MARINE BIOLOGICAL STATION AT PORT ERIN. 119 



seems to point to several interesting conclusions as to the 

 nature of the so-called Floridean starch, the destruction 

 of the red pigment, and the starch-depletion of the cells 

 in intense sunlight. Cases of apparent etiolation-pheno- 

 mena among the red sea-weeds were recorded, and stages 

 in germination of their spores under various conditions 

 observed." 



Prof. Herdman and Mr. F. J. Cole have commenced 

 an investigation on the process of budding and the forma- 

 tion of colonies in various genera of the Compound 

 Ascidians in the hope of being able to throw some light 

 upon the curiously contradictory accounts which have 

 been given by different writers (such as Pizon, Caullery, 

 Bitter, Hjort, and others) of late years, and some of 

 w T hich, if established, would have an important influence 

 on our views as to certain current biological theories. It 

 is also proposed to include in the investigation the com- 

 parison and correlation (if any correlation is possible) of 

 the development of the bud with the development of the 

 embryo. Large numbers of colonies have now been 

 collected, preserved, and sectioned at different times of 

 the year from last April onwards. The state of affairs in 

 Botrylloicles rubrum, and in a species of Amaroucium, of 

 which the most complete series have been obtained, will 

 be investigated first. 



So far as these observations have yet gone, the process 

 seems to be in agreement with that described by Eitter, 

 and by Lefevre in his recent paper, which has appeared 

 since the present investigation commenced. 



Mr. H. Lyster Jameson, B.A., from Dublin, spent two 

 weeks in April at the Laboratory, in work on the 

 Turbellaria in continuation of the researches of Mr. F. 

 W. Gamble on that group in a former year. Mr. Jameson 

 gives me the following summary of his results so far : — 



