REVISED REPORT ON L.M.B.C. COPEPODA. 85 



all the soluble or very finely suspended particles are washed 

 away through the texture of the bag. The clean residue 

 is then placed in a large flat dish of water and stirred 

 round, when the fine floating organic portion, often very 

 rich in Foraminifera, Diatomacea, Ostracoda, Amphipoda, 

 and Copepoda can be strained off and placed in preserva- 

 tive fluid for examination. 



As a ready means of detecting and naming species 

 must be of value to the sea side naturalist, I have in 

 the plates (XV to XXXV) given small outline sketches 

 of the forms treated of in this Eeport together with 

 reference to special points of distinction so far as space 

 allowed. They are mostly taken direct from the animal 

 under the microscope, a few being taken in part from 

 the drawings of Claus, Brady, &c. In the cases of genera 

 including several s^Decies, the distinctive points only of 

 some are given. 



The importance to man of the distribution of Copepoda 

 in our lakes, seas and oceans is twofold — firstly from a 

 sanitary point of view, as purifying agents, and secondly 

 economically as affecting our food supply of fishes. Neither 

 can indeed be easily overrated, x^s the chief and ever active 

 scavengers of our seas, seizing upon impurities and decom- 

 posing matter which might else become a scourge too 

 terrible to contemplate, these minute crustaceans by 

 means of their internal laboratories, convert decay and 

 refuse into their own organizations which in turn become 

 the chief food of fishes. As might naturally be expected, 

 Copepoda are most plentiful near to land, thither probably 

 attracting shoals of fishes, in their turn the valuable food 

 of man. Our direct material indebtedness to Copepoda 

 can thus be easily traced. 



In this work as in other matters biological, I have con- 

 stantly availed myself of the always ready help of my 



