ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Oa New Species of Diatomaceje, being a Reply to Mr. 

 Kitton's Remarks. By the Rev. E. O'Meara. 



In reply to Mr. Kitton's animadversions on my two papers 

 recently published in the ' Microscopical Journal/ I venture 

 to make a few remarks. To resent the temper of his criti- 

 cisms could subserve no useful purpose^ and therefore I refer 

 to it merely to express my sincere regret that the intrinsic 

 value of the remarks should have been depreciated by the 

 tone in which they have been expressed. It is not unneces- 

 sary to say that I have been for very many years devoted to 

 the study of the Diatomaceae of Ireland, and have carefully 

 examined many thousands of gatherings made by me, in all 

 parts of the country and at all seasons, and have never at- 

 tempted to publish any forms as new until the Arran dredg- 

 ings of Dr. E. Percival Wright were placed by him in my 

 hands. I do not make this statement of facts for the pur- 

 pose of arrogating to myself a right to speak on the subject 

 with an authority equal to that which Mr. Kitton has 

 assumed, but of vindicating myself from the charge of being 

 a novice in the matter, and of being affected with the dis- 

 ease usually known as the cacoethes scribendi, Avhich his 

 observations not very graciously suggest. 



How inapplicable are some of Mr. Kitton's observations 

 on dredgings to the forms found by me in the dredgings from 

 Arran, the following letter from Dr. E. P. Wright sufficiently 

 proves : 



" My dear O'Meara, — The collection of Diatoms from 

 Arran was made by me during the autumn of 1866, under 

 the following circumstances. In the harbour of the larger 

 island, and near the little island called Straw Island, I found 

 large meadows of several species of brown Alga^, such as 

 Desmarestea liyulata, Cordaria flagelliformis, &c. On one or 

 two days in which the wind was too strong to admit of 

 dredging in the open bay, I made a large collection of these 



VOL. VlII.-'-NEW SER. F 



