282 NOTES AND MEMORANDA. 



Prehensive Cells in the Ctenophora. — Dr. Carl Chun gives * an 

 account of his observations on certain prehensive cells which have 

 been observed in the Ctenophora ; those which are found on the 

 " grappling lines " of these forms were principally studied in Cydippe 

 hormiphora, Gegbr. The bodies in question were but -j-^^ of a milli- 

 metre in breadth, and were chiefly made up of gelatinous tissue, just 

 as is the greater part of the body of these Coelentera ; they contain a 

 filament, coiled into five or seven spires, which, when fully extended, 

 has much the form of Vorticella ; nor does the resemblance end here, 

 for the thread may be seen to be provided with a muscular band, the 

 functions of which are examined. The author cori*ects some of 

 Clark's observations on these so-called " Lasso-cells," and, pointing 

 out that they are not, like the ordinary thread-cells, set free from a 

 containing cell, thanks to their elasticity, proposes to call them 

 " Greif-zellen." He adds that he has failed to find true stinging-cells 

 (nematocysts) in the Ctenophora, and urges that they cannot be 

 regarded as belonging to the Nematophorous group. 



Australian Corals — The Eev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, in the ' Pro- 

 ceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,' f says that a 

 study of the Australian living forms has shown that some of the fossil 

 species thought to be extinct are still existing. They are Trocho- 

 cyatlms Victorice and Sphenotrochus variolaris. There are also forms 

 which have a remarkable relation with extinct species, viz. Conocyathus 

 Zelandice, which was not known as Australian, and which bears a 

 strong resemblance to the extinct European Miocene form C. sulcatus. 

 It would be almost useless to form any conclusions from the very few 

 observations which have resulted in the discovery of a few new 

 species, yet what has been discovered shows plainly what might be 

 expected from an extended series of operations. So far as has been 

 learned, the coral fauna of New Zealand is very distinct from the 

 Australian. If the observations of Quoy and Gaimard are to be relied 

 upon, the northern end of New Zealand possesses forms which are 

 never found out of the tropics in Australia, and very far within the 

 tropics as well — Poriles Gaimardii and Polyphyllia pelvis. Among 

 the simple corals C. Zelandice is the only form known as common to 

 both Australia and New Zealand. 



The only corals on the S. and S.E. coast of Australia which could 

 in any sense be called reef-building forms are one or two species of 

 Stylaster and one or two of Plesiastrcea. Both of these are littoral 

 and grow in tufts or small masses, but never in anything more than 

 the merest patches. 



Eleven new species are described and figured, for two of which the 

 author has erected two new genera. One, DunocyatJius (parasiticus), is 

 a parasitic coral of minute size, growing on the base of the singular 

 Polyzoary named by Professor Busk Lunulitcs cancellata ; the other, 

 Crispatotrochus (inornatus), a form which approximates to Cerato- 

 trochus, but differs in the absence of any special ornamentation on the 



* 'Zool. Anzeiger,' i. (187S) 50. 



t Vol. ii. (1878) 292 : " Extratropical Corals of Australia." 



