235 
Nore on Dr. Hinricu Nirscuer’s Paper on “ Some InrEr- 
ESTING Points concerning the Mopx of RePRopvucTION of 
the Bryozoa.” By the Rey. Tuomas Hincxs, B.A. 
In the following brief communication I propose to offer 
one or two remarks on the important paper by Nitsche 
published in the last number of this Journal, in which he 
criticises some of the views of the eminent Swedish natu- 
ralist Smitt respecting the reproduction of the Polyzoa. 
I shall confine myself at present to a single point, the theory 
of the “ germ-capsule” (‘ groddkapsel’”’) of Smitt. This term 
has been employed to designate the dark-coloured, more or 
less circular bodies, which are commonly present in the older 
cells of the Polyzoan colony, and were long regarded as 
ova. Smitt claims to have established the very interesting 
fact that they are in reality produced by the decomposition of 
the polypides previously in possession of the cells, and that 
they originate fresh zooids to fill the places of those which 
have thus disappeared. He describes the ‘‘ germ-capsule,” 
as it occurs in several species, and also the evolution from it 
by budding of a new polypide. 
Nitsche, while admitting the correctness of Smitt’s views 
respecting the origin of the “ groddkapsel,”’ denies that it is 
“in any way concerned in the reproduction of a new poly- 
pide in the deserted cells.” The duds which the Swedish 
naturalist describes and figures as proceeding from the germ- 
capsule, he has satisfied himself, take their origin from the 
endocyst. From their position they are often in close con- 
tact with the “ brown bodies,” and this circumstance has led 
to an error of observation and, consequently, of interpre- 
tation. 
Upon this I remark that the mere ipse diwxit even of so 
able and accomplished an investigator as Dr. Nitsche cannot 
be accepted as against the careful and patient observations of 
Smitt, accompanied as they are by illustrative drawings, 
which tell their own tale. The supposition that in so simple 
a matter and in such numerous cases there has been a 
blunder of observation is almost incredible on the face of it, 
and is hardly just to a most competent microscopist. It must 
be remembered that it is not a difficult problem in histology, 
demanding for its solution great resource and very delicate 
manipulation, that is at issue; but that the question simply 
is, whether certain buds originate from the imner wall of a 
cell, or from a body lying in the centre of the cell, a point 
which it certainly requires no special gifts to determine. 
