﻿32 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



fortunately the last, which he marks " rare," has no locality 

 assigned to it. Piscicola geometra (L.) — a parasite on fresh- 

 water fishes — probably occurs in the area, but as yet I have 

 not been able to obtain a specimen.^ The skate-leech 

 (Pontohdella muricata (L.)), the only species in Leslie and 

 Herdman's Catalogue, is not unfrequent on skates caught 

 in the Firth of Forth. 2 Other three marine species are 

 recorded by T. Scott from fishes captured in the Firth, and 

 a few more — half a dozen say — no doubt still await detec- 

 tion. The three recorded by Dr Scott are : — 



Trachelohdella lophii (v. Ben. and Hesse) — From gill-pouches 

 of an angler-fish (Lophius piscatorius), 1894 {I9th (1900) Fish. 

 Bd. Rep., pt. iii. p. 138). 



Piscicola scorpii, Fab. — On a bullhead or sea-scorpion {Cottus 

 scorpius) (ib., p. 138). 



Ichthyohdella sanguinea, Orst. — On catfish (ib., p. 140). 



For identification of the fresh-water leeches, 1 have found 

 a paper by Dr Scharff on the Irish species {Irish Naturalist 

 for 1898) most helpful, and the author has been kind enough 

 to examine a few specimens for me himself. 



GEPHYREA. 



Considering that there are only a dozen known British 

 Gephyrea, we cannot expect more than seven or eight, at 

 most, to occur in the Forth. Five have been recorded, but 

 to understand their status in the area we want more data 

 regarding all of them. 



Two specimens of Priapidus caudatus, Lam., were obtained 

 long ago at Leith by Dr Coldstream, as mentioned by 

 Fleming 3 and by Forbes,^ and another was found on the 

 shore near Granton by Dalyell.^ The undetermined 

 " Sipitnculus," referred to by Fleming as frequently making 

 its abode in " shells of the Dentalium, in the Firth of Forth," 



^ Professor M'Intosli records the curious circumstance of an example being 

 found on a Cottus huhccUs on the sands near the mouth of the Eden {Marine 

 Invertebrates and Fishes of St Andrews, p, 114). 



2 Fleming, as H. verrucosa, JFern. Mem., ii. 245; C. W. Peach, Froc. Fay. 

 FInjs. Soc, ii. 196; ii., 240; etc. 



^ British Animals, 1828, p. 492. 



^ British Starfishes, etc.. 1841, p. 258. This work includes the Gephyrea, 

 which are styled "'The Sipunculidae, or vermigrade Echinodermata. " 

 ^ Fowers of the Creator, ii. p. 253. 



