Miscellaneous. 363 



grass gave facilities to the wind to operate, and so the sand hills 

 were, year after year, changing their position, encroaching on the 

 cultivated ground. To remedy this, he determined to destroy the 

 rabbits, and in their place introduced hares, which he knew, or thought 

 he knew, would not burrow : but here he was mistaken ; for the ani- 

 mal soon found that it must leave the district or change its habit ; for 

 if on a winter night it attempted to sit in its accustomed form, it 

 would find itself buried perhaps twenty feet in the morning under 

 the blowing sand, as under a snow rath. Accordingly the Hares have 

 burrowed ; they chase out a thin and high sand hill, which stands 

 somewhat like a solidified wave of the sea. Through this Puss per- 

 forates a horizontal hole from east to west, with a double opening ; 

 and seating herself at the mouth of the windward orifice, she there 

 awaits the storm ; and as fast as her hill wastes away, she draws 

 back, ready at all times to make a start in case the storm rise so as 

 to carry off the hill altogether." 



NOTE ON ANIMALCULES. BY E. FORBES, ESQ. 



Two vessels of sea- water, the one containing a sea urchin, the 

 other a portion of Spongia papillosa, were suffered to remain un- 

 changed until the animals died. That containing the Echinus was 

 placed in a dark place, that containing the sponge in a window ex- 

 posed to the sunlight. In about ten days' time the latter became of 

 a beautiful green colour, while the former remained transparent 

 though a thick scum gathered on the surface. The water of each 

 was then submitted to the microscope, and both were found to abound 

 in animalcules. The green colour of the sponge water was found to 

 be derived from innumerable animals of the genus Volvox, among 

 which were seen minute worm-like animalcules and other smaller 

 forms. The urchin water contained no Volvox, but abounded in large 

 Polygastrica which darted about with great rapidity. 



Wishing to examine the structure of these creatures, I adopted 

 the following plan, which seems to me much superior to the 

 usual method ; namely, isolating one specimen to a drop of the sea- 

 water containing the animalcules, I added an equal quantity of 

 fresh water. The effect was instantaneous ; the rapid motions of the 

 little creatures were suddenly arrested ; they were paralysed, but not 

 killed, and their internal structure was beautifully displayed. They 

 were as voracious as ever, for on mixing some carmine with the 

 water, in half an hour's time their (so-called) stomachs were coloured 

 with the pigment they had devoured. It was a very curious sight 



2 c2 



