1883.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



129 



requiring a power of 200 diameters to 

 show them well. \x\ M. fliiviatilis the 

 large spicules are of considerable 

 size, spinous or warty, while the 

 smaller ones have a short, thick axis 

 terminating in disks of radiating 

 spines at both ends. This is a very 

 common form of spicule, which may 

 be conveniently designated as bira-. 

 diate. Of this species there are two 

 varieties, asirospenua and acuminata . 

 In M. robusta the large spicules are 

 smooth while the others are quite 

 spinous and large. M. craterifonna. 

 Potts, has slender spicules and the 

 biradiate ones are long and slender. 

 The spicules of M. Everetti, Mills, re- 

 semble those of the preceding spe- 

 cies. 



Hderomeyenia rcpens, Potts, and H. 

 argyrospcrma, Potts, show the gem- 

 mules beautifully in the dried speci- 

 mens. The latter species has one 

 variety, tennis. H. Baleni, Potts, has 

 also a beautiful cup-shaped gemmule, 

 and in H. Rydcri, Potts, the gem- 

 mules appear to be dotted all over 

 with minute foramina, and the spic- 

 ules are very beautiful. 



The genus Carterius is represented 

 by two species C tenospcrma and 

 C. Fansliatoei, Potts. This genus is 

 characterized by a tubular projection 

 from the pore in the center of the 

 concave side of the gemmules,with ter- 

 minal root-like branches. Of the re- 

 maining forms we need only give the 

 names, Tubella reticulata, Bowerbank, 

 T. Pennsylvanica and T. Fanshazvei^ 

 Potts ; Parmula Batesii and Brozcmii, 

 and finally Uruguay a coraloides, 

 Bowerbank. The reader will observe, 

 from the above list, that many spe- 

 cies of sponges have been discovered 

 quite recently, for not long ago it was 

 supposed that there was only one spe- 

 cies of fresh-water sponge, which was 

 named Spofigilla. 



Mr. Hitchcock has a number of 

 slides of selected foraminiferaon exhi- 

 bition, and a number of specimens of 

 eggs of fishes and Crustacea preserved 

 by the method mentioned in these 

 pages, a short time ago. We have 



since learned that the fluid used in 

 preserving the specimens is a mixture 

 of alcohol, glycerine and water, but 

 the proportions are not made public. 

 A much larger collection of these 

 specimens is shown in the British 

 section. 



Mr. Thomas Bolton's exhibit is 

 always surrounded bv a goodly num- 

 ber of persons waiting for a peep 

 through the microscopes. He has 

 shown many specimens, some of them 

 quite rare. Among them we may 

 mention the Stcphanoccros EicJwruii., 

 the "crown animalcule" which is not 

 considered as common in America ; 

 the worm recently discovered by Mr. 

 Bolton and named Haplohranchus 

 cEstuarimis ; the cyclosis in the pro- 

 embryo of chara; some young smelts, 

 only 12 davs old, hatched by Sir 

 James Maitland in 42 days in his 

 hatching house, at a temperature of 

 42° F. ; the sea-mouse Polynx cirrata ; 

 the rare rotifer Floscularia coronctta, 

 and in one of the aquaria he has a 

 nest of the stickleback, in which some 

 of the eggs have hatched. 



Notes From Abroad. 



We have already published a few 

 notes under the above heading, which 

 we very much fear will show great evi- 

 dence of having been hastily put to- 

 gether. Since writing them we have 

 had an opportunity of visiting some of 

 the eminent microscopists of Eng- 

 land, and a few words concerning 

 their method of work will certainly 

 prove of interest. 



Mr. E. M. Nelson, of London, is 

 acknowledged to be one of the most 

 expert manipulators with the micro- 

 scope in the city. He has a " studio " 

 devoted entirely to microscopical 

 work, and, being a gentleman of ample 

 means and leisure, he devotes a great 

 portion of his time to the examination 

 of objectives and experimenting on 

 different methods of illumination. It 

 is, indeed, a pleasure to observe the 

 dexterity with which he works, for 



