FAUNISTIC NOTES. 173 



"The year 1893 was one of exceptional interest to the marine zoologist. 

 During the first two months Plymouth experienced a continuous succession of 

 heavy gales, l)ut towards the middle of March the winds became lighter, and the 

 sea, which had been running remarkably high outside the breakwater, subsided. 

 From that time onwards till the middle of September we enjoyed six months 

 of the most delightful weather — a period, with scarcely a break, of calm seas 

 and almost cloudless skies. Under the influence of the great heat the 

 temperature of the Channel waters rose continuously, untU, in August, it had 

 attained a point unprecedented for a quarter of a century ; and it was of the 

 highest interest to observe the effect of this high temperature, and of the 

 prolonged calmness of the sea, upon the floating population of the neighbouring 

 portion of the Channel. Numbers of semi-oceanic forms which rarely reach 

 our shores arrived in remarkable profusion. In June the tow-nets were crowded 

 with salps, while towards the latter end of August they were almost choked by 

 masses of living Eadiolaria." (p. 210.) 



On looking up my notes for 1893, I find that the fine weather first 

 broke up on September 6th, with a south-westerly wind with squalls 

 of rain. The sea remained rough until the 11th, then followed a 

 period of fairly calm seas until September 28th, when bad weather 

 again set in till the end of the month. During the latter half of 

 September westerly winds usually prevailed ; rain fell nearly every day, 

 and on two occasions showers of hail. 



REFERENCES 



Bles, E. J. (1892). — "Notes on the Plankton observed at Plymouth during June, 



July, August, and September, 1892." Jour. Mar. Biol. Assoc. New Series, vol. ii. 



pp. 340-343. 

 Bourne, G. C. (1889).— "On a Toruaria found in British Seas." Jour. Mar. Biol. 



Assoc, vol. i. pp. 63-68. PI. vii. viii. 

 Cunningham, J. T. (1892).—" On a species of a Siphonophore observed at Plymouth." 



Jour. Mar. Biol. Assoc, vol. ii. i^p. 212-215, and p. 398. 

 Garstang, W. (1894).— "Faunistic Notes at Plymouth during 1893-4." Jour. Mar. 



Biol. Assoc, vol. iii. pp. 210-235. 

 Garstang, W. (1894). — "On some Bipinnarias from the English Channel." Quart. 



Jour. Micro. Sc. vol. xxxv. pp. 451-459. PI. 28. 

 Vallentin, R. (1891). — "Additions to the Fauna of Falmouth." Rep. Roy. Cornivall 



Polyiech. Soc. 



Edward T. Browne. 



Notes on the Pelagic Fauna at Plymouth. August-December, 

 1895. — The following notes are by no means exhaustive, or even 

 complete, and merely indicate the more important features of the varied 

 characters of marine life during the period covered by them. In their 

 compilation I have followed the system of a monthly calendar adojited 

 by Garstang (8). If these notes are compared with thoS(,' of other 



