HYDROMEDUSAE 285 



days at the end of December the species was very abundant until the end of February. 

 "10 January 1902. As numerous as on previous occasions and in all stages of develop- 

 ment." " 22 February. Shoals of H. macloviatia, gonads ripe and ova discharged freely 

 in my collecting jars." "5 March. Decreasing in numbers, several observed with 

 gonads empty." " 10 March. Only a few." " 17 March. In shoals again." " 22 March. 

 Abundant." "26 March. Not very numerous." 



The collections show that young specimens were present at any time during the 

 whole period from the beginning of November 1901 to the end of March 1902; 

 there are not many adult fully developed specimens in the collection ; these were col- 

 lected in November, but as will be seen from Vallentin's notes, mature specimens were 

 also present from December to March. At Kerguelen Island this same species was 

 found by Vanhoffen (191 1, p. 208) on 29 December 1898. According to Vanhoffen 

 (1909, p. 284) adult specimens of the medusa were also seen at Kerguelen Island in 

 January 1902; the larvae of these medusae attached themselves on the bottom of the 

 ' Gauss ', where the hydroid was found with young medusae in the act of escaping on 

 19 March. At Campbell Island Th. Mortensen collected numerous large and middle- 

 sized specimens on 10 December 1914 (Kramp, 1928, p. 50). Though the collections 

 in these southern localities have all been made during the summer (November- 

 March), it is evident that this medusa has a very long breeding season and may be found 

 throughout the year. In the North Sea it occurs from April to June. 



Since the voyage of the ' Coquille ' there has been one species of the Anthomedusae 

 known to exist at the Falkland Islands, and it was described by Lesson (1830). The 

 descriptions of jelly-fishes given by early writers are usually somewhat vague, and 

 this is no exception to the rule. The characters given are generic rather than specific, 

 and the figures lack the necessary details. The figures by Lesson show very well the 

 general appearance of the medusa, and they do not disagree with the general appearance of 

 Mr Vallentin's specimens. The medusa was again taken by the ' Challenger ' Expedition 

 which visited the Falklands in 1876 (23 January to 6 February). These specimens were 

 described and figured by Haeckel (1879). His description is based upon intermediate 

 stages, and the drawing shows that the stomach and its peduncle were badly contracted, 

 which is unfortunate, for his fine figure gives quite a wrong impression of this beautiful 

 medusa. The umbrella, according to the description, is twice as high as broad, and 

 cylindrical in shape. There are similar specimens in the present collections, but their 

 condition shows that the umbrella is laterally compressed, no doubt owing to preserva- 

 tion. Miss Pratt (1898) records the occurrence of this same species in Stanley Harbour 

 in 1896 (no description given, but name only). 



The most adequate recent description of Boiigainvillia macloviana is that given by 

 Kiinne (1933). Though it is based on specimens from the North Sea, it agrees in all 

 essentials with the description of those from the Falklands given by Browne in 1902 and, 

 with a few additions, repeated above. A fine coloured drawing of a specimen from 

 Kerguelen Island is given by Vanhoffen (i9i2rt), and additional remarks on the 

 morphology are published by Vanhoffen and by Kramp (1928). Vanhoffen (1912Z)) also 



