REVISED REPORT ON L.M.B.C. COPEPODA. 179 
all the soluble or very finely suspended particles are washed 
away through the texture of the bag. The clean residue 
is then placed in a large flat dish of water and stirred 
round, when the fine floating organic portion, often very 
rich in Foraminifera, Diatomacea, Ostracoda, Amphipoda, 
and Copepoda can be strained off and placed in preserva- 
tive fluid for examination. 
As a ready means of detecting and naming species 
must be of value to the sea side naturalist, I have in 
the plates (XV to XXXV) given small outline sketches 
of the forms treated of in this Report together with 
reference to special points of distinction so far as space 
allowed. They are mostly taken direct from the animal 
under the microscope, a few being taken in part from 
the drawings of Claus, Brady, &c. In the cases of genera 
including several species, the distinctive points only of 
some are given. 
The importance to man of the distribution of Copepoda 
im our lakes, seas and oceans is twofold—firstly from a 
sanitary point of view, as purifying agents, and secondly 
economically as affecting our food supply of fishes. Neither 
can indeed be easily overrated. As the chief and ever active 
scavengers of our seas, seizing upon impurities and decom- 
posing matter which might else become a scourge too 
terrible to contemplate, these minute crustaceans by 
means of their internal laboratories, convert decay and 
refuse into their own organizations which in turn become 
the chief food of fishes. As might naturally be expected, 
Copepoda are most plentiful near to land, thither probably 
attracting shoals of fishes, in their turn the valuable food 
of man. Our direct material indebtedness to Copepoda 
can thus be easily traced. 
In this work as in other matters biological, I have con- 
stantly availed myself of the always ready help of my 
