48 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Duhtin Societi/. 



and HolotKuria pentactes, MiilL, as the descriptions of these animals by the 

 earlier naturalists are insufficient to enable us to identify them. Much, 

 however, remains to be done before the geographical distribution of the 

 present species and C saxicola, B. & E., can be definitely established. Or ton 

 (op. cit., p. 225) observes that there is little doubt that both C. Normani and 

 C. saxicola " occur on the Continent, but at present pass under other names." 

 As yet we have met with C. Normani only on the west coast. A few 

 specimens occurred in 3 shore collections, and it was dredged on 2 occasions 

 at 5J-11 fms. in the area between Clew Bay and Galway Bay. Some of 

 these, and a specimen from Westport Bay in the Irish National Museum, 

 have been already recorded under C. Montagui (Nichols, 1912 ; Farran, 1915). 

 The last-mentioned specimen measured 28 mm. in length, and contained ca. 

 180 tubes in the gonad. The other specimens measured 15-48 mm. in length. 

 AH are brown in alcohol. A specimen of 15 mm. had 120 straw-coloured 

 tubes in gonad, while one of 40 mm. had only ca, 80 tubes, and one of 

 35 mm. had ca. 146. 



Distribution. — Plymouth. Polperro, Cornwall. 



Cucumaria saxicola, B. & E., 1871. 



There is no doubt that this species was known to the earlier naturalists, 

 but its characters were in part mixed up with those of other species. The 

 first complete description was given by Brady and Eobertson (IS'Zl, pp. 690-1) 

 from specimens taken by them in holes of limestone boulders between tide- 

 marks, "Westport Bay, Co. Mayo, and Birterbuy Bay, Co. Galway. 



Between 1899 and 1916 we have taken it 34 times,^ sometimes abun- 

 dantly, at various parts of the west coast, from Lough Hyne, Co. Cork, 

 to Lough Swilly, Co. Donegal. Fully two-thirds of the gatherings were 

 made on shore, but it was also dredged at soundings of 1-25 fms. Although 

 we did not meet with it in any of our east-coast hauls, it will probably be 

 found there. I have seen a white Cucumariau of 12 mm. in the Irish 

 National Museum, collected at Howth by Miss Stephens, which, in external 

 appearance, is very like this species, but, unfortunately, the spicula were 

 dissolved. A specimen of C. saxicola was taken in Lough Swilly, in 1900, 

 by Dr. C. B. Ball, and is now in the Irish National Museum. Mr. Southern 

 collected 3 examples at Portmon Bay, Portstewart, Co. Londonderry. 

 The specimens from our gatherings measured 4-30 mm. Specimens from 

 16-18 mm. possessed 5 gonadial tubes (in the specimen of 18 mm. one tube 

 measured 15 mm.), and specimens from 25 to 30 mm. had 5 to 8 tubes. In 



Some of the specimens have been already recorded (Nichols, 1912, and Farran, 1915). 



