50 The Ottawa Naturalist. [May 



jaws and teeth possessed by Echinus : but Dr. Scott tells a dif- 

 erent story. It is to be regretted that he did not at the same time 

 study the food of the star-fish. We should have then learned if 

 these two Echinoderms are identical or differ in their food. Pro- 

 fessor Prince and Dr. MacKay furnish a most interesting, though 

 too brief, paper on an anatomical subject of very great importance. 

 They studied the remarkable breast-fins of the mackerel shark 

 {La7n?ia). The fins of fishes are not less interesting than the 

 wings of birds, perhaps more so, and the three plates illustrating 

 paper No. VI. are commendable for clearness and accuracy. It 

 is to be hoped that the two authors will continue their joint-papers 

 on a subject of such uncommon scientific interest. The last paper, 

 on the Sardine Fishery, by Mr. Bensley, is attractive and valuable 

 so far as it goes. It appears unquestionable that these sardines 

 of commerce, caught by Canadian fishermen but practically all 

 canned in Eastport, are not sardines at all, being simply immature 

 herring 5 in. to 9 in. in length Thousands of hogsheads are 

 caught every summer, and it is a grave question what effect this 

 is likely to have upon the Bay of Fundy herring supply in the 

 future. Mr. Bensley's paper is invaluable on that account. 



Professor Prince and his brilliant and learned colleague^ are 

 to be congratulated on this first publication from the Marine Bio- 

 logical Station. It is a valuable and most creditable report ; but 

 it is permissible to hope that some place in future reports will be 

 given to faunistic work, and that Canadian zoology will gain by 

 additions to its marine animals and fishes at each location selected 

 for biological study as the station moves northward along the 

 Atlantic shores. 



Zoologists have, of course, learned with interest ot some of 

 the interesting forms, vertebrate and invertebrate, which have 

 already been secured by the staff of the Station. Thus, the blue 

 or sand shark {Carcharias littoralis, Mitchell) which Dr. Jordan 

 separates from Carcharias glaucus^ was brought to the Station last 

 summer, and this record extends the range of the species 400 or 

 500 miles further north than was specified by the United States' 

 authority mentioned. Sharks are, however, of essentially wander- 

 ing habits, and other records of southern species of fishes taken 

 by the staff of the Station at Canso are more surprising. Thus 



