Abstract
LONDON. Challenger Society, June 26.- Dr. A. E. Shipley, F.R.S., in the chair.-Dr. W. S. Bruce: Twenty-three new species 01 invertebrates taken by the Scotia were exhibited. The collection included four alcyonarians, thirteen echinoderms-asteroids, ophiuroids, and holothurians, two nematodes, two pycnogons, and two amphipods. The author also showed two known species, namely, the interesting pycnogon, Decalopoda australis of Eights, and his interesting large isopod, Glyptonotus antarc-ticus. The interest of the collection lay mainly in the fact that most of these species had been taken in deep water and in high southern latitudes. A very high percentage of those taken in deep water were new to science. The Scotia collections practically disposed of a theory of bi-polarity. Except where species were of universal distribution, Antarctic species were markedly different frojn those of the Arctic regions.-C. Tate Regan: Antarctic fish-fauna: material from the Scotia collections. The Nototheniidae and re- j lated families form a natural group characteristic: of and peculiar to the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic, seas, and about seventy species are known, mostly i littoral, but some pelagic or abyssal; some of the i species seem to have a circumpolar distribution. Other abyssal and pelagic fishes of the Antarctic are mostly con-generic with forms already known from the Atlantic or Indo-Pacific; the littoral fishes are related to those of New Zealand and Patagonia. The fishes do not support the theory of bi-polarity, and throw little light on the question of a former extension of the Antarctic continent.-H. J. B. Wollaston: A new method of working vertical tow-nets. The line from the net, after passing over blocks attached to boat davits, is attached to a weight; the sinking of the weight supplies the hauling power for the net, which rises to the surface at an even speed, readily regulated by the weight used. The advantages of the method are that constancy- of speed of hauling is independent of the operator, and nearly independent of the movements of the ship, being approximately uniform even in bad weather.
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Societies and Academies . Nature 89, 521–522 (1912). https://doi.org/10.1038/089521a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/089521a0