158 <i. WESTEKN ON HOTIFEKS. 



of other of the floscularian males, and I have roughly sketched 

 it to assist others in future identification. There is a sort of 

 head with two red eyespots. This is suri'ounded by a ciliarj^ 

 wreath, of which the cilia are very long and active. Below this 

 the body gradually tapers to the foot. There are two antennaa, 

 to which, as to the eyespots, nerves could be traced from a 

 largish square-shaped ganglion in the neck. The sperm sac 

 occupies the lower half of the body cavity. There is also a 

 small contractile vesicle, and the lateral canals, with at least 

 three vibratile tags on each side, are easy to make out. 



The development of the female has been described b}^ Mi-. 

 Gosse and others, and I have been able to contirm his observa- 

 tions. The eggs I saw developed were, however, invariably laid 

 as eggs before the birth of the young, and I have, as yet, seen 

 no instance of viviparous birth. The eggs were also all laid 

 before the death of the parents, which, however, invariably died 

 before they were all hatched. Viviparous reproduction has 

 been seen by Rosseter, English, Hood, and others. 



Notholca Hoodii (sjp. nov. inihi). 



Sp. Char. : Lorica ovato-rhomboid, broadly truncate and with 

 six spines before, narrowly behind ; ridges and furrows strongly 

 marked and reaching to posterior margin ; two lateral spines on 

 oater surface of dorsal plate of lorica. 



This somewhat resembles both Notholca jugosa and Notholca 

 spinifera. It differs from the former, however, inasmuch as 

 the ridges and furrows on its dorsal lorica reach quite to the 

 posterior margin, and from the latter in the position of the 

 lateral spines, which, instead of protruding from between the 

 two plates, are on the outer edge of the external surface of the 

 dorsal plate, at about the junction of its middle and lower third. 

 I have only seen them lying flat upon the dorsal plate, and was 

 unable to ascertain whether they are moveable like those 

 of N. sjnnifero, as my specimens were few and in a dying 

 condition. 



Atmrrea hiremis of Ehrenberg, another species with spines 

 similarly situated, has only four occipital spines instead of six, 

 which that now described possesses. I am indebted to Mr. 

 Hood, of Dundee, for this Rotifer, who found it at Westport, 

 Ireland, in sea water. 



