194 Part I11.—Sixteenth Annual Report 
(4.) Tae CaLenTERaTa. 
THE CTENOPHORA AND HYDROMEDUS®. 
The next groups of organisms that are numerically important and 
which may be specially noticed are the Ctenophora and Hydromeduse. 
These include the well-known and beautiful Plewrobrachia, which some- 
times occurs in such immense numbers that they seem to monopolise the 
whole of the water-space where they are. The swarms of these things 
that are sometimes met in with by the Garland are so great that the 
tow-nets, 1f unfortunately in use at the time, are found, when hauled on 
board, to be literally full of these crystal spheres, while little of anything 
else is found in the nets. The appearance of such a mass of Pleuro- 
brachia—each globe, by the rapid movement of its delicate cilia, scintil- 
lating in the light—is wonderful, and cannot be accurately described. 
Beroé is another of the Celenterates that was sometimes met with in con- 
siderable numbers, but not usually in such immense swarms as Pleuro- 
brachia. Various other forms, such as Sarsia, Geryonopsis, Thaumantias, 
dvc., were also observed during the years referred to, but from want of 
time no attempt was made to differentiate the species, and they are there- 
fore usually all included under the name of Ctenophora: on a few occa- 
sions only are Pleurobrachie and a few of the others specially mentioned. 
There are two hundred and ninety-six records of Ctenophora, including 
Hydromeduse, among the lists of tow-net gatherings for the seven years, 
and their distribution for the months and stations is shown by the 
annexed Table :— 
TaBLE XI., showing the Distribution of the Ctenophora and Hydromeduse, 
indicated by the Tow-net Records for the Years, Months, and 
Stations. 
| | Number of the Records for each Month of each Year. ae 
| | = 
Three Inner Stations. | Years. = Bs 
| ; | | n 
| slag | Bite | ge lisevted ede: (Pa ene 
Sie isla) S2)8 (4) a) 6] eae 
71 (A dG acs gavel 
1889, oe oh Pal eal RR fete | ee 
Te he sha ag te Ae Sa ee ya | ie 
160i a wile [gael | ee Lie] Lee ge 2 - 
ih TEE) Malt ici ef Tes ee Pr | | 2 
| PSEA fo ie | eee Oe pein L | | = 
tooth, SER ee SARE RT }-| -| 2 
SH BOr ka cee Teena tase) Alpena sete cme | lieth 
SEIS SrEe oer En ere 
| Total number jot epond for el 6 lol e | ge gee | elie | . | 
| | 
1889, | 
1890, 
1891, 
Ill. 1892, 
1893, 
1894, 
1895, 
Total number of Records for all 
the Months, 
