DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 197 



"Wrigbt did not enter, stating, however, that he regarded tliem 

 as but modified spines. 



Mr. Archer drew attention to some examples of the little 

 Flagellate — A7iisonema sulcatum, Duj. (written sulcata by Du- 

 jardin, but doubtless it could not be considered wrong to violate the 

 " canons" of nomenclature so far to alter the name as to make it 

 accord with the " canons" of grammar). This does not seem (in 

 certain localities) a very uncommon organism, and was most likely 

 known to most in the room, though probably not many had been 

 led to identify it ; and the reason Mr. Archer would, however, 

 now show it was to point out a speciality which seemed to him 

 to exist, but not before to have attracted notice. Just close to 

 the little notch-Kke anterior excavation whence emanate the two 

 flagella— one of these, during progression, carried in advance, the 

 other trailed behind — could be seen a somewhat " snout-like" 

 truncate apex, leading away from which down the " body" of the 

 organism could be traced two parallel lines, finally seeming to 

 lose themselves, these lines being quite distinct from the striae 

 produced by the somewhat oblique or curved longitudinal super- 

 ficial sulci. These parallel lines seem to be, in fact, the outlines 

 of a. pist07i-like {or stoj)per-Uke) organ, which has the faculty of 

 being drawn in a notable distance (say about one sixth of the 

 length of this organism) somewhat forcibly, and again pushed up, 

 and even occasionally projected appreciably beyond the truncate 

 apex. The extremity of this piston-like "organ" seems itself trun- 

 cate and some somewhat thickened, also less hyaline than lower 

 down. It was not clear, however, whether this occupied what 

 might be called a tubular socket or lay in a lateral superficial 

 groove for its reception, but at any rate it was not central, but 

 more to one side ; still, appearances were seemingly more in 

 favour of the former. Now, this appears a distinct organisation 

 — a greater amount of difterentiation of parts than probably 

 any hitherto attributed to Flagellata, though the expanding and 

 contracting (prehensile) organ of Cienkowski's Spumella 

 (' Schultze's Archiv fiir mikr. Anat.,' Bd. vi, p, 4.32, t. xxiv, f. 44 

 — 49) or James-Clarke's "membranous collar" — "calyx"(' Boston 

 Soc. of Nat. Hist.,' vol. i, pt. iii p. 305), for instance, show that 

 Flagellata have " organs" (above and beyond the characteristic 

 flagella). Nay, might not the capacity to project and retract this 

 " piston-like" organ argue the existence of a muscle whereby to pro- 

 duce this action, still the /me^ character of this very minute organ- 

 ism would render the descrying of such a " muscle" a great 

 difiiculty, as certain striae might be wrongly interpreted. Mr. 

 Archer was decidedly of the opinion that the movement of this 

 process in Anisonema was a true and real retraction, not an illu- 

 sion due to change of position of the organism, but would be glad 

 to have the observation confirmed when this little object should 

 at any time hereafter present itself to the members. 



Mr. Archer showed specimens of Dimorphococcus lunatus (Al. 

 Braun) new to Britain, this Alga being discovered for the first 



