MICROSCOPY. 247 



Professor Leidy states, in a paper read (June 12) before 

 the Academy of Sciences of Philadelphia, that most of the 

 known parasitic Infusoria possess a mouth similar to those 

 which live in ordinary water. Such is the case with the spe- 

 cies of Balantidium found in the intestinal canal of man, the 

 hog, and various batrachians ; of JYyctotherus, in the intes- 

 tines of frogs and insects; and Conchophtldrus found abun- 

 dantly on the branchia and palpi of Anadon fluviatilis. 

 Other parasitic Infusoria are devoid of an intestinal canal, 

 and absorb nourishment through the body like the tape- 

 worms and Echinorhynchi. In the same paper he describes 

 a new infusorian found in the rectum of a Paludina under 

 the name Anoplophrya vermicular is. 



FORAMINIFERA, ETC. 



Professor Hertwig announces the discovery of nuclei in 

 Foraminifera, already independently observed by Schulte, 

 but which, singularly enough, had not been detected by 

 the naturalist on board H. M. S. Challenger, who devoted so 

 much time and attention to the pelagic Foraminifera. Al- 

 though Hertwig's observations do not as yet prove cdl Fo- 

 ra.minifera to be nucleated, probably they really are so ; and 

 as the whole of the soft body of a many-chambered Poly- 

 stomella or llotalina normally has but a single nucleus, it 

 follows that the whole animal has but the value of a single 

 cell or, in other words, that the Foraminifera at large must 

 be regarded as unicellular animals. 



In the Proceedings of the Royal Society, Xo. 1 70, Mr. J. Mur- 

 ray gives a report of the Challenger expedition, and remarks 

 especially, with reference to Globigerina ooze, that it was 

 not found in any of the enclosed seas in the Southern Ocean 

 south of latitude 50 S., nor in the North Pacific north of 

 latitude 10 N". In the Southern Ocean, only one small spe- 

 cies w r as found in the surface waters. The Globigerina ooze 

 occurs in irregular patches at depths less than 1800 fathoms ; 

 but its presence or absence at greater depths is determined 

 by conditions at present unknown. Some specimens are 

 white, others rose color, and others red or dark brown from 

 the presence of oxides of iron and manganese. 



Dr. Bessels, of the Polaris expedition, has given the name 

 Protobathybhis to a form w 7 hich is considered as allied to the 



