338 The Naturalist of C umbrae. 



out with the small steamer Medusa, from the Granton 

 Zoological station, which was here dredging last 

 week from Tuesday to Saturday morning. Dr. Hen- 

 derson from the station, and Mr. Pearcey from the 

 Challenger office, and Mr. Murray, joined on Thurs- 

 day and left on Friday afternoon. The steamer is 

 fitted up entirely for dredging and securing the spoils. 

 Dredging with such appliances is such an immense 

 advantage over the oars, that one would be inclined 

 to think that going out in a small boat was spending 

 the days of one's life very unprofitably. Mr. Murray 

 has it in contemplation to have a marine station 

 somewhere on the west of Scotland. Arran had 

 been strongly recommended, but when they saw 

 the extent of rich dredging ground and variety and 

 extent of shore, all within so short a distance of the 

 central point, Millport, besides an easy run to all the 

 lochs of the Firth, they were all in one mind that 

 Millport was greatly preferable to Arran or any other 

 place that had been thought of. Fortunately, all 

 round Cumbrae the dredging was exceedingly suc- 

 cessful. Where they think would be most suitable 

 for the site of the station is on one of the Allans. 



"In regard to the Challenger foraminifera; \\ think 

 that you are under a wrong impression. I did not 

 examine all the material. I did only a part. You 

 will notice that some of the figures are drawn from 

 Cumbrae specimens. 



" When shall we have the pleasure of seeing you 

 here ? We were in full hope of having a fine ebb on 

 Monday, but a high south wind set in, and put an 

 end to all our hope for the present." 



