114 BULLETIN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 
coating of wood and bark,” The writer’s friend, Mr. K.. 
Miyabe, of Japan, tells him that a countryman of his ha& 
invented a method of preventing its ravages. It consists in a 
process of lacquering. Coatings of barnacles, when numerous 
and near enough together so that their bases touch, form a 
protection, but one which it would be difficult to produce 
artificially. Coatings of the common Mussel ( Mytilus edulis)' 
have been suggested also; but much the same objection would 
apply to them, and the coating would be liable to be removed 
by accident. An annelid preys upon the Teredo , but not to 
an extent sufficient to assist man. Fresh water is one of their 
greatest enemies, and foul water another, A method of 
ridding a ship of them which has been suggested is to take 
her for some time into fresh water; but our ship owners would 
not be long in seeing objections to this. There seems to be a 
possibility, however, that under certain circumstances wharves 
might be protected by being built where fresh water streams 
empty, or even, in some cases, where foul water, such as comes 
from chemical works and the like, could be directed against 
them. The latter remedy, however, would be too likely to 
become worse than the trouble. 
As an offset to all the damage done by the Ship-worms 
only a single benefit to man has been suggested. They 
certainly help to remove old wrecks, both floating and sunken, 
which would be a constant peril to navigation. 
Works of Reference. 
The Teredo and its Depredations. By Dr. E. H. Von Baum- 
hauer [translated from Archives of Holland, Vol. I.] 
Popular Science Monthly, Vol. XIII., 1878, pp. 400-410, 
545-558. Its more important parts are quoted in the 
following. 
On the Ravages of the Teredo Navalis, and Limnoria Lignorum,. 
on Piles and Submerged Timber in Nova Scotia, and the 
Means being Adopted in other Countries to Prevent their 
Attacks. By Martin Murphy. Proc. and Trans. Nova 
Scotian Inst. Nat. Sci., Vol. V., Part IV., 1882, pp. 
357-376. 
