OP THE EAST COAST OF SCOTLAin). 97 



brought up from 46| fathoms, had the valve of a Venus striata 

 attached to it. 



Dredge no. 5 was down at 5.20 p.m., remaining an hour. It 

 was put overboard in lat. 57° 27' N. by long. 1° 15' E., in forty- 

 eight fathoms water having a surface-temperature of 56°, and 

 47° at the bottom, which consisted of fine sand. A large medusa 

 came up in the dredge — another proof how fallacious conclusions 

 would be drawn if it were considered that all which came to the 

 surface in an open dredge must necessarily have been obtained 

 from the bed of the sea. Many fine jellyfishes were to be seen 

 around the vessel ; the medusae were said by the fishermen to 

 have been in considerable quantities at sea, off" Montrose, during 

 the preceding three weeks ; they do not believe that fish eat 

 them, but that they interfere with fishing. There were no fish, a 

 few crabs, hermit crabs, galatheas, and shrimps, and only one 

 live species of sea-urchin, the common heart-shaped form, of 

 which twenty-six came up in the dredge or entangled in the 

 swab. There were few starfishes or shells, not many annelids, 

 some Polyzoa, sponges, &c. 



July 7th, After having been rolling all night, a smart shower 

 of rain occurred about 7.30 a.m., subsequent to which the sea 

 went down. At 9.15 a.m., when about twenty miles from land, 

 twenty -five herring-boats were to be seen, most of which appeared 

 to be fishing. I obtained two more mackerel midges in the tow- 

 net, over fifty-nine fathoms water. 



Dredge no. 6 was down at 9.40 a.m., remaining until 11 a.m. ; 

 it was put overboard in lat. 57° 25' N., and 1° 18' "W". long., 

 in sixty fathoms water having a surface-temperture of 58°, and 

 49|° at the bottom, which consisted of fine sand. Swabs were 

 attached to the dredge. It contained no fish, some crabs, Hyas, 

 hermit crabs, 2 Rippolyte spinus, about thirty of the common 

 heart-urchin, upwards of a dozen starfishes belonging prin- 

 cipally to three species, many dead but few living shells, some 

 annelids and Polyzoa. 



The Mollusca consisted of Lucina borealis, L., Venus ovata, 

 Penn., V. striata, H., Mactra elliptica, L., Scrohicularia pris- 

 matica, Mont., Psammohia ferroensis, Dentalium entalis, L., Fusus 

 islandic.us, and F. propinqims. 



At 1 o'clock, just as the course of the vessel was beino- 

 changed, and when only a few miles from shore, we passed a 

 large number of saithe fish, which were dashing about as if into 



