75 



It will be seen that very few of the Helga specimens have 

 all the characters of M. rugosa and that none have all those of 

 M. bamffica. The majority have some of the characters of the 

 one and some of the other. I therefore follow Hansen in regarding 

 M. bamffica as a somewhat variable species in which the circlet 

 of hairs is usually well developed, with some hairs extending 

 far out on the cornea, in which the hind margin of the carapace 

 may or may not bear spines on the central portion and sides, 

 and in which spines may or may not be present on the fourth 

 abdominal segment. 



Size. — One very large specimen measuring 75 mm. was 

 taken at station S. R. 215. Other large individuals, measuring 

 52 mm. and 42 mm., were also captured. Hansen' slargest 

 specimen was 53 mm. long. 



General Distribution. — The most northerly record for this species 

 is one given by Birula, between Jan May en and Greenland, 

 at 73° 34' N., 17° 20' W. It is also known from the Varanger 

 Fjord in the Murman Sea (G. O. Sars) and from the south 

 and west of Iceland (Hansen). It extends along the whole west 

 €oast of Norway (Sars, Appellof), is known from Bohuslan 

 (Goes), and from the Skagerrak (Stephensen, Bjorck). It 

 occurs round ail the British coasts from the Shetlands to 

 Falmouth, off the Breton coast (Bonnier), in the Bay of 

 Biscay (Kemp), and extends southwards along the coasts 

 of Spain and Portugal and west Morocco to Cape Bojador 

 {Milne-Edwards and Bouvier). It also extends into the Medi- 

 terranean (Adensamer) and the Adriatic (Senna). 



Vertical Distribution. — The species is commonest in depths 

 100-300 fathoms, though it is also frequently taken in much 

 shallower water — Appellof records it from 5| fathoms at By- 

 fjord, and also from very much greater depths, Hansen having 

 taken five specimens o:ff the south of Iceland, in 691 fathoms. 

 Irish Distribution. — Pocock, Bourne, and Caiman all record 

 this species from the south-west coast, and Thompson mentions 

 it as having been found off Co. Down and at Youghal, Co. 

 Cork. 

 Helga. 



Helga LXXVII.— 29 vi '01. 124 mis. W. by N.|N. of Cleggan 

 Head, Co. Galway, 53° 24' 30" N., 13° 36' W., 

 91 fms., in stomach of fish. — One. 

 Helga CXVII.— 23 viii '01. 30 mis. W.N.W. of Cleggan 

 Head, Co. Galway, 74| fms., shelly sand and gravel. 

 Dredge. — One, small. 

 Helga CXXI.— 24 viii '01. 64 mis. N.W.JW. of Cleggan 

 Head, Co. Galway, 199 fms., sand. Trawl. — Twenty, 

 all quite small. 

 S. 44.— 12 II '02. 7 mis. of! Howth, Co. Dublin, 25-27 fms., 



sand. Trawl. — Two. 

 S. 70. — 9 VII '02. 7 mis. off shore, Lambay to Rockabill, Co. 

 Dublin, 25-26 fms., fine sand and mud. Trawl. — One. 



