198 Souther]! Cross. 



lull her (,'\ i(k'iicc; i.s tuiLlicomiug, consider Llic iiiiiuc nl tlit; spucius Ui 

 Ito. l)i)itnpli(i iipiofa, Hrdn. 



In 1804 Mr. Caiman^ described, under the name ol' Jnlinvi 

 nuafralis, a larijje colony from the Antarctic, which he consideied 

 l(» bo " nearly related, if not identical," \\ith my ' Chdlewjer' species. 

 Air. Caiman's si)ecimen had been found by Dr. C. ^I. Donald floatinir 

 on the surface of the sea in the north of Erebus and Terror (Julf, 

 where it is said that " considerable quantities were seen." Althou_i;h 

 partly rag.niod and beginning to decay, Mr. Caiman's specimen was 

 in suthciently good condition to enaljle him to make out all essential 

 points in the anatomy, and he correctly refers the species to the 

 family Distomidae. 1 cannot, however, agree to his statement that 

 it " evidently forms the type of a new genus," as I think if there is 

 anything evident it is that, from the general shape and structure of 

 the ascidiozooid and from the atrial hinguet and the incubatory 

 pouch. Caiman's form fits into the genus Disfcqtlia. ^Moreover, the 

 specimen collected by Dr. Donald is very probably, as Caiman 

 suggested, the same species as the ' Cludlenyer ' and the British IMuseum 

 specimens, all of which must now therefore be known by the name 

 Dista2jlia ufiiota. 



In the present collection there are : — 



1. Three large fragments, measuring respectively 19 cm., 21 em., 

 and 26 cm. in length, and from 3 to 6 cm. in diameter, from " Cape 

 Adare, beginning of January, 24 fathoms." 



2. One smaller specimen from " Cape Adare, 16th December, 

 18U9, on surface, 28-0° Fahr." 



3. Many irregularly shaped and more or less si)reading masses 

 from " Cape Adare, 2nd January, 1900, 20-24 fathoms, 29" Fahr." 

 The colonies in this bottle are in very bad condition, and were 

 jtrobably all dead ami more or less decomposed when collected. 

 There are a number of Ani])hipoda ami l*ycnogonida with the 

 Ascidians in the bottle which seem to be in fair condition, so 

 probably it is not the method of preservation that is at fault. 

 Tiie average size of colony is 7 X 4 x 1 em. Some of the 

 smaller lumps (tig. 7) are more rounded, and are no doubt the 

 youngest colonies present, othei-s (fig. 8) l)ecome irregularly lobed 

 and spreading, and finally the largest grow out into long cylindrical 

 masses (fig. !>). Sonic (if tht\se are attached by the greater part of 

 one surface to small stones and fragments of sea-weeds, and so, no 

 doubt, lay on the .sea-l»ottom ; but it is ea.sy to understand how 

 they might become detached in storms and be washed up on beaches, 



' Quart. Jouni. Mic. Sci., vol. 37, p. 1. 



