Mr. Gwyn Jeffreys on Dredging among the Hebrides. 387 
XL1IX.—Report on Dredging among the Hebrides. 
By J. Gwyn Jrerrreys, F.R.S. 
[As this Report embodies important and recent papers by 
Professors Sars and Lovén, on the existence of animal life in 
great depths of the sea, which do not appear to be known in 
this country, I thought the subject would be sufficiently inter- 
esting to publish it at once in this form, without waiting for the 
appearance of the annual Report of the British Association for 
the Advancement of Science.—J. G. J.] 
This exploration lasted nearly two months, viz. from the 24th 
of May to the 14th of July in the present year. It comprised 
Sleat Sound, Lochs Alsh, Duich, Slapin, and Scavaig, and the 
Minch from Croulin Island to Loch Ewe. I had a good cutter 
yacht, the master of which had been employed by me for many 
years as dredger and took considerable interest in the work, an 
active and willing crew, four serviceable dredges, 8300 fathoms 
of new rope, machinery for hauling up the dredges, a large tub, 
sieves, and various other apparatus. The Hydrographer of the 
Navy obligingly supplied me with such charts as I required, to 
show the depths and nature of the sea-bottom in the district 
which I proposed to examine; and these were of great use in 
dredging, as well as. for navigation. The weather was too fine ; 
we were often becalmed for many hours together: and instead 
of steady breezes, we had too many of those squalls which are so 
prevalent, and occasionally dangerous, in the Hebrides. 
The Hebridean seas have often been searched, but not explored, 
by zoologists. Their great extent, and the number of lochs and 
inlets which indent the coast in every direction, would render 
necessary an immense deal of money, time, and patience for a 
complete investigation. There is little probability that the 
subject of the present Report will ever be exhausted. 
The invertebrate fauna of this district is of a northern charac- 
ter, although there are a few exceptions. Such are, among the 
Mollusca, Trochus umbilicatus, Phasianella pulla, Rissoa can- 
cellata or crenulata, Odostomia lactea or Chemnitzia elegantissima, 
and Pleurobranchus plumula. These may be regarded as south- 
ern forms. The first and third occur as far north as Stornoway; 
the second ranges to Dunnet Bay in Caithness ; of the fourth I 
dredged a single specimen in the upper part of the Minch; and 
the last lives between tide-marks in the Isle of Mull. As a set- 
off to the above, I would mention the following species, which 
have now for the first time been found so far south as the 
Hebrides, viz. Montacuta tumidula (a new species, which I will 
presently describe), Zrochus occidentalis, var. pura, Jeffreysia 
globularis, and Odostomia eximia. ‘The first is Swedish; the 
