of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



385 



nerves of Laemargus and other Elasmobranchs, and the consideration of 

 the segmental value and the more important modifications of the cranial 

 nerves in the chief sub-divisions of the vertebrate group, are reserved for 

 a future paper. 



Mr W. Anderson Smith, in Mr Harvie Brown's recently published 

 work on the Vertebrate Fauna of the West of Scotland, gives an account 

 of the fishes which are found on the West Coast to the north of the Mull 

 of Can tyre. This account includes the fishes recorded in previous books 

 and papers dealing with the subject, as well as those obtained by the 

 author, and forms the fullest list yet published. 



Dr Philip J. White recently read a paper before the Royal Society 

 * On the Skull and Visceral Skeleton of the Greenland Shark (Lcemargus 

 microceylialu*)? It is shown that in the carnio- vertebral connection, the 

 anterior portion of the first vertebra is wedged in at the hinder part of the 

 occipital region ; that the mesial portion of its centrum is continuous 

 with the cranium, while the lateral parts of the centrum, although firmly 

 bound to the skull, are distinct from it; and lastly that the neural arch of 

 this vertebra enters freely within the foramen magnum. The various 

 regions of the cranial and visceral skeleton are described, the cartilage 

 being soft, as in Hexanchus. 



Mr Bourne states that at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Plymouth, 

 which has now been completed, Mr J. T. Cunningham, the resident 

 naturalist, has been chiefly engaged in studying the common sole, and is 

 collecting material for a monograph of that species, which will probably 

 be published at the end of this year. The spawning of the sole occurs 

 in March and April, but while in 1888 the spawning period extended 

 into May, it this year practically terminated at the beginning of April. 

 It is suggested that these variations are connected with differences in the 

 temperature. Mr Cunningham has had the greatest difficulty in fertilis- 

 ing the ova of the sole, and has, so far, been unsuccessful in rearing the 

 ova fertilised. 



Mr W. Bateson is engaged on researches on the physiology of the sense 

 organs of teleostean fishes, and particularly on the action of odorous and 

 sapid substances on the olfactory organ, with the view of supplying, if 

 possible, an artificial bait to be used during the scarcity of the natural 

 baits commonly in use. Mr W. F. R, Weldon is preparing for the press 

 an account of the decapod Crustacea of Plymouth, with especial 

 reference to their larval life, and has made many new and original observa- 

 tions on the subject, which will be embodied in his memoir to be read 

 before the Royal Society. Mr Weldon is also collecting material for a 

 monograph on the craw-fish, Palinurus vulgaris, and in June and July 

 will continue his experiments on the artificial cultivation of this species, 

 and of the common lobster. 



Mr Harmer has worked at the anatomy and development of Dinophilus 

 metameroides, and has also studied the different larvae of several species of 

 polyzoa ; and Mr P. C. Mitchell has studied the histology of the 

 endostyle of simple and compound ascidians ; Mr W. Garstang, assistant to 

 the director, is continuing his researches on the compound ascidians of the 

 Plymouth district ; while Mr W. Hardy has been engaged in the study 

 of the Physiology of Myriothela phrygia. 



Mr Bourne, Director of the Association, has prepared a report on the 

 pelagic copepoda of the Channel, and is engaged in a general comparative 

 study of the pelagic life in the sea contiguous to Plymouth, its distribu- 

 tion, seasonal variation, quantity, relation to temperature, &c. Mr Bourne 

 is also elaborating a method for computing more exactly the amount of 

 pelagic organisms contained in a given volume of sea water. An 



