Annelida of St. Andrews. 147 



few of the more conspicuous at St. Andrews. The stomachs 

 of cod and haddock are frequently filled with sea-mice and 

 Polynoidss ; and another very common form is Sigalion 

 Mathildce. The Nereida? (from the gigantic Alitta virens, 

 Sars, which often distends the stomachs of large cod, to the 

 smaller Nereis pelagica and N. cultrifera) are universally 

 eaten. The somewhat uninviting Trophonia plumosa some- 

 times forms the sole food in the stomachs of large haddocks, 

 many hundreds occurring in a single fish. Owenia filiformis^ 

 with its gravelly tubes, is a favourite diet of the same fish 

 and of cod and flounders. The Terebellidge and their sandy 

 tubes are also largely devoured ; and even Serpulidas are not 

 passed by. Moreover, in their young or larval forms they 

 constitute an important element in the food of the herring and 

 other fishes that feed near the surface of the water. 



Many of the annelids of St. Andrews are common to the 

 whole British area ; but some have not yet been found in other 

 parts of our seas : as this, however, is probably due to a larger 

 amount of attention having been directed to the locality, we 

 shall not at present particularize. 



The fauna at St. Andrews is distinguished, as far as our 

 present knowledge extends, from the Zetlandic by the absence 

 of such striking forms as Lcetmonice, Panihalis, Nothria 

 conchylega, Terebella nebulosa, Pista cristata, Trichob ranch us 

 glacialis, and Ditrypa arietina ; from that of the western regions 

 by the absence of Spinther, Lepidonotus clava, Polynoe scolo- 

 pendrina, Ophiodromus vittatus, Nereis Dumerilii. Oattiola 

 sj)ectabilis, Terebella nebulosa 1 and Pista cristata ; and of the 

 southern types we miss Euphrosyne, Hermione, Polynoe areo- 

 lata, Nereis Marionii, Lysidice ninetta, the Eunicida3, the 

 abundance of the Chastopteridaj, Sabellaria alveolata, Leprcea 

 textrix, Sabella saxicava, Protula, and Filigrana between tide- 

 marks. The great preponderance of Polynoe floccosa in the 

 south is also an interesting feature. 



Amongst the annelids that, besides other very common 

 forms, abound at St. Andrews, and therefore most characteristic 

 of it, are Sigalion Mathilda?, Sthenelais limicola, Phyllodoce 

 laminosa, P. groznlandica, Nereis cultrifera, Alittavirens, Auto- 

 lytus pictus, Aricia Guvieri, Ophelia limacina, Trophonia plu- 

 mosa, Nerine foliosa, Polydora ciliata, Capitella capitata, 

 Sabellaria spinulosa, Pectinaria belgica, Lanice conchilega, 

 Sabella pavonia, and Branchiomma vesiculosa m. 



Some of the phosphorescent forms at St. Andrews have 

 already been noticed * ; so that in the mean time the remarks 



* Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 4th ser. 1«72, vol. ix. pp. X- 7. 



10* 



