POLYPODA. 433 



Genus Phyllodoce. 



April Srd, lSi8. — Mr. Edmund Getty dredged from 5 fathoms to-day, 

 in Belfast Bay, a valve of an oyster filled with a mass of rich " oil-green " 

 gelatinous matter. He was surprised some time afterwards to perceive 

 motion in it, and obtained from it six specimens of a beautiful green 

 Phyllodoce, each from o to 6 inches long, which he brought to me alive. 

 Their dorsal aspect was of a rich deep green, though not uniformly of 

 this hue, their ventral yellowish, \vith about as much green towards the 

 margin as yellow along the middle. Their motions were extremely live- 

 ly, and from their rich green colour they looked beautiful when placed 

 in a white bowl containing sea-water. The gelatinous matter in which 

 they were was of such consistence, as to remain in the single valve of the 

 oyster during the rough operation of ckedging, until it reached my friend's 

 hand. It was filled with dark-green round granules, apparent to the 

 naked eye, and Avhich I concluded to be ova. The specimens are pre- 

 served, but lost their green colour immediately on being put in spirits. 

 Part of the ova is also preserved in spirits. 



P. laiJielliff era,. J ohnst. 



Coast of Down ; Belfast Bay, W. T. Strangford Lough, Mr. Hynd- 

 man, and W. T. Bangor, Dr. Drummond. 



" Obs. — Except in being of much smaller size, the specimen from the 

 last-named locality corresponds well with Blainville's figure of P. Paretti. 

 The more I examine the subject, the more I become satisfied that Phyl. 

 laviinosa, P. lamellujera, and P. Paretti, are one and the same species ; 

 the differences pointed out between them depending, first, on age ; se- 

 condly, on the descri^ition having in some instances been made from liv- 

 ing specimens, and in others from specimens preserved in spirits." Dr. 

 Johnston. 



N. viridis, Johnst. 

 Coast of Down, W. T. 



Getms Nephty'S. 

 N. mar()aritacea,* Johnst. 



Bangor, Dr. Drummond. 



Au{/i)st Srd, 1838. — This is an especial favourite with fish generally, 

 being much preferred to the lug-worm [Arenieola piscatornm), but can 

 only be got by the fishermen at extremely low tides. It was unknown at 

 Larne until the Preventive Service came there, when the native fishermen 

 were astonished at the captures they made, and discovered tliat it was 

 owing to this bait. It was on this species that Dr. Drummond made 

 the experiment with fresh water. See Mag. Nat. Hist. 1829, vol. ii. p. 

 121. 



Iloli/irood, June, 1818. — I saw a fisherman return from digging quan- 

 tities of these, at extreme low-water-mark ; and likewise quantities of the 

 lug-worm of both species, all large and well grown. 



* Is it this species that is called Hairy Bait ? The fishermen at Dalkey have dis- 

 covered that in each large Buccinum mhabitcd by a Hermit crab, is also to be 

 found a Hairy Bait of particularly attractive quality to fish, and used accord- 

 ingly. 



2 F 



