202 N. Annandale : The Fauna of Brackish Ponds. [VOL. I, 



zooecia were, however, closely packed together (the false stolon 

 between them being very short) and in a few cases bore buds near 

 the distal extremity. In these specimens, although the aperture 

 was in most cases distinctly rectangular, it was occasionally almost 

 circular. Kraepelin {o-p. cit., p. 158, footnote) has described under 

 the name Paludicella mulleri, a somewhat similar form, which he 

 regards as intermediate between Paludicella and Victorella ; but 

 this form is stated never to produce buds on the distal part of the 

 zooecia, always to have this region circular in cross-section, and to 

 possess a circular musculature. 



Both the specimens from Dhappa and those from Port Canning 

 that were taken in winter, bore ripe gonads, the testes and ovaries 

 reaching maturity simultaneously in the same zooecia. The ovary 

 (fig. i) consisted of a single mass, elongated in a vertical direction 

 and situated on the inner wall of the zooecium some little distance 

 below the aperture. The testes, on the other hand, occurred as a 

 number of small rounded bodies scattered over the greater part of 

 the zooecium, but particularly numerous near its distal extremity. 



At the base of the zooecia (fig. i) of several colonies obtained 

 from Dhappa and Port Canning during winter, small, mound- 

 shaped masses of densely granular cells of a brownish colour 

 were observed occasionally, taking the place of basal buds in the 

 zoarium. In a few cases, in specimens taken both in November 

 and January, these masses appeared to have secreted a thin 

 chitinous investment, which was not, however, very distinct at the 

 edges. In specimens taken in the ponds at Port Canning in July, 

 shortly after the beginning of the rainy season, " resting buds " (fig. 

 4) were observed in the same position, and there could be no doubt 

 that they represented a more perfect stage in the development of 

 the same structures. The resting buds (fig. 4) were flattened, more 

 or less oblong bodies of very variable size and outline, the upper 

 surface being slightly arched and bearing a number of longitudinal 

 ridges, which occasionally ramified ; the sides were produced into 

 several tubular projections, on which the chitinous coat was com- 

 paratively thin. The colour of the whole structure was dark brown. 

 As a rule two resting buds were present at the base of each zooecium 

 that produced them, but sometimes there was only one and occasion- 

 ally there were three ; only a comparatively small number of zooecia 

 had produced them. Such zooecia, and the majority of the others, 

 contained at this season no polypides, but were either empty or 

 contained brown bodies. Frequently even empty zooecia retained 

 their external form, except that the aperture was tightly closed and 

 the adjacent region circular in cross-section, and in many cases the 

 collar persisted as a wrinkled and pleated funnel-shaped membrane 

 extended from the distal extremity of the zooecium. A few poly- 

 pides were active, some of them being long, th^n and very trans- 

 parent, while others were short and relatively stout ; the latter 

 occurring chiefly towards the periphery of the zoarium and being 

 semi-recumbent. In a few cases it appeared that the long thin 

 polypides had recently developed from resting buds at the base of 



