

COPEPODA FROM WEST OF IRELAND. 93 



The free-swimming Copepoda of our coasts vary in size 

 from about 1 mm. to 4 mm. in length. The mode of 

 examination which I have found the best and quickest is 

 as follows : — After carefully shaking the material in the 

 bottle a quantity is poured into a shallow open glass plate 

 about 4 inches long, 2 inches wide and £ inch deep. Such a 

 plate (which I have been able to obtain only from Messrs. 

 Cogit & Co., Paris,) is curved inside like a watch-glass 

 and the contents can be rapidly gone over by means of a 

 strong lens, or a simple dissecting microscope, or still 

 better on the large flat stage of a Swift's Stephenson 

 Binocular Microscope, using a 2 inch objective. Every 

 portion is thus systematically examined, and those animals 

 identified or required for further examination are easily 

 picked out with a very fine needle, or better with the 

 lower part of a cat's whisker cut flat at the end and 

 mounted. 



The material of Mr. Browne's collection may all be 

 classed as "Littoral Plankton" being taken at the 

 surface or at a depth of from 1 to 5 fathoms, one only of 

 the number (No. 5) being taken at a depth of from 5 to 

 15 fathoms. 



As before stated Nos. 1 to 10 were collected during the 

 month of April, Nos. 11 to 14 during May and the others 

 during June, July, September, and October. The local- 

 ities are very adjacent to each other, the greater number 

 of the tow-nettings having been taken in Valencia 

 Harbour, and the rest off Beginnis Island and Donlus 

 Bay. Twenty-two species of Copepoda in all were found. 

 In order to conveniently show their distribution and 

 abundance or scarcity I have tabulated them, the numbers 

 running in the order of dates (Table I.). 



One species only, Galanus finmarchicus was common 

 to all and it formed nearly the entire bulk of many of the 



