THE NAUTILUS. 105 



My object in writing this note is merely to show plausible reason 

 for placing more confidence in fish-stomach localities. Under cer- 

 tain conditions I believe them to be fairly accurate. 



On November 20, 1911, I examined the contents of nearly 1000 

 fish caught in "Cove Clark," Georges Bank, lat. 41.18 N., long. 

 68.40 W., in 60 fathoms. This locality is known to fishermen as a 

 " spaghetti " spot, on account of the great masses of worm tubes found 

 on the muddy bottom. These worn tubes accumulate in such quan- 

 tities that it is almost impossible to use a beam trawl successfully. I 

 obtained several hundred specimens of Yoldia, Nucula and Leda 

 from haddock, also quantities of the worm tubes, but no gasteropods. 

 The dredge produced the same results with the addition of Cyrto- 

 daria siJiqua Daudin and Panomya norvegica Spengl. to the Mol- 

 luscan fauna of this spot. It contained even a greater proportion of 

 the worm tubes. The similarity of the mass of animal life and mud 

 obtained from the fish stomachs to that obtained from the dredge 

 was very noticeable. 



On November 21 the position of the vessel was changed to a sta- 

 tion about ten miles to the eastward. The depth here was about 40 

 fathoms, the bottom coarse gravel and there were no worm tubes. 

 The first haddock I examined from this new locality contained about 

 50 shells, nearly all of which were gasteropods. I examined over 

 500 haddock during the day and at dark had filled a ten-quart pail 

 with Mollusca. 



The dredge was set six times during the day and the contents 

 compared in a surprising degree to the contents of the fish stomachs, 

 not only in Mollusca but in other phyla. Not one specimen of 

 Yoldia, Nucula or L'^da could I find in either the dredge or the fish, 

 and yet ten miles to the eastward I had obtained plenty of all three, 

 from the haddock stomachs and from the dredge. 



There is nothing definite in these observations. I do not insinu- 

 ate that all haddock-stomach localities would be as accurate as these 

 appear to be. It is only by recording an observation of this kind 

 that we can ever hope to arrive at definite knowledge on the subject. 

 I merely suggest the possibility that fish-stomach localities are more 

 accurate than most of us have generally supposed. 



The following species were removed from haddock November 20 

 and 21, Lat. 41.18, Long, 68.40 W. 



