156 Part III — Sixteenth Annual Report 



in the surface tow-net at Station III. in January 1889, in the bottom 

 tow-net at Station V. in November 1893, and in the surface net at Station 

 VIII. in December of the same year. Limacina retroversa is a very 

 generally distributed species, but seems to be more common on the West 

 than it is on the East Coast. On the West Coast it sometimes occurs in 

 immense shoals, and at times forms a considerable part of the food of trie 

 herring. I have found the stomachs of herrings sent to me from the 

 West Coast for examination filled with little else than these Pteropods, 

 numbers of which appear to have been swallowed wholesale, as some of 

 the shells were practically uninjured. CUone, whicb has no shell, is a 

 northern species, and is a rare visitant to the Firth of Forth. All the 

 three recorded instances of its occurrence happened during the winter 

 ■months. This was probably owing to the temperature of the water at 

 that season being more favourable to its wandering habits, or the speci- 

 mens may have been carried south by currents coming down from the 

 North Atlantic. Another point connected with the capture of the CUone 

 is, that on the two occasions in which it occurred in the surface tow-net 

 the surface of the sea was smooth or but slightly disturbed, but on the 

 occasion when it was found in the bottom tow-net the weather was 

 stormy and the sea rough. 



(2.) The Crustacea. 



(a) Decapoda. 



The Decapoda captured by the tow-nets comprised the following 

 species : — 



Macropodia rostrata (Linn.), 

 Crangon allmanni, Kinahan, Hippotyte fascigera, Gosse, 



Egeon fasciatus, Bisso, Spirontocaris pusiola (Kroyer), 



Cheraphilus nanus (Kroyer), Pandalus montagui, Leach, 



Hippolyte v avians, Leach, Pandalus bvevirostris, Rathke, 



all of which, with the exception of the first, belong to the Carida. They 

 were all captured in the bottom net at various times and at one or more 

 of all the selected stations. 



Macropodia is only recorded twice during the seven years — once in 

 October 1890, from Station IV., and again from the same station in 

 August 1891. 



Crangon allmanni occurred more frequently than any of the Decapods 

 mentioned, and there are records of its capture with the bottom tow-nets 

 in all but one of the seven years, 1889 being the only year in which no 

 distinct record of the species occurs. In 1890 it is recorded twice, once 

 in February and once in November, both records being for Station V. 

 It is also recorded twice in 1891, once in March for Station V. and in 

 September for Station III. There are seven records for 1892 — viz., in 

 January, March, and November for Station I., in February for Station 

 III., in February for Station IV., and in January and February for 

 Station V. There is only one record for 1893 — viz., one for Station V. in 



