68 



teristic of the Danish Fredericella (W.-L, 1 896 p. 262) whereas 

 grains of sand were observed here and there in the fragil and 

 soft tubes, in order to make them firmer. In the sample 

 handed over to me from the above mentioned lake the Frede- 

 ricella were entangled in a mass chiefly of Characea inter- 

 spersed with Fontinalis. Evidently the feeble, pliant colony 

 clung to the Characea along the stems of which they possibly 

 branched and twined for support. The length of the tubes at 

 any rate measured 4 — 5 cm., possibly considerably more. 



A further inspection of the sample from the rivulet revealed 

 some few specimens af another Bryozoa: Paludicella Ehren- 

 bergii v. Benned. attached to the branches of Fredericella. In 

 our native lakes it is by no means a rare sight to see Palu- 

 dicella coating the branches of Fredericella. It must now be 

 considered as a matter of fact that the fresh-waters of the arctic 

 zone are inhabited by at least two fresh-water Bryozoa: Frede- 

 ricella sultana and Paludicella Ehrenbergii. 



A closer perusal of the literature consequent on the present 

 find showed that although no Bryozoa colonies had as yet been 

 recorded from the polar zone their statoblasts had been noted. 

 B. statoblasts are reported from Spitzbergen by Richard 

 (1897 p. 1); P. fruticosa from the Murman coast (1901 p. 23) and 

 P. repens by Leva n der from Russian Karelien (1905 p. 33). 



Whilst the presence of statoblasts in one of our home- 

 localities may probably always be considered as a sure sign 

 that the species to which the statoblasts belong will also occur 

 in the locality, the case may be different when the statoblasts 

 occur at so great a distance from the limits of the domain the 

 growing Bryozoan colonies have hitherto been known to occupy, 

 the dispersing powers of the statoblasts being as is well known, 

 very great. 



In order more definitely to ascertain the northernmost 

 locality from which living fresh -water Bryozoa colonies have 

 been reported I applied for better information on this head to 



