304 Miscellaneous. 



On the Rotatoria of the Nehjh'hourhood of Tubingen. 

 13y Samuel BARiscn. 



The author notices the species of Rotatoria obtained by him in the 

 neighbourhood of Tubingen, mentioning any peculiarities observed 

 by him, and discussing the views of previous authors. He com- 

 mences with a sketch of the bibhography of the subject, in which 

 the principal authorities are mentioned, and then gives a general 

 account of the structure of the animals belonging to this class, 

 which forms a useful summary of oiy present knowledge. With 

 regard to the systematic position of the Rotatoria, the author adopts 

 Hiickel's notion, according to which they belong to the great Arti- 

 culate stem, forming a small branch from the same point whence 

 the two great branches of the Vermes and Arthropoda diverge. 



As the author establishes three new families and one new genus, 

 we here give an abstract of his classification. 



(Order) I. ENTERODELA. 

 With a stomach, intestine, and anus. 



Earn. 1. Floscularinae, Bartsch. 

 (=Ti(bicola)-ma, Carus, =:MuHotrocha and Schizotrocha, Ehrenb.) 



Form clavate ; foot long, annulated ; ciliary organ like the corolla 

 of a flower ; usually sedentary animals, placed in a sheath. There 

 appears to be no reason for giving a new name to this group; 



The author notices species of Floscularia and Melicerta. Of the 

 former he states that the rotary organ is always five-lobed, and 

 that the cilia move during the unfolding of the lobes or when a 

 living organism approaches them. The habits of Melicerta ringens 

 are described at considerable length. 



Fam. 2. Hydatinsea, Ehr, (s. str.). 



Body-envelope saccular, soft, varying in form from cyhndrical to 

 conical ; foot and its terminal styles short, in part not retractile. 

 Genera noticed : Hydatina, Fleurotroclia, SgncJiwta, Notommata, and 

 Diglena. 



In Hydatina senta the author finds attached to the brain, at tlie 

 points where the nerves running to the two cervical paljii are given 

 off, two peduncidate vesicles, consisting of a very thin envelope en- 

 closing tiucly granular contents, in which about half a dozen orange- 

 red globules are suspended. During the movements of the animal, 

 these vesicles oscillate to and fro ; and the author suggests that they 

 may be auditory vesicles. The cilia on the interior of the rotary 

 organ extend down to the gizzard. Eosiihora (Ehr.) is combined 

 with Notommata, as by Leydig. 



Fam. 3, Longisetae, Bartsch. 



Skin soft or firm ; body varying in form from cylindrical to oval ; 

 foot very much reduced ; leruiiual styles one or two, long, setiform. 



