FEBRUARY, 1882. 133 



evidently straining the linen bag to the utmost, so we 

 confidently anticipate we have gone deep among the blue 

 clay, and expect to see a bucket of this very aggravating 

 material that escapes but slowly through the close bag 

 come up to demand careful manipulation in the sieve. 

 But, no ! We have actually reached the ladies' treasure- 

 house, and a good supply of Pecten opercularis, as 

 beautiful as they are delightful, have arrived on board. 

 Now that we have struck the ground, we cannot possibly 

 escape our responsibilities, and soon the bucket is well 

 supplied with the chattering, restless beauties, and the 

 mass of life is too great for us to examine between times. 

 But one thing is apparent to the meanest observer, and 

 that is the gregarious character of many of the creatures 

 brought on board. The P. opercularis came up in a body 

 when we hit the proper ground, and the turritella shells 

 in many hundreds when we hit their proper muddy 

 habitat, while scarcely a single ascidian is met on their 

 ground. We move a little further out of the course of 

 the current, and lo ! the social tunicates appear in great 

 bunches, not one being obtainable from the ground in 

 the vicinity. Each class seems to monopolise to a great 

 extent the ground it affects. We have clearly not been 

 much among the tangle, for only one specimen of P. 

 varius shows itself, and this partially prickly and more 

 elongated species sticks mostly to the rich fronds of the 

 larger seaware by means of a byssus like a mussel, and 

 thence spreads its delicate double fringe of cilise into the 

 surrounding water. Whew ! as we dive into the last 

 bagful, is there not a fine specimen of P. maximus, all 

 alive O ; the second only we have rescued from oblivion in 

 the mud, although the empty shells in numbers are found 

 on shore. Deeply cupped on one side and flat on the 



