94 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



across horns, 86- 10 1 //, ; breadth of mouth, 23-25/4; thick- 

 ness of shell, 29-38/4. 



Hab. Plankton of Loch Shiel, Inverness. 



This species is readily recognised by the pair of diverging 

 processes or horns, which are sometimes bent upwards 

 almost parallel to the length of the shell. The region of the 

 mouth is also rather peculiar in being almost cylindrical, the 

 actual edge of the mouth showing a slight undulation. The 

 structure of the shell is that of a true species of Nebela, the 

 small plates of which it is composed being very irregular 

 with no definite order of arrangement, but mostly disposed 

 with their long axes parallel to the length of the shell. 



In the presence of the horn-like processes the shell some- 

 what resembles that of Campascus cornutus, Leidy, but there 

 is no curvature in the region of the mouth, and its structure 

 is quite different. 



The specimens were all preserved in 4^/ formalin, and 

 all the individuals examined were more or less encysted, the 

 body-protoplasm exhibiting the form of a globular mass in 

 the widest part of the shell. The nucleus stained readily 

 with haematoxylin or ammonia-carmine. Species of this 

 genus are, however, all discriminated by the characters of the 

 shell, and N. bicornis is no exception. 



ROYAL AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, 



ClRENCESTER. 



MICROSCOPIC LIFE OF ST. KILDA. 



BY JAMES MURRAY. 



DURING a flying visit paid to St. Kilda in the early 

 summer of 1904, an attempt was made to ascertain what 

 microscopic life was to be found on the island. As our stay 

 was very short, only three hours being spent on shore, there 

 was little time for making natural history collections. As 

 moss everywhere harbours an abundant population of micro- 

 organisms, I gathered a quantity of it with a view of getting 

 some idea of the micro fauna and flora of the island. Very 

 little moss was, however, to be seen, the soil everywhere 



