L.M.B.C. MEDUSAE. 245 



report to give a description of the species. Nearly every 

 species mentioned in this report is given by Forbes in his 

 monograph. 



My latest method for catching medusae is to use a long 

 tow-net made of bolting silk with a mesh not exceeding 

 half a millimetre. At the end of the net is fastened a 

 zinc can, instead of the usual glass bottle which generally 

 breaks when the contents are specially wanted. I prefer 

 to use a small rowing boat and work very gently against 

 the tide with just a slight pull on the net. If the 

 medusae are not visible at the surface, I sink the net with 

 a weight about two fathoms, and if not successful, try 

 near the bottom. The net is left down from 10 to 20 

 minutes and the contents emptied into a large glass-bottle. 

 It is best to pick out at once some of the best specimens 

 with a large pipette and place them in another bottle full 

 of clean sea-water. Medusae are very delicate, and 

 quickly die if crowded together in a small bottle. 



The following is one of the best methods for killing 

 and preserving small medusae. Place the medusa in a 

 large watch-glass with sufficient water to float in. Add 

 with a pipette about 5 drops of a 2 per cent, solution of 

 cocaine, and about 10 minutes later add another 5 to 10 

 drops ; the quantity depends upon the species and its 

 activity. When the medusa has become motionless and 

 the tentacles expanded, add suddenly a saturated solution 

 of picric acid. It is best to reduce with a pipette the 

 quantity of water in the watch-glass just before adding 

 the picric acid, and use plenty of the latter. Often when 

 the picric acid is added a precipitate of cocaine is thrown 

 down which must be removed at once by a pipette and 

 fresh picric acid added. Specimens may be left in picric 

 acid about half an hour and gradually transferred into 80 

 p.c. alcohol. I strongly recommend the use of the best 



