588 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



body, probably representing the nucleolus. There is a single con- 

 tractile vesicle, near the peristome. Many " serous " spaces are also 

 to be seen. No anus could be discovered. 



The development was not made out, although the author had 

 evidence that multiplication takes place by transverse fission. The 

 tube is formed by the animal out of bits of decaying plants, and small 

 fungoid and algal filaments. 



Blepharisma lateritia.* — A short note on the conjugation of this 

 infusor is contributed by Duncker, of Berlin. He states that the pro- 

 cess lasted for about an hour, and that while it was going on the nucleus 

 appeared to move somewhat farther backwards. On one occasion two 

 individuals in conjugation were seen to make vigorous efforts to separate 

 themselves by swimming backwards against the grains of sand found 

 in the fluid ; these seemed to act as wedges between the two animals, 

 gradually prising them apart ; the separation being eftected after forty 

 or fifty attempts. The separated animals, or at least one of them, 

 showed a degeneration of the nucleus, the further changes in which 

 were not observed. Eed masses were, however, found in the vessel, 

 which bore a close resemblance to the altered (? impregnated) nucleus, 

 and were possibly germ-masses, although no movement was observed 

 in them, and they were not seen to develop further. 



Haptophrya gigantea, a new Opalinid from the Intestine of 

 the Anourous Batrachia.f — The intestine of Batrachians harbours 

 a whole world of parasites, which live and multiply with a truly sur- 

 prising abundance. Microscopists especially may thus make the 

 finest harvests of Infusoria and Bacteria. M. E. Maupas says that 

 he has often examined the contents of the intestine of Bufo pantherinus, 

 Discoglossiis pictus, and Bana csculenta, from Algiers, and always 

 found them richly populated. He was able to recognize the following 

 species : Nycthotherus cordiformis, Balantidium elongatum, B. entozoon, 

 Opalina dimidiata, 0. intestinalis, 0. ohtrigona, and 0. ranariim. With 

 these large ciliated Infusoria swarmed myriads of Bodos, Monads, 

 Amcebas, Bacilli, Vibrios, and Bacteria. All these species are Euro- 

 pean, but he also very often found in the intestine of the Bufo and 

 the Discoglossus (less frequently in the frog) a very fine species of 

 Opalinid, which appears to be undescribed, and which, from several 

 very curious details of its organization, must greatly interest proto- 

 zoologists. 



This Opalinid may be regarded as the giant of the Infusoria, for 

 individuals were measured the length of which exceeded 1 mm. The 

 body has a very elongated cylindro-conical form, tapering from the 

 front backwards. The anterior extremity is pretty strongly depressed, 

 and is nearly twice the breadth of the posterior region, which 

 measures from • 08 to • 09 mm. This dej)resscd portion is occupied 

 by a circular sucker, formed by the retreat inwards of the wall of one 

 of the broad surfaces, which may be called the ventral surface. The 

 action of the sucker is ensured by cords of sarcode, which start from 



* ' Zool. Anzeiger,' ii. (1879) p. 260. 



t ' Comptes Keiidus,' Ixxxviii. (1879) p. 921. 



