154 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



the insects can be retained on the glass setting slips 

 (in which condition they can be more easily packed) 

 until it is convenient to mount them. (It might be 

 advisable to keep all duplicates in this manner until 

 required.) 



E, E. Green. 

 Punduloyo, Ceylon. 



A CURIOUS ANIMALCULE. 



ABOUT a mile from this place there is a small 

 stream which rises in a bank, and, after 

 running perhaps for a hundred yards, discharges 

 itself into the Six-mile Water which flows through the 

 valley below, and afterwards enters Lough Neagh. 

 The water is beautifully clear, and, until recently, 

 was used in connection with the bleaching of linen. 

 From a few yards of the source to near the place of 

 its discharge, it is filled so completely with watercress 

 that, in the early spring and late autumn, no water 

 in the portion specified can be seen. At the lower 

 end it broadens and deepens into a sort of basin 

 before overflowing into the adjoining river. Here 

 there is usually a quantity of floating vegetable 

 matter, consisting of duckweed, and, in the season, 

 sprays of watercress and other substances. 



When looking for something new for microscopical 

 observation about fourteen years ago, I happened to 

 pass this stream, and so filled my bottle from the 

 little basin just mentioned. On examining the con- 

 tents shortly afterwards, I found it rich with animal- 

 cule life, prominent among which were the common 

 rotifer, the bell animalcule, the drinking-cup animal- 

 cule ( C^rc/^cwV/w /i3/i'/m«w) , and an animalcule I did 

 not know, of which the accompanying outline, drawn 

 however from memory, is, I believe, a fair repre- 

 sentation. 



My microscope is but a small one ; nevertheless, it 

 has served for nearly thirty years for the observation 

 of the larger forms of animalcule life. When I first 

 caught sight of the stranger my attention was at once 

 arrested, and I sat watching it for a considerable 

 time. Its body was nearly as large, and somewhat 

 similar in shape, to that of the common rotifer ; but 

 in place of the tail-foot, it had a couple of extremities 

 that were about twice as long as its body. On these 

 extremities, or legs, it stood upright, moved about as 

 a person does on stilts, and when anything appeared 

 specially to attract attention, it apparently became 

 curiously incjuisitive, then stood still, and swayed its 

 body gracefully to and fro in a ridiculously sentimen- 

 tal sort of manner. When it met with a thread of 

 conferva stretching across and above its path, it 

 complacently laid its body over it, tucked up its 

 extremities in the direction of its cilise, and twirled 

 itself round like a wheel, putting one instantly in 

 mind of certain performances one has witnessed on a 

 tight-rope. This operation it continued for what 

 seemed a long time. Then, apparently seeking a 



new diversion, it commenced a curious performance, 

 which I could liken to nothing so much as that 

 violent gymnastic exercise known as the cobbler's 

 dance. Notwithstanding the fact that the creature's 

 body was only about one-third of its entire length, it 

 pounced down upon its posterior portion and rose 

 again with astonishing rapidity, many times in 

 succession, appearing greatly agitated at the con- 

 clusion. This operation was repeated again and 

 again. Indeed, the creature was constantly on the 

 move, and proved to be by far the liveliest specimen 

 of animalcule life I had ever met with. 



On making a second dip into my bottle, I agaia 



Fig. io8. — Curious Rotifer. 



found another specimen of my new acquaintance od 

 stilts, and I felt, whatever its name might be, it could 

 have no more appropriate one than that of stilt- 

 animalcule. 



I at once looked at what books I had on the 

 microscope, and especially at those portions treating 

 of animalcule life ; but could find neither figure nor 

 description of the little stranger. Since, however, 

 my books were all of a popular and not exhaustive 

 character, I concluded it would be figured in more 



