258 NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF FALMOUTH. 



of the sea was 61-6 F.; on the 5th, 62°F.; on the 6th, 62-9 F.; 

 10th, 61-9 F.; 14th, 60*9 F. ; 26th, 62° F. ; and it remained 

 unchanged till the end of the month. 



On the 5th, one of the richest and most varied surface 

 gathering was made about four miles S.E. of the lighthouse 

 during this afternoon at high-water. The wind had been light 

 to moderate from the south-west during the past few days, and 

 this fact, coupled with a strong tide, will account for this 

 exceptional gathering. On transferring the contents of the 

 tow-net to the collecting jar, the Plutei were so abundant that 

 they formed a separate layer immediately beneath the surface. 

 In addition to these there was a fair quantity of each of the 

 following : Auricularia larvae, Tornaria, Doliolum, and Muggioea 

 atlantica. One Amphioxus with twelve gill slits and measuring 

 5 m.m. in length was also secured. During the summer of 1890, 

 this portion of the coast was visited by shoals of a very 

 interesting species of Pteropod ; and during August of that 

 year it was by no means unusal for one to find some hundreds 

 of specimens in a single tow-net gathering. There was a great 

 diversity of opinion at that time as to whether this animal was 

 an adult or larval form, and I believe no definite conclusions 

 were ever arrived at. These animals disappeared from here as 

 suddenly as they appeared ; the last being secured at Plymouth 

 about the middle of September of that year. Since that time 

 up to present this interesting form seems to have vanished from 

 the coast. On closely examining the collection made this day, I 

 fortunately found in the rubbish on the bottom of the jar, in 

 which this gathering had been placed, a few fully contracted 

 but living specimens of this Pteropod ; and on placing them in 

 a separate jar of fresh sea- water, I was gratified to find them 

 the next morning swimming vigorously about. On making a 

 careful examination of several and comparing them with sketches 

 made in 1890, I found them to be identical. In spite of the 

 utmost care these specimens died a few days later, and since that 

 occasion I have not met with any more examples of this 

 Pteropod. It was not till six days later that any specimens of 

 Doliolum appeared in the harbour. From that day (11th) till 

 the end of the month examples of that species, together with 

 Ceratium tripos were very numerous. A few isolated specimens 



