274 



dead of winter. One of the correspondents reporting on material sent for exam- 

 ination, twice reported Rotifer eggs, and the second time as being furnished with 

 hooked spines, and the young rotifer alive within the egg and its mastax in oper- 

 ation; while on December oth the writer witnessed a Macrobiotis ovipositing in its 

 peculiar style, which consists of depositing a dozen or more rather large eggs in 

 the posterior portion of its skin and frantically scrambling out at the front end, 

 and leaving the sack for the use of its young. 



The first animals found were of various sizes, last February, and must have 

 occupied the position in which they were discovered for several months at least ; 

 and to test their capacity for withstanding great and sudden vicissitudes of 

 weather, both those in the lichen and those soaked out have been dried within 

 six inches of a gas stove, running day and night for two weeks, and a portion of 

 the Rotifers, Eels, Bear and Infusoria resumed life after soaking five to ten min- 

 utes. The thermometer indicated that they were withstanding the temperature 

 and desiccation of 75° to 110°. Some of those washed out and put to dry (in a 

 teaspoonful of water) were resoaked and redried four or live times at intervals of 

 twenty-four hours. 



Others were subjected to zero temperature for 2h hours, and after being 

 thawed over a gas jet a few Rotifers and Eels were resurrected in five to 10 min- 

 utes, but no Infusoria appeared to have withstood the ordeal. 



A very surprising feature of the survey taken is, that of the thousands of 

 minute living forms forced to pass in review, certainly not one in a hundred 

 were of such as are commonly regarded as terrestrial. Insects were mostly repre- 

 sented by fragments. 



In view of the facts cited the problem, from whence came these myriads? 

 may not be solved, but it does seem clear that the "(/ecm-and-egg" transportation 

 theory of their distribution is insufficient. 



Notes on the Biological Survey of Milan Pond. By A. J. Bigney. 



Milan Pond is situated in the eastern part of Kipley County, one-fourth mile 

 east of the village of Milan. The pond is an artificial one, having been con- 

 structed by the old O. & M. Railroad in 1854 as a watering station. It is nearly 

 one-half mile long and one-fourth mile wide. Its greatest depth is twelve feet. 

 It receives water from four small streams, but is drained at a certain height, so 

 that it keeps at the same stage most of the time, except in dry seasons. In the 

 summer of 1895 it would have gone dry had not the railroad company kept it 

 supplied with transported water. This is the only time it has been very low. 



