154 



Rev. Canon Norman — A Month on ^^ 



6. Nymphon inacruni, Wilson. 



Among Alcyonarians and corals on the precipices at Rod- 

 berg, in 150-250 fath. 



7. ChcetonympTion spinosissimum, nom. nov.,= Chcptonymplion 



spinosunij G. O. Sars {? Xymphon spinosum, Goodsir). 



Rodberg and Trondhjem ; also in several places in the 

 Hardanger Fiord, in 120-190 fath.; 'Porcupine' Exped., 

 1869, Stat. 64, lat. 61° 21' X., long. 3° 44' W., and Stat. 65, 

 near the same spot, in 640 and 345 fath. ; Stat. 78, lat. 60^ 14' 

 N., long. 4° ?jO' W., 290 fath. ; Stat. 88, lat. 59"' 26' X., 

 long. 8° 23' W., 705 fath. It also occurs on the western 

 side of the Atlantic, since a specimen, kindlj sent to me from 

 the U. S. Nat. Mus. as "JVymp/ion hirtipes, Bell, $ ," is this 

 species; the bottle containing this Xymphon had three other 

 labels relating to the specimen — " Albatross, 2488," " lat. 

 44° 35' 0" N., long. 57° 13' 30" W., 150 fathoms," and the 

 number " 10984 " *. 



The above habitats would seem to show that this is usually 

 a deep-water form. Professor Sars thought it might be 

 N. spi)iosi(m, Goodsir, but I am of opinion that it can scarcely 

 be that species. The only Chmtonyinphon from the British 

 coast that I have seen is N. hirtum, Kroyer, and of this 

 species I have specimens from the Firth of Forth, whence 

 Goodsir procured his N. spinosum. 



1"he following list of habitats of ^V. hirtum, Krover, will 

 show how widely diffused that species is on our coast : — 



In my own collection : — Shetland ; Cullercoats, North- 

 umberland {A. M. iV.) ; Aberdeenshire {late Mr. B. Daicso/i) ; 

 Firth of Forth {Dr. Henderson). And on examination of 

 Mr. Hodge's collection in the Newcastle Museum I find 

 C. hirtum from several localities otf the Durham and North- 

 umberland coasts in depths ranging from 10-100 fath. 



Undoubtedly Sars, relying on Goodsir's rough figures, was 

 right in regarding them as more like his A', spinosum tiian 

 N. hirtum ; but, taking into consideration the circumstances 

 I have mentioned, I do not think we are justified on the 

 evidence of those figures in admitting the species described 

 by Sars into the British fauna, but must regard them as 

 referable to C. hirtum. 



* This does not affect X hirtum or fu'rtijyca. E. B. Wilson, which Sars 

 rightly refers to the true N. hirtipes, IJell. This is iiroved by examples 

 in uiv collection of'X hirtum '' received from the late Mr. \\'ilson and 

 labelled "Otl' Halifax, 35 f. U. S. F. C. 1877, Loc. US/' which are the 

 true iN'. htrfipfis. Bell. 



