50 PELAGIC FAUNA. 



were gadoids, clupeoids (15 — 17 mm.), sand-eels (7 — 12 mm.), 

 rocklings, gunnels, gobies, lumpsuckers, dragonets, pipe-fishes, 

 brill (20 mm.), topknots and the flat fishes. Moreover, abundant 

 food for the adult fishes was present in the shape of larger 

 forms, such as sprats of 2\ inches, gurnards 3 to 4 inches, and 

 whitings of a smaller size. 



Throughout the month, Appendicularians were seldom absent 

 from the mid-water and bottom-nets, but if the weather was 

 cool they did not appear on the surface till the latter half As 

 a rule — whether numerous or few — they were small. 



Young mussels and other bivalves, with the little pteropod. 

 Spinalis, had now reached the surface, but they were most 

 plentiful near the bottom. 



The larval forms of Polyzoa were abundant, e.g. Gyphonautes, 

 which agreed with the able description of Prof Allman, who 

 found it in the Moray Frith. Schneider, again, traced it to the 

 adult condition (Membranipora). The wonderful larval form of 

 Phoronis, viz. Actinotrocha, was common this month. 



As in June, crustacean life swarmed from the surface to the 

 bottom, though now and again the one or the other species would 

 be more abundantly captured. On certain grounds some species 

 (e.g. Boreophausia) rendered the nets semi-solid, and attracted 

 many fishes. Moreover the pinkish oil of these crustaceans 

 would certainly suffice to colour the muscles of the fishes which 

 devoured them — if coloured they could be by such food'. 



A great number of pelagic annelids in their larval stages 

 were present, most of the littoral forms being represented. 

 After this nomad existence they settle down in chinks of rocks 

 and under stones, in sand or in mud, or as borers in stone. The 

 wealth of life, in this group alone, was great. Besides the 

 annelids, Sagittce occasionally appeared in masses. 



' Painter's easel ' larvse of Echinoderms (sand-stars etc.) 

 thronged the water, along with larval forms of the common 

 cross-fishes, of the holothurians and Synaptw (Bipinnarians, 

 Brachiolarians and Auricularians). 



The various kinds of jelly-fishes were in great profusion and 



' See Marion's Pelagic Fauna. 



