18 MEMORANDA. 



Comatula rosacea— Encrinitie State. — In his recently pub- 

 lished work on 'The Microscope and its Revelations/ Dr. 

 Carpenter has announced the discovery of the young- or en- 

 crinitie state of the Comatula in Lamlash Bay, where, he 

 says, " it is so abundant that it may hereafter find its way 

 into almost every cabinet." I have found it in the same 

 locality, when dredging along the shores of Holy Island. 

 Lamlash Bay, indeed, is rich in Echinodermuta, yielding 

 many of the finer species, and amongst them the beautiful 

 Echinus Fleminffii. 



It may be interesting to some of the readers of the 

 ' Journal ' to know of a southern habitat for so great a rarity 

 as the young Comatula. I have obtained it in abundance in 

 Salcombe Bay on the Devonshire coast, between the end of 

 July and the middle of September. It occurs profusely on 

 sea- weeds, zoophytes, stones, &c. I have in my possession a 

 bunch of weed from this locality which is literally covered 

 with young Comatulae, in every stage of development. Sal- 

 combe is on the South Devon coast, and about five miles from 

 the town of Kingsbridge. — Thomas Hincks, Leeds. 



Glaucoma scintillans. — The germs of this Infusorium exist 

 in the atmosphere. 



After boiling an infusion of chlorophyll (di'ied juice of 

 cabbage and distilled water), in which I had been breeding 

 Glaucoma, but from which all traces of life had disappeared, 

 I exposed the boiled solution to the atmosphere, and in less 

 than a week tolerably large Glaucoma were again visible. 



Form. — Glaucoma changes its shape from that of an elon- 

 gated oval in the earlier stage of its growth to various 

 other forms. 



I have not been able to discern an external integument ; 

 the internal substance of the body, which appears semi-fluid, 

 solidifies towards the outer part as the animalcule increases 

 in size. Possibly the ceUs may be developed in the centre, 

 which always remains more liquid than the remaining portion 

 of the body. 



Internal structure. — Besides the vessels to be described, 

 there are many small granules which, on minute examination, 

 have the appearance of cells. 



Glaucoma has no bowel. — What Professor Ehrenberg mis- 

 took for a winding canal is simply the vacant space between 

 the internal globides, which sometimes presents that appear- 

 ance when they are very numerous ; at first sight it is very 

 likely to deceive the observer. 



