ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 30T 



Axinellid Sponges.* — E. F. Hallman has made a revision of the 

 genera with microscleres which have been inchided in the family 

 Axinellidffi. He also describes a number of new Australian forms,. 

 Much attention is given to the spicules. 



Sponges of Lake Biwa.t— Nelson Annandale and Tamiji Kawamura 

 deal with a collection of Spongillidte from Lake Biwa, Japan. Seven 

 species are distinguished, of which HefermeyenUi Icaivamurse Annandale 

 is new. The only fresh-water sponge previously found in Japan is the 

 typical form of Ephydatia miiJIeri (Liebk.), of which a new variety is 

 now described. The majority of the species are widely distributed 

 Holarctic forms, but SpongiUa dementis is probably of Oriental origin. 

 The distribution of species in the lake is correlated with definite 

 environmental differences. Several forms, especially ^S'. dementis, differ 

 considerably in different surroundings. The sponges in Lake Biwa 

 attain their full growth as a rule somewhat later in season than those of 

 Europe. No form is known that produces gemmules at the beginning' 

 of the hot weather. On the surface and in the canals of *S'. dementis 

 there are various incolte (e.g. a Heteropteron and a Gammarid) of 

 various groups. The sponges often overwhelm the shells of Gastropods, 

 and Lamellibranchs, becoming a sort of parasite. 



Japanese Calcareous Sponges. | — Sanji Hozawa describes seven 

 species in the family Heteropiidfe, six of which seem to be new. There 

 are four new species of Grantessa, besides Heteropia striata sp. n. and 

 Amphiute ij'imai sp. n. An account is given of the canal system^ 

 skeleton, and individual spicules in each case. 



Protozoa. 



Reaction of Amoebse to Food.§ — A. A. Schaeffer finds that amoebae 

 eat isolated ptroteins supplied to them. Globulin (crystallin) was eaten 

 quite readily, and particles of it underwent reduction in size in the 

 cytoplasm ; lactalbumin was sometimes eaten, ovalbumin only occa- 

 sionally. Zein attracts, but is not ingested. Keratin and fibrin were 

 eaten occasionally ; aleuronat and grain gluten frequently. 



Isolated proteins are sometimes ingested in food-cups of varying 

 size, sometimes without the formation of food-cups. In the latter case 

 the cytoplasm simply flows around the food particle. Occasionally a 

 food-cup is started before the amoebae comes into contact with the 

 protein particle. Granular amoebas ate isolated proteins much more 

 readily than did " raptorial " amoeba?, and they retained more readily 

 what they ate. 



It cannot be stated what qualities in these proteins induce ingestion. 

 The fact that the one which is probably the most readily purified, namely,. 



* Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. Wales, xli. (1916) pp. 453-91 (9 pis. and 9 figs.), and 

 pp. 495-552 (10 pis. and 7 figs.). 



t Journ. Coll. Sci. Univ. Tokyo, xxxix. (1916) Art. 1, pp. 1-27 (2 pis.). 



t Journ. Coll. Sci. Univ. Tokvo, xxxviii. (1916) pp. 1-41 (2 pis. and 7 figs.). 



§ Journ. Exper. Zool., xxi. (1917) pp. 53-86 (6 pis.). 



