58 



BARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



" sharks'-teeth " imbedded in the chalk-i^its. They 

 form such a well-known fossil that we can judge, to a 

 certain extent, of the numbers in which sharks lived 

 in those parts when the chalk was being formed 

 beneath the sea. These relics of the monsters of the 

 deep, which then roamed through the sea in our 

 latitudes, remind us forcibly of the great change which 

 has come over the inhabitants of these shores. \Ye 

 have no voracious shark now skirting our British 

 coasts, lying in wait for a meal of man or beast, as he 

 would have done in ages gone by. Our waters are 

 not warm enough for him, and the man-eating 

 sharks, whose ancestors left their bones and teeth on 

 the chalky floor of the northern ocean, have now bid 

 good-bye to these regions, and betaken themselves to 

 a climate more suited to their taste. The only allied 

 fish which now remain with us are the various 

 species of dog-fish. These represent well in structure 

 the most important points in the dreaded white shark, 

 although of course very much in miniature. 



The order which embraces the sharks and dog- 

 fishes, also includes the rays and the skates. As I 

 was watching the tank which contained the latter, a 

 large individual came floundering from the recesses of 

 the cavern, and settled itself down on the base of the 

 tank immediately in front of the glass. As it settled 

 it seemed to press its two side fins downwards, and 

 arch its body from side to side, as though to prevent 

 the under surface of its body coming into contact with 

 the ground, I noticed that this occurred each time it 

 settled, so to speak ; and I therefore determined to 

 watch its under-surface, as it rose, for an explanation 

 of the position it assumed. An opportunity soon 

 presented itself, and as the creature rose, it showed on 

 the under-surface of its body two series of five 

 branchial openings radiating away from each other 

 and from its mouth. These openings communicated 

 with a corresponding number of branchial pouches, 

 and really constituted its means of breathing. This 

 was the more apparent, since the openings were 

 regularly opened and closed by a covering membrane 

 at intervals of about a couple of seconds' duration. 

 This at once explained the reason of its peculiar 

 attitude when on the floor of the tank. 



As we pass along the corridors, the interesting 

 little stickleback claims our attention, and recalls to 

 mind the ingenious manner in which the male builds 

 its nest for the reception of his chosen brides. The 

 gorgeous plumage of the dahlia (Crassicornis) and 

 carnation (Dianthus) anemones appeal to our aesthetic 

 and artistic tastes, and we notice how the latter 

 species have taken to themselves the most prominent 

 projections of the rocks, to the exclusion of all others 

 of its fellows. Wc notice the tank of silvery little 

 whitebait, shining in the artificial light overhead, and 

 take note of the fact that they have been kept in 

 captivity until they have grown into true herrings. 

 The ugly octopi, with their internal skeleton, familiar 

 to us as the cuttle-bone; the turtles, the affectionate- 



looking seals, are amongst the many creatures which- 

 arrest our attention. We hope fervently that the 

 aquarium will be able to steer clear of pecuniary 

 slioals, as it has done in the past, and that there 

 will be sufficient local spirit to prevent such a 

 national institution from falling a prey to insolvency.. 

 If unable to pay its way, perhaps Government might 

 be induced to engraft it on to the Natural History 

 Department of the British Museum, which should 

 carry it on as a seaside branch of itself. Perhaps the 

 Council of the Imperial Institute might be prevailed 

 upon to become interested in it, and save it from 

 any possibility of having to close its doors. Were 

 practical experiments in pisciculture to become the 

 recognised reason of its existence, even Englishmen 

 would not begrudge an occasional Government grant 

 towards its support. 



ROSSENDALE RHIZOPODS. 

 No. I. 



THE wonders of structure and organisation revealedi 

 by the Microscope in every department of the 

 vegetable and animal world, form a chapter of 

 intensest interest to the thoughtful mind. On the- 

 one hand we see the whole organised creation built 

 up of practically identical elements ; on the other,, 

 the most varied and wonderful adaptations, in every 

 minute particular, to fit them for their surroundings- 

 and mode of life. Wonderful and interesting as- 

 these revelations have undoubtedly been, yet the 

 discovery of the Rhizopoda, the Infusoria, and Roti- 

 fera — bringing within our ken, as it were, the 

 denizens of a new world — far surpasses, to some 

 orders of mind, all other discoveries. During the 

 past few years, I have devoted special attention to- 

 these classes of animals, (particularly the Rotifera), 

 have systematically "fished" a limited number of 

 ponds, taking notes in the field, of my captures, and 

 of the conditions under which they were made, ancJj 

 I propose in this and subsequent papers to embody- 

 some, at least, of these notes, in the hope that they 

 may prove of service to those entering upon the 

 study of what is colloquially termed, " Pond Life." 

 As I have now pretty well worked up the Rotifera, 

 of Rossendale, so that I rarely come across any form 

 I have not previously drawn and studied, I resolved 

 to do something in the way of compiling a local list,, 

 and studying the habits and peculiarities of the 

 humble Rhizopods of our district. From its known 

 richness in microscopic life generally, I fully expected, 

 being able to reap a rich harvest of species, and was 

 not altogether without hope of adding some new 

 form, not (previously known to science. Another, 

 consideration which will naturally recommend this 

 class to microscopists of curtailed leisure, is the fact, 

 that it consists only of about seventy species ; a. 

 number not requiring a great amount of labour iii. 



