70 MISCELLANEA. 



on our Coast — In the spring of 1856 I obtained a fine speci- 

 men of Natica sordida from the deep water fishing boats. 

 It is not included in the Catalogue of Mollusca published 

 in our " Transactions ; " its occurrence, therefore, adds ano- 

 ther species to our local fauna; and as its previous localities 

 are all far removed from our own neighbourhood, viz., St. 

 George's Channel, Cape Clear, Arran, and Shetland, its oc- 

 currence here is of some interest. In all these localities, 

 however, i.t is, as with us, exclusively a deep-water shell, being 

 taken in from 60-90 fathoms water. At the same time, I may 

 also mention the occurrence of two fine specimens of Natica heli- 

 coides, from the trawling-boats at Embleton. During the past 

 three years, I have obtained from the deep-water fishing boats 

 fine series of several of our rarest species, and which are, indeed, 

 almost peculiar to our own coast, among which may be noticed: — 

 Fiisus Bermciensis, F. Turtoni, F. Norvegicus, Buccinum Dalei, Natica 

 pusilla, Panopcea Norvegica, and some unusually fine specimens of 

 Trophon Barvicensis, and Cj^enella nigra. But from the very 

 limited number of specimens obtained in that time from a very 

 large number of boats, I am inclined to think that they are all, 

 with the exception, perhaps, of Panopcea Norvegica, very sparingly 

 distributed even in their most favourite localities. With regard 

 to Panopaa Norvegica, the small number of specimens obtained is 

 no criterion of the number existing in our seas, as its habits render 

 it surprising that any examples should be procured by the means 

 employed, it being deeply imbedded in the sand or clay, in 

 comparatively deep water; and the great number of dead 

 valves occasionally found adhering to the byssus of Modiola 

 modiolus^ would seem to imply that it is more plentiful 

 than is generally supposed. Among the specimens of Buc- 

 cinum Dalei obtained, was one of considerable interest, pro- 

 cured by Mr. J. Wright for the Museum, which had adhering to 

 it a large number of ova capsules, one of which contained a young 

 shell. The capsules were not as in B. undatiim, adhering in 

 masses together, but were of an oval form, placed singly, and 

 attached to the surface of the shell by one of their sides, the 



