I.  C.  Thompson,  who  first  turns  out  their  contents  into  a  clear
glass  jar  of  sea- water,  and  then,  after  noting  the  general
character  of  the  catch  and  any  specially  conspicuous  forms,
strains  off  the  water  through  a  small  bag  made  of  very  fine
millers'  silk,  and  transfers  the  '  plankton  '  left  adhering  to  the


MARINE   BIOLOGICAL   STATION   AT    PORT   ERIN.  43

silk  to  a  tube  containing  his  special  preservative  fluid  formed
of  spirit,  glycerine  and  water  in  certain  proportions.
:c  When  the  dredge  is  brought  up  it  is  emptied  on  deck,
and  after  a  note  of  the  general  character  of  the  deposit  and
assemblage  of  animals  has  been  taken,  any  specially  large  or
rare  specimens  are  picked  out  and  transferred  to  buckets  or
jars  of  sea-water,  or  to  store-bottles  of  spirit.    Then  the  heap
is  spread  out  so  as  to  form  a  layer  not  more  than  one  or  two
inches  in  depth,  and  one  or  two  members  of  the  Committee
(Herdman  and  another,  Walker  or  Leicester)  now  settle  down
beside  it  to  pass  the  entire  mass  in  review  inch  by  inch,  working
it  across  a  small  space  of  bare  deck  and  turning  over  every
shell,  stone  and  specimen  with  an  iron  spoon,  so  as  to  ensure
that  nothing  escapes  observation  and  due  record  in  the  note-
book.   In  the  meantime  the  contents  of  the  bottom  tow-net
have  been  dealt  with  by  Mr.  Thompson,  and  the  apparatus
has  been  lowered  for  a  second  haul,  or  the  vessel  is  steaming
on  to  a  new  locality.  Then  a  fair  sample  of  the  deposit  is  selected
for  preservation  (for  the  Geological  Survey)  in  a  small  canvas
bag  (10  by  5  inches),  care  being  taken  to  include  some  of  the
characteristic  bottom  animals— shells,  ophiuroids,  polyzoa,  etc.
