126 PROCEEDINGS OF THE MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF DUBLIN. 



clogged with the S. minor. Now it cannot but be imagined that any 

 animal so infested must, as a necessary consequence, have both the 

 functions of respiration and circulation greatly impeded. Three por- 

 poises examined by the author within the last three months have all had 

 Entozoa, and these were all taken in the Thames ; and the author con- 

 siders it probable that this may be the reason of their leaving the ocean 

 and running up the rivers at particular seasons of the year, and it 

 would be curious to ascertain whether those taken at sea about the same 

 period were so infested. The author considers also that some light 

 may be thrown on the occurrence of Entozoa in particular parts of an 

 animal, when they have been actually found living in the blood ; and it 

 may also be now readily imagined how the young, when emitted from 

 the parent, can be transported to all parts of the body by means of the 

 circulation, and analogy would lead to the conclusion that the blood of 

 other animals may contain Entozoa as well as that of the porpoise. 

 Another curious circumstance connected with these Strongyli is, that all 

 the specimens of the four species are nearly uniform in their size ; no 

 young ones having been met with amongst them ; these probably are 

 yet to be found in other parts of the body, where the scrutinizing eye 

 of the anatomist has as yet failed in detecting them. The paper was 

 accompanied with drawings, showing the anatomical details described 

 by Mr. J. Quekett. 



A communication was then read from Dr. Thomas Williams, in which 

 it was shown, that under natural circumstances the stomata are openings 

 unclosed by membrane, as it was attempted to prove by the experiments 

 of the Rev. Mr. Reade. This paper is inserted entire at page 118 of 

 the present number. 



Mr. Andrew Ross exhibited to the meeting his " Educational Micro- 

 scope," an account of which was given at page 1 1 1 of our last number. 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF DUBLIN. 



August oth, 1841. Sir Henry Marsh in the Chair. 



THE minutes of the last meeting having been read, the Secretary informed 

 the Society, that he had received a letter from Mr. Bergin, one of the 

 members, in which he requested him to read before the present meeting, 

 some notes relative to a curious animal, which had lately fallen under 

 his notice for the first time. The notes were accompanied by four or 

 five pen-and-ink etchings. 



Mr. Bergin's communication was then read by Dr. Hill. In it he 

 directed the attention of the Society to the beautiful though compli- 

 cated organization of a small animal, which he believed to be a hiru- 

 dina, though he was unable to give it a name, or to say to what species 

 it belonged. He had found it in some water taken from a ditch in the 

 Phoenix Park. One of the most striking peculiarities of this animal 

 was the mode of its carrying its young ; they were ten or twelve in 

 number, and were attached by one extremity to the lower surface of 

 the posterior third of the body of the parent animal; each pos- 



