THE FAUNA OF THE SALCO.MBE ESTUARV. 197 



TflELEPUS SETOSUS {Quatrefciges). Specimens found in dredge material 

 obtained between the Salstone and Snape's Point, and also from 

 Salcombe Harbour. 



PoLYMNiA NEBULOSA {Montagu) was dredged in the channel west of 

 the Salstone. 



POLYCIREUS CALIENDRDM, Clapm^kJe. Obtained from dredge material 

 between Salstone and Snape's Point. 



PoLYCiRRUS AURANTiACUS, Gnibe. Obtained from dredge material 

 between Salstone and Snape's Point, 



Melinna adriatica, von MarenzeUcr. (Adriat. Annel. I. Sitzb. d. Ic. 

 Akad. Wiss. zu Wien. Ixix. p. 472.) In the very finest mud, which 

 forms large banks in the upper parts of the Salcombe estuary, a species 

 of Melinna occurs in extraordinary abundance, the whole surface of the 

 mud being studded with the tubes of the worm. In other parts of 

 the estuary, even in the parts of the harbour nearest the sea, the same 

 species is found in the mud and sand banks, though the number of 

 specimens met with in any one spot is here not large. The centre 

 of distribution lies undoubtedly in the mud-flats already mentioned, 

 and the specimens found in other parts must be regarded as immigrants. 



The examination of a considerable number of specimens of the 

 species found at Salcombe leads me to conclude that it is the Melinna 

 adriatica of von Marenzeller, although in some respects there are slight 

 differences from the description given by that author. The most 

 important of these are the number of segments in relation to the 

 body length, and the structure of the membranous comb on the dorsal 

 side of the fourth segment. Von Marenzeller gives the length of his 

 specimens at 15-30 mm., and the total number of segments 78-90. 

 The largest of the Salcombe specimens was 60 mm. long, but a portion 

 of the tail was missing. Other Salcombe specimens gave : — Length 

 40 mm., segments 70; length 40 mm., segments 72; length 39 mm., 

 segments 85 ; length 35 mm., segments 70 ; length 33 mm., segments 

 81 ; length 32 mm., segments 85 ; length 29 mm., segments 81 ; length 

 28 mm., segments 73. This character is clearly too variable for any 

 weight to be attached to it. 



The membranous comb of M. adriatica is described by von Maren- 

 zeller as having 4-8 completely rounded denticulations on its anterior 

 border, differing in this respect from that of M. cristata, which Sars 

 describes as having 12-16 very small triangular points or lobes. In 

 the Salcombe specimens this character is subject to very considerable 

 variations. In a few specimens there were 6-8 rounded denticulations ; 

 in one specimen I counted 8 rounded denticulations, but each of these 

 had a very slight notch in the centre, so that it was approaching 

 the condition of 16 denticulations. In the majority of specimens the 



