494 Mr. E. Kidston on a netv Species of Vsihtites 



hy cords of protoplasm . I am convinced that these bridges 

 serve much more for the establisliment of a nervous unity 

 than for the reciprocal nourishment of the individual animals. 

 In the higher Protozoa, and therefore in the Infusoria, it 

 seems to me probable that the seat of the diffused nervous 

 jiotency is chiefly to he sought in the cortex. Thus certainly 

 this and not the parenchyma is alone capable of delicate sensi- 

 bility^ otherwise the frequently observed inception of inordi- 

 nately large nutritive bodies must be attended by painful 

 sensations. Further, this swallowing of bodies which extend 

 and rupture the Infusoria shows us at once that we need 

 not expect to find in the parenchyma any differentiation 

 into special organula, fibres, &c. I once made a very in- 

 structive observation in this direction upon a Clytnacostomum 

 virens. This Infusorian had swallowed a single wheel- animal- 

 cule, which was rushing about in the parenchyma as if mad, 

 stirring up everything, and sometimes pushing out the cortical 

 zone, sometimes drawing it in by means of its rotatory organ. 

 The Clymacostonmm, however, seemed to be no further 

 troubled by this riotous guest in its interior, for it swam about 

 in the w^ater quite quietly and uniformly. But while other 

 animal prey, such as small holotrichous Infusoria, which were 

 frequently devoured by the same individual, were digested in 

 a short time (about a quarter of an hour), the wheel-ani- 

 malcule remained alive for twenty-four hours ; it lay quiet 

 indeed, but the rotatory organ w^as still in motion. Of course, 

 in such a long time it must have produced sad ravages in the 

 body of the Infusorian if any complex structures had been 

 present therein. But the only thing observable in the Clyma- 

 costomumj which was still very lively, was that at the posterior 

 extremity, where the wheel-animalcule lay, the body was 

 somewhat indented ; but this had disappeared on the following 

 day "when the animalcule had died and been digested. 



Let no one who is paying attention to the Protozoa omit 

 seizing upon such chance observations as the above, for it is 

 by them we shall most readily get to understand when and 

 how the vital phenomena are performed in the simple but 

 enigmatical protoplasmic body of the " unicellular animals. '■* 



XLV. — On a 72ew Sjjecies o/ Psilotites f-oni the Lanarkshire 

 Coal-feld. By KOBEET KiDSTON, F.G.S. 



rsilotites unilateralism Kidston, n. sp. 



Description. Stems narrow, irregularly striated, jirovided 

 with a lateral row of thorn-like projections. 



BemarJcs. The specimen shows portions of three stems 



