58 The Scottish Naturalist. 



In January 1880, after continued south-west winds, some 

 specimens of this Phronima and its accompanying Bcroe were 

 brought to Mr William Robertson, at Hillswick, in Northmaven 

 parish, Shetland. They had been picked up at the head of 

 Urrafirth, one of the voes that run inland from the magnificent 

 bay of St Magnus, on the north-west of the Mainland. They 

 were alive, and Mr Robertson put two of them, or rather four 

 animals — i.e., two crustaceans and two medusae, in pairs, into a 

 vessel with salt-water. The fishermen were altogether unac- 

 quainted with these creatures, but Mr Robertson, having Adam 

 White's popular work by him, was able to identify them. As soon 

 as they were put into the water, Mr Robertson says they revived 

 and seemed to enjoy themselves by swimming, or rather by pro- 

 pelling themselves around the sides of the vessel, at times, how- 

 ever, settling down to the bottom, and again coming to the 

 surface. In the mornings they were found lying at the bottom ; 

 but when water fresh from the sea was added, they rose from it 

 and spurted about. All this was done while the Phronima was 

 embosomed in its Beroe. Even when otherwise at rest on the 

 bottom, the crustacean's tail seemed constantly in motion, caus- 

 ing a current to pass through the Beroe, and around the bottom 

 of the vessel. A week after they were got, one of them became 

 quieter, and the crustacean came out of the Be?ve at times. 

 Then a few dark specks, covered with a thin film, appeared on 

 the inside of the Beroe. A few days after this, the specks dis- 

 appeared ; but one morning, on removing the water, a lot of 

 small objects were seen floating on it. Next morning the same 

 thing was observed. On the third morning, these objects showed 

 themselves, on a more close inspection, to be the young of 

 Phronima. These young crustaceans kept to the surface of the 

 water, but if it was stirred, they then sank to the bottom, lay on 

 their backs, and kept constantly working with their tails. The 

 adults lay the same way when they were out of the Beroes. Mr 

 Robertson concludes his notice of the habits of these little-known 

 animals : "I now began to renew the water twice a-day, as the 

 old ones seemed to be getting less active, but the young throve 

 rapidly. At length one of the old ones died, and four days 

 thereafter the other. Then some of the young began to drop 

 off, so I thought it was of no use working longer with them. I 

 took them out and preserved them in spirits of wine." Much 

 about the same time, Mr Robertson was informed that a number 

 of the same animals had been thrown ashore in Ronas Voe, — the 



