Miscellaneous. 385. 
rnore room for the proper treatment of the rightful natives. To our 
readers we would give the advice that they should at once purchase 
the ‘ Birds of South Africa,’ as, the sooner this edition is sold off, the 
sooner we may expect the new and improved one. To Mr. Layard 
we tender our best wishes for his health and zeal, that he may 
successfully prosecute his task. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Natica catenata (Philipp). 
To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 
GentLEMEN,— What is the true habitat of Natica catenata? 
Reeve, in his monograph of the genus, gives “Sicily,” but without 
quoting any authority. 
Moreover Philippi, whose description Reeve copies, in his original: 
account of the species (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1851, p. 233), in which he 
describes it from specimens in the collection of Mr. Cuming, assigns 
no locality; it may therefore be presumed that none was attached 
to the Cuming specimens. 
Some shells in the collection of this Museum, belonging to this 
species, are labelled as from Mazatlan ; but no authority is given for 
the habitat. I should therefore be glad to know if any examples of 
this species have been recently obtained, and, if so, from where. 
I perceive Reeve changes Natica Incei, Philippi, into NV. Inciz, and- 
Natica caribea, Philippi, into NV. caribbea. 
Do not these seem rather unnecessary alterations, and apparently 
founded on no good reason ? 
T have, &c., 
Institution, Bristol. T. Granam Ponton, 
Balatro calvus, a New Genus and Species of Rotatoria entirely desti- 
tute of Vibratile Cilia. By E. Ciaparkpe. 
MM. Meeznikow has lately described (Siebold and Kolliker’s ‘ Zeit- 
schrift,’ 1866, p. 346), under the name of Apsilus lentiformis, a 
Rotatorian entirely destitute of vibratile cilia; and M. Claparéde 
now communicates an account of an animal of the same kind 
observed by him some years ago in the Seime, a small river of 
the Canton of Geneva. It was found creeping on the bodies of 
Trichodrili and other small Oligocheeta. 
The body of this animal, to which M. Claparéde gives the name 
of Balatro calvus, is more or less vermiform and very contractile. 
Its posterior extremity (foot) is divided into two lobes, of which the 
ventral is semilunar, with acute angles which are capable of inva- 
gination. The dorsal lobe forms a flattened cylinder terminated by 
three mammille. Between the two lobes the anus is situated. 
The anterior extremity, which is indistinctly annulated, is capable 
of retraction as in other Rotatoria. The mastax is not largely de-. 
veloped and is armed with a very small incus and with two curved 
