792 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [DeC. , 



original maleriai yielded the same shells, intact in every least 

 feature, after long boiling in a mixture of equal parts of concen- 

 Irated sulphuric acid and bichromate of potash. Other portions of 

 the maleriai were acted upon by both solutions in turn. Last of 

 all the shells, after these processes, were mounted on a thin cover- 

 glass, and this glass, supported on platinum, was brought to a low 

 red heat, with incipient softening, and kept there for fifteen 

 minutes. The loricae emerged unaltered from this ordeal, in no 

 way differing in this respect from the frustules of diatoms accom- 

 panying them. Whatever may be the case with other forms, there- 

 fore, the loricie here described are neither chitinous nor calcai'eous 

 but silicious. The material from which these forms were obtained 

 came from Ancora, N. J. It was pointed out to the writer by Mr. 

 C. S. Boyer, in the spring of 1897. It is in form of a grayish, 

 paper-like film, and it completely covered many acres of boggy 

 ground. It is made up mostly of the frustules of Eunotia pectinalis 

 Kg., lined with the dead endoplasm and varnished over with 

 coleoderm. This diatom, during the colder months, thrives enor- 

 mously in the flooded cranberry bogs, and dies in situ when the 

 water is drained off for the growing season. In addition to the 

 Eunotia, the gathering contains the remains of various rhizopods, 

 besides spicules of indeterminate origin, miscellaneous diatoms and 

 Trachelomonas. 



It is recognized that complete descriptions of the following species 

 must include an account of the protoplasmic contents of the 

 loricai. This cannot be given here, for the reason that the organ- 

 isms were long since dead and shrunken. Portions of the gather- 

 ing were, however, macerated with water, and in some of the 

 numerous forms enough was seen of the contents to indicate that 

 the body of the living animal contained a quantity of deep-green 

 chlorophyll, a part of which still survived. A final decision as to 

 the allegiance of these forms must, undoubtedly, await a study of 

 them in their living state. But the whole structure of the hard 

 parts points to Trachelomonas, and the name is given with some 

 confidence 



Measurements are observed maxima in all cases. The total size 

 will vary downward in different specimens of a given species, and 

 with it, mostly to a corresponding degree, the dimensions of salient 

 features. 



