OCTOBEK 26, 18S3. 



SCIIJXCE 



557 



protected from tlio open sea by a breakwater 

 (seen in the middle of tlie first picture at the 

 left of the lahoratorj-) , which extends from the 

 l)romontorv. at the base of which the labora- 

 tory is built, to a rocky island in the middle 

 the entrance to the harbor. The village of 

 Itanyuls itself (seen in the other illustration, 

 looking from the laboratory into the harbor) 

 has about four thousand inhabitants. Behind 

 the village the hills arc clothed with vineyards, 

 olive-groves, and cork-oak trees, nearly to their 

 tops. To crown the view is the middle-age 

 tower of ]\[adeloth. or Tour du Diable. on a 

 mountain six hundred and sixty-eight metres 

 high. Tiio village has two hotels, which are 

 crowded with bathers during midsummer. In 

 winter there are few amusements, and the 

 hotels are then nearly empty. For a good 

 concise description and history of this region, 

 in which the Catalan dialect still prevails to a 

 considerable extent, and the history of which 

 is extremely interesting, I refer to Pierre 

 Vidal's Guide historique et pittoresque dans 

 le departement des P/jn-nces - Orientates, Pcr- 

 pignan, 1S71». 51. Mdal is the assistant libra- 

 lian of the town of Perpignan, capital of the 

 department. 



The climate of P>anyuls is sufficiently mod- 

 erate to make a winter's stay very agreeable. 

 Oranges, figs, cactuses, almonds, and even the 

 date-palm with poorl}- developed fruit, are cul- 

 tivated in the valleys. In the latter part of 

 February, 18.S2, I waded along the beaches in 

 search of moUusks, without finding the cold 

 inconvenient. Snow rarely falls. The climate 

 can be shown best bj- quoting a table for 18.S2, 

 from Martinet,^ as follows {degrees in Centi- 

 grade) : — 



.•ooL ';■ *'"'■""'-''• Banyulfl «ur mcr (««?. giogr. intemai., April, 

 1883, 8c ann , 67). 



The lowest leiiiperature of wliicli I find data 

 was — 6° C, in .laniiaiy, 1871. The cold winds 

 which sometimes descend from the mountains, 

 blowing with considerable severity for one or 

 two days at a time, are the only unpleasant 

 climatologieal feature of the region. 



I have been unable to find sufficient data in 

 regard to the temperature of the sea-water at 

 IJaiiyuls. Martinet ^yrites (/. cIMay, 1883, 

 p. s,)), '• From the month of May tlie temper- 

 ature of the sea is 1«° ; that of the air, in the 

 shade, from ;]0° to 3.5°. In JUI3' and August 

 the temperature of the water reaches 24° to 

 2(;° ; then in September and Octolier it de- 

 scends from 22° to 18'." 



The marine fauna at IJanyuls is very rich. 

 Several species of corals and of actinias, and 

 numerous species of interesting mollusea, such 

 as Chiton and Ilaliotus, can be taken 011 the 

 rocks within a few metres of the lalioiatory. 

 Besides these, the janitor in charge regularl^^ 

 transplants new species to the vicinity of the 

 laboratory. Siphonophorcs, ctenophores. and 

 tuuicates swarm in the w^aters. It would be 

 useless to mention here the numerous forms 

 which are found on every side without the aid 

 of the dredge ; and, when the dredge is used, 

 the result is almost incredible. Add to this 

 the habit already acquired by the fishermen of 

 bringing to the laboratoiy all curious animals 

 which they find in their nets, and we have 

 a place where unsurpassed opportunities are 

 offered for obtaining material in quantity for 

 study, an opportunity of which I availed my- 

 self, in order to study the parasites of fishes 

 and crustaceans. The fishing at Bauyuls, ex- 

 cepting that for sardines and anchovies, is car- 

 ried on b}- the use of a large funnel-shaped net, 

 held open, and drawn through the water by 

 two boats, which stand a distance ap.art. Nu- 

 merous sharks and cephalopods, — both eaten 

 b}' the people at Banyuls. — and sometimes 

 sunfishes (Orthagoriscus) and other large fishes, 

 are taken in these nets, besides smaller fishes 

 by thousands. 



About fifty fishing-boats, like those seen in 

 tlie second illustration, leave Banyuls earh' 

 ever}' pleasant morning, returning about five 

 o'clock in the afternoon, when the fish are 

 spread out for sale along the beach. This 

 mode of sale is a convenience for the natural- 

 ists as well as for the townspeople: on the 

 contrary, in fishing-places near large cities, 

 the fish arc hurried aboard the trains, leaving 

 no opportunity for their examination. The 

 fresh entrails of fishes can be examined b}' 

 thousands on the beach at Ban^'uls, for para- 

 sites or for anatomical purposes. 



