June 7, 1888] 



NA 7 URE 



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distance of a foot or so above the sea-bottom, and it 

 yielded a large amount of material, which was in some 

 cases conspicuously different from the contents of the 

 surface nets, worked by Mr. I. C. Thompson during the 

 same time. 



A large area of the sea bottom between Port Soderic 

 and Port St. Mary is apparently covered by masses of 

 Melobesia calcarea and the dead valves of Pectunculus 

 glycimeris, and incrusting Polyzoa are especially abundant 

 upon both the Nullipore and the shells. Mr. J. Lomas, 

 who has charge of the Polyzoa, informs me that amongst 

 a number of other rare forms he has identified Stomatopora 

 johnstoni and S. tncrassata, Tubuliftora lobulata, Licheno- 

 pora hispida, Cellepora dichotoma, Membranipora aurita, 

 and a peculiar variety of Cellaria fistulosa. 



Towards evening three very successful hauls of the 

 dredge were made, which covered practically all the 

 ground in a line from the southern end of the " Calf" to 

 the northern side of Port Erin Bay, just under Bradda 

 Head. Amongst the material obtained in these hauls 

 the following species were noticed : Asterias glacialis, 

 Solaster endeca, Stichaster roseus, Poram'a pulvillus, 

 Luidiafragilissima, Antedon rosaceus, Ebalia sp.,Xan//io 

 sp. , Plenrobranchus membranaceus, Ascidia venosa, Ascidia 

 plebeia, Corella parallelogramma. Polycarpa sp., Lepto- 

 climtm sp., and other Compound Ascidians. 



In Port Erin Bay after dark the electric light was again 

 used successfully in the bottom and surface tow-nets. 



On the third day an early start was again made, with 

 the object of leaving time to run down into the deep water 

 lying to the south of the Isle of Man. Unfortunately, 

 however, a thick fog was encountered, which hampered 

 our movements during the morning and changed all the 

 plans for the day. After passing the " Chicken " Rock, the 

 Hycena steamed slowly for Liverpool, and reached the 

 Mersey about 1 a.m. on Tuesday. A fiw hauls of the 

 trawl and dredge were taken on the way home, with no 

 great results, and the tow-nets, both bottom and surface, 

 were worked whenever practicable. 



The important feature of this cruise, however, was the 

 use which was made of the electric light for collecting 

 after dark. On the first night, in Ramsey Bay, after the 

 shore party had left and the ship was anchored for the 

 night, an electric light of 1000 candle-power was 

 hoisted a few feet above deck, and this allowed work 

 to be carried on almost as comfortably as during the day. 

 Captain Young, of the Liverpool Salvage Association, 

 who was in command of the Hycena, then kindly arranged 

 for me a 60 candle power Edison-Swan submarine in- 

 candescent lamp in the mouth of a tow-net. This illum- 

 inated net was carefully let down to a depth of 3 fathoms, 

 and allowed to remain thee for half an hour. At the 

 same time, another tow-net without any light was let down 

 to the same depth over the opposite side of the ship. 

 When the nets were being hauled in, as the one with 

 the electric light approached the surface numerous small 

 animals (Crustacea probably) were noticed accompanying 

 it, and darting about in the bright light. This tow net, 

 when emptied into a glass jar of sea-water, was found to 

 contain an abundant gathering, consisting mainly of 

 Crustaceans ; while the net in the dark on the other side 

 of the ship had practically nothing. 



The two nets were then put out again. The one had 

 the electric light in its former position, but this time it 

 was let down to the bottom at a depth of 6 fathoms ; 

 while the other net was placed in the dark at the ship's 

 stern, and also reached the bottom. The tow-nets re- 

 mained stationary, but were kept distended by the tide. 

 The outline of the illuminated net could be made out 

 indistinctly at a depth of 6 fathoms. After being out for 

 three-quarters of an hour, both nets were hauled in, with 

 the same result as before. The illuminated net contained 

 abundance of Crustacea (chiefly Amphipoda, Schizopoda, 

 and Cumacea), while the dark net again cont lined 



practically nothing. These two experiments showed 

 pretty conclusively the effect of the brilliant light in 

 attracting the free-swimming animals, the difference 

 between the contents of the two nets being on both 

 occasions most marked. Consequently, on the second 

 night, in Port Erin Bay, both nets were illuminated, and 

 while the one was let down close to the bottom, at a 

 depth of 5 fathoms, the other was kept at the surface of 

 the sea on the opposite side of the ship. This experiment 

 was tried three times, with the same result eich time : 

 both the nets were found to contain abundance of 

 animals, but the bottom and surface gatherings differed 

 greatly in appearance and in constitution. The net 

 from the bottom contained mainly large Amphipoda, 

 and some Cumacea, while the gathering from the sur- 

 face was characterized by the abundance of Copepoda. 

 As Mr. A. O. Walker, who is reporting upon our higher 

 Crustacea, pointed out to me, the Amphipods from the 

 d iep net appeared to be chiefly red-eyed species, such 

 as Ampelisca Icevigata and Bathyporeia pilosa. If this, 

 on a detailed examination of the material, turns out 

 to be the case, it may indicate an interesting relation 

 between the colour of the eyes and sensitiveness to the 

 electric light. 



Mr. Thompson has already identified the following 

 species of Copepoda from the illuminated surface net : 

 Calanusfinmarchicus, Pseudocalanus e'ongatus, Dias longi- 

 retnis, Idya furcata, Cenlropages hamatus, Anomalo- 

 cera paterso?iii, Isias clavipes, Oithona spinifrons, 

 Harpacticus chelifer, and Harpacticus fulvus. The 

 specimens of the last two species are remarkable for 

 their unusually large size and their abundance. 



The various groups of animals collected will as usual 

 be worked up in detail by specialists, and the results will 

 appear in future L M.B.C. Reports; but the application 

 of the electric light to marine biology, as a bait or 

 attraction in the tow-net worked after dark, seems of 

 sufficient importance to warrant the publication of this 

 preliminary account of the results of the Hycena cruise 

 of Whitsuntide 1888. The obvious extension of this 

 illumination method to deep-water tow-netting and 

 trawling during the day-time I hope, thanks to the 

 kindness of the Salvage Association, to be able to 

 experiment upon in a future expedition. 



W. A. He RDM AN. 



A REMARKABLE CASE OF FASCIATION IN 

 FOURCROYA CUBENIS, HAW 



THERE was lately exhibited in this city a plant of 

 Fotircroya cubensis, Haw., in which the well-known, 

 tree-like inflorescence had been deformed into what I 

 believe to be the largest fasciati >n on record. The plant 

 came from Carapa, a s nail village distant about 4 miles 

 towards the west from Caracas. Its aspect is given in 

 the accompanying figure, engraved after a photograph. 



The stem of the plant, covered by the leaves, is about 

 1 metre in height. From between the upper leaves 

 there branch out two flattened and curiously twisted 

 bodies. The one to the left was soon checked in its 

 growth, so that it forms but little more than a semi- 

 circle ; whilst the other, after having described a curve 

 somewhat like a very large capital S, rises to a height of 

 about 4 metres from the soil. Both together have in 

 the front view the appearance of a small boat with hoisted " 

 sail filled by the wind. The under and lower parts of this 

 deformed flower- stem are covered by numerous bracts, 

 and measure 80 centimetres in their greatest breadth. 

 Towards the top it divides into shred-like branches 

 bearing flower-buds ; those of the latter I examined being 

 in every respect of normal structure. 



There can be little doubt that, in this case, the malfor- 

 mation is due to some injury done to the young flower- 



