POLYGASTRIA. 



13 



compressed, and only furnished with a single 

 row of setaceous tentacula, situated around its 

 margin. 



Podopfiyra, (radiated foot animalcule,) is 

 an Actinoplirys with a spherical body, from 

 which projects a long straight pedicle, which, 

 however, is not attached to any foreign body. 



Trichoda, (hair animalcule,) an Enchelis 

 having its mouth obliquely truncated and fur- 

 nished with a lip; its body is unprovided with 

 a neck-like prolongation. 



Lachrymaria, (lachrymatory animalcule,) 

 (8, Jig. 11,) an Enchelis having its body 

 destitute of cilia externally, but terminated by 

 a long thin neck, which is clavate at the extre- 

 mity, and ends with a mouth provided with 

 a lip and ciliated margin. 



Leucophrys, (ciliated animalcule,) an En- 

 chelis, with its body entirely covered with 

 vibratile cilia its mouth is obliquely terminal 

 and provided with a kind of lip, but without 

 dental organs. (1, jig. 12.) 



Holaphrya, (woolly animalcule,) an En- 

 chelis having the exterior of its body entirely 

 ciliated. 



Prorodon (toothed rolling animalcule). In 

 this genus, like the last, the body is covered 

 all over with vibratile cilia, and the mouth 



Fig. 12. 



and posteriorly terminates in three or five little 

 sharp points. 



The next family, Trachelinida, contains all 

 those non-loricated animalcules whose alimen- 

 tary canal has two distinct orifices, but of which 

 one only, the anal, is terminal. The genera 

 that belong to it are very interesting objects, 

 and many of them of great beauty. The reader 



Fig. 13. 



1. Leucophrys patula. 2. Prorodon teres. 

 6, mouth ; c, outlet of alimentary tube. 



truncated, but the latter is remarkable for 

 being armed with a circlet of teeth of a very 

 peculiar structure situated within its margin. 



(\fiS- 12 ) 



The family Colepinidae consists of but one 

 genus, Coleps (1, 2, Jig. 13), the animalcules 

 belonging to which have all the characters 

 of Enchelis, except that they are loricated. 

 These animalcules are found among confervae, 

 more especially in summer time. As long as 

 they are swimming it is difficult to perceive the 

 transparent case in which they are enclosed ; 

 but if they are allowed to get dry or are crushed 

 between two plates of glass, its presence be- 

 comes manifest as well as its brittleness. In 

 shape this external covering resembles a little 

 barrel made up of rows of plates or rings, be- 

 tween which the cilia seem to be exserted 

 (teatala multipartita). Anteriorly it is trun- 

 cated, its margin being either smooth or toothed, 



1, 2. Cole.ps hirtw. 3, 4. Trachelius anas. 5. Tra- 



chelius ovum, 

 o, mouth; a, outlet of alimentary canal. 



will be able readily to recognise them by the 

 following characters : 



Trachelius (neck animalcules, 5, jig. 13). 

 These may be readily known by their exces- 

 sively elongated upper lip, which has the 

 appearance of a long proboscis, or rather, per- 

 haps, resembles the neck of a goose or swan, 

 from which circumstance some species ( Tra- 

 chelius anus) have received their best known 

 appellations. Attentive examination, however, 

 shews that the mouth is situated at the bottom 

 of this neck-like prolongation (3, 4, fg. 13), 

 and not at its extremity, as was the case in 

 Lachrymaria. The body is ciliated over its 

 entire surface; nevertheless the movement of 

 some species is very sluggish, locomotion seem- 

 ing rather to be effected by creeping and bending 

 the body than by the exertion of the cilia. 

 Some species are exceedingly voracious, as for 

 example Trachelius vora.r, figured by Ehrenberg, 

 which is represented in the act of swallow- 

 ing a Loxodes Bursaria, of which six may be 

 seen already lodged in the interior of its body. 



Loxodes (lip animalcules). These have not 

 the neck-like appendage of the last genus, but 

 have the upper lip dilated and hatchet-shaped. 



Biirsaria (purse animalcules). In these the 

 mouth is very wide and placed laterally, with 

 very capacious prominent lips, but without any 

 dental structure. They are very voracious, and 

 although generally met with in water, some 

 species, viz. B. Entozoon, B. intestinalis, and 

 B. cordiformis, live parasitically in the intes- 

 tines of the frog, toad, and water-newt. 



The genera Spirostomum (snail animalcules), 

 Phialina (spigot animalcules), Glaucoma 

 (pearl animalcules), are too nearly allied to 

 the preceding to render any special account of 

 them necessary. 



