1896-97-] The Upper Elf Loch, Braids. 283 



described in Hudson and Gosse's monograph, except the 

 Floscule just mentioned and one of the " sea-worthy " order, 

 Sacculus cuirassis. The Floscule not found in Hudson and 

 Gosse is named Floscularia cucullata, and is a species found 

 by Mr Hood near Blairgowrie in 1881. As only one speci- 

 men was got, and that one not in a healthy condition, it could 

 not then be described. Mr Hood searched for other specimens 

 for twelve years, until in September 1893 it was found near 

 the same locality as at first, " in fairly large numbers, and in 

 prime condition." Mr Hood figured and described this large 

 and handsome rotifer in ' The Journal of the Quekett Micro- 

 scopical Club' for April 1894; and, so far as we are aware, 

 it has never been got in any other habitat than the marsh 

 pool near Blairgowrie where Mr Hood found it, until now it 

 is discovered to be present in this little Braid pond. 



The other rotifer referred to as not figured in Hudson and 

 Gosse's work, Sacculus cuirassis, was also first recorded by 

 Mr Hood, who observed it in the exceptionally warm weather 

 of May, June, and July 1893 in the domestic water-supply 

 of Dundee, where it was very prolific ; and associated with it, 

 he says, were many rare forms, some of them new to Britain. 

 This rotifer was figured and described by Mr Hood in ' The 

 International Journal of Microscopy and Natural Science ' in 

 October 1894, where he remarks : "8. cuirassis appears to me to 

 be a rare rotiferon, and not widely distributed, as I have failed 

 to find it in the waters of any of the lakes of either Forfar- 

 shire, Perthshire, or Fifeshire. It seems to be as yet confined 

 to Loch Lintrathen, Forfarshire " — whence the Dundee water- 

 supply is obtained. Mr Hood adds that he has received a 

 record of one example in water from Epping Forest in 1889 ; 

 and now we have this other record, from the Upper Elf Loch. 



As regards the presence in considerable numbers of animal 

 and vegetable life in drinking-water, it may be added that 

 this is by no means uncommon. In the ' Midland Natur- 

 alist ' for 1880 there is a paper by Mr J. Levick on the 

 Microscopical Organisms in the Birmingham water-supply,; 

 which shortly before that time had been taken over by the 

 Corporation. In this water several rare Botifers were found, 

 besides Vorticellidae and other Infusorians, while Desmids, 

 Diatoms, and Entomostraca were present in large numbers. 



