142 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



they were found associated with Antennularia antennina, and were 

 clustered about and adhering to the zoophyte when brought up in 

 the trawl net. They continued to cling to the Antennularia after 

 being removed from the net, and had to be forcibly detached with 

 the aid of forceps, or by plunging the zoophyte into spirit. I have 

 not been able to ascertain whether Amphithopsis is usually found 

 associated with the Antennularia by other observers, but its occur- 

 rence in the Forth in the manner described seems to indicate that 

 such is its habit, and if so, it forms an interesting example of com- 

 mensalism, or semi-parasitism. THOMAS SCOTT, Leith. 



Hsemobaphes eyelopterina, Fabr., in the Firth of Forth. This 

 species was added to the British fauna in 1891, and is recorded in 

 the " Ninth Annual Report of the Fishery Board for Scotland," Part 

 III. p. 310. It was obtained by Mr. Peter Jamieson, Assistant 

 Naturalist to the Fishery Board, adhering to the gills of a Pogge 

 (Agonus catapliractus) taken from a Cod (Gadus morrhua}, captured 

 off Dunbar by Mr. Jamieson, who kindly handed over the Hceino- 

 baphes to me. I gave it a place in my Report to the Fishery Board, 

 as an addition to the Forth fauna. Its claim to be considered a 

 member of the fauna of the Forth was, however, liable to be 

 questioned, for though the cod had been captured by a fisherman 

 in the vicinity of Dunbar, it does not follow that the pogge had 

 been captured by the cod near the same place. When trawling 

 between the Bass Rock and Fidra, during February this year (1892), 

 several living specimens of pogge were captured, and an examination 

 of them brought to light a second specimen of Hosmobaphes. The 

 body of the parasite is swollen but somewhat compressed, and of a 

 blood red colour, each ova-sac resembles a coiled-up rope one coil 

 over the other. The ends of both ova-sacs were partly unwound. 

 The parasite was attached to the gills of the pogge by a slender but 

 firm chitinous-like rod, the extremity of which was doubly barbed 

 The occurrence of Hcemobaphes on a living fish in the locality named 

 gives the parasite a better claim to be included in the Forth fauna. 

 -THOMAS SCOTT, Leith. 



The Food of Sagitta. Sagittte are sometimes very abundant 

 in our tow-net collections, and occasionally when time permits they 

 form a subject of special study. The food of the Sagitta has 

 engaged my attention for a considerable time ; but, so far, the 

 result has not been very encouraging. The living Sagitta is 

 transparent, or nearly so, and the outline of any organism it may 

 have swallowed, if not too small, can therefore be readily made out, 

 whilst dissection of the Sagitta, so as to set free the organism, renders 

 assurance doubly sure. I have ascertained in this way that Sagitta 

 lives on small larval and post-larval fishes, on Copepoda as Calanns 

 finmarchicus and on small Amphipoda. Quite recently I obtained 

 a Sagitta with a small specimen of Phoxus plumosns (Harpina plunwsa) 



