394 Transactions of the Society. 



does not give a good idea of the creature. I have met with it 

 three or four times in the middle of the summer round London, 

 at Hanwell, Woking, and near St. Helens in Lancashire, and from 

 these Mr. Dixon-Nuttall has made the accompanying excellent 

 drawing, but it is rather a rare species not often seen. 



The body is very rounded and globular behind, not unlike a 

 wine-glass in shape, the stem of which is represented by the long 

 foot. The head is abnormally large, slightly compressed dorso- 

 ventrally and broad at the auricles, advancing to a regular point 

 in front, and thus giving it almost the shape of an equilateral 

 triangle. The front of the head bears the usual four styles, the 

 outer pair being much the larger and protruding from large tri- 

 angular fleshy flaps. Two more pairs of setose pimples are 

 situated in front and around the mouth as usual, and the extreme 

 pointed front is furnished with a fine and broad brush of sense- 

 hairs. 



The ciliary wreath is of the usual Synchseta type, the wide 

 auricles being more or less pendent and further back in position 

 than in trcmula and oblonga. Immediately behind the auricles the 

 body is considerably constricted and then swells out again to a 

 width equal to that of the head. 



The foot is very narrow, elongated, about one-quarter the size 

 of the body, terminating in two small acute toes. It may be 

 swollen a little occasionally, but it can hardly be called " rhom- 

 boidal " in outline. The foot is moved about and lashed in all 

 directions like a tail. 



The dorsal antenna is in the usual position on an eminence 

 above the eye, and the lateral antenna? issue two- thirds down the 

 sides of the body, slightly on the ventral side. The mastax is 

 large, of usual Synchceta type, but, I regret to say, I have omitted 

 to look at the teeth of the unci, and having been unable to find 

 this creature recently, do not know their presence or their number. 

 The oesophagus is short, leading to a stomach of the usual structure 

 with rounded gastric glands. The lateral canals, contractile vesicle 

 as well as the foot-glands, ovary, and muscular system, are all quite 

 normal. The red eye is rounded, not particularly large, and of 

 normal structure. 



In the projecting triangular head and narrow foot this species 

 has some superficial resemblance with S. stylata, from which it is 

 however quite different in shape, structure, and size. 



Sijnchwta longipes does not carry its eggs. It is a powerful 

 swimmer, very voracious, and catches its prey, consisting of 

 Polyarthra and other similar rotifers, and devours them whilst 

 swimming at full speed. The male has not yet been discovered. 



Its greatest total size is 204 /j, ( T ^ in.), one-fifth of which is 

 represented by the foot and toes. Smaller young animals are 

 always present also. 



