I'KKSIDK.NT S ADDKHSS. V 



key to the science of Biolo<,'y. It sounds oddly enon<,'li that an 

 expedition should go out for a few years' explorations in arctic, 

 antarctic, and tropical seas, with every preparation for tlie 

 capture and study of their faunsi? by the first men of science, 

 while our creatures at home should be left to the enthusiastic 

 " Sir Thomas," who ties his bottle to the end of his stick or 

 umbrella, and who may perhaps venture so far as to go over 

 shoe-top in his endeavour to reach some desired spot, or capture 

 some coveted creature. It is not because the knowledge of these 

 creatures is of little importance, for we have oft-repeated 

 evidence that a better acquaintance with the part they play in 

 the economy of nature will be of the utmost value to us in our 

 attempts to understand the principles of health and disease. I 

 have felt ashamed that, with the exception of a few splendid 

 works, such as " Allman on the Fresh-water Polyzoa," " Baird's 

 Entomostraca," and some others, we have to rely chietiy upon 

 foreign publications for descriptions of our own microscopic life. 

 No wonder that so many of us looked forward with delight to 

 the completion of that excellent work by our friend and member 

 Saville Kent upon the Infusoria, preceded as it was by that 

 of G. !S. Brady upon the Copepoda, and another noble contribu- 

 tion to our knowledge, if not by our countryman at least in our 

 language — I mean the splendid monograph of the Ehizopoda 

 by Professor Leidy — a group of organisms of wonderful 

 structural simplicity, and yet shown to be all sufficient to 

 perform the functions of active life. 



Many of the organisms there described are familiar to us, 

 and probably nearly the whole will be found identical with those 

 of our own locality ; indeed, Mr. W. Archer, of Dublin, has 

 ah-eady found many of them in Ireland. This opens up the 

 interesting and difficult question of distribution, which I shall 

 not attempt to discuss, but merely note the curious coincidence 

 that Anuria loiuiispina, a rotifer of about one-fortieth of an inch 

 in length, should have been found both here and in America 

 at nearly the same time, associated, as it was in our case, with 

 other organisms bearing spinous processes. I trust that that 



