ON PEDALION MIRA. 335 



admitted also that they terribly alter the conditions of life 

 for the microscopic races. 



At Ufracombe I renewed my grief by catching in the tow- 

 net among other curious things several specimens of what I 

 supposed to be an Annelid larva, that had at first sight a 

 strange resemblance to Polyarthra, first cousin of Triarth ra, 

 and of my lost Pedalion. The large upper circle of cilia 

 with which it swam, and the shoulder-knots of imbricated 

 hairs Avith which it jerked itself out of difficulties, had a very 

 Polyarthrous appearance : but here the whole resemblance 

 ceased. It was purely one of outward form, and that too 

 not a close one ; while, as to internal structure, a simple 

 ciliated mouth, and a uniform alimentary canal running 

 along the mid-line of the body, were poor substitutes for the 

 varied and complicated organs possessed by the Rotifers. 



On my return to Clifton early in August I once more took 

 my way to my old haunt, carrying a bottle from habit rather 

 than from hope. I dipped it into the pond at random and 

 almost in the dark, and on reaching home it was with a 

 mingled feeling of delight and regret that I once more saw 

 Pedalion lazily hovering head doAvuAvards in the water, as is 

 its wont, and trying apparently to look as much as possible 

 like a young Cyclops. 



It was^ so tantalizing to find the creature again so late in 

 the year when its numbers had already begun to fail, and, 

 moreover, when I myself was so busy that I could hardly 

 hope to find time to study it. Pedalion, too, is a rotifer that 

 especially requires one to have a mind at leisure, as well as 

 a good stock of time, specimens, and patience ; for its six 

 limbs bring it into as many troubles (when in the hands of 

 the microscbpist) as its antlers did JEsop's stag. When 

 drawn up into a capillary pipette in order to be transferred 

 to the compressorium, it will strike out its unlucky legs just 

 as the water is being blown down the tube on to the glass 

 plate, and there it will be left like the Demerara, a stranded 

 and broken-backed rotifer, that no returning tide will ever 

 fetch off" again. Brachionus will often hold on to the pipette 

 with his pincers and siiffer the water to be blown away from 

 him, but then he carefully draws himself within his lorica 

 and waits for happier times. Quickly dip the tube into the 

 water and instantly blow through it, and out comes the out- 

 witted Brachionus, who is sure to have let go his hold in his 

 delight at getting afloat again. 



Sujopose, however, that Pedalion is fairly landed on the 

 compressorium in a tiny drop of water. We screw down 

 the cover, flatten the drop, and look for him with a 2-inch. 



