Miscellaneous. 91 



The fern, which was new to me, according to Lady Barkly, may 

 be a form of Pohjpodium (Grammitis) australe. 



In the following particulars I am sorry to have occasion to 

 report failure. 



The moss-eating Lepidopterous larvae all died before our arrival 

 at the Cape. 



All the larger Algae collected were spoilt. One suite of dried 

 examples was lost, thi'ough the box in which they were contained 

 being placed open, in the rain, by one of the servants a few days 

 before we sailed, without my knowing it had been moved from 

 its place. The second set, gathered the day before we left the 

 island, was sent on board the ' Supply,' with directions that the box 

 should be placed in an accessible position : unfortunately the mes- 

 sage miscarried, the box was stowed away in the hold, and I could 

 not get at it until a fortnight afterwards, when almost the whole 

 of its contents were completely decomposed. 



Again, series of examples of some of the flowering plants were 

 lost through the difficulty of attending to them when collected. 



I left Kerguelens Island in H.M.S. ' Supply ' on the 27th 

 February, arrived at Simon's Bay on the 31st March, and at 

 Gra^^esend on the evening of the 7th May, In the course of the 

 voyage I collected a few animals and Algae with the towing-net. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Oa Hemisepius, a new Genus of the Family Sepiidte, with some 

 liemarhs on the Species of the Genus Sepia in general. By M. J. 



SlEEXSTRtP. 



In the memoir of which this is a summary I give, first, a short 

 sketch of the history of the genus Sepia from the time of Linue, re- 

 marking that this geniis, as limited by Lamarck in 1798, has since 

 preserved the same signification, although the number of its species 

 has been much augmented : instead of two species only, which it 

 comprised in the time of Lamarck, it now includes more than thirty, 

 of which a third, it is true, are only known by their test {sepium). 



The Sepioe are rightly considered littoral animals ; and we find 

 them on the coasts of nearly every sea, although the two coasts of 

 America have hitherto furnished very few species. Thinking that 

 I could establish that the littoral species of the Cephalopoda have 

 not generally an extensive geographical distribution, or at least not 

 80 extensive as the oceanic or pelagic forms, I have naturally been 

 led to suppose that the genus Sepia ought to include a considerable 

 number of unknown species, and I indicate some new ones in my 

 memoir ; but beyond new species it ought no doubt to have also 

 other forms still more modified, which might be placed by the side 

 of the genus S(pia as distinct genera ; and of this I give evidence in 

 this memoir, the principal object of which is to make known to 



