396 MR. r. DAT Olf BRITISH SALMO>'ES. 



tenth inoruing from tbat they look for the appearance of the 

 palolo ; but the extra lunar month sometimes puts thera wrong. 

 Others watch with equal success, for the indication of the season, 

 the sinking below the horizon of various constellations, com- 

 mencing with Orion. 



I should mention that there is a second appearance of palolo 

 each year, occurring a month after the first, consisting of such 

 Avorms, probably, as were not sufficiently mature to spawn in 

 October — or, it may be, of another species. 



The palolo is by no means confined to Samoa and Yiti. Our 

 Samoan missionaries in the Gilbert Grroup have informed me that 

 they also are found at those atolls. One of the missionaries 

 caught some of both the grey and green varieties there. The 

 worms are found near the outer reefs, in from 4 to 8 feet of 

 water. The natives of the G-ilbert Islands hold that the palolo 

 is a production of the coral — grows out of it ; they call it " Te 

 Nmatamata," i. e. the Grlistener. It ajipears there in June 

 and July. How is this ? Why there in June, but here in 

 October ? Perhaps it may be because those atolls are nearly on 

 the line, while Samoa is 14° more to the south. 



Samoa, May 14th, 1881. 

 P.S. — If the above calculations and statements are correct, 

 the palolo should appear in Samoa on October 15th or 16th, 1881, 

 October 5th or 6th, 1882, and October 25th or 26th, 1883. 



Observations on British Salmones. — 1. Trout. 

 By Eeancis Day, !F.L.S. 

 [Read March 16, 1882.] 

 At the early part of 1880 I exhibited some Salmonidse before the 

 Linnean Society*, in order to demonstrate how local causes may 

 induce temporary or even permanent changes among members 

 belonging to this family of fishes. The first example I showed 

 was an American cliarr (Salmo fontinalis). The specimen was 

 nine inches in length, of good condition, and with brilliant colours ; 

 it had been reared by the late Mr. Prank Buckland in his tanks at 

 the Horticultural Grardens, South Kensington, from eggs received 

 direct from Lake Huron. He presented some of the fry to the 

 authorities of the Westminster Aquarium soon after that institu- 

 tion was first opened ; and the example under consideration was 

 the last survivor, having met with its death in October 1879, when 

 * For brief notice of which see the ' Proceedings ' of the Meeting 5th Feb- 

 ruary 1880, p. lii. 



