190 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



New Ceratella.* — S. J. Hickson describes from the Zanzibar col- 

 lection made by C. Crossland, Ceratella minima, a new, species of the 

 remarkable family Ceratelladrc. The colony is probably erect, branch- 

 ing irregularly andl not very profusely, 'but strictly in one plane. 

 The mains terns and all the branches are invariably cylindrical in 

 form. The surface is free from spines and relatively smooth, although 

 the hydrophores form very slight ridges. The skeleton consists of 

 longitudinal horny fibres united by numerous loops and bands, which in 

 the larger branches give a slightly spiral ribbed appearance to the surface. 

 The zooids are numerous, bearing usually nine capitate tentacles. They 

 are arranged slightly to one side of the plane of branching either 

 alternately or in pairs. 



Septa of Rugosa.f — N. Yakovleff gives a stricter and more complete 

 definition of the primary counter septum of Rugose corals. It is that in 

 relation to which the contiguous septa are arranged in a parallel direction, 

 and which has adjoining primary interseptal chambers, containing no 

 secondary principal septa. Duerden is not correct in stating that the 

 main septum and the counter septum lie respectively on the convex and 

 on the concave side of the coral, independently of the arrangement of the 

 contiguous septa. 



Protozoa. 



New British Freshwater Rhizopods.J — Gr. S. West records the 

 occurrence of numerous forms, especially from the west of Scotland and 

 the outer Hebrides. He describes the following new species : Nuclearia 

 conspicua, Hyalosplienia platystoma, H. inconspicua and Sphenoderia 

 puJcheUa. The two genera Vampyr&lla and Nuclearia should be removed 

 from the Proteomyxa and placed in a separate order, Yampyrellida. 



Nosema anomalum Monz.§ — W. Stempell gives a brief account of 

 the development of this parasite, which he found encysted in the sub- 

 cutaneous connective tissue, body-cavity, alimentary canal, and more 

 rarely in the ovarian eggs of Gasterosteus acuhatus. In one case he 

 found it in the skin of Gobius minutus. The development turns out to 

 be more complicated than Thelohan supposed, but we may wait for 

 the detailed account which the author promises. 



Trypanosoma in Birds. || — W. Hanna found two different species of 

 Trypanosome in the Indian domestic pigeon and in the Indian crow.. 

 He describes these, and gives measurements for future use. A summary 

 is given of the occurrence of Trypanosomes in animals other than 

 mammals — in frogs, fishes, and oysters. Their occurrence in the blood 

 of birds has not been hitherto recorded ; and Eberth's report of a 

 Trypanosome in the intestine of birds appears to refer to a totally dif- 

 ferent parasite from those found by Hanna. 



* Proc. Zool. Soc, 1903, pp. 113-6 (1 pi.). 

 + Ann. Nat. Hist., xiii. (1904) pp. 114-7 (2 figs.). 

 X Journ. Linn. Soc. (Zool.), xxix. (1903) pp. 108-17 (I pi.). 

 § Zool. Anzei«:., xxvii. (1!)04) pp. 293-5 (5 figs.). 

 || Quart. Joum. Micr. Sci., xlvii. (1903) pp. 433-8 (I pi.). 



