140 DTTBLIN NATURAL HISTORY SOClETr. 



tions. In the year 1844 I dredged Birterbie Bay, and had the good fortune to 

 discover Gastrochaena pholadia. Shortly after my return to Dublin, I submitted 

 the specimen to the examination of Professor Edward Forbes. That distin- 

 guished zoologist informed me that he had never seen it before, unless in a fossil 

 state in one of the tertiary strata on the northern shores of the Mediterranean. 

 Subsequently, in December, 1844, I read my paper on the shells of that Bay be- 

 fore the Society, and particularly alluded to finding Gastrochaena, which 1 ex- 

 hibited to the Society. In September, 1845, I met Mr. Barlee in Bantry, and 

 gave him the bearings of the bank in Birterbie Bay, where he would find the 

 shell. Guided by my directions he did get it. You may judge of my surprise 

 on finding in the new work on the British Mollusca, edited by Professor Edward 

 Forbes and Mr. Hanley, that the discovery of this interesting mollusc has been 

 divided between Mr. Barlee and myself, whereas I claim the undivided credit of 

 having brought this interesting mollusc to light. 1 attach no blame to Professor 

 Forbes, who, I consider, would be totally incapable of committing intentional in- 

 justice ; the Professor has such a multiplicity of occupations, that it is natural 

 to suppose that some mistakes may occur in his works. Neither do I censure 

 Mr. Barlee ; but I mention the fact to show the absolute necessity of publishing 

 in a permanent manner the Proceedings of the Society. I now approach the dis- 

 covery of Thalassema Neptuni, or Gaertner's spoon-worm. This very singular 

 animal has hitherto evaded the observation of any naturalist in Ireland, at least 

 any living one. Mr. Thompson, the best authority on such subjects, and whose 

 experience is great, says in a letter to me that he never saw the animal in a liv- 

 ing state; and it appears to be nearly as rare in England. Mr. Forbes, in con- 

 junction with Mr. Goodsir, saw but one alive, and the description given in Mr. 

 Forbes's excellent work on the Radiata of Great Britain is a copy taken from 

 that given by the celebrated naturalist and zoologist of Devon, Colonel Mon- 

 tagu ; and it is to that great naturalist the credit is due for first determining 

 the true relations of the Thalassemacae ; for, speaking of this worm, he ob- 

 serves : — " I think it might with propriety immediately precede Holothuria." 

 Other celebrated authorities associate the spoon- worm with the Annelida, but, 

 from the conjoined labours of Mr. Forbes and Mr. Goodsir, it is now conceded 

 that structurally they are Radiata, and their relation with the worms to be a re- 

 lation of analogy. In Mr. Forbes's book it is stated that hitherto this animal 

 has only. been found on the coasts of Devon and Cornwall. Gaertner and Mon- 

 tagu describe it as living among the rocks. From my observation, those emi- 

 nent men would have been nearer the truth had they stated that they lived in 

 the rocks, for such truly is the case ; they are stone-borers, of which no doubt 

 can be entertained from the following statement: — In searching for Gastro- 

 chaena I broke a limestone boulder recently thrown on the beach, to which was 

 attached a plant of Laminaria. In this stone I found a specimen of that Mol- 

 lusc, and immediately adjoining I perceived, in a diff^erently-formed cavity, a 

 purplish-coloured animal with an appendage of a bright saffron colour. Struck 

 with its singular appearance, I endeavoured to take it out of the hole, but found 

 that without destroying the animal this could not be done; I accordingly struck 

 the stone on what I considered to be the line of cleavage, and on examining the 

 result found, to my delight, eight or nine of the same animals placed in cavities 

 which they accurately fitted, and out of which I gently shook them. In this po- 

 sition they were all nearly alike as to size. Putting them into my box, I has- 

 tened home, and at once placed them in a finger-glass of salt-water. Here a 

 metamorphosis, as unexpected as singular, took place, which baffles all descrip- 

 tion. Some of them assumed the shape of a balloon, others of an hour-glass ; 

 some elongated themselves, so as to exactly resemble the iron spoon used in the 

 kitchen ; some, having projected their tube, or what appeared to be such, ex- 

 panded it so as to resemble a disk, from which the tube appeared to arise again, 

 and produce the same appearance further on ; the edges of the tube and that 

 of the disk all this time were fringed and kept in constant motion, like vibratile 

 ciiise; some assumed the shape of a small sausage; in fact, they were ever va- 



