38 



In other papers^ I have alluded to the extraordinary 

 variety of animal life that is to be met with in the waters of 

 these docks, some being of undoubted marine origin, and 

 the remainder representing forms commonly frequenting our 

 inland rivers and jionds ; while again, as has just been shown, 

 it is not wanting in a tyjDe of structure peculiar to itself, — 

 or rather one possessing characters shared in by the two, 

 though common to neither. On the whole, however, and if 

 it is right to judge from the higher forms represented, the 

 balance is greatly in favour of the freshwater species, since 

 among these all the fish must be included, those which are 

 taken there in considerable abundance being such fluviatile 

 forms as perch, roach, dace, rudd, and bream, &c. ► 



Among the Polyzoa Plumatella repens is frequently met 

 with, and this last autumn I have had the satisfaction of 

 taking from the same locality a no less truly marine repre- 

 sentative of the class than Bowerbankia imbricata, though 

 only in that immature and creeping condition which was at 

 first discribed as B. densa by Dr. Farre, but which was sub- 

 sequently demonstrated by Mr. G. Johnston to be simply the 

 early stage of the first named species. 



The idea may possibly suggest itself to some that the form 

 just described as Victor ella pavida is identical with the species 

 last referred to. A glance, however, suffices to dispel any 

 such illusion. Bowerbankia was at once recognised by its 

 conspicuous and well developed gizzard, by its shorter and 

 more rigid tentacula, and, lastly and most essentially, by 

 the structure of its polypidom, Avhich was in entire accord- 

 ance with what obtains in and is characteristic of every repre- 

 sentative of the Vesiculariadce , having a main rachis bearing 

 distinct cells constricted towards their point of attachment, 

 and Avhose deciduous nature was made apparent by the facility 

 with which they became detached from that point of juncture. 



Another interesting form, which has not been previously 

 referred to, as inhabiting these waters is that low type of the 

 Annelida jElusoma quatemarium Ehr. whose morphology has 

 been so ably figured and described by Mr. E. Ray Lankester 

 in vol. xxvi, part iii, 1869, of the Transactions of the Lin- 

 naean Society, and a recent excursion to the ' Docks ' in 

 comimny with the above-named gentleman resvilted in the 

 capture of other representatives of the same sub-kingdom, 

 which will probably be shortly introduced and described by 

 him as new to science. 



^ "On a New British Nudibraiicli " {Embletonia Grayi), 'Proc. Zool. 

 Soc.,' Jan., 1809, and "On some New Infusoria from tlie Victoria Docks," 

 in the ' Monthly Microscopical Journal' for May, 1869. 



