116 THE DIEECTOE's EEPOET. 



bad weather or scarcity of net-fisli these have brought no pilchard 

 and squid into the market^ the hook-and-line men are unable to go 

 out, though the sea may be full of hook-fish. This often is the case, 

 and if by any means a bait could be devised which would make the 

 hook-and-line fishermen independent of supplies from present sources 

 they would be very greatly benefited. 



On the 9th of April the Laboratory fisherman when dredging 

 south of the Mewstone brought up an adult specimen of Amphioxus 

 lanceolatus, and on the following day I went out with him and 

 obtained another specimen. Since then a few more have been pro- 

 cured. As I mentioned in my last report I took four larval 

 Amphioxus in the tow-net last autumn in nearly the same locality, 

 and there can be no doubt that Amphioxus exists in considerable 

 numbers in this spot, but it is very difficult to catch them. They 

 are found in a bottom of muddy gravel at a depth of sixteen fathoms. 

 Such a depth can only be explored by the dredge, and this does 

 not dig deep enough into the sand to ensure the capture of more 

 than a few chance specimens. The rapidity with which Amphioxus 

 burrows is surprising ; one of the specimens caught in April was 

 kept for some time alive in the Laboratory, and it was astouishiug 

 to see the speed witk which it thrust itself to the bottom of the 

 shingle placed in the vessel which contained it. 



Towards the end of April the commencement of the Universities' 

 Summer Term took away most of the gentlemen who had come 

 down to work in the Laboratory. During April and May the dredge 

 brought up a large number of Nudibranch Mollusca, and these, 

 together with other specimens procured at different times, have been 

 studied by Mr. Garstang. No less than nineteen of these are new 

 to the Plymouth district, among them the exceedingly rare species 

 Idalia aspersa and Lomanotus marmoratus. Mr. Grarstang's paper 

 in this number gives an account of the Nudibrancbs collected by 

 the Association. 



The pelagic Copepoda collected by the surface-net during the 

 past year have occupied my attention, and I am able to add a 

 species new to Great Britain, viz. Oncsea Mediterranea. I have also 

 obtained a few specimens of the beautiful Annelid larva Mitraria, 

 which, as far as I know, is also new to Great Britain. 



In the last number of the Journal I described a Tornaria larva 

 which was obtained in the neighbourhood last autumn. I am now 

 able to include the adult Balanoglossus among the Plymouth Fauna. 

 On July 31st a single specimen was obtained in the dredge about 

 two hundred yards inside the east end of the breakwater. Mr. 

 Bateson believes that it is a male specimen of B. salmoneus, but as it 

 has lost its proboscis and is otherwise mutilated, it is diflScult to 



