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Three years elapsed l)etween the publication of the first 

 (1886) and of the second (1889) volumes of L.M.B.C. 

 Eeports, and now after a further interval of three years 

 this third volume is issued. As in the case of vol. II, all 

 the papers in the present volume have been read before 

 the Liverpool Biological Society ; and the L.M.B.C. have 

 to thank the Council of that Society for the necessary 

 permission to print off extra sheets of those papers in the 

 " Transactions " which deal with the Fauna and Flora of 

 Liverpool Bay. The duplication in the numbering of 

 pages and plates, due to the fact that the reprints have 

 been taken from separate volumes of Transactions, need 

 not cause any difficulty or confusion if authors having 

 occasion to quote from the work will kindly give the title 

 of the article as well as of the volume : e.g., the new sponge 

 described by Dr. Hanitsch as Leucaltis impressa may be 

 referred to under "Fauna of Liverpool Bay, vol. Ill, 

 Third Keport on Porifera, p. 234." 



The L.M.B.C. desire once more to place on record their 

 grateful appreciation of the assistance and encouragement 

 which they have received from various friends in Liver- 

 pool and the neighbourhood. The Liverpool Salvage 

 Association have been especially helpful in placing at the 

 service of the Committee their useful steamer the 

 '* Hyaena," thus facilitating the exploration of the more 

 distant parts of the district. 



The most notable event in the L.M.B.C. work of the 

 last three years is the transfer of the Marine Biological 

 Station from Puffin Island to the Isle of Man. The Puffin 

 Island Station has been of great service to the Committee 



