﻿Mr. 
  J. 
  W. 
  Fewkes 
  on 
  Ascorhiza 
  occidentalis. 
  5 
  

  

  ccllina, 
  Loxosoma, 
  and 
  Urnatella 
  in 
  its 
  colonial 
  character. 
  

   It 
  is 
  not 
  difficult, 
  however, 
  to 
  see 
  how 
  we 
  might 
  find 
  among 
  

   known 
  genera 
  a 
  homologue 
  of 
  the 
  capitulum 
  of 
  Ascorhiza 
  in 
  

   the 
  freshwater 
  genus 
  Urnatella 
  described 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Leidy. 
  

  

  The 
  polyp-head 
  of 
  Urnatella 
  may 
  be 
  supposed 
  in 
  Asco- 
  

   rhiza 
  to 
  be 
  greatly 
  enlarged 
  and 
  concentrated, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  

   polypides 
  are 
  all 
  brought 
  together 
  into 
  a 
  head 
  or 
  capitulum. 
  

   We 
  might 
  then 
  find 
  in 
  the 
  stem 
  of 
  the 
  Ascorhiza-co\onv 
  the 
  

   exact 
  homologue 
  of 
  the 
  articulated 
  or 
  jointed 
  stem 
  of 
  Urna- 
  

   tella. 
  

  

  While, 
  however, 
  Ascorhiza 
  differs 
  from 
  all 
  known 
  Ento- 
  

   proctous 
  Bryozoa 
  in 
  the 
  colonial 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  capitulum 
  and 
  

   the 
  clustering 
  of 
  many 
  zocecia 
  in 
  a 
  compact 
  mass, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  

   Ctenostomata, 
  we 
  may 
  look 
  among 
  the 
  Entoprocta 
  for 
  a 
  

   homologue 
  of 
  the 
  stem. 
  The 
  stem 
  of 
  Urnatella 
  closely 
  re- 
  

   sembles 
  that 
  of 
  Ascorhiza, 
  judging 
  from 
  the 
  figures 
  given 
  by 
  

   Dr. 
  Leidy. 
  

  

  In 
  Ascopodaria 
  likewise, 
  as 
  figured 
  in 
  the 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  

   ' 
  Challenger 
  ' 
  Bryozoa 
  by 
  Busk, 
  we 
  have 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  

   peduncle 
  a 
  barrel-shaped 
  body, 
  which 
  in 
  some 
  particulars 
  

   resembles 
  the 
  jointed 
  stem 
  of 
  Ascorhiza. 
  This 
  barrel-like 
  

   body 
  forms 
  a 
  cup- 
  shaped 
  socket 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  

   peduncle 
  is 
  placed, 
  and 
  lies 
  at 
  the 
  very 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  peduncle. 
  

   Its 
  resemblance 
  to 
  the" 
  jointed 
  stein 
  " 
  of 
  Ascorhiza 
  is 
  distant, 
  

   for 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  borne 
  in 
  mind 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  but 
  a 
  single 
  zocecium 
  

   on 
  each 
  peduncle 
  in 
  Ascopodaria 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  mouth 
  and 
  

   anus 
  lie 
  within 
  the 
  circle 
  of 
  the 
  tentacles. 
  The 
  genus 
  Asco- 
  

   podaria 
  has 
  several 
  remote 
  resemblances 
  to 
  Ascorhiza. 
  

  

  A 
  possible 
  interpretation 
  of 
  the 
  combination 
  of 
  features 
  

   which 
  we 
  have 
  in 
  Ascorhiza 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  genus 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  

   Ctenostomata 
  somewhere 
  near 
  Alcyonidium, 
  but 
  that 
  it 
  pos- 
  

   sesses 
  what 
  no 
  genus 
  of 
  the 
  Ctenostomata 
  known 
  to 
  me 
  has 
  — 
  

   a 
  sensitive, 
  flexible, 
  jointed 
  stem. 
  It 
  seems 
  also 
  probable 
  

   that 
  this 
  stem 
  is 
  homologous 
  with 
  the 
  stem 
  of 
  Urnatella 
  and 
  

   more 
  distantly 
  related 
  somewhat 
  to 
  the 
  barrel-shaped 
  struc- 
  

   ture 
  of 
  the 
  peduncle 
  of 
  Ascopodaria. 
  If 
  these 
  comparisons 
  

   are 
  good 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  true 
  homology 
  between 
  the 
  structures 
  

   in 
  question 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  in 
  Ascorhiza 
  a 
  genus 
  

   with 
  characters 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  great 
  orders 
  or 
  divisions 
  of 
  

   Bryozoa. 
  So 
  markedly 
  different 
  are 
  the 
  structural 
  peculi- 
  

   arities 
  of 
  Ascorhiza 
  and 
  so 
  characteristic 
  is 
  the 
  stem 
  that 
  it 
  

   may 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  new 
  family 
  for 
  its 
  reception. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  limited 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  anatomy 
  of 
  the 
  poly- 
  

   pides 
  of 
  Ascorhiza 
  I 
  am 
  unable 
  to 
  refer 
  it 
  to 
  either 
  the 
  Cteno- 
  

   stomata 
  or 
  the 
  Chilostomata. 
  In 
  external 
  form 
  the 
  colony 
  

   is 
  very 
  different 
  from 
  anything 
  found 
  in 
  either 
  group. 
  It 
  is 
  

  

  