332 OBSERVATIONS ON THE PLANKTON OF LOOE POOL. 



they were all full of water, and in some instances, overflowing. I 

 find it recorded in my note-book that on the 29th of December 

 the river Cober was in full flood ; and that pools of standing water 

 abounded in the Looe valley. Indeed, about this time, the whole 

 country was saturated with water, and in some places small 

 springs could be seen even issuing from the roads. 



During this visit, viz. on the 29th of December, on approaching 

 the sluice situated in the south-west corner of the lake in a boat, 

 an appreciable current setting towards this overflow could be 

 detected, the distant roar of the water rushing through the adit 

 being plainly audible above the sound of the waves breaking on 

 the beach beyond the sand-bar. I had no means of ascertaining 

 the quantity of water flowing through this adit, but the amount 

 must have been far above the average. I also observed during 

 this visit that some small sticks which I placed on the water 

 between Eogers' Point and the bar of sand were quickly drawn 

 into the current setting towards the adit, and were soon swej^t 

 into the sea. This scarceness of the floating fauna continued to 

 be very apparent till the following May ; when, owing to the 

 absence of any heavy rain-fall during April and an excess of 

 sunshine, a slow but steady increase was observed. 



It will be noticed that these tables only record the monthly 

 changes in the floating fauna of the Looe Pool for one year. I 

 had hoped to have published a series of similar tables for at least 

 three consecutive years, but, as an interval of nine months must 

 elapse before these studies can be resumed, I have considered it 

 preferable to publish all I have on hand now, rather than post- 

 pone it, perhajDS indefinitely. 



The work of examining the large amount of material collected 

 during the first six visits to the pool was yerj great, but I feel 

 fairly confident that I have missed few, if any, specimens. 



The identification of the species of Copepoda belonging to 

 the genus Cyclops has tried my patience greatly ; the immature 

 forms being the most difficult to discriminate. If I have erred, 

 I have done so in the right direction ; I have not introduced any 

 new species. 



I have drawn up the results of each visit, together with some 

 meteorological notes, in a tabular form, as being the most con- 



