60 



Remarks. This form was first described in the year 1896 by Mr. Andrew 

 Scott, the son of the well-known Scottish naturalist, Thomas Scott, from speci- 

 mens procured in the Irish Channel by the aid of a small tow-net fastened to 

 the beam of a fish-trawl. I had myself long before observed this form in the upper 

 part of the Christiania Fjord, and had assigned to it the provisional name Diaixis 

 olcacea, owing to a peculiarity to be mentioned farther on. This form, though 

 resembling in its external appearance some species of the genus Scolecithricella, 

 may on a closer inspection be easily recognized in both sexes, the female by the 

 peculiar adpressed lateral projections of the last segment of the metasome, the 

 male by its enormously developed legs of last pair. 



Occurrence. In addition to the Christiania Fjord, where it is rather com- 

 mon, I have met with this form occasionally in several other places of the Norwegian 

 coast, as far as up to the Trondhjem Fjord. It is found in moderate depths, 

 ranging from 20 to 60 fathoms, on a muddy bottom, and always close to the 

 ground. For capturing this and other delicate bottom-organisms, I have employed 

 a very light dredge, by which only a small portion of the superficial bottom- 

 material is taken up. If this material be placed together with a small amount of 

 sea-water in a shallow vessel, the specimens will at once make their appearance, 

 owing to a peculiarity which they have in common with some other micro-organisms, 

 namely, that when coming in contact with the surface, they invariably remain on it, 

 floating about like small air-bubbles, and they can thus easily be picked up by the 

 aid of a small feather. 



Distribution. Irish Channel (A. Scott), Scottish coast: Firth of Clyde, 

 Moray Firth, off Fair Islands (Th. Scott). 



Fam. 10. Stephidae. 



Characters. Form of body generally short and stout, not very dissimilar 

 in the two sexes. Cephalosome united with the 1st pedigerous segment, front 

 simple, without any rostral prominence or tentacular appendages. Last 2 seg- 

 ments of metasome coalesced. Urosome in female composed of 4, in male of 5 

 segments. Eye wholly absent, Anterior antennse of exactly the same appearance 

 in the two sexes, and rather slender, with the last 2 joints distinctly defined. 

 Posterior antennse and oral parts normal, the latter not transformed in male. 



