132 



DE. E. N. WOLPENDEN— BISCATAN PLANKTON 



The shanks of the needles, three at each end of the rod, were twice as long as the rod. 

 The length of the central rod was "025 mm. ; that of the shanks was -05 mm. 

 " Punctaf urn "-needles vary iu size and proportions, and though the shanks in this 

 species are commonly shorter than the rod, the Biscayan specimen is prohahly of this 

 species, though not in good enough condition to determine with ahsolute accuracy. 



Thalassicolla nucleata, Huxley. 



From the surface to 100 fathoms this species occurred in 18 cases in Dr. Fowler's 

 samples. The species is too well known to require description. 



CncENicosPHiEKA MuKRAYANA (Ilaeckel, ' Challenger ' Report : Eadiolaria). 



This is the most commonly occurring Radiolarian in this collection, being present in 

 67 of the samples. The zooids being often of a rather larger average size than the 

 examples of the same species found in the Fseroe Channel, suggested at first a specific 

 difi'erence. I have made a detailed comparison of the Biscayan examples with those 

 from the Fseroe Channel, and there seems to he little essential difference between 

 the two. 



The Biscayan specimens having been preserved for some timesho\A'ed none of the vacuoles, 

 which are plainly to be recognized in the fresh northern species ; and though the shells 

 in some colonies are distinctly larger than the Faeroe sjoecies seems ever to attain, this is 

 the only difference. The oval or round pores of the shell are very irregular as to size, 

 between three or four large pairs is often interposed a small rounded one ; the bars 

 between the pores are not usually broader than half the diameter of the pore, but 

 between a few the bars are occasionally of much greater breadth. The xanthellse are 

 numerous, and round each zooid is a thick pseudopodia-layer with thick pseudopodia- 

 strands passing between two or three neighbouring individuals. Choeuicosphcera is of 

 very frequent occurrence in the Fseroe Channel and round the coasts of Shetland, in 



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