1G4 Miscellaneous. 



others, in pi. xxvii., drawn by Dr. Malcolmson. Prof. T. Eupert 

 Jones also is thanked for help given. 



5. *' A List of Irisli Coleoptera collected mainly by the late Robert 

 Patterson, Esq., P.li.S., in the year 1829." This useful contribu- 

 tion to the series of local lists in Natural History, besides its intrinsic 

 value, shows " how much could be accomplished in a year ])y one 

 quite young and fully occupied in business matters. This, too, at a 

 time when books of reference were much less accessible than at 

 present." 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



On the Significance of Conjugation in the Infusoria. 

 By JDr. A. Grubek. 

 In what follows I will briefly communicate an observation which 

 seems suited to throw some light upon the still obscure nature of 

 the conjugation of the Infusoria. My investigations relate to 

 Furamcmum aurelia, of which lufusorian I have been able to 

 employ a very considerable number of conjugated individuals for 

 preparations. It is well known that Ickeli * has lately stated that 

 from his preparations he has been able to conclude that there is a 

 migration of the nucleoli from one individual to the other, a process 

 which Biitschli f had j)reviously supposed to take place in the same 

 Infusorian. The main point of the whole process has, however, 

 escaped both these naturalists, whose publications I shall refer to in 

 more detail elsewhere. This consists in the fact that the nucleoli of 

 the two individuals ccme into intimate contact with eacJi other, cojjulate 

 with each other. 



The two conjugated individuals of Faraonacium are closely united 

 together, besides their anterior parts, at a point in the hinder third 

 of the body. To this point, which is indicated by a sort of annular 

 swelling, there moves from the left and right a nucleolus converted 

 into a striated spindle (Biitschli's " Nucleoluskapfeel ") ; the two 

 bodies touch one another exactly in the bridge of communication, at 

 first only by their apices and then gradually more intimately, so 

 that they appear mutually flattened, and finally two bodies originate 

 from them which meet together by their broader ends, and exactly 

 fill up the above-mentioned bridge of communication. 



^Yithont going into minute details and into the further course of 

 the process I will content myself with having established the fact 

 that in Paramacium aurelia the conjugation brings about an inter- 

 mixture of nuclear substance from both sides ; and this seems to me 

 to explain much or most of what was enigmatical to us in the phc- 

 nomeca of conjugation, and to furnish us with a firm support for 

 the view which brings the conjugation of the Infusoria into direct 

 ao-reement with the sexual reproduction of the Metazoa. As in the 



* " Ueber die Keruverhaltuisse der lufusorien," Zool. Anzeiger, 

 Jalirg. vii. 1884, p. 491. 



t " Studien iiber die ersteu Entwicliluugsvorgaiige kc./' Abb. Senck, 

 iialurf. Gescllsch. Bd. x. 1870. 



