96 QUARTERLY CHRONICLE OF MICROSCOPICAL SCIENCt:. 



trichocysts as anything but identical with the nematocysts of 

 Ca?lenterata. Biltschli argues that their occurrence is no 

 reason for doubting that the Infusorian body is of unicellular 

 character, since we may compare a single ectodermal cell 

 of Hydra with a single Infusorian, and we find that nemato- 

 cysts have the same relations to the protoplasm in both cases, 

 developing in Hydra as in an Infusor, simply in the proto- 

 plasm, independently of the nucleus, and independently of 

 anything like cellular elements. In fact, the nematocysts of 

 botli Infusoria and Hydrozoa are striking examples of the 

 great generalisation, that the phenomena of life, whether ex- 

 hibited in the building up of structure or in the transforma- 

 tion of. energy, are solely dependent on the life-stuff — pro- 

 toplasm — and that the corpuscular or cellular condition of 

 that life-stuff is a secondary accident. 



A new Infusorian, Wagneria cylindroconica. — In the 

 first part of vol. x of ' Schultze's Archiv' Wladimir Alen- 

 itzen describes a new Infusorian under the above name. 

 The interest of this form, which was found in the mud of 

 the Newa, consists in its presenting the two circlets of cilia 

 characteristic of the Vorticellidan Trichodina, &c., whilst 

 at the same time its pharynx and a little capitular prominence, 

 tugetlier with the position of the contractile vesicle, render 

 it similar to such genera as Prorodon and Lacrymaria. 



The Morphology of the Infusoria. — Professor Ilaeckel, in 

 the ' Jenaische Zeiischrift,' vol. vii, part 4, 1873, discusses 

 in his clear methodical style the question of the unicellular 

 nature of the Infusoria. Both he and Gegenbauer have 

 been inclined at one time to regard the ciliate Infusoria as 

 disguised multicellular organisms. Haeckel, however, now 

 gives in fully his adhesion to the view that they present 

 nothing comparable to cell-differentiation. He gives a his- 

 tory of the views which have been held on the matter, and 

 now demonstrates, from the known facts of the development 

 of the Infusoria, that they are units of the first* order of 

 aggregation — simple corpuscles of protoplasm, and not mul- 

 tiples of such corpuscles. The whole morphology of the 

 class is passed in review, and the various structures and 

 organs presented by Infusoria are put in their true light. 

 Finally, a revision of the classification of the Protozoa is 

 given. 



New Shell-hearing , Surface-sioimming, Marine Infusoria. 

 — In a second chapter of the same paper Haeckel describes 

 very curious and beautiful forms of ciliate Infusoria, which 

 come nearest to the genus Tintinnus of Claparede and Lach- 

 mann. Haeckel forms two families for them in the order 



