THE NAUTILUS. 135 



low tide buried in a sponge on tlie underside of large flat rocks on 

 which this sponge sometimes grows in masses. 



Bittuni filosum Gould. The species is abundant at Maple Bay on 

 rocks at low tides among the sea weeds, and many of the living 

 shells are white in colour. 



Isapis obtusa Cpr. Since my notes on this species in the Febru- 

 ary Number of Vol. xxlv, a further search the following August in 

 the same locality, showed the shell to be quite plentiful on its same 

 host, Tapes staminea Conrad. 



Natica clausn B. & S. and Lunatia pallida B. & S. A few small 

 s[)ecimens, living and dead, fell to my bag on one of my few dredg- 

 ings in Departure Baj. 



Velutma laevigata Linn. At Maple Bay very occasional at ex- 

 treme low tides among the rocks, but not, I believe, a rare species 

 when dredging in from 10 to 30 fathoms. 



Acmaea patina Esch. This and allied species are of course 

 plentiful both at Victoria and on all our rocky coasts, but none of 

 the shells found in our inside waters are of any size, miserable 

 specimens when compared with those taken at Victoria, from which 

 locality I have some beauties. 



Acmaea mitra Esch. The same remarks apply to this species, 

 except that at Maple Bay it is in addition quite a rare shell, and 

 those taken have been very small and depauperate-looking, wliile in 

 Departure Bay I have not yet met with it. 



Fissuridea aspera Esch. This is one of our common species at 

 Maple Bay between tides, and generous in size, like those I have 

 from near Victoria, and certainly much more abundant than there. 



Leptothyra bacula Carpenter. A rare species, I believe, in north- 

 ern waters, and the only specimen that I have taken — except on 

 Southern California beaches — was a small one out of a root of kelp 

 washed up after a storm. This root was still attached to some very 

 large barnacles, and was rather a *' gold mine " for small species, as 

 Alvanias, etc. 



Margarita lirulnta Carpenter. At Maple Bay by far our most 

 abundant " top; " swarms in certain seaweeds on the rocks at ex- 

 treme low tides, and stray specimens may even be taken on the 

 under side of stones between tides, associated with small Littorina. 

 As Taylor has pointed out, this is a very variable species in our 

 waters. 



