Beaumont — Fauna and Flora of Valencia Harbour, Ireland. 835 



bed near Gruppaun Point. The exact habitat of this individual 

 was not ascertained ; for a knowledge of the usual local of the 

 species we have to thank the vigilance of my friend, Mr. E. "W". 

 L. Holt. When dredging in Falmouth Harbour in the summer 

 of 1897, Mr. Holt pointed out to me a small JEolid in the midst 

 of a colony of Hydr actinia echinata on a shell tenanted by 

 Mupaguriis Bernhardus. 



I at once recognised it as the species previously taken in 

 Valencia Harbour. An examination of many Hydractinia 

 colonies, since then, has resulted in the discovery of two or three 

 more specimens only, so that its apparent rarity cannot be 

 entirely accounted for by the excellent chance of escaping dis- 

 covery it possesses in virtue of the remarkable resemblance of 

 its papillae to the surrounding polyps. I have not found any 

 record of C. Peachii since the time of Alder and Hancock. 



The Valencia example was about 12 mm. in length. The 

 head and foot exhibited the characteristic shape shown in. 

 Alder and Hancock's drawings, which serves to distinguish C. 

 Peachii from all other British Solids save C. nana ; and in 

 relative width my specimens agree much better with C. Peachii 

 than with the last-named. They show also a close resem- 

 blance to C. Peachii in colouring, except that the hepatic coeca 

 of the Valencia example were pale brown ; the Plymouth and 

 Falmouth specimens were more in accordance with Alder and 

 Hancock in this particular, which contributed not a little to 

 the remarkably inconspicuous appearance of their owner among 

 the Hydractinia polyps. The papillae were very numerous and 

 crowded, and extended forward on each side of the head in the 

 form of a ruff. Any arrangement of the papillae in definite rows 

 was difficult to make out. The teeth of the radula of the Valencia 

 specimen agree fairly well with Alder and Hancock's figure of 

 a tooth of C. Peachii \ they show, however, some approach to G. 

 nana in the stronger development of the lateral denticulations 

 (numbering five on each side) than is represented in the figure. 



Apart from the general agreement with C. Peachii rather 

 than with C. nana, the latter species is put completely out of 

 court by the statement of Alder and Hancock respecting its 

 spawn, which must be very different from the coral-pink spawn 

 deposited by my Falmouth specimen, since it is said to resemble 

 the broad semi-circular coil of Cratena olivacea (figured by A. & 

 H., Fam. iii., pi. 26). 



