142 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [May 



infusoriau is pressing up against debris, iu the act of 

 feeding. Tlie movement of the body during natation is 

 the same smootli even glide of the genus. This form has 

 been found quite abundant at times and but once has re- 

 production been observed — the process occupying about 

 one hour. 



Family. — Enchelyida?. S. K. 



Genus. — Enchelys. Ehr. 



Species. — Enchelys audobonii. (fig. 13.) 



Body obovate, the anterior border produced in a snout- 

 like manner, subcylindrical, soft and changeable in shape 

 more than twice as long as wide; entirely and sparingly 

 ciliate; oral aperture apical, cleft-like and continued med- 

 icosely for about one-sixth of the body length, as a con- 

 spicuous, non-plicate, wedge-shaped membraneous phar- 

 ynx; oral cilia much longer, heavier and more numerous 

 than the body cilia; a single hair-like seta extending from 

 the posterior border as long as one-half the body length; 

 contractile vesicle round, conspicuous and located in pos- 

 terior third, nucleus round and subcentral; endoplasm 

 grannlar and of a greenish tint, usually containing food 

 balls. Reproduction by transverse fission; conjugation 

 by the application of the oral apertures. Locomotion 

 rapid and by revolution on long axis. Size 1-600 to 1-460 

 inch. Habitat. — -Pond water w;^ith decayed leaves from 

 Audobon Park. New Orleans, La. 



This infusorian was found in great abundance a num- 

 ber of times in pond water taken from Audobon Park. 

 While the most persistent shape is obovate it is, like En- 

 chelys farcimen Ehr., subject to many changes of form 

 from an ovate to almost globular. The oral aperture 

 forms the base of the wedge-shape pharynx and is per- 

 sistently open. It is a greedy scavenger. The writer 

 has a number of times observed a dozen or more surround- 

 ing some dead form ravenously devouring it. The elas- 



