78 PEOCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



island, that fodder is never given in winter to the cattle placed on it, a 

 perennial vegetation amply supplying their wants. I have endeavoured 

 to give an account of this interesting occurrence as briefly as possible. 



I should mention that the following morning, on examining the spe- 

 cimens I had placed in the bucket, I found them all dead, some of them 

 being separated from their shells, and floating. My time was so pressing 

 that I could make no anatomical examination of the others I obtained. 

 Some of these I hurriedly put into spirits, but found to my regret, on 

 my return to town, that they were in a state of decomposition. How- 

 ever, I trust at the beginning of our next session to lay, in accordance 

 with Mr. Clark's wishes, a full detail of their structure before the 

 Society, and conclude by stating, that the measurement given by the 

 best authorities of those shells, is generally from three-fourths to an 

 inch in length, while those I have the pleasure of exhibiting to the 

 Society are from two to two and a half, and, when recent, three inches 

 in length. 



The paper was illustrated by a coloured tracing of the position and 

 bearings of Birterbie Bay, Connemara, and with numerous beautiful 

 specimens of large size of Altera lullata. 



An animated discussion took place on Dr. Farran's paper, in the 

 course of which Dr. Farran stated that he had been unable to detect 

 any trace of a gizzard in his specimens. 



Mr. E. Percival Wright stated that if Ahera lullata had not a gizzard, 

 it could not be included among the Bullidae ; for he agreed with Mr. 

 Clark, that the presence of this organ was an essential character of the 

 family. 



In specimens examined by him, taken near Donabate and at the 

 mouth of the Boyne, a gizzard was always found, and he had little doubt 

 but that future investigation would also detect it in the Eoundstone ones. 

 Mr. Wright promised to ta*ke an early opportunity of presenting the So- 

 ciety with a detailed account of the anatomy of this species. 



Dr. W. Frazer, who had dissected the animal under discussion, 

 could fully corroborate Mr. Wright's statement as to the presence of a 

 gizzard in the Malahide specimens. The species there occurred on 

 Zostera marina, yet he could not find any traces of the ravages of the 

 animal on the growing plants ; it was a point of great interest as to 

 whether these animals were zoophagous or phytophagous. 



Mr. Andrews observed that the magnificent specimens exhibited this 

 evening by Dr. Farran were still further proofs of what was yet to be 

 accomplished on the west coast of this country, and were worthy addi- 

 tions to the valuable records he had already made in the Society, of 

 Gastrochcena pholadia, Pholas papyracea, Pectunculus glycimeris, Bulla 

 hydatis, Teredo norvagica, and Portunus marmoreus. A range of valuable 

 ground yet remained unexplored along the west coast from Blacksod 

 Bay to Kenmare River, especially in the deep-water soundings. Altera 

 bullata was very generally distributed around the coasts, and was the 

 favourite food offish, especially of the turbot. Many species of molluscs, 



