A Preliminary Report on the Protozoa of the 

 Fresh Waters of Connecticut. 



By H. W. Conn, Ph.D., 



Professor of Biology, Wesleyan University. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In connection with the State Geological and Natural His- 

 tory Survey, I have been requested to undertake the study of 

 the microscopic life in the waters of the State. This part of 

 the State Survey is naturally a very extensive piece of work, 

 and at the present time only the beginnings of the task can be 

 reported. 



The work, as it has come into my hands, has divided itself 

 into three parts. 



1. The Protozoa. 



2. The Algae and allied plants. 



3. The Bacteria common in the waters of the State. 



Work upon all three of these divisions of the subject has 

 been undertaken, and is progressing satisfactorily. Up to the 

 present time most of my own attention has been given to the 

 study of the Protozoa. This part of the work has been carried 

 on extensively since its assignment to me, and has reached 

 a point where it is deemed wise to present a preliminary report 

 upon the work already done. 



Hitherto a comparatively small amount of study has been 

 given to the Protozoa in American waters. The only exten- 

 sive contributions to the studies of our Protozoa have come 

 from Stokes* and Leidy.f In addition there have been a 

 number of isolated publications upon the various genera and 



*A Preliminary Contribution toward a History of the Fresh Water Infusoria 

 of the United States. Journ. Trent. Nat. Hist. Soc, I, 1888. 



j- Fresh Water Rhizopoda of North America, Washington, 1879. 



