392 



Part III. — Seventh Annual Report 



The Marine Station, Marseilles. — The scientific committee is indebted 

 to Professor Marion, Director of the Marine Zoological Station of 

 Marseilles, for copies of the Annales du Musee d'llistoire naturelle de 

 Marseille. These magnificent volumes afford evidence of the good 

 zoological work done at this marine laboratory in recent years. The 

 sketch of the 1 Topographical Zoology of the Gulf of Marseilles,' and the 

 ' Monograph on the Bottom Fauna of the Mediterranean,' by Professor 

 Marion, are illustrated by a chart of the neighbouring waters, with the 

 different regions differently coloured. Naturally, as one might expect, 

 the molluscs come in for a large share of attention, but the other groups, 

 such as worms, and echinoderms, are not neglected. 



Embryology bulks largely, Professor Kowalevsky of Odessa having 

 worked out, with the wealth of detail and accuracy that also characterise 

 his numerous other larval researches, the Embryogeny of the Alcyon- 

 arians,of Chiton and of Dentalium. In the Monograph of the Alcyonarians 

 his co-worker was Professor Marion. The all-round character of the work 

 done at this station is also shown by Jourdan's Researches on the Histology 

 of the Ascidians, Koehler's on the Echinids of the Coast of Provence, 

 Roule's on the Simple Ascidians, Gourret's on the Peridinians, and 

 Vayssiere's Anatomical and Zoological Work on the Opisthobranch 

 Molluscs of the Gulf of Marseilles. All these contain very valuable 

 morphological results, and the topographical work has been continued by 

 Gourret, who treats of the pelagic fauna of the Gulf of Marseilles, and 

 describes a new member of the chsetognatha, viz., Spadella Marioni. 



These tomes are not the only product of the activity of Professor Marion 

 and his coadjutors. The Molluscan fauna of the brackish Pond do 

 Berre has been described by Professor Marion, who distinguishes four 

 stations, — first, the littoral zone, with Mytilns gallo2>roviucialu, Lamk., 

 and other forms ; second, a sandy beach, with CyeJonassa ; third, the 

 plain of Zostera marina ; and fourth, the depths beyond the last region. 

 This paper and that on the sardine of the Marseilles coast, are tokens of 

 activity in another direction. 



Marine Station, Arcachon. — The annual bulletin of the zoological 

 station for the year 1888, besides containing the report of the director of 

 the station, gives a resume of the work performed in the laboratory by 

 Messrs Burdon Sanderson, Gotch, Ferr6, Jolyet, Lagatu, Petit, De Boury, 

 Fischer, Dollfus, and others. The first two gentlemen studied the electric 

 properties of the torpedo by the aid of the galvanometer, and the results 

 of their research have been communicated to the Royal Society of London. 

 De Boury has investigated the distribution, both geographical and bathy- 

 metrical, of the molluscan life, and has chronicled more than 30 species 

 new to the coast of the Gironde. He has also pointed out the occurrence 

 of northern forms along with Mediterranean species. Dr Fischer has 

 found at Arcachon a number of interesting actiniae, among which is 

 Paranthus rugosus, which till now was regarded as peculiarly Mediter- 

 ranean, and a Bunocles new to science. 



M. Dollfus gives a list of Crustacea. The list of species new to the 

 department of the Gironde, which have been recorded during the year 

 1885-8, include 7 ccelenterates, 3 echinoderms, 2 worms, 31 Crustacea, 

 12 molluscs, and 2 tunicates. 



We are indebted to Mr W. Anderson Smith for translations of extracts 

 from the 1 Journal Officiel,' which were forwarded from the Foreign Office 

 through the Secretary for Scotland. 



On the Sale and ConsumiMon of Mussels in Prance* — This note 



* F. Herniegny, member of Consulting Committee on Marine Fishes, Journal 

 Officiel, 26th May 1889. 



