368 W. A. HERDMAN. 



and the cod-end was then hoisted on board by means of the 

 tackle^ and ripped up so as to precipitate upon the deck a 

 seething mass of mud, spawning fish,i and Invertebrates, which 

 spread over a considerable area to a depth of about a foot. 



While the cod-end was still hanging from the tackle, 

 dripping mud and fish-spawn, I noticed and managed to secure 

 a soft, green-coloured, worm-like object which was protruding 

 from one of the meshes. A careful search through the mud 

 on deck afterwards gave me two other similar green objects — 

 evidently all of them pieces of a large Gephyrean worm.' 

 They were still alive when we laaded that evening at Port Erin, 

 and were at once transferred to a vessel of fresh sea water in 

 the Biological Station. It was too late to see anything more 

 of them that night, and the next morning they were so feeble 

 that after watching their sluggish movements for a time and 

 making a few sketches, I considered it best to kill them. I 

 put two of the pieces in a 5 per cent, solution of formol with 

 the view of preserving the beautiful green colour, while the 

 third was put in strong spirit for anatomical purposes. 



The particulars of the locality where the specimens were 

 obtained are as follows : 



Twelve miles south-west of the Chicken Rock, Isle of Man, 

 bottom " reamy " mud, depth 40 to 50 fathoms, beam-trawl, 

 on L.M.B.C. expedition of April 5th, 1896. 



Identification. 



On the first glance I supposed that the specimens were a 

 species of Thalassema, and I spoke of them as such to Mr. 

 Gamble and the other naturalists who were with me. But 

 the following day, being struck by the difference in appearance 

 from the common British Thalassema Neptuni, and in- 

 fluenced by the striking green colour, and by the observation 

 that the proboscis was not perfect, I thought that they more 

 probably belonged to a Bonellia. So in writing shortly 



1 This locality, on the mud, about March and April, is a very important 

 spawning ground for food fishes. On this occasion we obtained ripe haddock, 

 ling, hake, plaice, and witches, with the eggs running out freely. 



