The Botatorian Genus Diaschiza. 135 



We might add here that we are convinced that his single dead 

 specimen (!) which he named D. acronota, was a dead D. cceca. 



Again, in his description of what he calls F. ensifera he has 

 evidently taken a larger specimen of cceca, in which the body has 

 developed a greater gibbosity owing to its being an adult, and in 

 which the foot, as is the case in mature specimens, has become less 

 distinguishable from the trunk. But even in this case his speci- 

 mens are not so large as some of ours. 



It is only when he finds a really fully grown, fully developed 

 specimen that he observed the dorsal cleft and red glands ; he then 

 re-described it as D. pceta. But even in this description he falls 

 into the grievous error of calling the pair of tinted gastric glands 

 " a large cervical eye ! " 



We think it necessary to emphasise the extent of the variation 

 in size of this species, as it might be easy to mistake some of these 

 variations for new species. But it can always be identified by ; — 



1. The upcurved, outcurved, blade-shaped toes, wide apart at 

 base. 



2. The long brain-sac. 



3. The formation of the jaws. 



4. The absence of eye-spot. 



This is one of the restless species, and is fond of swimming 

 freelv, as well as srrovelling in the flocculent matter on which it 

 feeds. 



Size of Adult.— jl^ in. (220 /n); toes alone %hs in - ( 53 ^) ; 

 greatest breadth T }^ in. (46 p) ; height ^ in. (53 fj,). Common 

 everywhere. 



Diaschiza tenuior Gosse. 

 PI. IV. fig. 12. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



Hudson & Gosse.— The Eotifera. London, 1889, vol. ii. p. 81, pi. 22, fig. 14. 



Spec. Char. — Body almost cylindrical, hyaline ; head _ same 

 breadth as body ; neck very lightly marked ; face only slightly 

 oblique ; corona extending a very little way down ventral surface ; 

 lorica very flexible, and transparent ; dorsal cleft well marked, 

 deep ; lateral cleft very wide indeed ; no red eye, a transparent 

 lens on the underpart of a large and long brain-sac ; foot large, 

 thick ; toes about £ length of rest of body, furcate, style-shaped, 

 sharply pointed, straight ; gastric glands sometimes tinted hrown. 



This interesting rotifer we consider to be one of the rarest of 

 the Diaschizae. We have very often found it, but only in single 

 examples on each occasion. In this respect, with D. globata, it 



