6 EDWARD T. BROWNE. 



' Franeais ' Collection. (Beclot, 1908.) 



Wand el ia charcoti, n.g. et n.sp. [= Eleutheria charcoti, Bedot.] 

 About Lat. G5 S. Long. 66 W. (Paris). Off Wandel Island. 



'Gauss' Collection. (Vanhoffen, 1908.) 

 Luceriiaria australis, n.sp. 



About Lat. 66 S. Long. 75 E. 385 metres. (One specimen.) 



Desmonema chierchiana, Vanhoffen. [ = Desmonema gaudichaudi, Maas.] 

 About Lat. 66 S. Long. 89 E. North of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Land. 



Diplulmaris drygalski, n.g. et n.sp. [ = Diplulmaris antarctica, Maas.] 

 About Lat. 66 S. Long. 89 E. (Several specimens.) 



On glancing at the Table given on page 7 to show the distribution of the 

 Medusae in McMurdo Sound, it will at once be noticed that Solmundella was by far 

 the commonest and most abundant Medusa. The number of specimens taken on 

 certain dates shows that it must have been in shoals under the ice. If a Medusa like 

 Solmundella was so frequently found in the tow-net, there is no reason for supposing 

 that the net would fail to catch some of the other small Medusae, if they were present. 

 The regularity of the occurrence of Solmundella tends to show that the nets were being 

 properly handled. The only conclusion which I can draw from the Table is that, with 

 the exception of Solmundella, Medusae were very scarce in McMurdo Sound. It is 

 unfortunate that there were not more records for 1902, but it was during that year 

 that Mr. Hodgson was battling with the difficulty of erecting suitable shelters to the 

 holes in the ice, and then he had not found out how to avoid ice crystals in the nets. 

 The crystals played such havoc with the plankton as to practically stop tow-netting. 



The failure by Mr. Hodgson to catch Desmonema, though its tentacles were 

 occasionally found entangled on the lines, was due to his not being able to use the 

 right kind of net. For large Scyphomedusse an ordinary plankton tow-net is perfectly 

 useless. A large mosquito net with a mouth at least six feet square or a small otter 

 trawl is required. With a net of that description one stands a chance of securing a 

 specimen, or a bag full if a shoal is met with. 



Geographical Distribution. As Dr. Maas (1906) has given lists of Medusae 

 recorded for the Arctic and Antarctic regions, there is scarcely need for me to compile 

 another. The conclusion which he arrived at, after fully discussing the distribution 

 problem, is that, so far as Medusae are concerned, there is no proof that a single species 

 is common to both the Polar regions. With that conclusion I quite agree. It is 

 probable, however, that when we know more about the species of Solmundella, 

 Periphylla and Atolla, one species belonging to each of those genera may be found 

 to extend through the oceans from Pole to Pole. 



I now compare the Medusae collected by the ' Discovery ' and ' Southern Cross ' 

 with those collected in Stanley Harbour, Falkland Islands, by Mr. Rupert Valleutin. 



