314 C. F. ROUSSELET ON THE GENUS LACINULARIA. 



to the rescue, having been fortunate enough to find this same 

 species in a lagoon on the other side of the globe. He has been 

 good enough to send me over a preserved specimen, which I can 

 therefore also show you under another microscope. 



To the three foregoing species Mr. Shephard has lately added 

 four more * — namely, L. reticulata^ L. striolata, L. ellijitica, and 

 L. elongata, all of which, except the last, I can show you under 

 the microscopes, having received very well preserved specimens 

 from Australia. L. reticulata occurs in very large rounded clusters, 

 sometimes as much as ^ in. in diameter, attached to water-plants 

 like L. socialis, from which it otherwise only differs in minor 

 points. L. striolata is a very remarkable species, and was at first 

 confounded with L. pedunculafa, as it is attached by means of 

 a horny peduncle to any submerged object. It forms large 

 spherical or slightly oval colonies containing a very large number 

 of indiWduals. Mr. Shephard, after counting the animals on a 

 given area of a cluster i in. in diameter, calculates that the whole 

 colony contained 3681 individuals. The gelatinous tubes of the 

 animals are fused into a homogeneous mass, and imbedded therein 

 are seen thousands of eggs in all stages of development. The 

 colony under the microscope is so well killed and preserved that 

 every one of the animals is fully extended. 



L. elliptica is again very peculiar in a different way. It forms 

 free-swimming colonies of an elliptical shape, about ~j in. in the 

 long diameter. In the centre there is a well-developed, elongated 

 axis, round which the animals are clustered. This of course gives 

 the creatures more standing room than when all their feet con- 

 verge to one point. In swimming the cluster revolves on the 

 longer axis, which is nearly twice the length of the shorter axis. 



Two more species of Lacinularia have been described by Surgeon 

 Gunson Thorpe — one from Singapore, L. m.egalotrocha, and one 

 from China, L. racemovata ; but of these no preserved specimens 

 exist at present. 



* These species have been described by Mr. J. Shephard in the Victorian 

 Xatnralist of May 1896 and October 1897, and Proc. Royal See. of Victoria, 

 1892 and 1899. 



Journ. Qiiekett Microscopical Club, Ser. 2, Vol. VIL, Ao. 46, Apr., liiQO. 



