I897-] Chaste;r. — Dredgi7ig off Ballycastle, Co A7itri7n. 121 



very ** dead " that a change of scene was decided upon for our 

 next attempt. Rounding Rue Point of the island we had two 

 hauls from good "live" ground in 15 and 17 fathoms of water. 

 Wishing to try the sandy bottom of Church Bay we went 

 thither and brought up from 8 and 1 1 fathoms a quantity so 

 large that, after passing it through our sieves, all the finer 

 portion except two bags-full was reluctantly thrown back. 

 Our boatman now warned us that we must quickly return to 

 the mainland if- we were to avoid the dreaded tide-race. On 

 reaching Ballycastle Bay we tried the bottom in 26\ fathoms, 

 but, finding it to consist of clean-washed, fine gravel and dead 

 shells, a sample only was retained. After another unsuccessful 

 haul we landed, agreeing that we had by that time acquired a 

 sufficiency of shells and dredged material to search through 

 at home, as well as of dampness, weariness, and hunger. 



The dredgings were, perhaps, not such as would attract the 

 attention of the uninitiated. An array of bags filled with fine 

 material, two or three small boxes containing dead shells 

 and a few, mostly inconspicuous, living forms were all 

 we had to show. As, however, amongst the latter were 

 Propilidium ancyloides, Forbes, and, as the ground was 

 evidently good, confident hopes were held as to the ulti- 

 mate results. The marine mollusca being given into my 

 charge, I brought home the half hundredweight of finer 

 material and examined it with a constantly increasing interest 

 as its richness became manifest. Our single day's dredging 

 has resulted in the addition to the British fauna of three 

 species, Leda picsilla, Jeff., Homalogyra poly zona, Brus., and 

 Adeorbis 2cnisulcafus, Chaster, the last being new to science. 

 Of course all are of minute size, our shallow waters having 

 been too carefully searched for us to expect novelties except 

 of diminutive dimensions. I would here urge the importance 

 of the study of the marine mollusca. Conchologists some- 

 times confine their attentions to the land and freshwater 

 species, and neglect the forms inhabiting the sea, though the 

 latter offer an incomparably richer field for investigation, 

 whether from a malacological or conchological point of view. 

 The relative importance of the one to the other may be 

 roughly inferred from the fact, that Woodward in the 

 systematic part of his '* Manual " devotes about ten times as 



