252 Part III.— Twenty -fifth Annval Report 



They are readily sorted into 5 groups, viz., (1) in which the shells 

 measured in length 4|, 4|, and 4J inches (figs. 87 and 8b) ; (2) having 

 shells 5^ and 5| inches long (fig. 89) ; (3) 6^, 6^ 6| inches long 

 fig. 90); (4) 7, 7, 7|, 7| inches long (fig. 91); (5) 8, 8 inches long 

 (fig. 92), 



Two pairs of shells showed a different breadth to practical equality of 

 length, e.g. (a) 6| by 1 inches, 6^ by 1 J^ inches ; and (b) 7 by 1 inches, 

 and 7^ by Ig inches. 



A specimen of what is probably Solen siliqua, var. arcuata, measured 

 5| inches in length. It is markedly curved. Mr. MacBride informs 

 me that this form is not got of a larger size. 



Another specimen, measuring 7| inches, had a slight bend on the 

 posterior end of the shell. It may be a variety. It is probable that the 

 samples given represent year groups ; but the crux of the question is in 

 deciding the age of the first group. Mr. MacBride regards the first three 

 groups as representing one, two, and three years old respectively. It is 

 probable that spoutfish living in the sand will grow fairly regularly in 

 any one locality. 



Except for the age of the first group, which seems to me to likely 

 exceed one year, the iaterpretation of the other groups as representatives 

 of consecutive year-groups seems to be correct. 



LITERATURE CONSULTED. 



Brandt, K. — " Die Fauna der Ostsee." Verhandlu7igen der deutsch, Zool, Gesell. 

 1897. Leipzig. 



Calderwood. — " Mussel Culture and the Bait Supply." London, 1895. 



DoNNisoN. — Eastern Sea Fisheries. " The Mussel Question." Boston. Lincoln- 

 shire Newspaper and Printing Coy. 1897. 



FiTLLARTON. — "On Bouchot Mussel Culture and the Bouchot Experiment at St. 

 Andrews." Ninth Annual Report of the Fishery Board for Scotland, 

 Pt. III., for the year 1890. Edinburgh, 1891. Pp. 212 et seq. 



FuLLARTON and T. Scott. — "Mussel-Farming at Montrose." Seventh Annual 

 Report of the Fishery Board for Scotland. Pp. 327 et seq., Pi. VII., 1889. 



Garner. — "On the Anatomy of Lamellibranchiate Conchifera." Trans. Zool, 

 Socy., London. Vol. II., 1841. 



King. — ' ' Mussels and Mussel Culture. " Northumberland Sea Fisheries Committee 

 Newcastle, 1891. 



Lang, Aiinold. — Text-Book of Comparative Anatomy. London, 1896. 



Lebour. — ' ' The Mussel-Beds of Northumberland." Maps I-VI. Northumberland 

 Sea Fisheries Committee. Report on the Scientific Investigations for the year 

 1906. Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1907. pp. 28-46. 



Meek. — (l)"Some of the Mussel-Beds on the East Coast of Scotland, and the 

 Desirability of Forming Mussel-Beds on the Coast of Northumberland." 

 Northumberland Sea Fisheries Committee. Report on the Trawling Excur- 

 sions for the year 1899. pp. 45-50. 



(2) "The Mussel P^xperiment on the Coquet." Northumberland Sea 



Fisheries Committee. Report on the Trawling Excursions for the year 1901. 

 pp. 35 and 36. 



M'Intosh. — (1) "Notes from the St. Andrews Marine Laboratory (under the 

 Fishery Board for Scotland). I. On the British Species of Cyanea and the 

 Reproduction of Mytilus edulis, L. The Annals and Magazine of Natural 

 History. V., vol. 15. 1885. pp. 148-152. 



(2) "Report on the Mussel and Cockle-Beds in the Estuaries of the Tees, 



the Esk, and the Humber," 1891. 



MoBius. — " Ueber Austern u. Miesmuschel Zucht." Berlin, 1870. 



MoBius, u. Meyer. — "Fauna der Kieler Bucht." Leipzig, 1866. 1 Bd. 



Scott, A. — ' ' Note on the Spawning of the Mussel. " Ninth Report of the Lancashire 

 Sea Fisheries Laboratory for 1905. Liverpool, 1901. pp. 36-39. 



Scott, A., and Baxter. — " Mussel Transplantation at Morecambe." Fourteenth 

 Report of the Lancashire Sea Fisheries Laboratory for 1905. Liverpool, 

 1906. p'p. 58-87. Plates XL and XII. 



