of the Fishery Board for Scotland, 



155 



collected at the six selected stations during the seven years, those that are 

 higher in the scale of classification are referred to first, and afterwards 

 those that are lower. 



It may also be as well to state that there has been a considerable 

 advance in the knowledge of marine zoology since the Garland com- 

 menced work in the Firth of Forth twelve years ago,"^ and one of the 

 results of this advance has been the introduction of many changes in the 

 nomenclature of marine organisms. Owing to these changes several of 

 the names mentioned in the Garland's tow-net lists are replaced by those 

 that are now considered to be the rightful designations of the species to 

 which they refer; and one advantage of this alteration will be that the 

 results of the tow-net work of the Garland will be brought more into line 

 with present-day knowledge. 



INVERTEBRATES CAPTURED BY THE TOW-NETS. 



The invertebrates captured by means of the surface and bottom tow- 

 nets during the seven years from 1889 to 1895, at the representative 

 stations already referred to, comprised a large number of forms of differ- 

 ent kinds, but many of these were only of rare occurrence. The greater 

 proportion by far of the contents of all the tow-net gatherings consisted 

 of only a few species, which may be summed up as follows : — Schizopoda 

 {Thysanoessa chiefly, JErytJuvps) ; Amphipoda (Hyperia, HyiDeroclie, and 

 Paratliemisto) Co^^epoda (Calanus, Temora, Acartia) ; Sagitta ; Coelen- 

 terata {Pleurobracliia, Bero'e, and others) ; and young Crustacea (Deca- 

 poda, Schizopoda, and Cirrepedia). Before proceeding to discuss the 

 distribution of these six groups, as brought out by an examination of the 

 tow-net records, I propose to refer briefly to several of the more uncommon 

 forms which have been captured from time to time at the selected stations 

 and during the years already specified. 



(1.) The Mollusca. 



There are very few records of Mollusca which have been captured by 

 the tow-nets, and only two really pelagic forms have occurred. The 

 Mollusca recorded comprise two small Eolis, the species of which was not 

 determined. One was obtained in the bottom tow-net at Station Y. in 

 1891, and the other at Station I. in May 1895 ; also Doris (?) repanda, 

 which was obtained in the bottom net in November 1890 at Station III., 

 and Data coronata, obtained in December 1890 at Station IV., also in the 

 bottom net. A few species of Cuspidaria cuspidata are recorded under 

 Station IX., having been brought up in the bottom tow-net at that station 

 in April 1893, but the presence of this species was owing, no doubt, to 

 tlie net having accidentally dipped into the mud at the bottom. The two 

 pelagic species are the Pteropods Limacina retroversa and Clione bo7^eaUs. 

 The first is recorded on two different occasions in 1890, having been ob- 

 tained in April in the bottom tow-net at Station Y., and in May in a 

 surface-net gathering at Station I. It was also obtained in the bottom 

 tow-net at Station III. in July 1891, and in the bottom tow-net at 

 Station IX. in December 1892. The other (Clione horealis) was captured 



* It is pleasing to know that the little steamer belonging to the Fishery Board for Scot- 

 land has had some share in promoting this advance, though perhaps the time has not yet 

 come for the full appreciation of the Garland's work. 



