I II./-ADDITIONS TO THE FAUNA OF THE FIETH OF 



FOETH. 



Part VI. By Thomas Scott, F.L.S. (Plates V.-X.) 



In my paper — ' Additions to the Fauna of the Firth of Forth/ Part V. 

 published in the Eleventh Annual Report of the Fishery Board for 

 Scotland (1893), it is stated that some of the species that are there 

 described for the first time had been known for some years previously, 

 but had been allowed to stand over for want of sufficient information 

 concerning them ; the same statement may be made now, as not a few 

 of the species recorded in the sequel have been in my possession since 

 1889, 1890, and 1891. There is nothing unusual in this, because an 

 accurate knowledge of such small organisms, as many of the Copepoda 

 are, and even of larger forms, can only be acquired by careful study 

 extending over a lengthened period. Though much has now been done 

 to throw light on the distribution of the Crustacean fauna of the Firth of 

 Forth, my experience leads me to believe that much still remains to b§ 

 done ere our knowledge of this group — a group that forms an important 

 part of fish-food — attains to anything approaching completeness. In the 

 present paper, the additions to the Forth fauna include 43 species of 

 Copepoda, 1 species of Ostracoda, 10 species of Amphipoda, 1 species 

 of Annelida, and 1 species of Mollusca, — in other words, 56 species of 

 invertebrates, of which, so far as I know, no previous records of their 

 occurrence in the Forth have been published, now fall to be added to 

 those recorded in preceding papers. I again find it necessary to leave 

 over several species of Copepoda for further study; the Amphipoda also 

 require further investigation ; and, thanks to the excellent work of Pro- 

 fessor G. O. Sars of Norway, the study of this difficult group will, ere long, 

 become comparatively easy. Very much, also, still remains to be done 

 among the Annelida of the Forth. One interesting group — the Nemertians 

 — has scarcely yet been touched ; but the sea is a boundless storehouse 

 whose treasures will never be exhausted. 



Seventeen species of the Copepoda now recorded are described and 

 figured here for the first time ; preliminary descriptions of other 7 species 

 new to science, and 1 new to Britain, have been published in the 

 Annals and Magazine of Natural History for October 1893, and February 

 1894, and 1 species, new to Britain, is recorded here. A few of the others 

 are new to the East Coast.* In my paper ' Additions to the Forth Fauna,' 

 Part III. (Ninth Annual Report of the Fishery Board for Scotland, 

 1891), the following statement occurs: — ' I venture to predict that when 

 ' the Firth of Forth becomes more thoroughly and systematically worked 

 1 up, the number of Crustacea will be little, if at all, short of 500 species.' 

 In connection with this statement it may be of interest to mention that 

 the number of species of Forth Crustacea, including those recorded in the 

 present paper, now amounts to over 480. 



My son, Mr Andrew Scott, has prepared all the drawings, and a large 

 part of the necessary dissections required in the preparation of this 

 paper. I may also say that, as in former years, the great interest taken 

 in all our work, by Dr Fulton, has been a source of much encouragement. 

 By his assistance, ever willingly given, I have been enabled to have the 



* Several rare and new species have also recently been added to the British fauna 

 from the Moray Firth District (see the parts of the Annals and Magazine of 

 Natural History already referred to). 





