceptibly larger numerical aperture hitherto constructed. (2) The largest magnifications for a certain aper- ture can be obtained by high eyepiecing and by MICRO-OBJECTIVES AND COMPENSATING OCULARS. 157 objectives of relatively long foci, thus obviating the necessity for objectives of extreme short focal lengths. (3) By the correction of the secondary spectrum and the perfect spherical correction of these new lenses, the visual and actinic foci coincide, rendering them especially suitable for photo-micrography. (4) The increased spherical and achromatic correc- tions of these objectives produce a larger concen- tration of light in the images projected by them. Dr. Abbe calls these new lenses Apochvomatics or Apochromatic Objectives, owing to their superior spherical and achromatic corrections, which repre- sent an achromatism of a higher order than hitherto attained. These apochromative objectives require special eyepieces in order to utilise their capabilities to the fullest extent, and Dr. Zeiss has constructed suitable eyepieces for them which he designates Compensating Oculars. In objectives of short focal length or in high powers the front lens is generally a single crown glass lens, which is, therefore, unachromatic, the result being coloured outlines of the image in the marginal zone, as the lens is only well corrected for its central portion. The front lenses of the high -power apochromatic objectives are evidently also single ones, and the so-called compensation oculars have been constructed with a view to correct this residue of peripheral aberration, and to balance or compensate the chromatic differences of magni- fication, as the picture produced by the blue and violet rays is larger than that produced by red and yellow rays. In order, therefore, to make the com- pensation oculars available not only for the high objectives but also for the lower ones, the latter had to be so constructed that the difference of the chromatic magnifications of the marginal zone should be practically the same as in the former. These compensation oculars differ from the ordinary Huy- 158 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. ghenian and other eyepieces in this respect, that the eyelenses of even the strongest have relatively long foci,, so that they can be used with almost as much comfort as the lower power oculars. The camera lucida can also be used with any of them save the highest, which magnifies 27 diam., and has 10 mm. focal length. These are great recommenda- tions, and the wonder is that opticians have not long since constructed high magnifying eyepieces with large eyelenses of such focal lengths that comfort is insured thereby and undue straining of the eyes avoided. Instead of naming the different eyepieces ABC, &c, or 12 3, &c, as other opticians do, Dr. Zeiss designates the compensating oculars by their magni- fying power; thus the eyepieces No. 1, 2, 1, 8, 12, 18, 27 magnify the image produced by the objective 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 18, 27 times respectively. Both the magni- fying power or number and the focal length are engraved on each eyepiece, so that when the magni- fying power of an objective at the end of a tube 160 mm. or 250 mm. long is known, one can at once find the magnifying power of the microscope by multiplying the initial magnification of the objective by the number of the ocular with which it is combined. The compensating eyepieces are divided into three classes — viz. : (1) Search oculars of great focal length. The one No. 1 constructed for the short or Continental tube does not magnify the initial magnification of the objective at all, and the two No. 2 magnify, both on the Continental and on the English tubes re- spectively, the image produced by the objective two diam. These objectives, as their name indicates, are intended to enable the observer to find rapidly an object in the field without employing another low- power objective, and perhaps a cumbersome nose- piece, which is so prejudicial to the centricity of the optical system and to the fine adjustment of the MICRO-OBJECTIVES AND COMPENSATING OCULARS. 159 microscope. A great saving of time, labour, and annoyance can thus be effected by these low-power eyepieces, especially when using immersion lenses. (2) The ordinary working oculars, magnifying respectively 4, 8, 12, 18, and 27 diam. ; their focal lengths vary from 45 to 10 mm. for the Continental stand, and from 67 to 10 mm. on the English lOin. tube. (3) Oculars for projections, magnifying 2 and 4 diam. for a tube of 160 mm. and 3 and 6 diam. for a tube of 250 mm. or 10 in. long respectively. These oculars have two diaphragms each, to reduce the effective apertures of the high-power lenses should such be desirable. They are constructed for photo - micrography and for the lantern microscope, and yield an evenly illuminated flat field and a well - defined image at any screen distance. They can also be used advantageously with the ordinary achromatic micro- objectives. The mountings of these oculars are so arranged that the lower foci of all those belonging to one series are lying in the same plane, so that when interchanging them no new focussing of the objec- tive is required, the optical tube length remaining the same. I subjoin tables of Dr. Carl Zeiss' new apochro- matic objectives showing their numerical apertures, equivalent focal lengths in millimetres, and their magnifications at 250 mm. It will be seen from them that the whole series for both Continental and English tubes together consists of only 11 lenses, and that 3 dry, 1 water immersion, and 1 (or 2) homogeneous immersion lens, in all 5 apochro- matic objectives, would constitute a complete series, and in conjunction with the new compensating eye- pieces would do all the work for which hitherto often from one to two dozen objectives were required. The homogeneous immersion lenses are constructed 160 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. without screw- collars, and they require to be used with thickened cedar -wood oil, having a refractive index of ±'5128. In spite of their large apertures, they will work through covers of about TJ^ in. thickness. The lenses kindly submitted to me for inspection are the following : mm. focus. mm. aper. Apochromatic objective, 16 about £ in. and 0*30 ,, ,, 4 ,, fin. ,, 0-95 ,, water immersion, ,, 2*5 „ TVin. ,, 1*25 ,, homog. ,, ,, 2 ,, TVin. ,, T40 They are undoubtedly the finest objectives which I have ever seen, leaving far behind in their performances many lenses which I have hither- to considered as almost not to be surpassed. The pictures produced by these new lenses are re- markably achromatic and bright, and owing to the exquisite definition of these objectives structural details on surface markings come out with wonder- ful sharpness and distinctness. I am especially pleased with the lens of 4 mm. focus and the homogeneous immersion lens of 2 mm., which latter, owing to its enormous aperture and brilliant defini- tion, resolves test objects, considered difficult, with the greatest ease. The facility with which high magnifications may be obtained without loss of definition, and without discomfort to the eyes by using high eyepieces, is most agreeable. I have no hesitation in saying that these apochromatic objectives are destined to supersede the present achromatic objectives, and that as Dr. Carl Zeiss offers his new optical glasses to the trade, and, with his usual liberality, places no restrictions, by patents or otherwise, on the making of these lenses, other opticians will soon enter into wholesome competition with him, with the result that apo- chromatic objectives will shortly be supplied by all good makers. Meanwhile the high prices of the apochromatics are standing in the way of their general adoption, the lower powers costing almost MICRO-OBJECTIVES AND COMPENSATING OCULARS. 161 double the price that our best English opticians charge for theirs, whilst the prices of apochromatic homogeneous immersion lenses are, considering their great aperture, probably the same as those of our first English makers. Meanwhile many microscopists, especially students, have to content themselves with a microscope stand and objectives of 1 in. and a \ in. focus, costing altogether not more than one of the new apochromatic 1 in. objectives, and a good working instrument can be had nowadays at a very small cost. In conclusion, I express the hope that other optical apparatus besides the microscope will derive important benefits from the invention of these new optical glasses. Table I. Apochromatic Objectives. Num. apert mm. Dry system. *0-30 24'0 equivalent focal length. 0-30 16-0 ?» *0'60 12-0 i 0-60 8-0 • *0-95 6-0 ' 0-95 4-0 < Water immersion, 1*25 2-5 . Homog. 1-30 3-0 > » 1-30 2*0 1 1 1-40 3-0 i < >* 1-40 2-0 >» * These are manufactured < raly for the English tube. Table II. Magnifications of the Apochromatic Objectives and Compensation Oculars for 250 mm. Screen Distance. Screen distance of the objective, 250 mm. Search oculars. Working oculars. Equivalent focal lengths. 1 2 4 42 62 83 125 167 250 333 400 500 8 12 125 187 250 375 500 750 1,000 1,200 1,500 18 27 24-0 16*0 12-0 8'0 6-0 4-0 3-0 2-5 2-0 15-5 31 62 83 100 125 21 31 42 62 83 125 167 200 250 83 125 167 250 333 500 667 800 1,000 187 281 375 562 750 1,125 1,500 1,800 2,250 281 562 1,125 162 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. N.B. — Since the above paper was read, the author of it has gained additional experience in the use of these apochromatic objectives which fully bears out the high opinion he formed of them when first he began to employ them. Above all would he recom- mend them when the best possible definition is required, and, especially in conjunction with the projection eyepieces, for photo-micrography, as in consequence of the coincidence of their visual and actinic foci the operator can with certainty obtain a sharp image on the sensitized plate. Dr. Roderick Zeiss, of Jena, has succeeded in photo- graphing even the longitudinal lines on Amphipleuva pellucida with one of Zeiss' homogeneous apochro- matic objectives of 2 mm. focus and of only 1'30 mm. aperture — a feat which has not been accom- plished hitherto with any other lens of the same aperture. Numerous imitations of these lenses have been placed of late in the markets, and some no doubt of excellent quality and great resolving power, but, so far as the author has been able to learn, none truly apochromatic in the sense in which Professor Abbe has introduced this appellation. ON THE PORAMIXIFERA. OF THE FAROE CHANNEL. 163: XIV. NOTES ON THE FORAMINIFERA OF THE FAROE CHANNEL AND WYVILLE THOM- SON RIDGE, WITH A DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF HYPER AMMINA. BY FRED. G. PEARCEY, OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER EXPEDITION. With one Plate [III]. [Read 23rd March, 1888.] It may at first appear superfluous to publish a second list of the Foraminifera found in the Faroe Channel, after the excellent paper by Dr. H. B. Brady, F.R.S. ;* but when it is considered that this locality offers such an exceedingly interesting and rich field for investigation in both physical and biological science, as will readily be seen by the earlier publications of the late Sir Wyville Thomson, and Dr. W. B. Carpenter, and the recent ones by Dr. John Murray, V.P.R.S.E., and other eminent scientific gentlemen, f no further apology is here needed. I have since had the privilege of examining minutely the whole of the material obtained by H.M.SS. Knight Errant and Triton, as well as a portion of that obtained by H.M.SS. Lightning and Porcupine expeditions, taken in the same locality, * Proc. Roy. Soc. Edin., vol. xi., pp. 708-717, 1882. j-Proc. Roy. Soc Edin., vol. xi., pp. 638-720, 1882, "On the Physical and Biological Conditions of the Seas and Estuaries about North Britain," Proceedings of the Philosophical Society of Glasgow, vol. xvii., p. 306, 18 86. M 164 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. the two former of which I had the honour of accompanying ; and as the result of my investigations has been to add considerably to the list published by Dr. Brady, I have received Dr. Murray's per- mission to bring this communication before the Society. On examination of the various deposits obtained, special care has been observed in selecting twelve samples from the cold area and twelve from the warm area. All these have been carefully examined microscopically, with one object in view — namely, to determine approximately the distribution of the Rhizopod fauna of these two areas, which are doubtless the richest Rhizopod ground outside the tropics, and have a great inequality of temperature. The study of the organisms found in these areas -will therefore be of considerable interest, and no less importance, in throwing some light upon the now general question of the geographical distribution of this interesting group of organisms, due to the great differences of temperature. The region known as the Faroe Channel is that portion of the Atlantic Ocean to the north of the mainland of Scotland, which is bounded on the north-west by the Faroe Islands, and on the south- east and south by the Shetland and Orkney Islands, the shores of Caithness and Sutherland, and Hebrides. It was shown by the results of H.M.SS. Knight Errant and Triton expeditions that a submarine ridge exists right across this channel, separating the cold water of the Arctic Seas and the warm water of the Atlantic, the greatest depth on the crest of which is 380 fathoms. The average depth over this ridge, which has been named after the late Sir Wyville Thomson, is from 250 to 280 fathoms; in one part, however, there is a gap with a depth of 380 fathoms, as mentioned above. It is 100 miles in length by 10 miles wide. On each side of the ridge the depth increases to GOO fathoms or more. ON THK FORAMINIFERA OF THE FAROE CHANNEL. 165 The channel to the northward of the Wyville Thomson Ridge is filled up to the top of the ridge with ice-cold water, but none of it appears to pass over into the Atlantic. The cold water at the top of the ridge is met by the stream of warm Atlantic water, which flows steadily to the north-east. A mixture takes place, and the whole passes on to the coasts of Norway ; thus we see that this ridge forms a barrier or boundary-line between two regions, so to speak, each having its own peculiar climate. The annexed diagram gives a good idea of the two areas, and also shows that although the water on the one side of the ridge is warmer at depths exceeding 200 fathoms than that on the other side, yet on both sides the minimum temperature is only reached at the bottom. This warm salt Atlantic water, as it becomes cooled in passing to Norway, sinks and carries heat down with it, in the same way as the Gulf Stream water was found to sink as it approached our own coasts, so that while we find ice-cold water at a depth of 250 fathoms in the Faroe Channel, it is also found at a depth of 400 to 600 fathoms off the coasts of Norway. In the cold area of the Faroe Channel the tem- perature of the water at depths exceeding 350 fathoms is under 32° F., whilst in the warm area the temperature at similar depths is above 42° F. The track of the warm tropical waters of the Gulf Stream can be traced along the floor of the 166 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. ocean, from the West Indies across the Atlantic to our own coasts and on to Norway, by the dead shells * which are strewn upon it all along their course. In the tropics there are about forty species of Foraminifera, Pteropods, and other carbonate-of- lime-secreting organisms, which live in or near the surface-waters of the ocean, whose dead shells make up at times 80 to 90 per cent, of the deposit at the bottom. As the Gulf Stream waters are cooled in passing* northwards, many of these organisms die out or become greatly dwarfed in form as they approach the colder waters of the north ; still, in mid-ocean,, between this country and Newfoundland, these shells make up often 70 to 80 per cent, of the deposits. In the Faroe Channel, only seven or eight species are found living on or near the surface ; but south of the Wyville Thomson Ridge, and to the north of this ridge in the central parts of the Norwegian Sea, not much affected by the Arctic surface currents,, they make up 30 to 40 per cent, of the deposit. The influence of the Arctic currents moving from north to south can be traced in like manner on the floor of the Atlantic. By an examination of a deposit* Dr. Murray has shown that it is possible to tell approximately, from the character of the dead shells of the surface organisms found in it, its latitude and the depth from which it came ; while its longitude can in many instances be approxi- mately determined by careful microscopical exam- ination of the fragments, organic and inorganic, of which it may be composed. The warm Atlantic water, passing over the Wyville Thomson Ridge to the north-east, sweeps the crest of the ridge with considerable force, regulated by the state of the tides ; so great is this force that no mud or ooze is deposited on the ridge, the small mineral particles * Chiefly the dead shells of Globigerinidse, PulvinulinidsB, Pteropods, Heteropods, and other pelagic Mollusca. ON THE FORAMINIFEKA OF THE FAROE CHANNEL. 167 and rock fragments being swept into the deep water to the north-east. It is now well known that temperature is the most important factor in the distribution of marine life, and it might well be expected that there would be a considerable difference in the character of the fauna on either side of the Wyville Thomson Ridge. This is clearly shown by the number of animals collected in this locality by the various ■expeditions.* By an inspection of the tabulated list appended to this paper, it may be seen that the Foraminifera found in the Faroe Channel show a marked difference of species and numbers obtained in the two areas ; it includes representatives of the typical ■deep-sea forms as well as those taken at intermediate depths. A striking illustration of this was shown by the use of the tow-nets, which, in the warm area, gave great quantities of very large and fine specimens of the beautiful Hastigerina pelagica (d'Orb.), while none of these were obtained either in the surface or sub- surface waters of the cold area, neither has any trace of their dead shells been found in the deposits of the cold area. It will be observed that, with two or three excep- tions, the soundings taken on the Wyville Thomson Ridge have an average depth of 250 fathoms, and the bottom temperature varies from 55° F. on the surface, to 46°'4 F. at 280 fathoms. On examination of a number of the samples of ■deposits taken on the ridge, a striking difference in the variety of species presents itself. Here Truncatu- lina refulgens and Rwpertia stabilis flourish in abun- dance, and are taken attached to nearly all the small stones and rock-fragments which appear to cover the crest of the ridge, the base and aperture * See Dr. John Murray " On the Physical and Biological Con- ditions of the Seas and Estuaries about North Britain," Proc. Philosophical Society of Glasgoiv, vol. xvii., p. 306, 1886. 168 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. of each individual being in most cases surrounded with masses of dark - green or greenish - brown sarcode. Truncatulina variabilis was often found living in company with. Truncatulina refulgens. It would appear that these two species are to be found in the living state on the ridge only. I have examined upwards of one hundred samples of deposits taken in the vicinity of the Faroe Channel, but I have never found living specimens of these two species— that is, with their shells filled with sarcode — either in the warm or cold area. As • a fact, they are absent from the warm area, although one or two dead and decayed shells were found on the warm side close up to the ridge, with a bottom tempera- ture of 41°*2 F., and these I take it have been carried there by the strong currents which sweep the ridge. Miliolina seminulum is also found living more abun- dantly on the ridge than on either side of it, and in many instances was obtained firmly attached to stones by the sarcode which was protruding from the aperture. Of course, as might have been expected, a few of the pelagic and bottom-living Foraminifera were found on the ridge; but on the whole they are exceedingly rare. On referring to the table of classification, and comparing the Foraminifera obtained from both the warm and the cold areas, it will be seen that the Miliolinidae are strongly represented in the warm area, numbering twenty-seven species, for the most part very large and finely-developed specimens ; while in the cold area only fourteen species are found, and these are all poor, starved, and dwarfed, if we except Cornuspira foliacea, which is found to attain a larger size here than in any other known locality. The larger arenaceous types — such as Astrorhiza, Syringammina (a new genus of arenaceous Rhizopods described by Dr. H. B. Brady *), Saccammina, Bothy- siphon, Storthosphcera, Sorosphcera, Rhabdamminar * Proc. Roy. Sue, vol. xxxv., p. 155, pis. ii. and iii., 1883. ON THE FORAMINIFEEA OF THE FAROE CHANNEL. 169 Jaculella, Hyperammina, Marsipella, Iiaplophragmiumt and Webbina — are conspicuous by their absence from the cold area, and are only very sparingly repre- sented by the smaller varieties of Lituolidse, with one exception, Reophax scorpiurus, which is com- paratively rare in the warm area but is found abundantly and of very large size in the cold area. From this we may safely conclude that Cornuspira foliacea and Reophax scorpiurus are natives of the colder waters of the ocean. i^gain, the genus Bidimina is found in its typical condition spread all over the warm area, while only a few starved varieties are found in the cold area. The genus Lagena would appear to flourish best in the colder waters of the ocean, as is shown by the results of the Challenger expedition. In the great ocean basins, in depths greater than 1000 fathoms, where the temperature is below 30° F., this genus was found most abundantly. It is represented in the cold area by no less than twenty-eight species and varieties ; and by eighteen only in the warm area. Eight species of Nodosaria have been taken in the warm area, and but three in the cold. The Cristellarice also attain to a very large size in the warm area, where six species were taken, while in the cold area only one has been found. With reference to the pelagic forms, these two localities show a peculiarly striking difference as to distribution. The Arctic varieties of Globigerinidse, as Globigerina pachy derma and Globigerina dutertrei> have their home in the cold area ; while Globigerina bulloides (typical form), Globigerina inflata, and Globigerina (Orbidina) universa flourish in the warm area, and are very sparingly found in the cold area. I am inclined to believe that the very minute and young forms of Globigerinidse are carried by the warm currents from the localities where the surface-waters are of a high temperature, into the colder waters of the Arctic and Antarctic Seas ; that they suit themselves to the change of climate for a 170 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. limited time only; and that they do not much in- crease in size afterwards, but remain dwarfed and stunted, all their energy being used in thickening their shells. It seems evident that their existence is of very short duration, as compared with those more fortunate individuals who spend the whole of their lives iu the warm or tropical seas. That none of these Globigerinidse live on the bed of the ocean, I feel convinced, having examined a very great number taken in the deposits from various localities all over the world, both in a fresh and dry condi- tion ; but in no instance have I been able to detect sarcode. I have, however, seen cases where at first I felt almost certain I had discovered sarcode ; but on more minute and closer examination, what was thought to be sarcode turned out to be pale yellow and green glauconitic matter, with some fine argil- laceous, and probably organic, material.* Why these heavy Arctic varieties are not com- monly taken in abundance by the tow-nets, or why they are not observed so often with other pelagic animals in the Arctic Seas, must be left for future investigations to solve. The Globigerinidse found in the deposits of the warm area are exceptionally small. The shells are notably thinner, but they have not the compact, dwarfed, or Arctic peculiarities, which are character- istic of those found in the cold area. From the most minute to the largest specimens, they are all well- formed typical Globigerina bulloides ; on the other hand the Arctic varieties, Globigerina dutertrei and Globigerina pachyderma, are almost entirely wanting. All my observations go to show that both the last- mentioned forms diminish very rapidly in number * It may here be noted, and is of importance, that on both sides of the ridge a considerable amount of glaueonite is found in the deposits. Many of the Foraminif era shells, and other organic remains, are found filled with this peculiar mineral ; and after treatment with dilute hydrochloric acid, beautiful and perfect casts of these organisms remain. ON THE FORAMINIFERA OF THE FAROE CHANNEL. 171 after passing the Faroe Channel going south, and become nearly, if not quite, absent after passing south of latitude 55° N. Amongst the arenaceous Foraminifera found in the Faroe Channel were many very interesting forms, among which may be mentioned Syringam- mina and Bathy siphon, one species of Stoi'thospluera, and three species of Sorosphcera, which, on further examination, may turn out to be new to science. Of the genus Hyperammina, a very interesting form has been taken from the warm area, which I here describe under the provisional name of Hyperammina palmiformis.* H y P e r A M M I N A , H. B. Brady. Hyperammina palmiformis, n. sp. Test free, erect, elongate, subcylindrical, tapering somewhat sharply, straight till it becomes a cylindrical tnbe of nearly uniform diameter; distal extremity forming a tuft of fine branched chitino-arenaceous tubes, with a strong chitinous lining throughout, filled more or less with a greenish-brown sarcodic matter ; primordial end closed and rounded ; internal cavity commencing with a broad simple chamber, narrowing till it becomes a continuous tube, usually attaining about seven millimetres in height before dividing into numerous tubular branches of a uniform diameter internally, till near the ends, when they slightly taper off, each terminating in a minute rounded aperture ; walls moderately thick ; texture externally, coarsely arenaceous ; colour reddish-brown or grey. In the dry state it has a grey colour, owing to the numerous Globigerince and fragments of other calcareous organisms it selects to ornament its test ; especially is this the case in the branched arborescent distal extremity, where the Globigerince, &c, are much more numerous than on the base. Length, {-& inch (16 or 17 mm.). This form differs from all the other known species of Hyperammina in having a strong chitinous lining to which the extraneous material is firmly cemented; and instead of the marked subglobular primordal chamber characteristic of this genus, it is * From the bulging out of the base, and its branched arborescent distal extremity, resembling several species of palms — e.g., Livis- tona chinensis, Mart., or Coryplias australis, R.B. 172 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. simple and continuous, showing no trace of segmen- tation. It cannot be confused with any other species, its nearest allied form being Hyperammina friabilis,* the resemblance being confined to the ex- ternal appearance of the base. The test altogether is much thinner, and the mineral particles are firmly cemented closely together. A notable feature in this species is its selection of material for strengthening its test — i.e., in coating the chitinous envelope with mineral particles of a nearly uniform size, having a mean diameter of 004 mm., chiefly composed of quartz grains, and after- wards, evidently for ornament, adding numerous Globigerince, Uvigerince, etc. Owing to the chitinous lining the test is somewhat flexible, and may be freely handled. Dr. H. B. Brady, to whom this species was sub- mitted for inspection, says that the most interesting feature is the branched arborescent distal extremity. The question one has to determine is whether the forms we know best by their wasted and dried tests were, when living, in the same condition. I quite agree with Dr. Brady on this point, and think it is just possible that further investigations on the deep- sea Foraminifera may prove Hyperammina palmi- formis to be only a perfect form of Hyperammina friabilis, or an allied form. Should this turn out to be so, the specific name friabilis will take precedence. Hyperammina palmiformis was obtained, with others, in the Warm Area, Station 10, lat. 59° 40' N., long. 7° 21' W. ; surface temperature, 55° *5' F. ; bottom temperature, 4G°*5' F. ; depth, 510 fathoms. The deposit in which this interesting species was obtained is a grey, sandy, calcareous mud, homo- geneous, earthy, and having a greenish tinge when wet. * II. B. Brady. "On the Foraminifera dredged by H.M.S. Challenger, 1873-1876," Zool. Chall. Exp., part xxii., p. 258, pi. 23, figs. 1, 2, .**, 5, and 0, 1881. ON THE FORAMINIFERA OF THE FAROE CHANNEL. 173 I here wish to thank Dr. John Murray, V.P.R.S.E., for allowing me to bring this paper before your Society. My thanks are also due to Dr. H. B. Brady, F.R.S., and Mr. David Robertson, F.L.S., F.G.S., for many useful suggestions. List of Stations from which Deposits have been examined for foraminifera from the warm area of the faroe Channel. Sounding No. Latitude, N. Longitude ,w. Depth in Fathoms. Bottom Temperature. 26 59* 54' 00" 6° 51' 0" 460 46° -OF. 52 60° 14' 45" 89° 9' 45" 306 44--2 „ 53 60' 12' 00" 8° 7' 50" 353 45° „ 54 60* 8' 25" 8* 5' 30" 458 42° -8 „ 55 60° ir 45" 8° 15' 00" 433 43° -5 „ 72 59° 56' 20" 7° 8' 00" 330 47°'4 „ 73 59° 54' 10" T 12' 50" 409 47° „ 118 59* 40' 00" 7' 21' 00" 516 46-5 „ 120 59° 29' 30" 7° 13' 00" 555 45°-5 „ 122 59° 59' 50" T 25' 30" 310 47°'4 „ 133 60° 10' 30" T 39' 00" 305 45°-7 „ 135 59* 51' 20" 8* 18' 00" 570 45°7 „ List of Stations from which Deposits have been examined for ForAminifeRA from the Cold Area of the Faroe Channel. Sounding No. Latitude N. Longitude, W. Depth in Fathoms. Bottom Temperature. 28 60° 29' 14" 8° 23' 30" 365 31°-8F. 47 60, 28' 15 8° 15' 30" 407 30°-8 , 48 60 25' 00" 8° 14' 00" 385 30°-5 , 66 59° 56' 15 6° 8' 00" 313 30°-5 , 67 60° 7 40" 6. 44' 00" 630 30° 4, 69 60° 3' 00" 6. 54' 00" 359 30° , 77 60° 9' 00" 7e 16' 30" 466 29°-5 , 95 60° 6' 00" 8» 1' 30„ 455 39° , 97 60° 12' 2" 7. 44' 00» 328 30° -3 , 106 601 18' 00" 6° 15' 00" 640 30° , 107 60 5' 00" 6" 21' 00" 608 30° , 134 60° 31' 00" 7- 34' 00" 580 31° , 174 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Synopsis. Number of species and varieties found in the Warm Area, 180. Number of species and varieties found in the Cold Area, 120. Number of Miliolidae found in the Warm Area, ... ... 28. Number of Miliolida3 found in the Cold Area, ... ... 14. Arenaceous types found in the Warm Area, ... ... 59. Arenaceous types found in the Cold Area, ... ... 25. Number of Lagenae found in the Warm Area, ... ... 18. Number of Lagenre found in the Cold Area, ... ... 28. Number of species abundant in the Warm Area, ... 17. Number of species abundant in the Cold Area, ... ... 11. Number of species of which a good many have been found in the Warm Area, ... ... ... .. ... 14. Number of species of which a good many have been found in the Cold Area, ... ... ... ... ... 8. Number of species and varieties found in the Warm Area and not found in the Cold Area, ... ... ... 108. Number of species found in the Cold Area and not found in the Warm Area, ... ... ... ... ... 45. Number of species and varieties common to both the Cold and Warm Areas, ... ... ... ... 70. Number of species and varieties found in the Faroe Channel, 228. ON THE FORAMINIFERA OF THE FAROE CHANNEL. 175 Revised List of Foraminifera found in the Warm and Cold Areas of the Faroe Channel. Species and Varieties. Biloculina depressa, d'Orb. ringens, Lamk. irregularis, d'Orb. elongata, d'Orb. depressa, var. murrbyna, Scbw. depressa, var. serrata, Brady, spbeera, d'Orb. coniata, Brady. bulloides, d'Orb. tubulosa (?), Costa. Miliolina tricarinata, d'Orb. bucculenta, var . placenti- formis, Brady. circularis, Bom. seminulum, Linn. trigonula, var., Lamk. insignis, Brady. valvularis, Ess. gracilis, d'Orb. sp. Sigmoilina (Planispirina) celata, sp. Costa. Planispirina contraria, d'Orb. Spiroloculina tenuiseptats >(?), Brady. tenuis, Czjz. Cornuspira involvens (?) ; young, Ess. mvolvens, Ess. foliacea, Pbilip. striolata, Brady. crassisepta, Brady. coronata, Costa. Opbtbalniidium inconstans, Brady. Astrorhiza arenaria, Norm. granulosa (?), Brady. sp., F. G. P. Pelosina rotundata, Brady. Stortbospbajra albida, ScLz. sp., F. G. P. Dendrapbyra (?) sp., F. G. P. Syringammina fragilissima, Brady- Tecbnitella legumen, Norm. Batbysipbon filiformis, M. Sars. Psamniospbaara fusca, Scbz. Sorospbaera confusa, Brady. sp., F. G. P. sp., F. G. P. sp., F. G. P. Saccammina spbserica, M. Sars. socialis, Brady. Warm Area + + + + + + + + + + + + t T + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Quantity. comparatively common. do. rare. rare. rare. few. few. comparatively common. few. rare. common. few. common. few. rare. few. rare. rare, common. rare. few. rare. rare. rare. few. fragments, one found. few. comparatively common. few. several. common. many found. few. 2 imperfect (?) specimens, many fragments. few. few. four found, four found. few. few. few. few. Cold Area. + + + + + + + + 4- + + + + + + + + Quantity. few found. rare, rare, rare. few. rare, very rare, very rare. one found. one found; few. few. rare. few. one found. rare. few irreg- ular forms, one found. 176 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Species and Varieties. Warm Area. Jaculella obtusa, Brady. Hyperarnmina friabilis, Brady. arborescens, Norm. ramosa, Brady. elongata, Brady. varans (?), Brady. palmiformis, Pearcey. Marsipella elongata, Norm. cylindrica, Brady. Rhabdarnmina cornuta, Brady. abyssorum, M. Sars. discreta, Brady. sp., F. G. P. Achemonella catenata, Norm. catenata, var. (?), F. G. P. Botellina labyrintliica, Brady. Reophax fusiformis, Willm. scorpiurus, Montf. dentaliniformis, Brady, adunca, Brady, guttifera, Brady, sp., F. G. P. difflugiformis, Brady, distans, Brady. sabulosa, Brady. Haplophragmium agglutinans, d'Orb. scitulum, Brady. tenuimargo, Brad}'. canariense, d'Orb. latidorsatum, Bomm. mananum (?), Brady. Placopsilina vesicularis, Brady. Haplostiche soldauii,* Brady. Thurammina papillata, Brady. compressa, Brady. Ammodiscus charoides, J. & P. Trochammina trullissata, Brady. squaniata, J. & P. Webbina clavata, J. & p. hemisphrerica, J. & P. Cyclammina cancellata, Brady. Textularia sagittula, Defr. turns, d'Orb. aspera, Brady. trochus, d'Orb. Verneuilina propinqua, Brady. pyginrea, E«r<;ar. Gaudryina pupoides, d'Orb. subrotunda, Bchw. baccata(?), Schw. rugosa (?), d'Orb, Valvulina fusca, Willm. Bulimina elegans, var. exilis, Brady, subteres, Brady. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + i "T + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Quality. comparatively common. very rare. a few- fragments. many fragments. many. rare. few. many. few. rare. comparatively common. few. fragments, one found. few. very rare. few. very rare. very rare. rare, very rare. rare. few. few. few. very rare. rare, one found. rare, very rare, very rare. few. rare, common. few. rare. few. very rare. few. rare. few. rare. few. few. few. rare. rare. very rare. Cold Area. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Quality. rare, rare. 2 or 3 fragments. fragments. few. common and large. very rare. few. rare. very rare, compara- tively cm'n few. few. very rare, very rare. rare. one found, very rare. few. verv rare. very rare. few. few. *This specimen may have ^ot into this deposit by accident (?). ON THE FORAMINIFERA OF THE FAROE CHANNEL. 177 Species and Varieties. Warm Area. Quantity. Cold Area. Quantity. Bulimina marginata, d'Orb. + very rare. inflata, Sequ. + rare. + rare. aculeata, d'Orb. + very rare. sp. + very rare. pyrula, d'Orb. ~u few. Virgulina scbreibersiana, ( Izjz. + rare. squamosa, d'Orb. + rare. Bolivina punctata, d'Orb. + few. + few. pygmaea, Brady. + rare. + few. textilarioides, Rss. + rare. dilatata, Rss. + rare. porrecta, Brady. + very rare. aenariensis, Costa. + rare. Pleurostoinella subnodosa, Costa. + very rare. Cassidulina laevigata, d'Orb. + very rare. + common. crassa, d'Orb. + very rare. + few. bradyi, Norm. + rare. subglobosa (?), Brady. rare. Chilostomella ovoidea, Ess. + rare. + very rare. Lagena orbignyana, Sequ. + rare. -b few. fimbriata, Brady. + few. pulckella, Brady. + rare. rnelo, d'Orb. + rare. gracilis, Willni. + few. + rare. gracilis, var. + very rare. vulgaris, var. striata, Willm. + rare. vulgaris, Willm. + rare. globosa, Mont. + few. + few. sulcata, W. & J. + very rare. + few. apiculata, var., Ess. + few. apicnlata, Ess. + rare. liueata, var., Willm. + very rare. lineata, Willm. + common. laevis, Mont. + few hexagona, Willm. + very rare. + very rare. acuticosta, Ess. + few. acuticosta, var., Ess. + few. striata, d'Orb. + very rare. + few. squamosa, Mont. + few. + common. squamosa, var. j. one found. marginata, W. & B. + rare. + few. stelligera (?), Brady. + one found. laevigata, Ess. + few. + common. hispida, Ess. + rare. sp. + rare. lagenoides, Willm. + few. exsculpta, Bradv. + very rare. ampulla-distoma ? E.J. + very rare. distoma, P. & J. + rare. orbignyana, var. (?) F. G. P + very rare. sp. + very rare. quadricostulata, Ess. (?) + very rare. elongata, var. (?) F. G. P. + very rare. sp. + very rare. variata, Brady. + very rare. gracillima, Segu. + rare. Nodosaria roenieri (?), Neug. + very rare. rotundata, Ess. + few. + very rare. aequalis, Ess. + + rare. laevigata, d'Orb. + several. 178 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. Species and Varieties. Warm Area. Quantity. Cold Area. Quantity. Nodosaria communis, d'Orb. + rare. pauperata, d'Orb. + rare. scalaris, Bats. + rare. simplex, Silv. + rare. soluta, Rss. + common. inflexa (?), Rss. + very rare. consobrina, var. emaciata, Rss. I rare. scalaris, var. separans, Brady. + very rare. Marginulina costata, Bats. + very rare. glabra, d'Orb. + rare. Vaginulina spinigera, Brady. + few. linearis, Mont. + rare. Cristellaria cultrata, Mon. + comparatively common. reniformis, d'Orb. + common. reniformis, var. + common. gibba, d'Orb. + rare. i sp. + one found. 1 rotulata, Laruk. + rare. + rare. Amphicoryne falx (?), J. &P. + very rare. falx, J. & P. + very rare. Polymorphina scororia, Rss. + few. sp. + one found. ovata, d'Orb. + + rare. sp. + very rare. lactea, W. & J. + rare. + rare. sp. + very rare. Uvigerina pygmsoa, d'Orb. + common. + few. angulosa, Willm. + rare. • + common. asperula, Czjz. + many. Globigerina bulloides (typ. form) , d'Orb. + abundant. + few. pachyderma, Ehrenb. + moderately common. + common. dutertrei, d'Orb. + moderately -f- very j common. abundant. inflata, d'Orb. + common. + very few. (Orbulina) universa, d'Orb. + common. + very few. Hastigerina pelagica, d'Orb. + many. Pullenia quinqueloba, Rss. + few. + few. sphseroides, d'Orb. + rare. + many. Sphoaroidina bulloides, d'Orb. + Spirillina vivipara, Ehrenb. + very rare. tubereulata (?), Brady. + very rare. Patellina corrugata, Willm. + rare. Discorbina vesiculai'is, Lamk. + common. sp. + very rare. Truncatulina lobatula, W. & J. + moderately common. + common, common, refulgens, Montf. + rare. + attached to stones. common, variabilis, d'Orb. + rare. + attached to stones. wuellerstorffi, Scliw. + rare. Anomalina corona ta, P. & J. + common. + very rare. polymorpha, Costa. + few. arimiuensis, d'Orb. + few. common, Iiupertia stabilis, Wall. + very rare. + attached to stones. ON THE FORAMINIFERA OF THE FAROE CHANNEL. 179 Species and Varieties. Warm Area. Quantity. comparatively common. Cold Ai ea. Quantity. Pulvinulina canariensis, d'Orb. + + very rare and dwf. menardii, d'Orb. + rare. + very rare. micheliniana, d'Orb. + common. + two found. karsteni (?), Rss. + few. sp. , probably young + common. of P. canariensis (?). repanda, P. &. M. + rare. patagonica, d'Orb. + ra re. + rare. Rotalia orbicularis, d'Orb + very rare. soldani, d'Orb. + few. + very rare. Nonionina umbilicatula, Mont. + moderately + common. common. turgida, Willm. + few. + few. scapba, F. & M. + common. stelligera, d'Orb. + rare. + rare. Polystomella striato-punctata, F. & M. + common. arctica, P. & J. + very rare. + very rare. Operculina ammonoides, Gron. + few. Explanation of the Plate Plate III. Fig. 1. Hyperammina palmiformis, n. sp., enlarged 12 diameters. 2. Basal portion of test, opened to show interior of primor- dial chamber, enlarged 12 diameters. 3. Portion of chitinous envelope filled with sarcode, enlarged 20 diameters. 4. Portion of the sarcode taken from fig. 3, enlarged 100 diameters. N 180 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. XV. NOTES ON THE TURNSTONE, STREPSILAS INTERPRES, LIN. BY WILLIAM CRAIBE ANGUS. [Read 28th December, 1886.] The example of this bird now exhibited is apparently the first to have been reported from the Loch Lomond district, where it was shot on 6th inst. It is an adult male in winter plumage, and was one of three birds killed at a single shot, the other two being immature. Its stomach contained portions of marine shells, identified by Mr. A. Somerville, B.Sc, F.L.S., as those of Lacuna divaricata (Fab.) and Rissoa parva (Da Costa) ; also an operculum of a species of Trochus — probably T. cinerarias, Lin. — and unrecognisable shell fragments. Although not a very common species, the Turnstone is generally distributed along the East and West Coasts, and seems to be of more frequent occurrence in Scotland and Ireland than in the sister country. I have met with families at the Loch of Strathbeg, in Aberdeenshire ; and in Buteshire I have seen it in far larger numbers feeding upon shells and tangle exposed at low water on the margins of the salt- water lochs. The Turnstone, which may be called the Starling of the shore, is one of the strongest of our smaller wading-birds. It seems to be less shy, and to be fonder of special spots and less inclined to wander about, than the Sandpipers and other birds frequent- ing the same localities. When feeding it is generally silent, but when a-wing it utters a loud note to which the neighbour- rag birds respond in what at times virtually becomes a Babylonic chorus, which is continued till NOTES ON THE TURNSTONE. 181 the Turnstones have again settled. Its piebald plumage and rather pronounced twittering note make it one of the most conspicuous of our shore- birds. Its presence may be calculated upon till about the middle of May, although stragglers, in partial summer dress (probably wounded birds), may occasionally be met with in June and July ; and the return of the species may be expected not later than the first week in August. The Turnstone may be said to be the last of the shore-birds to depart and the first to return. It is plump and fat, rank- ing at table among the daintiest of coast-birds. Its name is derived from its well-known habit of displacing small stones and debris that shelter sand- jumpers and other crustaceans. This it accomplishes with its beak, which is of great strength, and of a conical form, pointing upward rather than downward. The narration of a circumstance witnessed by Mr. James Mitchell and myself will serve to illustrate the extraordinary strength of the Turnstone's mandibles, and to show that several birds, working in concert and with a common aim, can accomplish feats which would be beyond the strength of an unaided individual. The scene occurred on the sandy shore opposite the " Black Dog," on the north side of Don-mouth, when Mr. Mitchell and I were returning from the River Ythan, where wre had gone in quest of a vara avis that had been reported the previous day. It was one of those sunny noons in August that make existence itself a luxury ; everything around us seemed bathed in delight ; and our thoughts were so elevated that nothing short of the great object of our excursion would have tempted us to fire a shot. The sky was at its unclouded best ; the sun was clear and hot ; and the whitish breakers that fringed the sea danced miniature rainbows of opalescent hues. The tide had begun to ebb, and we concealed ourselves among the bents, expecting that our prey might turn up with the return of the birds that had been driven from their 182 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. feeding-ground by the flow. We had not long enjoyed our sun-bath when a flock of Turnstones alighted so near us that even without the aid of a binocular glass we could distinctly see their move- ments. The birds gradually focussed themselves upon a dead salmon that was partially embedded in in the sand. They speedily removed the sand from the fish until the tail only remained covered ; and those upon the lower side continued digging under the fish, while those upon the upper side kept press- ing it upward, till they succeeded in overturning it. The fish fell upon some of the birds that were undermining it. Two, in a rather excited manner, managed to free themselves and escape ; and my dog " Clyde," one of the gentlest creatures that ever carried a bird, ran in and caught another that was all but concealed by the fish. " Clyde " was in a playful mood ; and having of her own accord secured the bird, she was hardly in a humour to voluntarily give it up. When we had proceeded about half-a- mile homewards, the object of our chase — a Skua, Stercorarius crepidatus (Gmel.) — made its appearance ; and. with the view of getting the bird to come within range, I ordered " Clyde " to enter the water. She then relaxed her hold of the Turnstone, which flew, apparently uninjured, in the direction of its companions. NOTES ON THE FLORA OF THE ISLAND OF BARRA. 183 XVI. NOTES ON THE FLORA OF THE ISLAND OF BARRA. BY ALEX. SOMERVILLE, B.SC, F.L.S. [Read 27th December, 1887.] Through the enterprise of the Highland Fisheries Company, the Outer Hebrides have, during the last two seasons, been brought within easier reach of us, for it is now possible, travelling by Oban, to leave Glasgow at 6 in the morning, cross the Minch by the above Company's steamer, and land on Barra by half-past 8 same evening. The Outer Hebrides, or "Long Island," as they are collectively called, consist of the series of larger isles, viz., Lewis, with its annexed Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, and Barra, with a multitude of islets besides, of every conceivable dimension. Barra is the most southerly island of consequence. It is oblong in form, Qh miles in length, with a narrow-necked peninsula to the north which may be said to add two miles more. I need hardly refer to the importance which Barra has recently acquired as a fishing station. Nature has endowed the island, as Miss Gordon Cummin g has said, with one priceless boon in the excellent harbour of Castle Bay, a haven which affords secure anchorage in all conditions of the tide. This bay faces south, and is protected by the island of Vatersay, which, lying across the entrance, acts as a breakwater, the Sound of Vatersay furnishing an outlet to the Atlantic on the west and to the Minch on the east. Barra has a population of fully 2,000 ; but during the six weeks from the middle of May till the end of June there is an influx of over 4,000 people, 184 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. consisting of the crews of the herring fishing-boats which centre there, and of those occupied on shore with the details of the great harvest of the sea. Further, the erection has just been completed of the factory of Mr. Nordenfeldt's Normal Company, for the working-up of fish-refuse, an industry which, at the Company's Aberdeen branch, has proved of a remunerative character. The Island of Barra is the most fertile of the Hebrides. Though the Laurentian gneiss of which its rock-formation is composed crops out in all directions, it is emphatically a green isle, having excellent pasturage, and, together with Vatersay, furnishing luxuriant grazing for large numbers of sheep and cattle. As there is but little heather on the higher ground, grouse are scarce, and the island is free from the care of a gamekeeper. I had the opportunity of being in Barra for a week at the beginning of July last. My object in particular was to have some marine dredging in the Minch, but the weather proved so stormy that only on two days could the intention be carried out. As the period was that of neap-tides, when little shore-work could be done, I decided on paying some attention to the botany of the Island, and on making as complete a catalogue as possible of its vascular plants. Nowhere in Scotland, perhaps, is there to be found within so small a number of square miles, a greater variety of situation, with corresponding opportunity for a varied flora, than here. The Island may be said to be mountainous, its highest peak, Ben Heaval, attaining an altitude of 1,260 feet; but over its area and around its coast we have all the variety of grassy slope and rocky height, moorland and peat-bog, crofting patch and farm land, precipi- tous sea-cliff and sandy shore, marshy meadow and weedy loch — woodland and forest alone being con- spicuous by their absence. On the eastern side the crofts descend to the sea, NOTES ON THE FLORA OF THE ISLAND OF BARRA. 185 and the vegetation all abont is rank. Here, a little above the shore, Osmunda regalis is seen in frequent patches, while Nymphcea alba adorns the lochlets and Littorella lacustris fringes their margins. On the north — the seemingly more protected side — are two or three large farms, one held by the family of a brother of the late well-known naturalist, Professor Macgillivray of Aberdeen. The tide recedes here to a considerable distance. The western exposure is of quite another character, for, excepting at the bold south headland of Doir- linn, which runs out in the teeth of the Atlantic, it consists of a stretch of sandhills and light pastoral land known as " machir land " where the crops are said to ripen a fortnight earlier than in Skye. The soil consists largely of minute fragments of sea-shells, and of the dust of two species of land shells — Helix ericetorum and Bulimus acutus — which are to be seen alive in myriads among the herbage and grass. This sandy tract presented in July the appearance of a garden, so richly was it ornamented with such wild flowers as Papaver dubium in brightest scarlet, Lotus corniculatus in brilliant yellow, Cakile inari- tiina in delicate purple, Erodium cicutarium in rosy red, Lycopsis arvensis in deepest blue, and Matricaria inodora in milk-white and gold. These, with many others, were all in abundance, while the elegant foliage of Thalictrum minus caught the eye here and there. Close to the western side, and yet only a mile and a half from Castle Bay, is the Tangusdale Loch whose level is very little above that of the sea. It is more than half surrounded by a sandy shore, and has its surface so sheeted over with the reddish- green leaves of Potamogeton natans that from a neighbouring hill-top we seem to look down on a sandbank left bare. In the water, at one side was a belt of Myriophyllum of the two species spicatum 186 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. and alter ni folium, while Potamogeton perfoliatus was also plentiful. In the ditches running up from the loch were fine plants of Veronica Anagallis, which species appears to take the place here of V. Becca- bunga and to be as luxuriant as Mr. Thomas Scott lately found it to be in Coll. In the marshy flats around, there were growing, more or less plentifully, such plants as Potentilla Comarum, Hippuris vulgaris, Menyanthes trifoliata, Scirpus Tabernazmontani, S. maritimus, and Glyceria fluitans. Approaching Castle Bay from Tangusdale Loch, we pass through a stretch of wet meadow-land clothed in radiant colouring, the more sober yellows and whites being relieved by the deep-tinged heads of Orchis latifolia. These exhibited, in different speci- mens, greater extremes of purple and brick-red than we remember previously to have seen in plants growing together. In the rocky knolls at Castle Bay itself it was in- teresting to find the ripe capsules of the Vernal Squill (Scilla verna) ; and Ave were favoured by the Swedish engineer of the Normal Company with pressed speci- mens, gathered by him in flower some weeks earlier. This plant, though it has a distribution from Cornwall to the Shetland Isles, where Mr. R. Turner found it in plenty, is restricted to particular localities, and is stated in the 8th edition of the London Cata- logue to have been met with in 26 vice-counties only, our record of it from the Hebrides, however, raising the number to 27. As we climb the grassy steeps behind the town, where the exposure is towards the south, flowers are abundant in quantity and variety — Erythrcea, Plantago, Anthyllis, Centaurea, Linum, Thymus, Lotus, Poly gala, Daucus, Bartsia, Rhinanthus, Spiraea, &c— all, at the time, suffering from the drought of last summer. Among grasses, of which there are many, that which perhaps most readily claims attention is Kozleria cristata, growing as plentifully NOTES ON THE FLORA OF THE ISLAND OF BAERA. 187 here as we had found it two years ago on the Island of Eigg. As we pass upwards, by streamlet and rill, the Bog Pimpernel (Anagallis tenella) is in profusion, with here and there Drosera anglica, the pale Pinguicula lusitanica, and some nine species of Carex. Descending again, over cliffs, where Arena pubescens is growing, and through upland wet meadows, we come on a plant new to us, and, as afterwards appeared, to the records of the vice-county as well. It is Hypericum elodes, the Marsh St. John's wort, its orbicular amplexicaul leaves forming cup-like receptacles for large globules of rain-water, which imparted to the plant the singular appearance of frosted silver. This species we have just again met with during October in Iona, where also it appears to be a new record for the vice-county (No. 103) to which that island belongs, while Mr. Symington Grieve states to me that he found it growing in abundance in Colonsay, among the Ebudes South. The cataloguing I was enabled to do resulted in a list of 225 Phanerogamic and 13 Vasculo-crypto- gamic plants, in all 238 species, indicating a floral variety of no mean order in what is but a fragment of the "peat floating in the Atlantic," as the Long Island has been humorously styled by the author of Lewsiana, Mr. Anderson Smith. Of the above species, specimens of about 56 (including 2 afterwards got in South Uist) were pressed and brought away. These have been sub- mitted to Mr. Arthur Bennett, F.L.S., of Croydon, our Corresponding Member, who reports that 15 of them are fresh records for vice-county No. 110 — a fact showing what a field there is for those who have time and opportunity to visit these outlying regions. The above 15 plants, named in accordance with 188 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. the 8th edition of the London Catalogue, are as follows, viz.: From Barra. Thalictrum minus, L., (a) maritimum, Syme. Sagina apetala, L. Hypericum elodes, Huds. HlERACIUM VULGATUM, Fr. Mentha hirsuta, L. Orchis latifolia L. SCILLA VERNA, Huds. POTAMOGETON NATANS, L. SCIRPUS PAUCIFLORUS, Lightf. Scirpus Tabern^montani, Gmel. SCIRPUS MARITIMUS, L. AVENA PUBESCENS, Huds. KCELERIA CRISTATA, Pers. From South Uist. Peplis Portula, L. Sparganium affine, Schnizl. DREDGING OFK PORTINCROSS, AYRSHIRE. ISO' XVII. DREDGING OFF PORTINCROSS, A YRSHIRE, BY ALEX. SOMERVILLE, B.SC, F.L.S. [Read 28th February, 188S.] To one who has had the opportunity of working with the dredge, it is a source of some satisfaction to visit a locality previously untried, or in which it is known that little has been done by others. I do not mean it to be inferred that only in previously undredged localities are marine organisms, interest- ing from their rarity, likely to be found. Experience proves the contrary, as, for example, in Lamlash Bay, where hardly anyone has worked steadily, even for a few days, without adding to its fauna-record. As the Society is aware, an exhaustive dredging of the Clyde estuary was conducted in 1885, in the Medusa, by our Corresponding Member, Dr. J. R. Henderson, under the superintendence of Dr. John Murray of the Challenger. During that season very many parts of the Firth and adjoining lochs, from Kilbrannan Sound and the South of Arran to Loch Long and the Gareloch, were more or less carefully explored, the attention of the expedition being chiefly directed to the Crustacea. Except, however, perhaps, in the case of Mr. Frank Coulson, the work of the occasional dredger in the Clyde has, during the last ten years, been mainly carried on in circum- scribed areas, such, for instance, as off the Tan Spit (Cumbrae), in and about Rothesay Bay, in the Kyles, in Lamlash Bay, and off Tarbert. We are, in conse- quence, in possession of lengthy records of species from these selected spots, while of other places less frequented we know but little. It is doubtless the case that, where time for it could be given, system- atic work in many of the less-visited localities would 190 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. bring to light invertebrate forms previously rare or of unknown occurrence in the Firth. The waters washing the Ayrshire coast have not, of late at least, received great attention ; and it was with this impression that last summer three mem- bers of our Society, Mr. D. A. Boyd, Mr. James Steel, and myself, formed the idea of trying the ground lying out from Portincross and due south of the Small C umbrae — a locality situated in the upper reach of the outer portion of the Firth, and in which the depth, a short distance from the shore, gradually increases from 20 to 50 fathoms. The day of our expedition was 24th August. The dredging apparatus used was that belonging to the Society, and consisted of a 9-lb. dredge, with double cheese-cloth bag, 75 fathoms of 4-strand manilla rope, two sieves fitting into one other, and two iron buckets ; while each of us, in addition, had his own receptacles for the get- tings of the day. Our craft was an ordinary sub- stantial rowing boat, and we had the presence and assistance of its owner. The day was all that could be desired — calm and not too bright, admitting of operations being carried on uninterruptedly, and without unnecessary fatigue during the hours we were at work. The direction taken was due west from Portincross Castle, and our first hauls were at about a mile from the shore, in 30-fathom water. We then proceeded farther out for half a mile, to a point where the chart indicated 44 fathoms, and here we had three hauls, the dredge working well, and coming up so filled as to tax our powers in lifting it in. With regard to the bottom in this quarter, though in the chart it is only at 44 fathoms marked " M ' meaning mud, the area worked over was entirely of a mud presenting the same appearance at all the points. We had fancied that, at the lesser depth at least, the tidal action here would have caused it to be muddy sand and gravel ; but instead, what was brought to the surface was mud of the softest and DREDGING- OFF FORTINCROSS, AYRSHIRE. 191 most impalpable kind. Never but once, when dredg- ing off the mouth of Loch Broom, Ross-shire, had so little debris remained in the sieves after dipping them at the boat's side. One of our number had brought fine muslin bags in which to wash the dredgings for Ostracoda and Foraminif era ; but the impalpable material, which must have been very barren of the minuter forms of life, almost entirely disappeared through the muslin mesh. Our special object in the expedition was to gain some idea of the Mollusca of the locality. The siftings obtained during the day, which amounted to no more than a few ounces, were roughly examined at the time for the larger forms, and then the material was carefully bagged for after-examina- tion, as it is profitless expenditure of time to attempt the picking out of minute species from wet sieves. The siftings have since been carefully gone over, first by myself, and then by Mr. J. T. Marshall, of Torquay, so that probably nothing has escaped notice. The interest of the day's work may be said to have centred in two species obtained, viz., Rissoa abyssicola, Forbes, and Pleurotoma hr achy stoma, Philippi; and I have the authority of Mr. David Robertson, our President, for saying that the former, so far as he is aware, is new to the eastern side of the Firth, and that the latter has not previously been recorded alive from the Clyde. R. abyssicola was discovered and named by the late Professor Edward Forbes, who, with Mr. M'Andrew, dredged it in Loch Fyne, where I also met with it last summer in 50 and 75-fathom water. Its habitat is an undisturbed muddy bottom at considerable depth, and I may say that I have taken it in Gairloch and Loch Broom, Ross-shire, in Loch Hourn, and between the Islands of Eigg and Rum, at all which places these conditions prevail. Nowhere, however, have I in one day taken so many examples as here, for, at the two depths, and between good, indifferent, and bad specimens, over 25 in all were obtained. None, 192 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. it may be mentioned, were alive, though 2 appeared to have been but recently vacated by the animal. The other species, P. brachystoma, named from its small mouth aperture, has a general West-Highland distribution, for I have taken it in various localities from Stornoway Harbour to Loch Killisport in Knapdale. It had not previously been met with alive in our Firth, and its admission into Mr. Alfred Brown's Mollusca of the Clyde was on the strength of a dead shell dredged in Rothesay Bay. Another interesting species was Rissoa vitrea (Mont.), excluded by Mr. Brown and not included by Dr. Jeffreys as a Clyde form, though Mr. Robertson tells me he has taken it with the dredge between Cumbrae and Largs. Four specimens in all were obtained, and of these one was living. A feature of the ground of our operations was the large number of immature specimens of three of the bivalves, viz., Nucula nitida, G. B. Sow., iV. tenuis (Mont.), and Scrobicularia nitida (Mull.), tiny examples of these occurring in some abundance. Regarding the day's record of species met with, partly in the sieves and partly by subsequent examination of the dried siftings, I have to report as follows, viz.: Lima elliptica, Jeff.;— one fine live adult. Nucula sulcata, Bronn; — one young live, and valves. nitida, G. B. Sow. ; — a few adult ; young plentiful. TENUIS (Mont.); — fairly numerous; young plentiful. Montacuta bidentata, Mont.; — rather common. Axinus flexuosus (Mont.) ;— several, both adult and young. Cardium minimum, Phil.; — 4 young live examples of this rather local species. Scrobicularia nitida (Mull.) ; — some at each haul ; young abundant. DREDGING OFF PORTINCROSS, AYRSHIRE. 193 SCROBICULARIA ALBA (Wood) ; — 18, half to full- grown, at one haul. Corbula GIBBA, Olivi ;— a few very young. Panopea plicata (Mont.); — valves at each haul; several perfect ; none living. Dentalium entalis, L.; — 2 or 3 small, living. Rissoa abyssicola, Forb. ; — some 25 obtained, mostly worn; one or two fresh ; none living. inconspicua, Aid.; — one dead. vitbea (Mont.); — i obtained, somewhat en- crusted ; one living. Turritella terebra (L.) ; — several small, living. var. nivea, Jeff. ; — one living. Odostomia conoidea (Broc); — one dead and worn. Natica Alderi, Forb. ; — several very young, living. Aporrhais pes-pelecani, L.; — one young, living. Pleurotoma brachystoma, Phil.; — 3, all living. Cylichna nitidula, Lov.; — several dead. cylindracea (Penn.) ; — plentiful, living. Bulla utriculus, Broc; — one dead. Philine scabra (Mull.); — several living. punctata (CI.); — 2 dead, but fresh. The only other objects of interest got during the day were a live example of Bryssus lyrifer, Forbes, a deep-water species of heart-urchin, and a number •of the foraminifer Astrorhiza limicola, Sandahl. 194 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. XVIII. ON PARTHENOGENESIS IN THE HYMENOPTERA . BY P. CAMERON, F.E.S. [Read 24th April, 1888.] In the very excellent book by Mr. F. R. Cheshire on the Honey-Bee (Bees and Bee-keeping, vol. i., p. 223), it is stated that if an Italian qneen be mated with an ordinary English drone, the workers and queens will partake of hybrid characters, but the drones " will still be absolutely Italian, again show- ing that, although their mother was impregnated, her impregnation had in no way influenced their (i,e., the drones') generation, or that they had, as before, a mother, but no father ; so that the eggs whence they had come had in some way escaped fertilisation ; " — in other words, that the drones had been produced parthenogenetically. I am not going to deny that as a general rule the drones with the hive-bee are of parthenogenetic origin, for that fact is placed beyond dispute. What I dispute is that the drones may not sometimes be the result of sexual generation ; and I am desirous of pointing out that the rule that the drone-eggs are never fertilised may not be absolute, and does not take the form of an invariable law as the strict upholders of Dzerzon's theory would have us believe. Not only is there no a priori reason why this should be so, but there are some facts which go far to prove that drones are not infrequently produced from fertilised eggs. If in other species of insects it was the invariable rule that only males were produced parthenogeneti- cally, there would then be some reason for conclud- ing on a priori grounds that only males could be ON PARTHENOGENESIS IN THE HYMENOPTERA. 195- produced from unfertilised eggs in the hive-bee ; or that if one or the other sex were yielded by unfertilised eggs, that the sex so produced must of necessity be male. As a matter of fact, the phenomena of parthenogenesis in the Hymenoptera (not to go beyond the order to which the bee belongs) are very complicated. There are, in truth,, four kinds : — (First) — Species which only produce males partheno- genetically ; (Second) — Those which yield males and females ; (Third) — Those which have no known males, and consequently are only known in the female sex;, and (Fourth) — Species in which a sexual generation alternates with an unisexual generation. With facts like these before us, we need not be surprised if it be found that the drones may fre- quently show signs of having had a father. I have just given an extract from Mr. Cheshire's book to the effect that, if (say) an Italian queen be mated with a black English drone, the drones born from her will be pure Ligurian. It is not clear, however, that this is always the case. In 1867, Mr. John Lowe read a paper before the Entomological Society of London,* in which he gave the results of numerous experiments conducted specially with the object of testing the truth of Dzerzon's theory. These consisted of mating Apis mellifica, A. ligustica, and A. fasciata, in order to find out if drone hybrids would be produced. He found that not only did the workers exhibit traces of their mixed parentage,, but that the males were equally affected, bearing unmistakable evidence of having had a father. Mr. Frederick Smith,f who had made a special study of the species of honey-bees, testified that Mr. Lowe's drones bore unmistakable hybrid characters. Since then, various other workers have recorded * Irani . Ent. Soc. (Third Series), vol. v., pp. 547-560. jFroc. Ent. Soc. 1867, p. xcii. 196 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. cases where the drones were hybrid ; but it will be sufficient for my purpose if I mention the last I have noticed. Without knowing anything of Mr. Lowe's re- searches, Professor Perez, of Bordeaux, a gentleman eminently qualified as our chief authority on European bees, and as an anatomist who has paid special attention to embryology, to offer an opinion on the matter, investigated the subject on similar lines.* An Italian queen, after being mated with a common drone, gave birth not only to workers of mixed characters, but also to drones which partook in various degrees of the characters of the ordinary drones and Italian queen. After having studied very attentively the specific characters of the common and Ligurian forms, he fixed upon what might be regarded as a normal standard of specific distinctness, and grouped out a larger number, 300 drones, accordingly. He found that 151 were Italians 66 were hybrids partaking of the characters of the Italian and common species 83 were of the common mellifica form. Perez next reversed the experiment, that is, he fertilised a common queen by an Italian drone : and he found precisely the same result, viz., that the drones were of a mixed nature, and not all of the Ligurian type, as they ought to have been if the rule that the drones are invariably produced from unfertilised ova had been absolute. Unless these facts can be explained away, we are, it appears to me, bound to modify Dzerzon's theory -in brief, to admit that the drone-eggs may some- times be fertilised. I say " sometimes " because I am convinced that the bulk of the drones are of parthenogenetic origin. The mixed drones have been accounted for in two ways : (First) — That they were bred from workers, that is, workers of three sorts — pure Italian, pure mellifica, * Bull, dc la &oc. d' Agriculture so that not only has there been increased activity in producing two posteriors instead of one, but there has also been an increase in the length of each of the two parts. In order to attempt an explanation of such a monstrosity, it is necessary to look at the condition in the early stages of development. Balfour, in his Comparative Embryology, vol. i., p. 266, as the result of Kowalevsky's investigations on Lumbricus agricola, says, referring to the formation of the gastrula from the flattened blastosphere : "An invagination takes- place, in the course of which the hypoblast becomes enclosed in the epiblast and a somewhat cylindrical two-layered gastrula is formed. The opening in this gastrula at first extends over the whole of what becomes the ventral surface of the future worm, but gradually narrows to a small pore — the permanent mouth — near the end." The gastrula elongates, an anus is formed, and after some further development we get the perfect worm. Whilst this is the course of the early development of Lumbricus agricola, Kleinenberg* has shown that a different and very peculiar state of affairs exist* in Lumbricus trapezoides, Duges, which throws a considerable amount of light on double monsters. He has shown that in this worm two complete individuals are normally developed from one ovum.. xlt a very early period, he states, it may be observed that the blastosphere is composed of two more or less distinct hemispheres. On the ventral surface a transverse furrow is formed, " the endoderm becomes invaginated, beginning at the lateral margins of the furrow in both the hemispheres,, which are thus transformed into sacs with double walls. . . . Each of the lateral cavities will form the digestive cavity of an individual, their * "The Development of the Earthworm, Lumbricus trapezoids, Duges." Kleinenberg, Quart. Journ. Micro. Sc., vol. xix. (187V»), p. 206. ON A MONSTROSI1T OF THE COMMON EARTHWORM. 20;> openings into the common groove will each become a mouth, and the single egg will thus produce two worms." The two worms remain for some time con- nected by their necks, but the connecting band gradually becomes weaker and ultimately breaks, leaving the two worms perfectly distinct. Although this is the normal progress of events in Lumbricus trapezoides, Kleinenberg points out that frequently the uniting cord does not relax in time to be able to be broken, or is too greatly developed, and thus numerous monstrosities occur ; but as these have always two mouths well separated, as well as two ani, it will be seen that it will be quite impossible for them to live. In the monstrosity of the common earthworm which I have described, I consider it most probable that during the early gastrula or blastosphere stage a division has taken place in the posterior part closely resembling that which gives rise to two complete individuals from the ovum of L. trapezoides t and that, as development has gone on, the two posterior parts have lengthened, become segmented, and each developed an anus. The resemblance is further borne out by the fact that the two posterior parts are attached by their sides, the ventral surface of each part being continuous with that of the front part of the body. This also holds good for other specimens that I have been able to get descriptions of. In the catalogue of the teratological specimens in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, published in 1872, prep. No. 20 is marked: "An earthworm with the posterior third of the body symmetrically double. Presented by W. Clift, Esq., 1810." On inquiring concerning this specimen, Prof. Charles Stewart, Conservator of the Museum, kindly writes informing me that in it "the abnormal ends are united by their sides : in other words, the con- dition is as if the worm had been divided by a mid- dorso-ventral plane." He further says that in 206 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. .another specimen lately received from Prof. Bell the right division is rather less than half the length of the left. Prof. Bell has recently called attention to two other specimens exhibiting a similar condition.* In one of these the division took place about the union of the middle with the posterior third, and the left branch was slightly shorter than the right. He tried to keep this specimen alive ; but after some time the left branch became less active, and ultimately both branches dropped off and the worm died. The other specimen which came under his notice was one of Lumbricus foetidus, but unfor- tunately he was unable to describe it owing to its imperfect preservation. The only other case of the kind I have seen recorded is that of a worm described by Mr. C. Robertson,t and now in the University Museum, Oxford. In it the division takes place at the 85th ring, and the two hinder parts are equal and each is furnished with an anus. I think it better not to say anything of the remarkable little double worm recently found in New Zealand,}: till a fuller description has been published. Although in some of the above cases the posterior parts are unequal, it is probable that they were equal at an early stage, but for some reason or other developed unequally, as is known to be the case frequently in double monsters of the higher animals. In conclusion, I may say that I consider that the division which has taken place in these abnormal -cases represents that which occurs normally in Lumbriciis trapezoides, and is probably an attempted reversion to an ancestral mode of development which is handed down in L. trapezoides. It may be that double monsters in the vertebrates are to be accounted for in a somewhat similar manner. *•• Notice of two Lumbrici with bifid hinder eiuls." By Prof. Jeffrey Bell. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (5), vol. xvi. (1885), p. 475. t " Note on a Double Earthworm, Lumbrtcut terrestris." By C Robertson. Quart. Journ. Micro. Sc, vol. vii. (18*57), p. 157. J ••Note on a curious Double Worm." By T. W. Kirk. Trans. Xew Zealand Inst., \o\. six. (1886), p. 64. BOTANICAL NOTES. 207 XXI. BOTANICAL NOTES FROM WIGTOWNSHIRE AND KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE. BY JAMES M'ANDREW. [Read 23rd March, 1888.] Wigtownshire. Last year I gave the Society a few notes on the Flora of Portpatrick and of Wigtownshire in general- As I spent a fortnight at Port- William, on the east shore of the Bay of Luce, in July, 1887, perhaps a continuation of these notes may prove of some interest as illustrating the Flora of Wigtownshire,, so little known as regards its Flora before 1883, when Mr. G. C. Druce gave his list of Wigtownshire plants in the Report of the Botanical Record Club. North and south of Port- William the coast is- shingly and backed by ancient sea-cliffs. The only sandy bay of any size is Monreith Bay, two miles- south of Port-William. Along the sea-coast of the Machars — the eastern peninsula of Wigtownshire — is some good arable land ; but the interior and the north consist, in a great measure, of rather unpro- fitable and partially-drained boggy and marshy land,, interspersed with numerous fresh-water lochs. Here the vegetation is uninteresting, consisting only of the commonest moor, marsh, and bog plants and mosses. Even Juncus squarrosus is rare, and the Carices are few and of the commoner species. On the arable land are found the common weeds of cultivation. As the highest hills are scarcely 1,000 feet, Wigtownshire is almost destitute of alpine and even of sub-alpine plants — Galium borealer washed down by the Kiver Cree, being almost the 208 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. only species. It must be to its extensive and varied seaboard that Wigtownshire must depend for its list of plants. In addition to the plants new to Wigtownshire from Portpatrick, as given in my former paper, I now add the following from the neighbourhood of Port- William, also new records for the county: (1) Carex punctata, at Craigs of Garchew. The only other Scottish station I know for this sedge is in Colvend, Kirkcudbrightshire. (2) Carex paludosa, at Monreith Lake, where also grow in abundance Lycopus europaius, Scirpus lacustris, etc. (3) Sagina apetala, on the roadsides about Port- William. (4) Astragalus glycyphyllos, about four miles north of Port-William. (5) Cheer ophyllum temulentum, east of Port- William. (6) Lysimachia vulgaris, at Mochrum Loch. (7) Typha latifolla, at Monreith Lake. (8) Scolopendrium vulgare, about Monreith. (9) Ammophila arenaria, and along with it Carex