MARINE BIOLOGICAL STATION AT PORT ERIN. 93 
basement, appeared, one at the beginning of the winter 
and the other early in the present year; the result, most 
probably, of shght settlement of the building. Fortunately, 
they have not interfered with the usefulness of the tanks. 
Each still holds a depth of 18 inches of water without 
appreciable leakage. 
“During the early part of March all the tanks were 
emptied, thoroughly cleansed and, where necessary, re- 
stocked. A considerable number of the animals introduced 
at Easter, 1898, survived the winter, but during the 
excessive heat experienced at the end of August, the 
mortality amongst them was great, and few now remain. 
A specimen of Sabella pavonia, placed in one of the 
shallow table tanks in July, 1898, is still (December, 1899), 
alive. Several Shannies (Blennius pholis) and a Sting-fish 
(Cottus scorpius) spawned in one of the tanks during the 
first week in March, but the eggs were not fertilised. 
The last named fish has well maintained its reputation for 
pugnacity and voracity by attacking and killing every fish 
that has been placed in the tank, with the exception of a 
young Dragonet (Callionymus lyra), which escaped the 
fate of three others placed in the tank at the same time, 
and still survives. I have several times seen the Sting- 
fish swallow so many young plaice that it could only with 
some effort raise itself from the bottom of the tank. 
“A small lobster, about 3 inches long, was captured and 
placed in one of the wall tanks, about the middle of 
February, and it now appears to be thoroughly accli- 
matised. One morning in March I found the dead body 
of a Sting-fish, which had been in a sickly condition for 
several days, buried in the gravel at the bottom of the 
tank. On removing it I found that it had been partly 
eaten. <A fortnight later a hermit crab was killed, and its 
body similarly buried. As the lobster was the only 
