Fossil Infusoria. 839 



which Prof. Ehrenberg could not detect in the upper stratum, 

 namely, Gallionella varians and Cocconeis clypeus. But what 

 is more remarkable, it contains an admixture of vegetable sub- 

 stances and forms. In the lower part of the sample there were 

 found the pollen of a species of Finus, and the siliceous spi- 

 cule of sponge, in the proportion of about -^. All the twelve 

 species of the upper layer, as well as the Gallionella, are to 

 be met with in the living state near Berlin. Cocconeis clype- 

 us is found, along with Navicula viridis, in the Kieselguhr 

 (siliceous deposits) of Franzenbad. The pollen of a Finns 

 Prof. Ehrenberg first discovered in the mountain meal of Deg- 

 gernfors, in Sweden, afterwards in the Kieselguhr of Kym- 

 mene-Gard, in Finland, and lately in that of Franzensbad, 

 but always in small quantities. Prof. Ehrenberg then demon- 

 strated on living earth-worms, that the digestive process in 

 these creatures, has not the effect of destroying the structure 

 of the siliceous integuments of the Infusoria, but that the Ba- 

 cillariae, which they devour in great quantities, lose only their 

 animal constituents, their testae being voided in a perfect state . 



February 20th. Prof. Ehrenberg communicated that the 

 severe cold, ( — 18 — 20° R.), of this winter, had not killed all 

 the Infusoria in the vegetable mould of the deer-garden near 

 Berlin ; but on the lumps of earth being cautiously thawed, 

 many of the animalcules were seen moving about, though a 

 great number certainly appeared to be dead. He also exhi- 

 bited a large mass of the infusorial earth from the lake of Lill- 

 haggsjon, which, from time immemorial, has been added to 

 flour, in making bread. 



March 20th. Prof. Link read a paper on the develope- 

 ment of roots. He stated that, whilst the leaf-buds originate 

 from the pith, the roots always spring from the ligneous body. 

 Mr. Weiss exhibited scoriae from the puddling furnaces of II- 

 senburg, in the Hercynian forest, on which regular octahe- 

 drons of magnetic iron ore had formed. 



April 17th. Prof. Link detailed the results of his micro- 

 scopical examination of the coal of South America. It ap- 

 pears to owe its existence to the same vegetable substances 

 as the coal of other countries. One variety seemed to be prin- 

 cipally formed of palm wood. Prof. Ehrenberg mentioned 

 that perfectly dried wheel-animalcules and other Infusoria, 

 could not be revived ; a fact which he had established by nu- 

 merous experiments. Prof. Muller laid before the Society the 

 plates of the 1st number of his and Dr. Henle's work on sharks 

 and skates. 



May 15th. Prof. Link continued his observations on coal, 

 which he considers as primeval peat. He could discover in 



