FLOSCULARIADJE. 55 



The peculiarity of a second fringe of set lying within the principal fringe is shared 

 with it by F. Iloodii alone. Unlike the ordinary sets, these smaller secondary seise 

 possess a kind of joint action; for when any captive creature tries to escape from the 

 coronal cup, and to pass the setae, those of the outer row either lash separately at it, or 

 are drawn together over it by the converging lobes ; while a wave of motion, like a 

 ciliary wave, runs once or twice round the inner row. The true ciliary wreath can be 

 easily seen at the bottom of the coronal cup, owing to this Floscule's great size and 

 transparency. I saw a small contractile vesicle, but I had no opportunity of tracing the 

 rest of the vascular system. The two lateral antennas were also obvious. 



The first thing that strikes the observer, on watching the protrusion of the furled 

 head, is the great size of the Floscule, and the curiously shrivelled appearance that the 

 lobes of the coronal cup present, as they emerge from the opening head. They look 

 exactly as if the animal were sickly or injured. In a few seconds, however, they gently 

 swell out, the many folds and creases disappear, till at last the eye is gratified with the 

 sight of a lovely transparent tulip, of three petals, their edges all fringed with delicate 

 and motionless hairs. It is a creature of exquisite beauty ; from every point of view the 

 flowing curves of the cup are charming, and its great transparency permits the whole of 

 the outline of the rim to be seen at once. The dorsal lobe is rather larger than the other 

 two, and is curved forward over the cup. Across each lobe run delicate muscular 

 threads for furling it, which are specially visible on the back of the dorsal lobe 

 (PI. II. fig. 6). 



Dr. Collins saw eggs, laid by his specimens, remaining attached to them within the 

 tube ; but Mr. Hood observed that some specimens, which he reared in a trough, hatched 

 the ova in the ovary, and then gave birth to the living young. 



They are voracious feeders on Infusoria and small animalcules, and are fond of 

 stationing themselves in the axils of water plants. 



Length, ^g to f 5 inch. Habitat. Lochs, marsh and boggy pools; Sandhurst (Dr. 

 Collins and P.H.G.); Woolston, Hants (P.H.G.) ; Fife, Forfar, Perth (J.H.) : not 

 common in England, abundant in Perthshire. 



F. HOODII, Hudson. 



(PI. II. fig. 5.) 

 Floscularia Hoodii . . Hudson, J. Roy. Micr. Soc. 2 Ser. vol. iii. 1883, p. 161, pi. iii. figs. 1, 2. 



SP. CH. Lobes three; dorsal lobe much the largest, and carrying two, large, sleeve- 

 like, flexible processes ; setae, short, cilia-like, in two parallel rows, fringing the entire 

 circumference of the coronal cup. 



This is one of the largest of all the Eotifera ; adult specimens being quite ^ inch 

 from the top of the dorsal lobe to the extremity of the peduncle. Its great size, and its 

 curiously shaped three-lobed corona make it sufficiently remarkable ; but, in addition to 

 these peculiarities, it has two extraordinary processes, perched one on each side of the 

 back of the dorsal lobe. They appear to be hollow, and to communicate with two 

 lenticular spaces lying between the two surfaces of the dorsal lobe. Fine muscular 

 threads pass along and across them (PI. II. 5b], and the animal can contract and 

 expand each independently of the other ; and throw them into all kinds of positions. 

 The upper end of each seems to be separated from the lower portion by a constriction, 

 from which a muscular thread runs down to the base. Each of these processes slowly 

 and independently changes its shape and position, now sinking down on the dorsal lobe 

 so as to be invisible, or again bending its free end at right-angles to the lower portion. 

 I have never seen anything like them on any other Eotiferon : they may possibly be 

 organs of touch, but I could detect no trace of setre on them. Mr. Hood tells me that 

 both in young and adult specimens he has seen brown granular matter discharged from 

 their free ends. The thickened rim of the three lobes carries its double fringe of seta? 



