FEOM THE EASTERN COAST OF SCOTLAjSTD. 1U3 



The chief interest and importance of the collection seems to 

 me to lie most in the fact that it may be taken as an earnest of 

 what is now a very important factor in the resolution of the kind 

 of problems that are associated with the question of the struggle 

 for existence. "When such questions as, why have these Starfishes 

 strong spines, and those stout plates, are proposed to us, we can 

 but give play to the imagination unless we know the kind of 

 animals that live with them, and the kind of ground on winch 

 they live. Much of the matter to be resolved is beyond the 

 ken of the cabinet naturalist ; but I fancy that some assistance 

 may be rendered by giving a statement of the species found at 

 each dredging- or trawling-station, as this may hereafter be 

 worked up when the reports of other zoologists have come to 

 hand. 



Dredge 1. EcMnus escuJentus, E. oniliaris, Stro7igylocentrotus 

 drohachiensis, EcMnocarclium Jlavescens, OphiopJiolis aculeata. 



Dredge 2. Echinus elegans, E. flavescens, Brissopsis lyrifera, 

 Cribrella oculata, Astropecten irregularis^ Opliioglypha ciliata. 



Dredge 3. Spatangus purpureus, JEchinocardiiim flavescens. 



Dredge 4. JEchinus elegans, Spatangus purpureus, TlcTiinocar- 

 dium flavescens. 



Dredge 5. M. elegans, E. flavescens, Asterias violacea, A. Muel- 

 le?'i, Astropecten irregularis, A. pentacantlius (?) (yg.). 



Dredge 6. As 5, with Luidia Sarsi. 



Dredge 7. Ediinocyamus pusiJlus, Spatangus pnrpttreus, Asterias 

 violacea, Cribrella oculata. 



Trawl 3. Echinus esculentus, E. flavescens, Sp. pu^pureus, Aste- 

 rias violacea, Solaster endeca, Stichaster roseus, Astropecten irregu- 

 laris, Ophioglypha ciliata. 



The finds at " Trawl 3 " were more numerous than those at any 

 other station. There were some 25 specimens of Asterias vio- 

 lacea ; and the two examples of Solaster and the one Crihrella were 

 of large size. Of twenty examples of the Asterias only one had 

 lost an arm; so that if we allow anything for the dangers of 

 the trawl, we must assume that the station under examination 

 must be a safe place for Starfishes to inhabit. Absolutely large 

 as the collection made at this point was, we can be by no means 

 certain that it is proportionately so ; for though it is well known 

 that the dredger often brings up a very multitude of Echino- 

 derms, the only kind of information given is such as can be con- 

 veyed by " scores and scores " and other vague expressions. 



