PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 73 
curvature, as it were adapting themselves to the form and adjust- 
ing themselves to the confinement of the outer, somewhat firm, 
cominon investment. Families occurred with two, four, eight, 
and sixteen cells; specimens with a greater number did not pre- 
sent themselves. Families also presented themselves, to the 
number of eight, contained within a very large reniform common 
hyaline envelope—that is the individual cells of an old family 
had given rise each to a new young family without becoming 
freed from the original investing envelope, which thus became 
inordinately distended for the accommodation of the new young 
families, still however retaining its original reniform figure, a 
condition not mentioned by Nigeli. 
Specimens of the zygospore of Euastrum elegans and of Stau- 
rastrum orbiculare, in a fresh condition, Mr. Archer likewise laid 
upon the table. 
MancnHester LiteRARY AND PuHtLosornicart Soctrnry. 
The following observations on Foraminifera were made at a 
meeting of the Microscopical Section, held November, 28th, 
1864: 
Notes on Natural History Specimens lately received from 
Connemara. By Tuomas Atcocx, M.D. 
The series of specimens which I have now to lay before you is 
so extensive, and I believe so interesting, that parts of it might 
properly form the material for several distinct communications ; 
but at present I propose to show them as a whole, and, with the 
specimens, to hand in as complete lists as I can of the species in 
each class. 
The richness of the coast of Galway is well known to ever 
student of British marine zoology ; for to whatever branch of the 
subject he devotes himself he finds alike that here some of his 
rarest treasures are to be obtained. It is not with the hope of 
making known to you much that is new that I am led to introduce 
this subject to your notice, but chiefly because I am convinced 
that natural history work amongst ourselves is best promoted by 
the formation of exact lists of the species which we actually know 
to have been found at some particular localities ; and such lists of 
Connemara specimens, imperfect as they must necessarily be at 
first, I have now to lay before you. It is, however, no more than 
might be expected that, in the course of careful examinations of so 
many objects, some points have occurred to me which I think 
