MILLPORT MARINE BIOLOGICAL STATION 71 



the wound had healed the usual papilla appeared and grew in a 

 coil, until there were about three turns in it. It, of course, 

 showed indications of the future segments. At the next moult 

 an antenna appeared, about two-thirds of the length of the old 

 one, but with a curl of half a circle at the end of it. 



Lobsters sometimes get an idea of working, and for several 

 days will clear a path right round the sides of their tank, heaping 

 up the pebbles on the bottom in the middle of the tanks. They 

 have done this several times. One morning a Lobster which 

 had cast his skin overnight solemnly set to work to bury his old 

 skin among the pebbles. Newly moulted Lobsters seem to be 

 regarded as delicacies by Congers. 



"Pull" of Solen siliqua. 

 When disturbed in its natural surroundings the Spout-fish 

 is capable of quickly and strongly withdrawing into its hole in 

 the sand. This is probably done as follows : Some Spout-fish 

 I had in a dish of sea-water overnight had stretched out their 

 feet and siphons. When I disturbed them some just con- 

 tracted, but three others, which were very well extended, 

 expanded the ends of their feet to about two inches in diameter, 

 and withdrew suddenly. This is surely how they get such a 

 grip of the sand. The inflated end of the foot with upturned 

 edges was like a Mushroom-anchor ; even a soft, fleshy Mush- 

 room-anchor pressing into the sand would give an enormous 

 hold. The foot of the Spout-fish is locally called the "pull" 

 (" u" pronounced as in dull). 



Spawn of Oscanius {Pleurobranchus) membranaceus. 

 When trawling on Ascog Bank, near Kothesay, several large 

 masses of spawn came up. Each of these masses consisted of 

 a soft gelatinous ribbon, about one inch thick and several feet 

 long, in an irregular coil. A spiral thread, containing the egg- 

 capsules, runs through the ribbon. There seems to be one egg 

 in each capsule ; the diameter of an egg is about '1 mm., and 

 that of a capsule '16 mm. Several Oscanius came up in the 

 same haul, and I suspected this was their spawn. I isolated 

 some of them, and on August 29th, after three days in captivity, 

 one of them deposited a coil of this spawn. 



