8o 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



they appeared to be of the species figured in Prit- 

 chard's " Infusoria," and named the Vorticella micro- 

 stoma, being rather long in the cup and not so large 

 round the mouth as the ordinary Vorticellce. They 

 were clearly a distinct species from the tree form 



noticed a peculiarity which seemed to throw some 

 doubt on that theory, as the stems of the Acineta 

 appeared more clear and of a somewhat different 

 appearance to the stems to which the Vorticella were 

 attached, and upon still closer observation the stems 



Fig. 51. — Cluster of Acineta. 



Fig. 52.— Group of VorticelUe of the Epistylis species, with 

 Acineta. 



just mentioned, could it be that they also were in any 

 way allied to the Acineta ? After carefully observing 

 this Epistylis group for some time, and speculating 

 upon the probability of the Acineta being a stage in 

 the ^development of the Vorticellse, or vice versd, we 



of the Acineta all seemed attached to the side of a 

 Vorticellce stem rather than a continuation of the 

 tree-like stem of the Epistylis. 



Now, if my observations are correct, is it not possible 

 that the Acineta stems were attached parasitically to 

 the stems of the Epistylis or Vorticella; ? I am the 

 more inclined to take this view of it from some 

 further observations subsequently made, which 

 seemed very strongly to confirm their parasitic at- 

 tachment. On another filament of the weed I for- 

 tunately found a group of Vorticellas of the species 

 called Carchesium polypinum, also a beautiful tree 

 form with much larger bells and having contractile 

 stems and as is well known a tap on the microscope 

 stage causes the whole cluster to immediately contract 

 closely together. Upon this group were also two or 

 three of the Acineta, and when the contraction took 

 place, the Acineta with their stems stood out rigid, 

 thus clearly showing that the stem of the Acineta 

 formed no part of the contractile stems of the Car- 

 chesium, and again I also found a fine specimen of 

 the Ophrydium, and upon this also were attached 

 several of the Acineta. 



There is another circumstance I ought to mention, 

 and that is that this Alga was taken out of a pond in 

 the Victoria Park by my friend Mr. Badcock last 

 autumn, and he then discovered that it was covered 

 with patches of a gelatinous-looking substance which 

 probably was a rudimentary condition of the Acineta, 

 upon being placed in a cell and left quiet for a few 

 minutes on the stage of the microscope, it threw out 

 those fine radiations or pseudopodia, very much re- 



