ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 721 



astaci) abundant parasitic nutrition may bring on the female condition 

 before the male function has been fulfilled. 



Association of Barnacles with Snakes and Worms.* — A. Willey 

 describes and figures a curious specimen of the sea-snake Hydrus phiturus, 

 which bore on the end of its tail a thick bunch of Lepas anserifera and 

 Conchoderma hunter i. The specimen was brought alive to the Colombo 

 Museum on July 23, 1909. The barnacles are simply epizoic, and so 

 far as the snake is concerned an incubus which cannot be shaken off. 

 Willey recalls Alcock's description of the Hydroid Stylactis minoi growing 

 on a small rock-perch, Minous inermis, and he also notes that the barnacle 

 Lepas anserifera is frequently accompanied by two Annelids, Amphinome 

 rostrata and Hipponoe yaudichaudi, belonging to the family Amphi- 

 nomidffi. The second species is the rarer. It sometimes penetrates 

 within the valves of the barnacle. 



Annulata. 



Marine Annelids of Dublin Bay.f — R. Southern gives a list of 

 115 species : — 2 Archiannelida, 91 Polychseta, 11 Oligochasta, 1 Leech, 

 and 1 Gephyrea. Of the following, 6 are new to the fauna of the 

 British Isles : — Protodrilus flavocapitatus (Uljanin), Grubea pusilla 

 (Dujardin), Autolytus megodon de St. Joseph, A. edwardsi de St. Joseph, 

 Spio martinensis Mesnil, Prionospio steenstrupi Malmgren. Altogether 

 37 species are added to the Irish fauna. 



Precocious Maturity of Larval Spionid.J — C. Viguier describes 

 from the plankton of the Bay of Algiers some specimens of a larval 

 Spionid, 1*6-1 "8 mm. in length, which were remarkable in showing 

 sexual maturity. Both males and females occurred. They are apparently 

 the larvae of a sedentary form, which have become pasdogenetic and 

 pelagic. 



Spawning of Hydroides dianthus .§ — C. W. Hargitt records a very 

 interesting case of spawning which he observed in a colony of Hydroides 

 dianthus, newly transferred to an aquarium. About two hours after the 

 transference a single individual suddenly discharged a jet of whitish 

 matter, like milk. Almost immediately a second did the same, and in a 

 few minutes dozens were actively engaged in discharging sperms and 

 eggs, and the whole water was milky- white. The operation ceased 

 suddenly at the end of 40 minutes, and the eggs, which were distinguish- 

 able from the first, settled rapidly downwards, but the spermatozoa floated 

 for at least an hour. Males and females were about equal in numbers, 

 and the phenomenon was apparently normal, though it had not been 

 before observed in any of the colonies of the same species which had 

 been kept for years in an aquarium. The author compares this case 

 with the well-known spawning of the palolo worm, and suggests that 

 both may be varying expressions of a spawning habit more or less common 

 in Annelids, and not unknown in other Invertebrates. 



* Spolia Zeylanica, vi. (1910) pp. 180-1 (pi.). 



t Proc. R. Irish Acad., xxviii. (1910) pp. 215-46. 



% Comptes Rendus, cli. (1910) pp. 104-6. 



§ Amsr. Nat., xliv. (1910) pp. 376-8. 



