NOTES AND MEMORANDA. 77 



were treated with care, the density being allowed to increase very 

 gradually. For some days it was found that whenever the hydro- 

 meter registered 15°, the fish showed signs of distress. On the fresh 

 water tap being alone allowed to run the majority revived, but four 

 died even with this amount of salinity. The snow storm of March 

 10th occurred at this juncture, and for four days our fresh-water 

 supply was entirely cut off. I aerated the water and only intro- 

 duced small jets of salt water at intervals, but the mortality became 

 seriously high, and the renewal of the water-supply left me with 

 only three fish, all trout. The trout have all along proved more 

 hardy than the grayling. 



The fish commenced to feed first of all on small earthworms, but 

 by soaking marine worms in fresh water previous to feeding, I have 

 managed gradually to accustom them to a sea-animal diet. 



The remaining trout were successfully kept alive while the water 

 was increased in density. They are now in ordinary sea water of 

 26° sp. gr., and still they appear to be perfectly healthy, and are 

 feeding well. The gradual transition from fresh water into salt has 

 occupied just fifteen days. If they continue to thrive it will be 

 instructive to observe their development, although we can scarcely 

 hope that they will propagate their species. — Director. 



3. Eels and Sticklebacks in Sea Water. — Three eels and quite a 

 number of sticklebacks, caught in the brackish water at the mouth 

 of the Cattewater, are now thriving perfectly amongst the marine 

 animals in the large exhibition tanks of the Aquarium. — Director. 



4. Phoronis at Plymouth — Since Phoronis is not usually considered 

 to be at all common on the British coasts, it may be useful to record 

 the fact of its occurrence in Plymouth Sound. Actinotrocha, the larva 

 of Phoronis, has been frequently taken here by means of the surface 

 net (see Mr. Bourne's report, this Journal, N.S., vol. i, 1889, p. 9), 

 but the adult animal was not observed until October last. While 

 looking over some stones dredged near the Duke Rock, I was struck 

 by the appearance of a number of delicate, membranous, sand- 

 covered tubes, attached in crevices of some of the stones, and 

 slightly projecting from the general surface. Upon placing these 

 stones in a vessel of sea- water, the inhabitants of the tubes extruded 

 the anterior portions of their bodies and displayed each the beautiful 

 lophophore characteristic of Phoronis. The number of tentacles 

 slightly exceeded sixty, and the lophophore was in all cases hippo- 

 crepian in form ; there were no young individuals. The species was 

 Phoronis hippocrepia, Str. Wright. 



About the same time, Mr. Rupert Vallentin informed me that he 



NEW SERIES. VOL. II, NO. I. 7 



