DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 95 



Mr. Archer desired to record the occurrence of two interesting, 

 if not very striking organisms, for the first time noticed in this 

 country, or indeed (he thought) anywhere, save by the original 

 discoverers. One of these was Phalansterium intestinum (Cien- 

 kowsky) ; the other Drepanomonas dentata (Fresenius). It was 

 only a short time since that, in these Minutes ('Quart. Journ. Micros. 

 8ci.,' vol. xi, N. s., p. 208) Mr. Archer, in referring to the other 

 form (or forms ?) appertaining to the type constituted into a new 

 genus by Cienkowsky, P^aZa»s^er«^wi(Schultze's 'ArchivfUr mikros. 

 Anatomie,' Bd. vi, p. 428), had stated that the present one, Phalan- 

 sterium intestinum, had not occurred in this country. That was then, 

 indeed, true. However, very lately, on taking a run up to the " Rocky ^' 

 Valley " near Bray, in company with Mr. Crowe, they brought back 

 examples of this organism. On examining the gatherings at home^ 

 Mr. Crowe's attention was arrested thereby, and indeed it was not 

 until turning over some material, with a low power, for the purpose 

 if possible of finding some further cases of the curious abnormal 

 state of the conjugation in Staunistrum cuspidatum (found in the 

 same place, as it happened), that Mr. Archer became aware that 

 their gatherings contained so interesting a " take." Unattractive, 

 indeed, as Phalansterium intestinum, as a mere object, might be 

 regarded, it is still too marked a thing to hesitate a moment as to 

 its identity — indeed, Mr. Archer detected it at once under a " one 

 inch," and an examination under a "quarter-inch " left no room for 

 doubt. Very likely after all this may not be a rarity in suitable 

 situations, but it is not less a fact, it haa not hitherto attracted 

 notice. It would be quite unnecessary here to go into detail in 

 connection with this form, as no additional information to what 

 Cienkowski has already afforded (Joe. cit?) could be made out. 

 Just as in that observer's original specimens, not any here showed 

 the encysted state of the constituent " monads," which appears to be 

 not very uncommon however in its ally Ph. consociatum ; examples 

 of the latter in the encysted state were shown by Mr. Archer to the 

 Club at the meeting of May 18th, 1871 {ante). As Cienkowsky re- 

 marks, it is just possible that Ph. intestinum, if only casually observed, 

 might be overlooked for some string of excrementitious matter ; but 

 the pretty sharp cylindrical outline, formed by its long, curved strings, 

 and, under a higher power, the pale spots readily seen in the granu- 

 lar reddish matrix, produced by the monads themselves, and the 

 faint play of the flagella around, at once dissipate such an erroneous 

 assumption. It is possible that the reddish and somewhat large 

 form, referable to this genus, adverted to by Mr. Archer on a 

 previous occasion (Joe. cit.), may be a younger or modified form of 

 Ph. intestinum, and that at least is here and there occasionally met 

 with ; but any decision as to this point may be a question for the 

 future. — The other organism now recorded as new to Britain — 

 Drepanomonas dentata (Fresenius) — came from Co. Westmeath 

 gatherings. This does not seem to be recorded since Dr. Fre- 

 senius found it at Wallsdorf, years ago ; but it is far too marked, 

 indeed too quaint an organism, to doubt as to its identity. 



