VI. 



The objects of tlie Committee and of the workers at the 

 Biological Station have hitherto been chiefly faunistic and 

 speciographic. The work must necessarily be so at first 

 when opening up a new district. Some of the workers 

 have published papers on morphological points, or on 

 embryology and observations on life-histories and habits ; 

 but the majority of the papers in the volumes on the 

 " Fauna and Flora of Liverpool Bay ' have been, as was 

 intended from the first, occupied with the names and 

 characteristics and distribution of the many different kinds 

 of marine plants and animals in our district. And this 

 faunistic work will still go on. It is far from finished, 

 and the Committee hope in the future to add greatly to 

 the records of the Fauna and Flora. But the papers in 

 the present series are quite distinct from these previous 

 publications in name, in treatment, and in purpose. They 

 are called the " L.M.B.C. Memoirs,' each treats of 

 one type, and they are issued separately as they are 

 ready, and will be obtainable Memoir by Memoir as they 

 appear, or later bound up in convenient volumes. It is 

 hoped that such a series of special studies, written by 

 those who are thoroughly familiar with the forms of which 

 they treat, will be found of value by students of Biology 

 in laboratories and in Marine Stations, and will be 

 welcomed by many others working privately at Marine 

 Natural History. 



The forms selected are, as far as possible, common 

 L.M.B.C. (Irish Sea) animals and plants of which no 

 adequate account already exists in the text-books. 

 Probably most of the specialists who have taken part in 

 the L.M.B.C. work in the past will prepare accounts of one 

 or more representatives of their groups. The following 

 have already promised their services, and iii many cases 

 the Memoir is already far advanced. The first Memoir 



