24 Searle, The Pond ayid its Inhabitants. [v•oT'^\xxIV 



but seem to be a reserve of propagative force to keep the 

 animal from extermination through stress of adverse circum- 

 stances. Tlic contents of the statoblasts give rise to simple 

 non-ciliated animals, which possess, when they are hatched, 

 all the parts of the adult animal ; these at once become 

 attached, and produce new colonies by budding. 



A great many species of Plumatella have been described in 

 Britain and Europe. P. repcns being the best known. In 

 Victoria we have at least two species, one of which agrees very 

 closely with the Euro])ean P. repcns : the other, as far as I know, 

 has not yet been determined. 



Our second genera, Fredricella, is the most graceful and 

 elegant of all the fresh-water polyzoa. Unlike Phimatella, 

 which attaches itself closely to the stone or stick on which it 

 is growing, the branching stems of Fredricella are only j^artly 

 attached to its support, the rest of the colony being free : thus 

 it much resembles the roots of the willows on which it is mostly 

 found, as it loves the shade such as this tree affords. Its 

 corona or crown of tentacles differs from that of Plumatella 

 in that it forms a complete circle, its shape much resembling 

 the flower of the cactus. The tentacles are much more slender 

 than those of Plumatella. Only one species of Fredricella 

 has been described in Euroj^e ; it is named Fredricella sultana. 

 Our species differs from F. sultana in having a greater number 

 of tentacles in its crown, and in the shape of its statoblasts. 

 Those of F. sultana are bean-shaped and few in number, while 

 our species has roimd statoblasts, and thej' are fairly numerous 

 in the cjeucecium of the colony. It should be looked for among 

 the roots of water-plants, es])ecially those of the willow, 

 growing on the banks of the Yarra and other streams. 



In searching for fresh-water polyzoa every submerged branch 

 should he carefully examined, and any material you are 

 doul)tful about placed in a flat -sided glass trough and examined ij 

 with a pocket lens for any trace of a specimen. A drag hook 

 attached to a stout line is very useful for securing such material 

 as sticks, also for getting samples of weeds and vvater-}-)lants 

 from the deep water of a pond, living on which it may be your 

 good fortune to find Lophopus or Cristatella. neither of which 

 has as yet been recorded for Victoria. Another species which 

 should be searched for in shady nooks, such as Fredricella delights 

 in, is Paludicella ; indeed, in Europe it is frequently found 

 living commensally with that species, though not nearly so 

 numerous. In general appearance it resembles Fredricella. but 

 its tentacles are much longer, and it does not posse.ss an epi- 

 stome, so is easily distinguished from that species. 



