MARINE BIOLOGICAL STATION ON PUFFIN ISLAND. 19 



summer, however, when dredging in the straits between 

 Puffin and Beaumaris, we brought up one very young 

 specimen oi Dendronotus, which, if it had any connection 

 ^\'ith the specimens from Hilbre, was only one of their 

 descendants, and now we have found another Dendronotus 

 of much larger size, but still not quite full grown, close to 

 Puffin Island. These are, perhaps, too slender grounds 

 for drawing any definite conclusion from, but it is at least 

 quite possible that these specimens may be descended 

 from those set free in September, 1888, and if so, the 

 species is probably now established in the neighbourhood 

 of Puffin Island, and may be expected to turn up frequently 

 in our future operations. 



We collected altogether on this occasion 13 species of 

 Nudibranchs, including the rare Eolis landshurgi; also a 

 very remarkable sponge belonging to the genus Suherites, 

 and another sponge of a dark orange colour — one of the 

 Desmacidonidae — which was found by Dr. Hanitsch in one 

 of the caves. This w^ill probably turn out to be a very 

 rare and interesting sponge as it is in symbiosis with a 

 Zoophyte. The hydrorhiza of the Zoophyte permeates the 

 sponge in all directions and replaces to a certain extent 

 the missing spongin fibres. The spicules of the sponge 

 are found echinating the hydrorhiza of the Zoophyte. 

 The only other notable sponges obtained from Puffin 

 during the year were an undetermined species of Des- 

 macidon from the caves, and a Chalinopsis found washed 

 up, by the keeper, in February. 



The first Puffin was seen by the keeper on the island 

 on April 9th, Dr. Hanitsch saw 2 or 3 on April 10th, and 

 we all saw several pairs on April 12th. 



At the end of June and beginning of July Mr. W. 

 Thornely and Mr. F. Y. Milward from Cambridge were at 

 the station collecting Zoophytes and Polyzoa. Of the 



