/''u/it's taken hij (he ' Oceuna.' 39 



Faroe Channel. It litis already been t:ikcii in Hritish waters 

 by the ' Fly in;; Fox' ((iiinther, Ann. ic .Ma^'. Nat. Hist, 

 ser. (;, iv. p.* llj, 1889). 



It seems to us by no means improljable that A. /irini- 

 gyinuns, Coeco, may only be the yonn^ of A. (Jl/crsi, Cuv. ; 

 such specimens of the former as wo have seen are all smaller 

 tjian the smalh'st specimen of the latter of which we can find 

 any record, and the dillerenccs relied on to separate the two 

 species — namely, (a) the greater Icnj^th of the caudal region 

 and (/») the j)roportionately lonj^er pectoral lins of A. Iicmi- 

 yi/inniis — appear to be characti'rs which may well beoidytho 

 signs of a transition from such a larva as is novv under con- 

 sideration to the adult A. Olfcrsi. We have not at present 

 access to sntficient material to do more than sugge>)t the 

 possible identity of the two species. 



Gonostoina mlcrodon, Giinther. 



A small Gonostoma, 33 mm. iii length, although somewhat 

 damaged, may be identified with reasonable certainty as 

 belonging to this species. G. niicrodon has an almost cosmo- 

 politan distribution, and, although it appears to be by no 

 means uncommon in the deeper parts of the North Atlantic, 

 the i)rcsent record is the fir-t from the British Area. It is 

 impossible to say at what depth the present specimen was 

 taken, as the net containing it fished from V.iTo fath. to the 

 surface; its condition suggests that it nuiy have been taken 

 at a considerable depth. 



Nerophis aquoreus, L. 



A single specimen 70 mm. in length was taken at Station \f 

 in a net which Hshed from \27~i fathoms to the surface; there 

 is nothing to show at what depth the specimen was taken. 

 Further specimens of this species have been captured in deep 

 water on the Porcupine Hank by the Department of Agricul- 

 ture for Ireland's S.S. ' llelga,' and in the Bay of Biscay by 

 II. M.S. * Research,' and we refrain from dealing fully with 

 the (jucstion of the occurrence of A'^. a-qnoreus in deep water 

 until the further material thus obtained has been worked out. 



At a length of 70 mm. the young N. (cqi/orcus' still retains 

 a vestige of pectoral tins ; it ditlcrs markedly from the adnit 

 and resembles a Syiu/natltusm that the longitudinal ridges of 

 the body are well marked and are prolonged into backwardly 

 directed spines at the posterior edge of each body-ring, so 

 that the postanal portion of the body has a serrated appear- 

 ance. The smooth and rounded appearance of the adult 



