THE NAUTILUS. 17 



of water and resulted in the capture of a dozen living Scaphander 

 lignarius, L., the animal of which is much larger than the shell. 



The third haul was in 450 feet of water on mud bottom, which 

 seemed a more congenial home for mollusks. This time the net 

 came up quite full. Its contents were washed cleaner of mud by 

 running the steamer full speed ahead before lifting the net over the 

 rail. The more delicate fish and other animals were removed first, 

 then the mud was scooped up by hand after it had been deposited 

 on the deck. A quantity at a time was then placed in one of two 

 trays in a sifting box, sea water was poured over these, the upper 

 retaining the larger and the lower the smaller objects, the mud and 

 water passing out of an opening below. In this way the material 

 was quickly separated. The larger animals were put immediately 

 into jars of sea water, arranged in baskets on the deck, while the 

 smaller were placed in buckets to be examined and sorted later. 

 Among many small forms J noticed the following : 



Hyalaea tridentata Forsk. 



Aeolis sp. 



Fusus rostratiis Olivi. 



Nassa limata Chem. 



Pecten flexuosus Poli. 



Pecten pes-felis L. 



At 3 p. m. it was necessary to return, as the catch might have 

 been spoiled by the swell which grew stronger. Upon our arrival 

 in Naples the material was at once transferred to the zoological sta- 

 tion. The animals which are to be preserved are treated with 

 cocaine. In the case of the mollusca this leaves them extended 

 from the shell, as in life. A 75 per cent, solution of alcohol is 

 finally used for their preservation. The institution issues a priced 

 catalogue, and the specimens are sold and delivered to museums in 

 all parts of the world. 



At the time of this writing the zoological station is building a 

 much larger steamer for dredging, so that in the future the work 

 will not be restricted to the Bay of Naples, but will include Sicily 

 and the adjacent coasts. This boat will have a laboratory, library, 

 and cabins for sleeping on board, besides more powerful dredging 

 machinery for work in still deeper water. It is to be hoped that 

 the Mediterranean, with its rich cosmopolitan fauna, will soon be 

 better known from a biological point of view. 



