352 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Mr. John Main, F.G.S., visited the museum on 

 different occasions with the members of their respec- 

 tive science classes, much, no donbt, to their advan- 

 tage. During what maybe termed the "offseason 

 at Millport, a number of preserved and living speci- 

 mens were taken to Edinburgh, and exhibited before 

 the Field Naturalists' and Microscopical Society. 

 In August, numerous members of the Greenock 

 Natural History Society visited the station, and 

 were much interested in all they saw there. 



In the list of office-bearers are to be found the 

 names of many of the most active scientific 

 workers in our midst ; these include, according to 

 the constitution, representatives of Glasgow Uni- 

 versity, Anderson's College, St. Mungo's College, 

 Natural History and other learned societies 

 of Glasgow ; Paisley Natural History and Philoso- 

 phical Societies, and the Greenock Natural History 

 Society ; Mr. David Robertson discharging the 

 onerous duties of Acting Joint Secretary. From 

 these details we may feel assured that the Biolo- 

 gical Station at Millport is under most excellent 

 and sympathetic management ; and, as Lord Kelvin 

 said in his letter read at the opening ceremony : 

 " You have glorious traditions which make Millport 

 for ever classic ground to the marine zoologist ; 

 and now that you have added the material support 

 derived from a suitable laboratory, one cannot 

 doubt that a bright career of useful scientific work 

 is opening up before you, and that the name 

 of the Millport Marine Biological Station will 

 be found frequently associated in the future with 

 researches on the fauna and flora of the British 

 Seas." 



G. W. Niven. 

 23, Newton Street, Greenock. 



Flounders. — In areport printed in the " Journal 

 of the Marine Biological Association " for April, 

 1S9S, by Dr. Georg Duncker, on his investigations 

 of certain fishes at the Plymouth Laboratory, some 

 notes on the variation of flounders (Pleuronectes 

 flesus Linn.), are given. It appears that the 

 Plymouth flounders form a distinct race from 

 those of the Baltic and south-eastern parts of the 

 North Sea. Those from the channel off Devon- 

 shire are similar to the form Pleuronectes italicus, of 

 Giinther, found in the Mediterranean. They differ 

 from those of the north in having a high number 

 of fin-rays in the dorsal and the anal fin. The 

 averages are dorsal 61-62, anal 43-44 rays. Further 

 distinction is in having an almost entirely smooth 

 squamation on the blind side. These results were 

 attained after an examination of 1,120 individuals, 

 of which 602 were males and 518 were females. Of 

 the males 6'6 per cent, had the eyes on the left side 

 of the head, but in only 38 per cent, of the females 

 were they so situated. The males proved more 

 variable than the females in the number of the fin- 

 rays. In both pectoral fins, a slight increase in 

 the number of rays appear to occur with the total 

 length caused by age. Will some of our readers 

 examine the flounders on other portions of the 

 British coast, and let us have their experiences ? 



HELIX NEMORALIS IN IRELAND. 

 By John T. Carrington. 



T AM indebted to Mr. R. Welch, of Belfast, for 

 kindly sending me a boxful of Tachea nemoralis, 

 gathered by a friend who is a geologist and not 

 a malacologist. The specimens numbered 226, 

 and were nearly all dead shells found in " pockets " 

 in .the sand, as described by Mr. Welch in the 

 " Irish Naturalist " for March, 1898. The locality 

 was the Sand Dunes of Dundrum Bay, at Bally- 

 kinlar, Co. Down. They were collected "just as 

 they came, without any selection." Consequently, 

 though the specimens were in faded and often 

 broken condition, we get a fair average of the 

 forms locally represented. The following is the 

 result of an examination for colour variation, 

 abnormal form and band formulae. 



The colour variation included only two of the 

 usual forms, namely, 116 rubella and no libellula. 

 The only deviation in form was var. conica, of 

 which there were three examples. 



1 band 

 4 bands 



00300 

 10345 



13 specimens 

 3 



5 .. 

 5 bands 



5 

 5 



12345 

 in 1 = (12345) 



2 = (123) (45) • 



3 = 1 (23) (45) • 



• 138 „ 



6 



iS 



1 



5 



3 = (123) 45 



9 



5 



3 = 12 (123) 



1 



5 

 5 

 5 



4 = (!2) 345 

 4 = 1 (23) 45 

 4 = 123 (45) 



4 

 31 

 2 „ 



In comparison with similar numbers gathered in 

 South and East of England localities, the above 

 batch shows a small range of variation, and is remark- 

 able for the absence of some band formulae beyond 

 the ordinary five bands commonly represented else- 

 where. The following is an analysis of the above 

 forms, comparing with the examples occurring on 

 Lincolnshire sandhills, Middlesex, Herts, Kent, 

 Surrey, Sussex and some other southern English 

 counties worked by me : — 



One band, 00300, is one of the commonest forms 

 in England, the proportion of thirteen to 226 being 

 smaller than is usual. 



Four bands, 10345, ' s 0I frequent occurrence in 

 many localities. It will be noted how few are the 

 other absent bands in the Ballykinlar specimens. 



Five bands. The typical formula of five bands 

 is by far the most common, 13S specimens out of 

 the total of 226, or more than half. At some 

 localities searched by me in southern England the 

 five-banded form appears among the band formulae 

 least frequently found. 



Five bands in one = (12345). The proportion of 

 six in 226 is about a usual proportion in many 

 localities, though high for others. 



