LIVERPOOL MARINE BIOLOGY COMMITTEE. 2l5 



then*. It has already shown itself to be of great value to 

 the Committee by enabling them to live for a few days or 

 weeks at a time in the centre of the richest Fauna of the 

 district, and by giving them facilities for undertaking work 

 which could not otherwise have been done. Moreover, the 

 keeper of the station is constantly employed in collecting 

 animals, and in dredging when possible ; and he has been 

 able to provide the Committee with a continuous series of 

 surface tow-nettings extending throughout the autumn and 

 winter, and taken in some cases during the night. These 

 are being- worked up by Mr. I. C. Thompson, F.L.S., and 

 have already yielded several points of interest ; for example, 

 the parasitic Copepod Trebius caudatus has only been taken in 

 the tow-net during the night, and appears to be then free- 

 swimming. Another interesting- parasitic Copepod, Licho- 

 molgus sabellse, new species, was first found last summer near 

 Puffin Island attached to the branchial plumes of the Annelid 

 SaheUa penicillus. 



Some parts of the L. M. B. C. district are particularly 

 good localities for Nudi branchiate Mollusca. Forty-two 

 species were recorded in the report published in 1886, and 

 since then members of the Committee have found several 

 additional species, including Fiona nohilis. The rocks at 

 Hilbre Island and Puffin Island are especially good collecting 

 ground, but the assemblage of Nudibranchs on the shore is 

 very different at different times of the year. There is no 

 doubt, from the observations of the Committee, that the Nudi- 

 branchs migrate in large numbers at certain times into the 

 littoral zone, and then after a time disappear again into the 

 deep water. They seem to come on shore primarily for 

 spawning purposes, but may be influenced by other circum- 

 stances also. 



In the other groups the chief results obtained are as fol- 

 lows : 



In the Protozoa, the Foraminifera alone have been fully 

 worked up. One hundred and sixty-two species have been 

 found, including three new to science, viz. Placopsilma 



* For a summary of the work done at the station during the first year, see 

 • Proc. Liverpool Biol. Soc.,' vol. ii, p. 38, 1888. 



