THE COTTON-SPINNER 11 



THE COTTON- SPINNER (HOLOTHURIA FOR- 

 SKALI) AN ECHINODERM NEW TO THE 

 FAUNA OF SCOTLAND. 



By JAMES RITCHIE, M.A., B.Sc. 



THERE was recently presented to the Royal Scottish 

 Museum, by Mr. A. Johnston, Mallaig, a Sea-Cucumber 

 discovered in a crab-creel off Mallaig, towards the southern 

 end of the Sound of Sleat. The soft character of the 

 creature, which was over 6^ inches long, its colour on the 

 dorsal surface very dark sepia, relieved by yellow in the 

 interstices between the papilla;, the ground -work of the 

 lower surface pale yellow, with sandy yellow to brown 

 markings and the arrangements of papillae and pedicels, 

 all indicated HolotJmria forskali, Delle Chiaje. Examina- 

 tion of the exceedingly minute spicules confirmed the 

 identification. 



HolotJmria forskali occurs in the Mediterranean and 

 northwards. In British waters, which, under the name of 

 Holothuria nigra, it was long thought exclusively to inhabit, 

 it has been found on the south coast of England, and on the 

 west to St. George's Channel, while many records tell of its 

 presence on the west coast of Ireland, even to Co. Donegal. 1 

 Its presence in Scottish waters appears, however, to have 

 escaped observation. 



In introducing the Cotton -Spinner to the fauna of 

 Scotland, I quote from an early description by Peach, 2 to 

 show in what appropriate manner its English epithet became 

 attached to it. He says quaintly : " This Holothuria is 

 called by fishermen a ' Nigger,' and at times a ' Cotton- 

 Spinner ' ; it is held by them in great detestation, from its 

 throwing out what they call ' cotton,' of which more by and 

 by, and from its slimy nature, and also because where the 

 ' Niggers ' are numerous and get into the crab-pots, it is very 

 rarely that either crabs or lobsters are caught, and therefore 

 they kill all that come near with their knives, because they 



1 Nichols, " Proc. Irish Acad." (3) xxiv. B., p. 245. 

 2 C. W. Peach, "Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist." xv. 1845, P- I 7 l - 



