CHAP. XVI.] Want of Observers. 289 
punctatum, and also part of an ascidian which appears to 
be A. parallelograma. The Botryllida are very difficult to 
distinguish unless they are quite fresh. I have never heard 
of Aplidium lobatum being found in this country. It is 
a Red Sea and Mediterranean species..... I am much 
obliged to my friend Mr. Norman for recommending you 
to send specimens to me, and I shall be glad to hear from 
you again.” 
The specimen of Aplidium lobatum which Edward sent 
to Mr. Alder was cast ashore at Banff; though its usual 
habitat is the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the Mediter- 
ranean. 
In a future letter Mr. Alder says: “I received your box 
containing a specimen of Ascidia sordida (young), and also 
a Zoophyte, the Alcyonidium gelatinosum, for which accept 
my thanks. I see that you have been very successful in 
discovering small fish. Your account of them is very in- 
teresting. JI wish any one on our coast would pay atten- 
tion to these things, but we have no one living permanent- 
ly on the coast that cares any thing about natural history.” 
Edward afterward discovered a fine specimen of the 
Onychoteuthis Bartlingii or Banksii. Tt was the first met 
with in Britain—the range of the species being said to be 
from Norway to the Cape and Indian Ocean. This speci- 
men was found on the beach betwixt the mouth of the 
river Deveron and the town of Macduff. Doubtless many 
other specimens of this and other marine animals had been 
cast upon the beach before, but no one had taken the trou- 
ble to look for or observe them. Many, also, of the fishes 
and marine objects which Edward was the first to discover 
had probably been haunting the Moray Firth for hundreds 
or thousands of years; but science had not yet been born 
in the district, and there were none who had the seeing eye 
and the observant faculties of our Banffshire naturalist. 
Edward also discovered a specimen of the Leptoclinum 
punctatum, which had been thrown on shore during a se- 
13 
