200 \. Annandale : Tlic Faioio of Brackish Ponds. \'OL. I. 



The Paludicellidce occur all over the world, but onl}' in fresh 

 and brackish water, in which they are exposed to the dangers of 

 desiccation and \-iolent changes of temperature. It is noteworthy, 

 however, that the only other genus of Ctenostomes that occurs 

 in fresh water in the Oriental Region, namely Hislopia, appears 

 not to form resting buds and is capable of sexual reproduction at 

 all times of year. This genus constitutes, according to Jullien, 

 the type of a second family and appears to be sufficiently different 

 from all other forms to merit this distinction. The family Hislo- 

 piidae may be defined as follows : — 



Perennial freshwater Ctenostomes in which the zooecia are fiat 

 and recumbent and arise directl}' from other zooecia in linear 

 or ramif5ang series. The front of the zocecium membranous, 

 the sides and the rim of the aperture (which is more or less 

 raised and tubular) thickened. Funiculus practically^ absent ; 

 gizzard furnished with thickened ridges internally. 



The examination of numerous specimens of Hislopia lacustris 

 from Calcutta_, the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh,^ and the 

 Malay Peninsula convinces me that JuUien's Norodonia sinensis 

 and A'^, cambodgiensis are merely phases or varieties of this species, 

 which must therefore be widely distributed in the East. The form 

 of the zooecia and the method of budding would suggest a relation- 

 ship with the Arachnidiidse. Although Hislopia is not found in 

 brackish water, the foregoing description and notes may be of use 

 in distinguishing it from the Paludicellidse. 



Victor ella pavida, Kent. 



(V. pavida), Kent, Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci., x, p. 34, 1870 ; 

 Hincks, Brit. Marine Polyzoa, p. 559, pi. 79 ; Bousfield, Ann. Mag. 

 Nat. Hist. (5), xvi, p. 401, 1885 , Kraepelin, Deiitsch. Siissu:. Bryo- 

 zoen (part i), p. 95, 1887. 



It is unnecessary to give a formal description of this species, the 

 anatomy of which has been described by Bousfield {op. cit.). Indian 

 specimens agree fairly well with the descriptions of English ones, 

 being readily distinguished from those of any other Ctenostome 

 by their mode of budding. Possibly there are slight differences 

 between the Bengal and the British races, but it is difficult to be 

 sure that such differences are constant without examining a large 

 number of examples from different localities, and this I have had no 

 opportunity of doing. Bousfield refers to specimens he found in 

 England in spring as having zooecia that were " solitary, and semi- 

 reptant, colourless, and in shape much like a violin with a straight 

 elongated neck ' ' ; but he describes specimens he took in the same 

 locality in the month of September in the following terms : " The 

 polypidom consists of slender yellow or brownish tubes, on which 

 at intervals are situated swellings .... in each of which 



1 See also Walton in Rec. Ind. Mus., i, p. 177, 1907- 



