HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



35 



brought under observation, by the exercise of per- 

 severance during the three or four following days ; 

 they then died out, and on going to obtain more 

 from the pool, it was found frozen over, and I was 

 told by the Common keeper that it was against the 

 rules to break the ice. I shall be glad to hear if any 

 of your readers have found a rotifer like this, or any 

 described in Dr. Hudson's work as very rare, my 

 opinion being that the greater part are widely 

 distributed, and may be found if looked for. 



over thirty species. To my lot fell this little-known 

 rotifer (Fig. 19) in some quantity. Mr. Gosses figure 

 of this rotifer is as usual admirable, but in making out 

 the three spines said to be attached to the lower 

 plate, I found they were between the plates : then 

 in the side view (Fig. 20), there was a notch which 

 allowed the foot to be lashed about from side to 

 side, which is a characteristic movement of the 

 animal ; sometimes the foot and toes are quite turned 

 into the lateral sulcus. In this family the plates of 



Fig. 20. — Diplois propatttla (side view). 



Fig. 21.— Fold of the lateral plate of Diplois 

 propatttla. 



No. 7. — Diplois propatula. 



On the 29th of November Mr. Western kindly 

 conducted me to a pool on Esher Common where 

 he had taken many rare rotifers, among others 

 Diplois propatula, which previously had only been 

 found in one pool at Sandhurst, Berks. We found 

 the ice an inch thick on the pools ; but these not 

 being under the regis of the London County Council, 

 we forthwith broke into them, and together secured 



Fig. 22. — Furcularia tenttiseta. 



the lorica are so transparent that it is difficult to say 

 in what plane they are situated, but according to my 

 observation the dorsal plate is arched considerably 

 but is not open in front, the ventral plate is not flat 

 but slightly curved, and it has no spines at the end ; 

 the infolded connection between the two plates ends 

 at the posterior end in a notch, the external margin 

 of which joins the dorsal plate, and the internal 

 margin is attached to the ventral, forming, with 

 the internal margin of the notch on the opposite 



