248 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



and that, fortunately, the small mussels on the northern 

 portion are being broken up by the surf. 



Four sewers, Nos. 4-7, discharge on the whole bed. 

 Nos. 4 and 6 were discharging crude sewage at the time 

 we were on the bed and the immediate neighbourhoods of 

 these outfalls, particularly that of No. 4, were very foul 

 with accumulations of faecal matter and water closet 

 paper, and banked-up amorphous debris. 



The mussels collected were rather small but all above 

 gauge size (2 to 2\ inches long). They, most of them, 

 contained pea crabs, but were apparently healthy and not 

 ill-nourished. The mantles were filling up and contained 

 plenty of spawn. They were examined, and the primary 

 cultures made, on the same night on which they were 

 collected. 



After 24 hours the primary neutral-red agar plates 

 were counted with the following results : — 





Mussel. 



Number of Colon-like Colonies. 



1 



About 900 



2 



600 



3 



„ 1000 



4 



250 



5 



300 



6 



Very numerous, colonies run together. 



7 



Over 1000 



8 



Numerous, colonies run together. 



9 



About 250 



10 



Numerous, colonies run together. 



