133 
German, English, or Italian, and must reach the president of the 
society before the first of October, 1889. The members of the 
society are not allowed to compete. 
New American Destnids. — In a paper read before the Royal 
Microscopical Society, Nov. nth {Journal oi the Society, pp, 933-40) 
Mr, W. B, Turner describes a number of desmids, of which the fol- 
lowing new species and varieties are North American: Genicularia 
Americana (Alinn.), Leptozosma"^ catenula {N. ] ,)j Onyc/ionenia Nord- 
siedtiana^ Cosmarium gemmatttm (Minn.), C. rostratum (Minn.), 
Euastrum Floridanum (Fla.), E. pseudelegans, E. coronatum (Minn.), 
Micrasterias ftircaia, var. decurta (N. Y.), M. fnamillafa (Pa.), M. 
Americana, var. spinosa (Nova Scotia), M. denticnlata^ var. Minneso- 
tensis (Minn.), M. papillifera^ var. Novce Scoticce (N. S.), Arthrodes- 
nms incus ^ var. Americana (Pa.), Xanihidiiim armatum^ vars. Wolle- 
anum and Americanum, (N. J.), Staurastrum gladiosum (N. J.), S, 
Pringskeimii, var, duplo-majus, (N. S.), Docidium occidentale^ and 
Gonatozygon sex-spifiiferwn (Minn.). The descriptions of the above 
are accompanied with two plates of figures. 
The following are given as ntw to North America: Cosmarium 
Cordanum^ Breb. (N. S.), Staurastrum dejectumy Breb,, var. Sudeticum^ 
Kirch. (Minn.), and Fe?iium spirostrioiaium, Barker (Minn.) 
The Fruit of Opuntia. — At the meeting of the Philadelphia Acad- 
emy of Natural Sciences, August nth, Mr. Thomas Meehan exhibited 
a series of specimens of an unknown species of Opuntia closely allied 
to (9. Brasiliensis and showing a gradual change from the joint or frond 
to the fruit. In one case there was the thin orbicular frond, then a 
frond with a slight rounding and tapering at the base, then on^ some- 
what resembling a fruit, but very much compressed, and with an 
abortive flower-bud having a scar at the apex, then another with a 
perfect flower, but very much elongated and fluted, but with a perfect 
flower, though small, and lastly the frond reduced to an inch in length, 
pyriform, and with the perfect large yellow flower. He remarked 
that it could not be called a novel point to make that the fruit of a 
Ca^///j was simply a metamorphosed frond, or joint as the section is 
commonly called, and that the petals were the usually very much 
suppressed leaves, but it might serve a good purpose to place on 
record this excellent illustration of the fact. 
A deep-rvater Moss, — Fishermen who capture the char off Yvoire 
Point on the southern shore of Lake Leman, says La Nature^ often 
bring up in their nets fragments of rocks upon which is frequently 
found growing a moss of a beautiful green color. These stones, 
according to the distinguished naturalist Mr. J. B. Schnetzler, and to 
Prof. Bocion of the Industrial School of Lausanne, come from a depth 
of 200 feet. No stream of water enters the lake in this region, and 
the rock, with adhering moss, is found at a great distance from the 
shore. No moss has hitherto been found living at so great a depth. 
The fact is the more striking in that the cells of the species under 
* Leptozosma, «. gen, — Filamentous, long, cateniform; not twisted or but 
slightly so. Joints united by a strongly marked suture; cells attenuate at the 
ends towards the suture. Near to Bambusina, but differing in the suture. 
