1894. NOTES AND COMMENTS. 329 



by describing and figuring {Bull. Soc. gcol. France, xxii,, 1894, P- 293) 

 a new Lacazma (L. wichmanni), which he has recovered from fossil 

 deposits on the north-east of New Guinea. In a second paper, 

 " Note sur les Foraminiferes des Mers arctiques Russes " {Btill. Soc. 

 zool. France, vii., 1894, P* 252), he describes and figures Trilociilina 

 pyriformis, Quinqiieloculina parvnla, Sigmoilina herzensteini, S. macarovi, 

 Reophax flexibilis, Lagena serrala, accompanying his descriptions with 

 those exquisite sections students know so well. The specimens 

 described were obtained from Kola Bay (Kildin Island), and the Sea 

 of Okhotch, and were dredged by Admiral Macarov during one of 

 the recent Government expeditions to the Mourmane peninsula. 



Professor Andreae has completed the work begun in 1870 by 

 Von Schlicht and Von Reuss on the Foraminifera of the Septarien- 

 Thon by a paper on these deposits near Frankfort a.M. ; he adds 

 notes on the vertical distribution of the Foraminifera therein con- 

 tained {Ber. Senck. nat. Ges., 1894). Federico Sacco has paid 

 attention to the Miocene Tinoporinae of Turin (Bull. Soc. beige Geol., 

 vii., 1893), and found it necessary to make three new genera, Miogyp- 

 sina, Baculogypsina, and Taurog\psina. The first two are founded on 

 previously known forms, but there seems some doubt in the author's 

 mind whether Taurogypsina is a Foraminifer or not. 



The Life-History of Some Foraminifera. 



So little biological work has been attempted on this group that 

 we hail with pleasure Mr. J. J. Lister's contribution to the above 

 subject in the Proceedings of the Royal Society (vol. Ivi., 1894, 

 pp. 155-160). Mr. Lister has studied the phenomenon of dimor- 

 phism, which shows that individuals of a species fall into two 

 groups. In one the central chamber is of considerable size (mega- 

 sphere), while in the other it is small (microsphere). The two forms 

 differ also, in the Miliolidae for instance, in the plan on which the 

 chambers are arranged, in the size attained by the adult shell, and in 

 the frequency of occurrence. 



The forms known as Polystomella crispa and Orbitolites complanata 

 were examined, and permit of the following summary and 

 conclusions : — 



1. The species are in a great number of cases dimorphic. 



2. The two forms differ from each other : 



{a) In the size of the central chambers. 



{b) In the shape and mode of growth of the chambers 



succeeding the central sphere. 

 {c) In the character of their nuclei (size, etc.). 



3. The megalospheric form of a species is much more numerous 

 than the microspheric. 



4. The megalospheric form has been seen to arise in at least seven 

 genera as a young individual already invested by a shell, produced in 



