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Show 1875.] REV. S. J. WHITMEE ON PALOLA VIRIDIS. 497 1862. Nov. 14th (day of moon's quartering). Plentiful. „ Nov. 15th. Plentiful. No observations were made in 1863. 1864. Oct. 22nd. None. „ Oct. 23rd (day of moon's quartering). Palolo obtained, but quantity unknown. „ Oct. 24th. None. „ Nov. 21st. Very iew obtained. ,, Nov. 22nd. Noue. 1865. Oct. 12th (day of moon's quartering). Abundant. „ Oct, 13th. Plentiful. No observations made in November. 1866. Oct. 31st (day of moon's quartering). A few appeared. ,, Nov. 1st. Plentiful. No other observation made this year. 1867. Oct. 21st (day of moon's quartering). Very abundant. ,, Oct. 22nd. None appeared. 1868. Oct. 8th. Plentiful. ,, Oct. 9th (day of moon's quartering). Plentiful. ,, Nov. 8th (day of moon's quartering). Abundant. „ Nov. 9th. None appeared. The Palolo is not found at any place within several miles of my residence; and I had no opportunity of visiting a place where it appears until 1872. The moon quartered that year on the 24th October ; and on that day the Palolo were expected ; but I was at the place on the evening of the 22nd. Two hours before sunrise on October 23rd I went with some natives in a canoe to a part of the reef where they are usually found; but we only obtained a single specimen. During the day I had some blocks of both living and dead coral taken on shore from a spot where the natives said Palolo appeared. These I carefully broke up to search for the worm. As I was breaking one block of dead coral I found a single living Palolo in one of its interstices. This was the only one I found, although I broke several blocks. Before daylight on the morning of the 24th I went out again. About a hundred canoes with natives were already on the spot, and the Palodo were beginning to appear. Putting m y hand into the water as m y canoe was paddled along, every now and again one of the little creatures passed between m y fingers or twined itself about them. Half an hour after reaching the place, they had become so abundant that I could take them up by the handful. The first point to which I gave m y attention was the places where they appeared. I found them thickest in certain spots just on the edge of the reef, and especially in an opening where there was a depth of water of about two fathoms. They were scattered over a considerable surface of the smooth water inside the reef, but only in small quantities, and the number decreased the further I went from the edge of the reef. Over the spot whence I had taken coral blocks for examination on the previous day they were very sparsely distributed. The next thing I observed was their mode of progression through PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1875, No. XXXII. 32 |
