THE ANNALS 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF NATUKAL HISTOKY. 



[SIXTH SERIES.] 

 No. 29. MAY 1890. 



XLV. — The "British Area " in Marine Zoology. By the 

 Kev. Canon Norman, M.A., D.C.L., F.L.S., &c. 



I. Definition of the British Area. 



The British Area may be defined at the south by lat. 49° 30' 

 N., which parallel, as it passes eastwards, should terminate at 

 long. 5° 0' W., that is, midway between the Land's End and 

 Brest. From that point the midchannel must be the boundary 

 round the south and south-east coast, until at lat. 51° 50' N. 

 long. 2° 30' E. (nearly opposite the Naze) we obtain a mid- 

 channel, whence that long. (viz. 2° 30' E.) may be taken as 

 the boundary through the North Sea and past Shetland. The 

 northern boundary is more complex, but coming from the 

 west by lat. 60° N. and proceeding eastwards we shall reach 

 a point about midway between Cape Wrath and Faroe at 

 long. 5° 0' W. ; thence a line must be driven direct north- 

 east past Shetland until long. 1° 0' W. is reached, whence it 

 should proceed due east to join the eastern boundary already 

 referred to, viz. long. 2° 30' E. The western boundary has 

 no defined limits ; it is the slope of that part of the continent 

 of Europe of which our Islands are the outliers, and descends 

 to the base of the continent at 1500 fathoms, 



Ann. & May. N. Hist. Ser. 6. Vol v. 25 



