"British Area " in Marine Zoology. 351 



" It may be desirable for the convenience of curators of 

 museums and the compilers of faunistic works to limit a 

 marine area, which may be more particularly described as 

 < British.' 



" The British Marine Area may be conveniently subdivided 

 into a shallow- water and into a deep-water district. 



(1) " The 100 fathoms contour is a natural boundary line 

 for the former off the north and west coasts of the British 

 Islands for the following reasons : — 1. It is defined on all 

 charts. 2. The Admiralty soundings are very complete 

 down to that depth. 3. The 100 fathoms line roughly corre- 

 sponds with the beginning of the declivity of the continental 

 plateau. 4. There is a marked change in the fauna about 

 that limit. 5. Most of the dredgings of British naturalists 

 have been taken within that contour. 



(2) " The only boundary to the south and east is the half- 

 way line between Great Britain and the continent ; this 

 should include the Dogger Bank. 



" The above may be termed ' The British Marine Shallow 

 Water District.' 



(3) " The deep-water district of the British Marine Area 

 may be regarded as extending from 100 to, say, 1000 fathoms 

 — that is, to the commencement of the abysmal floor of the 

 ocean. As these depths only occur off the north and west 

 coasts, this region may be termed ' The British Atlantic 

 Slope District.' 



(4) " The Channel Islands lie outside the British Marine 

 Area proper." 



It will be seen that I was chairman of the above com- 

 mittee and Prof. Haddon its active secretary, who took great 

 trouble in the matter. I was very much engaged at the time 

 in matters other than scientific, and fear that my own views 

 were not expressed to him with sufficient fulness and clearness. 

 The fault was mine, not his ; nor, indeed, had I studied the 

 subject so fully then as I have subsequently. I then, how- 

 ever, dissented and must still dissent from the conclusions 

 arrived at, but from no want of appreciation of the pains taken 

 by Prof. Haddon. Still I think any one reading that Report 

 can hardly regard it as altogether satisfactory, more especially 

 as it seems to leave the matter undecided between a 100 and 

 a 1000 fathoms limit. I have numbered the later paragraphs 

 in order that they may be now briefly referred to. 



(1) I cannot accept the proposition that " there is a marked 

 change in the fauna" at about 100 fathoms. The fact is 

 there is no marked change at that or any other particular 



