HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



33 



of volcanic mud and sand, about 350 miles of Globi- 

 gerina ooze, about 1,050 miles of red clay, about 

 330 miles of Globigerina ooze, about S50 miles of 

 red clay, about 40 miles of Globigerina ooze ; giving 

 a total of 1,900 miles of red clay to 720 miles of 

 Globigerina ooze. 



THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOPHOPUS 

 CRTSTALLINA PROM STATOBLAST. 



IN my paper on tbe Lopbopus in last December's 

 Science-Gossip, page 270, I stated that I 

 had seen the dissolution of some of their colonies, 

 and had preserved in glass cells the statoblast 

 that had become free in the water at their death, 



Fig. 18. Statoblast of 

 Lophopus crystallina. 



Fig. 19. Statoblast of 

 Plumatella repens. 



anticipating the pleasure of seeing the young poly- 

 zoon issue therefrom in due time, which I supposed 

 would not take place before next spring, as the 



Fig. 20. Polyzoa protruding from Statoblast of Lophopus. 



statoblast is generally considered a sort of winter 

 egg, similar to the Ephiphia of the Daphnea pulex, 



&e. But these statoblasts which had been in the 

 glass cell (eight in number) were the produce of 

 two colonies that I had under observation since 

 July 25, 1874, and they had gradually died away. 

 October 1, they were placed, still containing the 

 statoblast, in a cell by themselves, and the statoblast 

 became quite free in a short time, and so remained 

 in the water. October 29, I observed that one of 

 them had begun to open, and in a short time the 



Fig. 21. Further development of Polyzoa from Statoblast. 



tentacles were seen protruding from out of the cell (as 

 shown in fig. 20, a), the cilia on them in rapid motion. 

 In two days the whole of the eight were seen 

 emerging from statoblast, by which time, those that 

 were first seen had advanced as shown in fig. 21, 





'""^Wu'^i 



Fig. 22. Polyzoa emerging from Statoblast of Plumatella. 



with the Lophophore, b, and its cro wn of tentacles 

 complete. The cilia on them were in full play 

 in every respect like the parent (size only excepted), 

 and were slowly moving about the cell, bearing with 

 them the statoblast, which opens in a similar manner 

 to a bivalve shell. In this state they were exhibited 

 at the monthly meeting of the East Kent Natural 

 History Society, proving novel and interesting 

 objects to the members present. 



It would appear by this early development in so 

 short a time, that they do not at all times lay during 

 the whole winter and hatch in the spring. I have 



