MARINE BIOLOGICAL STATION AT PORT ERIN. 83 



As to the future, there are a number of reports upon 

 groups, and other pieces of work, in progress. The 

 " List of Fishes " is still in hand. Mr. Andrew Scott has 

 undertaken to collect and report upon the Ostracoda, Dr. 

 Hurst has still charge of our Pycnogonida ; while Prof. 

 Boyce and Prof. Herdman are engaged on an extensive 

 investigation on Oysters in healthy and in diseased 

 conditions which has been partly laid before the British 

 Association, but ought to be published in full next year 

 after some further series of observations and experiments 

 have been made. 



The Infusoria of all kinds, some of the parasitic groups 

 of Crustacea, the marine Rotifera, and some of the lower 

 worms are still not allotted to workers ; while there is 

 plenty for many hands to do in working out the detailed 

 distribution of genera and species, and in tabulating and 

 discussing the results' of dredging in various depths and 

 localities. 



There is no need to dwell upon the large number of 

 species now recorded, and the additions that have been 

 made by our explorations both to the British fauna and 

 to science ; such results, though very necessary, are no 

 longer the sole, perhaps not even the chief objects which 

 the Committee have in view. I think all who are engaged 

 in this L.M. B.C. work feel that it is growing steadily 

 under their hands in every direction. Not only are there 

 many animals and whole groups of animals in our sea 

 awaiting examination and record, but there are many 

 points of view, the speciographic, distributional, anatom- 

 ical, physiological, embryological, bionomical and others, 

 from which even the best known forms would well repay 

 further and more detailed investigation ; and wider 

 problems such as the association of animals together on 

 particular sea-bottoms and at particular depths, and other 



