37 2 CHAS. W. HARGITT. 



fore, that I made the following entry in my notes at the date 

 above mentioned: "This is a fine illustration of the importance 

 of ships as a means in the distribution of organisms." On the 

 following day it occurred to me to look about the docks at which 

 the steamer was moored as to whether any signs of the hydroid 

 might be found on the piles ; and somewhat to my surprise col- 

 onies were found at several points, some of them quite remote 

 from the ship. Immediately the query arose, Did the Fish 

 Hawk bring the hydroid, or had it found a place on the ship 

 from contiguous piles of the dock ? The smaller and younger 

 conditions of colonies on the ship suggested the latter alterna- 

 tive, but still with the prepossession of theory strongly inclining 

 to the former. An examination of the outer side of the ship 

 showed an almost entire absence of the hydroid, which still 

 further emphasized the doubt as to the ship's relation to the 

 matter of distribution. The matter found a final solution so far 

 as the present issue was concerned when on August loth Mr. 

 Vinal Edwards having at my request brought a few hydroids 

 from Wareham bridge at the upper arm of Buzzards Bay, and I 

 found among the material fine colonies of the same hydroid. 

 This of course ruled out the Fish Hawk so far as the present 

 case was concerned, for the last habitat was entirely beyond the 

 reach of the ship as a means of transportation. 



During the current season, 1909, I looked several times at the 

 fisheries docks for colonies during July and early August, but 

 in vain ; but again I was able to obtain luxurious colonies from 

 the Wareham locality. This clearly established the fact that the 

 species is thoroughly established as a permanent feature of the 

 local fauna. But the matter as to hoiv and when it became 

 established must be a subject of much uncertainty for the pres- 

 ent. That it has been established for any considerable time I 

 seriously doubt, having been collecting throughout the region 

 more or less assiduously for many years without previously find- 

 ing any trace of its presence. 



The hydroid is a large and beautiful species, the bluish color 

 of the female gonophores making it strikingly different from 

 almost all other species of its character. Fig. 3, copied from 

 Clarke's paper, gives a fair idea of the main features of the 

 hydroid. 



