The digenetic trematode Proctoeces subtenuis (Linton, 1907) is recorded from the kidney of the lamellibranch Scrobicularia plana (da Costa). At Chalkwell in Essex all of nearly a thousand S. plana examined were found to be infected, as were three of approximately 150 S. plana at Whitstable in Kent. The average number of parasites per host was between four and five. No Proctoeces subtenuis were found in Scrobicularia plana examined from other localities in Essex, Devon, Wales and Suffolk. The environmental conditions of a parasite in the lamellibranch kidney are discussed. It was found that the kidney fluid surrounding the parasites varies in osmotic pressure.

The anatomy of the parasite is described. The excretory bladder has a cellular wall, thus disagreeing with the inclusion of Proctoeces subtenuis in La Rue's superorder Anepitheliocystidia. The red colour of the parasite is due to a native haem pigment. The egg capsules are hardened by a quinone-tanning mechanism, but incubation with catechol, protocatechuic acid, and dopa failed to reveal the presence of a phenol-oxidase.

The species of Proctoeces are reviewed, and some revisions suggested. P. magnorus Manter, 1940 is considered a synonym of P. subtenuis, and the synonymy of P. erythraeus Odhner, 1911 with P. subtenuis is confirmed. The differences between P. insolitus (Nicoll, 1915) and P. subtenuis, and between P. maculatus (Looss, 1901) and P. subtenuis, require re-examination. It is considered that P. macrovitellus Winter, 1954 should be excluded from the genus Proctoeces. A definitive host list of Proctoeces spp. is given.

The adult nature of P. subtenuis from Scrobicularia plana is discussed, and it is suggested that Proctoeces subtenuis in the Thames estuary shows an abbreviated life cycle restricted to invertebrate hosts.

A general formula has been derived for the quantitative treatment of systems involving a number of interdependent equilibria. The formula has been applied specifically to the equilibria set up between metallic cations and their chelates when EDTA is added to sea water. This system involves competition for the fully dissociated quadrivalent anion of EDTA (the principal ion of EDTA which forms complexes) by the metallic cations and by the hydrogenions present. The equilibrium concentration of a metallic cation in any particular case will depend upon the equilibrium concentration of the quadrivalent anion of EDTA, in the sense that the higher the concentration of this ion the lower will be the concentration of the metallic cation. The general formula allows the calculation of the equilibrium concentration of the quadrivalent EDTA anion, and from this the concentrations at equilibrium of each metallic cation can be readily found.

The nematode Halenchus fucicola (de Man), causing galls on the thallus of the sea weed yAscophyllum nodosum, has been found in the Plymouth area (Wembury Bay) and at Croyde Bay on the north Devon coast, and a redescription of the worm is given. A new species of Halenchus (H. dumnonicus) causing similar growths on the sea weeds Fucus vesiculosus and F. serratus is described. This latter form is also found at Wembury Bay; at Looe, Cornwall, and at Lyme Regis, Dorset.

Luminescence is very common among marine animals, and many species possess highly developed photophores or light-emitting organs. It is probable, therefore, that luminescence plays an important part in the economy of their lives. A few determinations of the spectral composition and intensity of light emitted by marine animals are available (Coblentz & Hughes, 1926; Eymers & van Schouwenburg, 1937; Clarke & Backus, 1956; Kampa & Boden, 1957; Nicol, 1957b, c, 1958a, b). More data of this kind are desirable in order to estimate the visual efficiency of luminescence, distances at which luminescence can be perceived, the contribution it makes to general back-ground illumination, etc. With such information it should be possible to discuss more profitably such biological problems as the role of luminescence in intraspecific signalling, sex recognition, swarming, and attraction or repulsion between species. As a contribution to this field I have measured the intensities of light emitted by some pelagic species of animals.

The seasonal changes in the respiration of Calanus are considerable and are, on the whole, related to size and therefore to weight. Length alone is not enough to account for the differences since ripe females, although the same length as unripe, have a markedly higher respiration. In addition, by taking samples of large and of small Calanus of a single stage, it was shown that the difference in respiration was small. Neither is weight by itself enough to account for the difference between groups. Stage V Calanus are, for a given length, heavier even than ripe females and yet their oxygen utilization is low. In this instance, however, an important part of the weight consists of fat which is a food reserve and not actively metabolizing. The difference of weight between ripe and unripe females is not known, but ripe females must be heavier and this will account for their higher oxygen consumption.

Although the oxygen and therefore the food required during the spring months is high, at that time the phytoplankton is at its maximum and is probably sufficient to fulfil all needs. Egg-laying depends on the food supply and it is then that Calanus starts breeding. In winter, on the other hand, the Calanus is present as Stage V and oxygen consumption is little more than half what earlier figures suggested. No ‘hibernation’ seems to take place but the population is living in an economical way for Stage V use little oxygen, live in deep water and do not undertake diurnal vertical migration.

At 10° C ripe female Calanus will require daily from 3·9–7·2% of their body weight as dry matter in summer and from 2·8–6·7% in winter. Stage V will require 2·3–3·1% in summer and 1·4–3·3% in winter. The higher values are for carbohydrate and the lower for fat.

It is difficult to believe that Calanus in winter will be able to find enough food by filtration alone. The fact that in the winter months it depends more on predation may account for its survival.

The English Channel may conveniently be divided into a western basin and an eastern basin separated by a line drawn approximately between the Cherbourg peninsula and the Isle of Wight. In these basins, the environmental factors are very different. Thus the water of the western basin is on average warmer and slightly more saline than that of the eastern basin and its temperature variation is less extreme. The French side of the Channel is warmer than the English coast only in the western basin. The tidal oscillations in the two basins are out of phase with each other and the strongest tidal currents occur where the two basins join. The main residual flow is up-Channel with minor coastal eddies.

The shores at the western end of the Channel are generally rocky, they are close to deep water, and so are exposed to frequent heavy swells. The shores of the eastern basin are generally erodible, and accumulations of sand and shingle tend to reduce the force of the waves. The water of the eastern basin generally contains more suspended matter and the shores are usually scoured by sand and shingle.

The distribution of the following animals is given in some detail and compared with earlier records: Ammonia sulcata, Actinia equina, Chthamalus stellatus, Balanus balanoides, B. perforatus, B. crenatus, B. improvisus, Elminius modestus, Verruca stroemia, Hemioniscus balani, Patella vulgata, P. depressa, P. aspera, Monodonta lineata, Gibbula umbilicalis, G. pennanti, G. cineraria, Littorina saxatilis, L. littoralis, L. littorea, L. neritoides, Paracentrotus lividus. The distribution of certain other species is also discussed: Balanus balanus, Haliotis tuberculata, Gibbula magus and Calliostoma zizyphinum.

The upper reaches of the deep ocean contain many bathypelagic fishes with a capacious, gas-filled swimbladder. But living within and below this region are also numerous species in which this hydrostatic organ is absent or markedly regressed (Marshall, in preparation). In the neritic province nearly all the fishes that swim freely at the various water levels (and can stay poised at a particular level without undue effort) have a well-developed swimbladder, the capacity of which is about equal to 5 % of the body volume (Jones & Marshall, 1953). Having this amount of gas, these fishes are able to keep their weight in water close to the vanishing point. If such a fish were deprived of its swimbladder, it could keep at a constant level only by exerting a down-ward force equivalent to 5 % of its weight in air. The swimbladder thus saves the fish the energy needed for such effort, which is quite appreciable.

A brief description is given of the commonest sessile animals observed by diving from twelve positions near Plymouth, including three offshore reefs. The coelenterate Corynactis viridis is generally abundant on shaded rock surfaces. Many sessile species, even where common, tend to be dispersed in scattered patches or colonies; from this it is suggested that their distribution is affected by predation from browsing animals, particularly Echinus esculentus.

Material collected prior to 1940 indicates that Elminius modestus was not present on British coasts at that time.

Elminius increased in abundance in south-east England from 1946 to 1950 and extended its range as far as the Humber, where it halted.

Its advance westwards along the south coast was similarly halted at Portland, but by 1948 independent colonies had been established in several of the river systems of Devon and Cornwall, in Milford Haven, and in the Bristol Channel.

The first populations in the Irish Sea were in Morecambe Bay. From there Elminius spread rapidly south and west along the north coast of Wales, and more slowly north and west towards Galloway, eventually bridging the sea to the Isle of Man.

Detailed observations showed that Elminius advanced along the uniformly favourable north coast of Wales as a definite front moving at a rate of approximately 20–30 km per year. Around Anglesey where tidal currents were stronger it appeared simultaneously in many scattered centres.

A distinction is drawn between marginal dispersal taking place under the influence of normal agencies at the boundary of an existing population, and remote dispersal due to an artificial or freak transport over a long distance. In the case of Elminius the maximum distance that is likely to be bridged by marginal dispersal in the absence of strong residual drifts is about 30 miles.

Elminius probably first appeared near Southampton, and was introduced into the Thames estuary area probably by remote dispersal. Thence it spread along the east coast and was transported to Holland. Its extension into south Devon, the Bristol Channel, the Irish Sea, and to the French coast must also be attributed to remote dispersal.

The main ecological effects of Elminius result from competition for space with Balanus balanoides. Since Elminius breeds in summer, its dominance has a profound effect on the composition of the summer plankton, greatly increasing the number of barnacle nauplii, presumably at the expense of other larvae.

The description of a new species of the genus Chrysochromulina, C. chiton, includes for the first time some evidence from the electron microscopy of sections in addition to the techniques previously used. Important diagnostic characters are the exceptionally large scales, which are shown to be of two kinds, the larger being saucer-shaped, and the smaller plate-like with a narrow rim flexed towards the upper surface; the structure and arrangement of the two types of scale on the body are described. Anatomical facts are given for the first time for the internal structure of the haptonema; in this species this organ consists of three concentric membranes surrounding a ring of seven fibres or tubes, the centre of the haptonema being hollow; this combination of characters distinguishes the organ fundamentally from a flagellum. Microanatomical facts are also given for the following major cell organs: the nucleus, the chromatophores including the pyrenoids, mitochondria, putative golgi material, muciferous bodies, the flagellar bases (preliminary observations only). Other distinguishable cytoplasmic components include the surface membrane, unsaturated fat bodies, vesicles of various kinds and granular protoplasm in the interstices.

As a result of the geological formation of the Isle of Wight there is a great variety in the type of shore. Although much of the coastline is unsuitable for the establishment of algal communities there are some parts where a few species can exist, and others where full zonation is achieved. It therefore seemed worth making some study of the algal distribution. Towards this end a general survey was made of the south coast of the island in April 1955, with more detailed studies of the places of interest by means of transects in April and July 1955.

A good deal is known about the growth in culture of Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin (Nitzschia closterium W. Sm. forma minutissima Allen & Nelson) (see Spencer, 1954; Harvey, 1955; Provasoli, McLaughlin & Droop, 1957). This organism, however, is a somewhat aberrant member of the Chrysophyta, and other marine and brackish-water representatives of the group, e.g. Syracosphaera carterae Braarud & Fagerland (Braarud & Fagerland, 1946; Provasoli, McLaughlin & Pintner, 1954), Prymnesium parvum Carter (Reich & Kahn, 1954; Droop, 1954), and certain other species (Droop, 1954, 1955 a, b) have been studied much less intensively from this point of view. It has therefore seemed worth while making a general study, similar to that reported in the first paper of this series for the diatom Asterionella japonica Cleve & Müller ex Gran, of the growth requirements of a representative of the Chrysophyceae. Isochrysis galbana Parke, a flagellate of some importance as a food organism of the oyster, has been selected for this purpose. Johnston (1955) has used unialgal cultures of this species in studies of dissolved organic matter in sea water and, since the investigation being described was carried out, Droop (1957) has reported that it has a requirement for cobalamin.

Measurements of glycogen in the body wall of Arenicola indicate that glycogen is consumed during anaerobic conditions. Estimations of lactate and pyruvate show that neither is accumulated, accounting for the absence of an oxygen debt previously found by other workers, and suggesting that glycogen breakdown leads to other acids. In Owenia most of the glycogen is stored in coelomic cells and these deposits are not drawn upon during anaerobic periods, yet this species can survive long periods without oxygen, apparently by becoming quiescent. Oil content in both species has also been measured, and was found not to fall under anaerobic conditions. It is suggested that survival of anaerobic periods may be mainly due to an ability to suspend normal activity.

On the flat shore at Whitstable the population of common winkles is distributed appreciably at random over a variety of substrata ranging from wooden groynes, through shingle to muddy sand, between tidal levels corresponding to H.W.N.-E.L.W.S. but with a maximum density near M.T.L., although aggregations tend to occur in wetter situations and where planking joins vertical groyne posts.

Observations on winkles marked with a dab of paint of distinctive colour show that they tend to remain in approximately the same position for many weeks.

For most of each tidal period winkles remain settled in situations such as stones or groynes, which provide good holding ground, but as the tide recedes or the incoming tide reaches them, they become activated to crawl, feeding meanwhile. These feeding migrations are recorded in the sand by roughly U-shaped tracks and can be seen under favourable circumstances as similar tracks in the vertical plane for winkles on groynes. By such excursions the animals are enabled to move, feed and return to approximately the place from which they started and this serves to explain how they maintain their station on the shore.

When settled on vertical surfaces, winkles always orientate with the head uppermost, when the foot may be withdrawn and the animal become attached by a film of dried mucus.

When crawling the eyes are exposed and the tentacles bend to test the substratum, but only that part of the tentacle distal to the eye bends so that the optical axis of the eye maintains a constant angle to the body axis.

Winkles dwelling on horizontal surfaces orientate by means of a lightcompass reaction. As the tide recedes, most of the tracks in the sand are towards the sun but after a time each animal reverses its direction of crawling, so tracing out a roughly U-shaped path which leads it back, approximately, to its starting-point.

When kept in an aquarium winkles tend to settle on the sides above the waterline and to become inactive. When stimulated, as by immersion, they crawl downwards, then horizontally and then upwards before settling above the waterline.

Winkles collected from horizontal surfaces at first show no tendency to climb vertical surfaces in an aquarium. After a period which varies from a few hours up to 10 days they do climb the sides of the tank. Animals collected from vertical surfaces climb the sides of the aquarium at their first opportunity and then settle. It can be concluded that winkles have an inherent tendency to climb and settle in the head-up position on vertical or steeply sloping surfaces but that if this opportunity is denied them they become habituated to horizontal surfaces.

The minimum angle to which winkles can react by gravitational responses is of the order of 10–20 degrees.

In an aquarium starved winkles prolong their excursions below water when presented with suitable food but fully fed animals respond less strongly to the stimulus of immersion.

Dark-adapted winkles from horizontal surfaces are at first positively phototactic, but after a time varying from 15 to 20 min, they become negatively phototactic. Tested with the ‘two-light’ experiment most animals disregard the second light (telotaxis).

In a recent study (Ross, 1957) isolated marginal sphincter preparations of the sea anemone, Calliactis parasitica, showed two distinct responses to stimulation: (1) a quick contraction in response to stimuli at frequencies from 0–2 to 3–0 sec, the facilitated response of Pantin (1935 a) beginning only on the second stimulus of a series, with a latent period of about 0 1 sec; (2) a smooth slow contraction in response to stimuli at lower frequencies, with a latent period of not less than 30 sec, and beginning only after several stimuli. This slow movement of the marginal region had not been detected in work on whole animals, but it is similar to the contractions of the ‘slow’ muscles of Calliactis (Pantin, 1935 b) and Metridium (Batham & Pantin, 1950 a). However, Calliactis sphincter shows almost no spontaneous activity.

Both quick and slow contractions had previously been observed in excised sphincters and mesenteric retractors of Metridium (Batham & Pantin, 1954), the chief muscles utilized in the closure of that animal. In all these cases, the quick contraction would seem to be a specialized mechanism for sudden withdrawal superimposed upon, and perhaps developed from, a more primitive and general slow contractile mechanism. As part of a programme to investigate and compare the properties of quick and slow contractions in these muscles it seemed desirable to see what part, if any, slow contractions of the marginal sphincter play in the life of Calliactis. This involved us in a wider study of the neuromuscular activity of this anemone which normally lives on shells inhabited by the hermit crab, Eupagurus bernhardus.