I909- COLGAN. — Dublin Marine Biology. 175 



species of P'ucus, which often bore numerous irregular spawn 

 coils, sometimes forming a rude figure of eight. The hue of 

 this Doris was very variable, ranging from mouse colour 

 through pale lavender and tawny yellow to deep brown, those 

 of the last-named colour being extremely hard to distinguish 

 from the Fucus frond. 



July 20th. — A second and more successful day's dredging 

 was done on this date. The first scrape in 12 fathoms east of 

 Church Island, brought up, along with Cylichna 2ivtbilicata 

 (3 specs.), and Rissoa vitrea (i spec), a single Eolis picta 

 alive and in good condition, and in all points agreeing with 

 Alder and Hancock's figure. I am aware of only three 

 previous Irish records for this species, the earliest being for 

 Malahide, where it was discovered by Alder and Farran in 

 1843, and as all of these records appear to be for shallow 

 water or even littoral stations, the Skerries record for 12 

 fathoms has all the greater interest. A second haul in 8 

 fathoms south of Church Island gave another addition to the 

 Nudibrauch fauna of the Dublin coast in a single specimen of 

 Doto fragilis, and a third in about 2 fathoms in the channel 

 between Colt and Church Islands gave one good specimen of 

 SphcnotrocJuis Wrightii, the diminutive coral previously known 

 as a Dublin species only from the southern parts of Dublin 

 Bay. 



Jur.Y 23rd. — The last Skerries dredging for the j^ear was 

 made on this day, and although no new species was added to 

 the Dublin molluscan fauna some interesting results were 

 obtained. In 6 fathoms off Colt Island 8 fine specimens of 

 Eolis Dj-ummondi were taken, the largest i^-inch long, and 

 with one of its longest papillae distinctl}^ branched, a mons- 

 trosit}' quite rare in the Nudibranchs. This is an extremely 

 lively species, the long and almost serpentine tentacles and 

 papillae being in perpetual motion. One of the individuals, 

 kept alive in a dish of sea-water, was found to have deposited 

 its spawn on the 25th. The ribbon, or rather thread, which 

 was found floating on the water-surface in a regular succes- 

 sion of loops forming a rude Greek key-pattern, was not quite 

 one millimetre in breadth. It was tenacious and highly elastic, 

 and when stretched into a straight line measured full)" seven 

 inches. 



