36 The Hedgehog. [Sess. 



and probably also in the nostrils of the lythe (or pollack). 

 In view of the frequent occurrence of these copepods in the 

 nostrils of the cod, it is somewhat curious that they should 

 have been so long overlooked. As many as twenty -nine 

 specimens have been obtained in the nostrils of a single cod- 

 fish, and these comprised males, females (with ovisacs), and 

 young in various stages of development. These copepods do 

 not seem to be true parasites, but should perhaps rather be 

 called commensals, as they appear to live on the mucus which 

 the nasal fossae usually contain. Should the copepods, while 

 they are alive, be removed from the nostrils of the fish and 

 placed in sea-water, they will be seen to swim quite freely, 

 which seems to indicate that their habitat in the nostrils of 

 fishes is not compulsory, but that they live there from choice, 

 and find in the nasal fossae both food and shelter. Two other, 

 and apparently undescribed, species of Bomolochus have been 

 recently obtained, and are described in Part III. of the latest 

 Eeport of the Fishery Board. One of them, B. onosi, was 

 discovered on the inside of the gill-covers of a five-bearded 

 rockling from the Firth of Forth ; while the other, B. zeugopteri, 

 was found adhering to the back of a specimen of Miiller's 

 topknot {Zeugcyptertis pundatus) from the Firth of Clyde. 



In mentioning these parasitic copepods I have merely 

 touched the fringe of a most interesting part of the subject 

 of distribution — a part the study of which may yet yield 

 important results to those who have time to take it up. 



\1.—THE HEDGEHOa. 



By Mr TOM SPEEDY. 

 {Read Jan. 2S, 1903.) 



A RECENT article and correspondence in the ' Scotsman ' on 

 the hedgehog elicited a great deal of interest, and many 

 people spoke to me on the subject. It therefore occurred 

 to me that a few observations on the hedgehog might 

 not be unacceptable to the members of this Society. The 



