1904. 27 



NOTES. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Astrorhiza on the Antrim Coast. 



A remarkably large specimen of this genus of the Foraminifera was 

 dredged, with other material, in 45 fathoms oft" Rathlin Island in 1896, 

 but was unfortunately lost among debris in the bottom of the boat as 

 we were examining it. It was overlooked by inadvertance in Mr. 

 Wright's list in this Journal, September 1902. The family Astrorhizidce 

 has only been discovered in recent years, as its members are mainly 

 deep water forms. They are all arenaceous, the typical form having a 

 test composed of fine sand and mud. 



R. Wei^CH. 



Belfast. 



Velella spiralis on the Cork coast. 



On Saturday, October loth, a very heavy southerly gale blew with 

 great force during the latter part of the day and following night. The 

 exact locality noticed was west of Cork Harbour, at Myrtleville. The 

 following morning the receding tide left stranded on the rocky shore 

 large numbers of Velella spiralis of the usual oval shape, and 

 possessing an oblique cartilaginous crest. The fragile little creatures 

 were broken against the stones, or in some cases deposited high and dry 

 on the grass of the more sloping cliffs. Some few were mere skeletons, 

 but others seemed hardly lifeless. The deep rich blue of their tissue 

 showed up clearly among the stones, and I gathered a large number in 

 a short time. 



Will any of our biologist friends say if such an invasion is an unusual 

 occurrence to be placed to the credit of the furious gale, or whether 

 these delicate jelly fish are to be seen off our shores at this time of the 

 year ? 



Harriett A. Martin, 



Cork, High School. 



[Probably this interesting little pelagic siphonophore only occurs on 

 our coasts after a gale from the Atlantic. — Eds.] 



Spinther miniaceus in Irish Waters. 



I have to record the occurrence of Sphtther 'miniaceus, Grube, in two 

 localities in the neighbourhood of Belfast. It was got by dredging 

 parties of the Ulster Fisheries and Biology Association off Whitehead in 

 water 7-10 fathoms deep, and again in water 30 fathoms deep, just 



