OFF THE NORTH EAST COAST OF ENGLAND IN 190I. 89 



proved to contain chlorophyll, *are probably holophytic in 

 their mode of life, able to live on dissolved inorganic salts 

 after the fashion of algae. If this be so they may be taken to 

 occupy a place in the economy of nature similar to that filled 

 in more northern and more southern latitudes by strata of 

 floating diatoms. 



The micro-organisms captured by our tow-nets con- 

 sisted mainly of minute Copepoda and Cladocera — species 

 already well known as belonging to the North Sea fauna; 

 and in addition to these were numerous larval stages of 

 Cirripedes and the higher Crustacea as well as of Polyzoa, 

 Echinoderma, and Annelida. It may be noted, however, that 

 the interesting Actinotrocha stage of Phoronis, taken abun- 

 dantly the year before last only a few miles from the shore, 

 was on this occasion conspicuous by its absence, only one or 

 two examples having been noticed. In the dredged material 

 there was more of novelty, though we were rather unfortunate 

 in being unable to find a coarse shelly bottom such as is 

 always in these regions most prolific of various forms of life : 

 the dredges almost always came up filled with muddy sand 

 containing considerable numbers of minute Molluscs, worms, 

 and Crustacea, but very little above the grade of what may 

 fairly be called Microzoa. Lists of our captures in the more 

 important departments are given below. For the determina- 

 tion of the Mollusca I have to thank Miss Marie V. Lebour ; 

 Mr. Meek has done the Amphipoda, and for the other groups 

 I am myself responsible. My thanks are due also to the Rev. 

 T. R. R. Stebbing, F.R.S., to Mr. Shipley, of Christ's College, 

 Cambridge, to Dr. C. H. Hudson and Mr. Rousselet for 

 examining some doubtful specimens about which nothing 

 definite can at present be said. Some interesting specimens, 

 of which about half-a-dozen have been noticed, may, however, 

 be briefly referred to. These little creatures, mountings of 

 which I show to you, are evidently either rotifers or perhaps 



* It may be noted, however, that the preservative sohitions in which these 

 gatherings were kept acquired a dusky greenish tint, and on spectroscopic 

 examination gave some of the reactions of chlorophyll, but this is a matter which 

 requires further investigation. 



