400 S. J. Holmes 



The contractile vacuole is nearly spherical in form and is situ- 

 ated near the dorsal side of the body a little in front of the posterior 

 end. There is a fine canal extending from it anteriorly along 

 almost the entire dorsal side. A short canal may lead into it from 

 behind. 



The meganucleus is composed of numerous rounded masses 

 (over twenty in some individuals) scattered through the larger 

 part of the body. The anterior third or fourth of the body, how- 

 ever, is usually free from nuclear material. 



Although the mouth of Loxophyllum is an inconspicuous slit 

 near the edge of the body the animal is nevertheless able to ingest 

 comparatively large forms. Rotifers form a common article of 

 diet. I have often seen Loxophylla containing specimens of 

 Anurea cochlearis and other rotifers of as large size, the body 

 being thereby much distorted in shape. In ejecting the lorica 

 after the rotifer had been digested the body is much lacerated, but 

 its power of rapid regeneration soon causes it to assume its nor- 

 mal outlines. 



I have never been able to obtain Loxophyllum in abundance. 

 Like many other predatory infusoria it thrives only in compara- 

 tively pure water and quickly disappears in the presence of putre- 

 fying material. It is found on aquatic vegetation, and sometimes 

 appears on the walls of aquaria, especially those supplied with run- 

 ning water. A favorite situation is on the side of an aquarium 

 just below the surface of the water. 



NORMAL MOVEMENTS 



The normal movements of Loxophyllum, compared with those 

 of most infusoria, are sluggish, a circumstance which makes it 

 easy to study the precise way in which they are performed. The 

 creature glides along the substrate on its right side, moving its 

 anterior end about slowly as if feeling its way. Its usual mode of 

 locomotion is as follows: It elongates the body, swims forward a 

 short distance, then contracts, swims backward, turns toward the 

 oral side, and then elongates, and swims forward in a new direc- 

 tion. As it generally swims but a short distance before jerking 

 back, the organism circles about toward the oral side in nearly the 



