102 DUBLIN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



shores of Ballyyauglian. Its great abundance here, as contrasted with its 

 rarity at Dublin, is worthy of note. 



P. squilla is also common, and varies very much in the characters of 

 its beak ; P. Leachii also occurs. 



The JEsop prawn (P. annulicornis) is rare, at least as compared 

 with Dublin. 



Of the common spider crab {St. phalangium) I only met one young 

 specimen ; the tides, however, were unfavourable. Syas araneus is 

 much rarer than in Dublin, and smaller in size ; S. coarctatus occurs at 

 Ballyvaughan. 



The common edible crab is not nearly so common in the littoral zone 

 as either at Dublin or Plymouth. I suppose there is some local cause 

 for this. 



The velvet swimming-crab (Portunus puber) is extremely common. 

 P. corrugatus and Arcuatus occur, but are much rarer than at Yalentia. 

 Of the livid crab (P. holsatus) I only got broken fragments at Lahinch ; 

 and the same remark applies to Portumnus variegatus and Corystes Cas- 

 sivelanus. 



Hermit crabs are common ; both P. Benliardus and P. TTlidianus 

 very abundant in the rock pools, the latter in spawn. Mr. Foot brought 

 me one specimen of P. Hyndmani. 



Of lower Crustacea, Ligia oceanica, as usual, was common in the lit- 

 toral zone ; Porcellio scaler occurred abundantly ; Oniseus murarius, 

 Phloscia muscorum, and 0. fossor more rarely. 



The only amphipod I coiild meet in this zone, after much research, was 

 Orcliestia littorea, although 0. Mediterranea occurs abundantly in Dublin 

 and Plymouth. In the other zones were met, along with a multitude 

 of others, Caprella tuberculosa, Nccara licuspidata, Amphitoe rulricata 

 and littorina, Lestrigonus falcatus ; but I met with no specimen of Gam- 

 marus palmatus, although this latter occurs at Dublin. 



Passing from the Crustacea, I must glance for a moment at the 

 Echinodermata. Of these the most characteristic, next to the purple sea- 

 urchin {Echinus Uvidus), is probably the gibbous starlet, Asterina gibbosa. 

 This is by far the commonest of Lahinch and Ballyvaughan starfishes. 

 Next in the littoral zone comes that commonly diffused species, the 

 purple-tipped egg-urchin {PJ. miliaris) ; next the common starfish 

 ( Uraster ruhens) ; next the common egg-urchin {E. sphcera), the spiny 

 and little crossfishes ( U. glacialis and Mspida), contend for place with 

 Ophiocoma rosula and neglecta, Ophiura texturata, Amphidotus cordatus, 

 and Ecliinocyamus pusillus. 



But the most interesting to deal with are the next group, the worm- 

 like echinoderms. Of these six species at least are common on these 

 shores, though varying in numbers. The first, and most interesting of 

 these to the Irish zoologist, isGaertner's ^■^oon-^oxTci{Thalassema Nep- 

 tuni). To Dr. Charles Farran is to be given the credit for, in modern 

 days, permanently establishing this as an Irish species, although Tem- 

 pleton had recorded the species many years before. Dr. Charles Farran 



