ITS EXTENT AND ITS MARINE FAUNA. 27 



down to the beach, and although what had been cast up two 

 days previously had been apparently consumed by the birds, 

 lower down the tide-marks I still found them lying." A small 

 tin full of these mixed with sand he sent to me. It contained 

 thousands of Euthemisto compressa. He also wrote, " at 

 intervals perhaps of two or three seasons there have been large 

 numbers of Crustaceans thrown up, as nearly as I can remember 

 in 1898 and 1901, again I think about 1904 and 1906, 1907 and 

 1908. Each year they appeared in Fel)ruary or March and 

 once in May, always with the wind at north or north-east, not 

 necessarily in stormy weather, but perhaps with gentle breezes 

 from the quarter mentioned." 



Whence come these vast swarms of Crustacea ? Are they 

 bred in the North Sea between the continent of Europe and 

 the British Islands or brought down hy currents from farther 

 north ? Tow-netting in the former region has not given 

 evidence, so far as I know, to lead to the first conclusion, 

 while the intermixture of high Arctic Schizopoda with the 

 Amphipoda I think clearly points to the second solution. 

 I cannot but think that tow-netting with a view to discovering 

 the origin of these swarms would lead to conclusive results 

 as to the direction from which the inflowing waters of the 

 North Sea in the winter months are derived. Given a knowledge 

 of the r-cite of the inflowing stream, it would not be difficult 

 to calculate from the North-Yorkshire coast the approximate 

 place northwards where they might be expected to be found, 

 while it is not unlikely also that flocks of gulls feeding upon 

 them might give evidence of their presence. 



On the 26th of July last year (1907) a very interesting 

 addition to our Crustacean fauna was made in the North Sea. 

 Mr. R. A. Todd, when trawling in the " Huxley," which is the 

 British steamer engaged in the work of the International 

 Commission, brought up from 57 fathoms on a muddy bottom 

 E.N.E. of the Coquet Lighthouse on the Northumberland coast, 

 about thii'ty specimens of Panclalus borealis, Kroyer. This 

 large prawn attains a length of 5| inches, and is thus con- 

 siderably larger than our finest English prawns. It is a truly 

 Arctic species which is found all round the Pole. It occurs, 

 moreover, in places down the Norwegian coast, and reaches the 

 Christiania Fiord. But in that fiord until recently this prawn 

 had only been found in one place. Now it has been proved to 

 be living throughout the fiord in depths of about 60 fathoms on 

 a muddy bottom, and in one comparatively small but deep bay 



