530 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



Dublin. E. drummondi is common in Belfast Lough ; E. lineata is very 

 I'are, and has previously only been found at Saltcoats, Ayi'shire, and 

 Douglas, Isle of Man ; E. despecta and E. exigua are probably "widely 

 distributed, but their small size and peculiar habit has, doubtless, 

 caused them to be overlooked. 



\_Procto7iokis mucroniferus, Aid. and Han. — It is with great satisfac- 

 tion that I am able to record the recapture of this interesting and 

 beautiful form. Messrs. Alder and Hancock state in their Mono t/raph : 

 " A single perfect specimen of this curious animal, and another much 

 injured, were dredged up in Malahide Bay, in September, 1843, 

 adhering to a sponge {JIalichotidria panicea), from rather shallow 

 "water." So far as I am aware, this species has only been met with 

 since by Herdman, in Lamlash Bay, S.E. of Holy Isle, fifteen fathoms 

 {Proc.,R.P]iys. Soc.,Edinh., 1881). Ifoundtwo specimens on the under 

 side of a large stone at extreme low water, on September 8, 1885, on 

 the shore at Malahide. As in all their other descriptions, that of this 

 form is very exact ; there is, however, one point in which they have been 

 misled. The dorsal processes (branchiae) are arranged six deep, 

 but immediately on putting the living animal into a dilute solution of 

 chromic acid, for the purpose of conservation, all the three internal 

 processes of each side were suddenly cast off in two long rows, leaving 

 the three processes seen by Alder and Hancock; doubtless their speci- 

 mens had similarly shed their processes whilst being dredged. 



Alder and Hancock's specimens were not fully grown, as they 

 state the length to be nearly half an inch, whereas mine measured 

 20mm. (xfths of an inch). I failed to notice that the anterior and 

 posterior papillae were larger than any other. The coloured core was 

 absent in the anterior papillae. The core of the papillae was of a dark 

 browTi colour, and there were a number of irregular light lines in 

 addition to the white and minute dark bro-wa spots. The lines and 

 light spots of the inner rows of dorsal papill8e were of a pale creamy 

 bumt-sienna colour, those of the outermost rows were whiter. The 

 animals were rather sluggish in habit, but bristled up their papillae 

 when excited. The spawn was a long, wavy, irregularly coiled 

 thread.] 



Bote coronata, Gmel., occurs at Kingstown, and Dendronotus 

 arhorescens, Miill., was found with all the above early in July, 

 1881, browsing upon the luxuriant growth of Campanularia, on the 

 Laminaria which clothed the sides of the dredger ; unfortunately this 

 di'edger has been kept so well tarred since that I have been unable to 

 procure any more specimens from it. Polycera qiuidrilineata, Miill., 

 occurred at Salthill. Goniodoris nodosa, Mont., occurs fairly plen- 

 tiful at Malahide and at Salthill. Doris tuherculata, Cuv., was 

 collected at Dalkey Island, and D. pilosa, Miill., is very common 

 roimd Salthill. 



During this last winter I have seen four specimens of Eledone 

 cirrosa, Lamk., from Kingstown, and I have reason to believe that this 

 octopod is ]iot at all uncommon ; sometimes it is left stranded by the 



