Echinoderms and Molluscan Shells from the Moray Firth. 83 
from a depth of 50 to 60 fathoms, where the bottom consisted 
of fine mud. They were brought up, one at a time, in two 
consecutive hauls, and were about to be thrown overboard 
with the rest of the so-called refuse (or rubbish) when I 
rescued them. I pointed out to the men the distinctive 
characters of the shells, and they promised to secure any 
others that might turn up. Unfortunately, however, those 
engaged in trawling have little time, and, with few excep- 
tions, little inclination to be troubled about natural history 
matters. When secured, one of the shells contained the living 
mollusc, the other was empty but perfect. One measures 
in circumference round the umbons fully 104 inches, the 
other 914 inches. Jsocardia cor appears to be rare on the east 
coast of Scotland, but a good number of specimens have been 
obtained during the last few years on the west coast, where it 
also was for a long time considered a rare species. Its more 
frequent occurrence during recent years may be due to greater 
proficiency in the use of the dredge and of the beam-trawl. 
Scaphander lignarius, Linné, var. alba. Scaphander 
lignarius is not an uncommon shell around our coasts where 
the conditions are favourable to its existence, but the white 
variety is rather rare. The fine specimen now exhibited is 
one of two that were captured with our small beam-trawl 
while working over Smith Bank in the Moray Firth in 1889. 
This one measures about 2 inches in length and 3} inches 
in circumference round the shortest diameter. Several 
smaller specimens of the same variety, as well as a number 
of the typical form, were also obtained at the same time. 
Natica islandica, Gmelin. Ihave obtained a good number 
of specimens of this Natica in the Moray Firth’while working 
there, but they were all dead shells. A few of them, however, 
had the appearance of being but recently dead. Perhaps 
the haunts of the living mollusc may, as with some other 
species, be rarely accessible to the dredge or the beam-trawl. 
Buccinum undatum, Linné, var. pawpercula. Several speci- 
mens of this small variety of Buccinwm undatum were obtained 
at Kessock Ferry, along with Asterias hispida already referred 
to. Many of them were thickly covered, and most of them more 
or less so, with small barnacles (Balanus). Though all were 
