l62 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



The gullet terminates, at the point where the neck 

 passes into the trunk, in a long straight stomach, 

 running along the ventral side of the body-cavity, 

 and crowded with colourless food in pellets ; this is 

 continued, without any visible constriction, into the 

 intestine, and ends in the anus just in front of the 

 rounded posterior extremity of the trunk. I could 

 not determine the presence of the water-vascular 

 canals and contractile vesicle ; almost; certainly these 

 exist, but are exceedingly difficult to observe. 



Dorsally to the stomach is situated a fairly large, 

 colourless body, exhibiting a central nuclear vesicle ; 

 this body was formerly thought to be the ovary, but 

 Dr. Zelinka has shown that the true ovaries in the 

 Gastrotricha are paired organs placed near the venter, 

 one on each side of the intestine, (thus corresponding 

 in position with the paired ovaries of the family 

 Philodinadje of the Rotifera). The large dorsal body 

 is a developing ovum ; whether this is contained 

 within an oviduct having extremely delicate mem- 

 branous walls, or simply lies freely in the perivisceral 

 cavity, is doubtful ; as also is its mode of exit from 

 the body. 



The creature swims actively with an even gliding 

 motion through the water ; in no case did I observe 

 any jerking or springing, the weak body-spines being 

 probably useless for such a mode of progression. 



The head is often freely moved up and down upon 

 the neck, but has not the constant drooping appear- 

 ance (in side aspect) noticeable in D. fusiformis. 

 The lateral lobes seem capable, to some extent at 

 least, of being protruded or retracted at the creature's 

 will ; at certain times, the outline of the head ap- 

 peared quite conical, or very faintly five-lobed (cf. the 

 figures), while at others, the savic animal presented 

 the distinctly three-lobed outline of the head already 

 described. 



The present species, approaches in its general 

 outline D. longisetosum (Metschn.), but is at once 

 separated from the latter by the relative lengths of 

 the body and caudal bristles. The latter are, in 

 longisetosum, shown much less than half the 

 length of the lateral body-setre (which are described 

 as "very long and stout,") and altogether lack the 

 conspicuousness they attain in bisetosum. The pre- 

 sent form is also neaily twice the size of Metschni- 

 koffs species, and other differences exist which I 

 think fully justify me in regarding bisetosum as 

 specifically distinct. 



The entire animal is quite colourless ; length, 

 excluding caudal seta?, about 1^5 inch. 



In conclusion, the same pond has furnished me, on 

 other occasions, with specimens of Dasydytcs fusi- 

 formis, Spencer, and Lcpidcde^-ma rhomboides, Stokes, 

 (the latter only recorded, hitherto, from Trenton, 

 New Jersey), while at Chingford I have met with 

 Dasydytes goniathrix, Gosse, and D. ftsiformis, 

 Spencer. Within the last few weeks, at Oakley, in 

 Bedfordshire, I have taken Chcctonotiis Schultzei, 



Metschn. These records, insignificant by themselves, 

 serve to indicate the probability of much more exten- 

 sive results, if microscopic workers direct more sys- 

 tematic attention to the study of this small and obscure 

 group of animals. 



Percy G. Thompson. 

 Bow, E. 5 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



We are pleased to observe that an old and valued 

 correspondent of Science-Gossip, and an ardent 

 naturalist and botanist, Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell, 

 has been appointed Curator to the Museum, Institute 

 of Jamaica, Kingston (which will henceforth be his 

 address). The institute is to be congratulated on 

 having selected such an efficient curator. 



The great engineer, Sir John Hawkshaw, died in 

 his eighty-first year on June 2nd. 



Professor Roberts-Austen has discovered the 

 most brilliant-coloured alloy yet known. It is of a 

 rich purple colour, and has bright ruby tints when 

 light is reflected from one surface to another. It 

 consists of 78 per cent, of gold, and the rest alu- 

 minium. 



The science of geology has received royal recog- 

 nition. The Director of the Geological Survey of 

 the United Kingdom has been made a Birthday 

 Knight, and is now Sir A. Geikie. 



Professor Leidy, the well-known American 

 naturahst, author of the " Rhizopods of North 

 America," is dead. 



At a recent meeting of the Linnaean Society, Mr, 

 Robert Deane exhibited specimens of the rayless 

 daisy, said to grow abundantly near Cardiff. Will 

 some reader there send us a specimen ? 



We have received the " Report of the Felsted 

 School Nat. Hist. Society for 1890." It displays a 

 healthy, active, and intelligent love of natural science, 

 and indicates a state of things the author endeavoured 

 to realise in "The Playtime Naturalist." 



The latest Bulletins issued by the U.S. Dept. of 

 Agriculture are Nos. 7 and 8 of " Insect Life," and 

 No. 24 "The Ball-Worm of Cotton," by F. W. 



Neaily. 



Bishop Mitchinson's papers in " Nature Notes," 

 on "The Distiibution of Rare Plants in Britain," 

 are very suggestive. 



We are pleased to call attention to a highly 

 important brochure by the Rev. H. A. Soames, 

 F.L.S. (London: L. Upcott Gill), on "The Scien- 

 tific Measurement of Children." The author rightly 



