276 Mr. J. J. Quelch on Spiralaria florea, Busk. 



they undergo by their transfer to the object-slide. Generally 

 we see only slow alterations in the hyaline mass ; but once 

 I succeeded in observing true pseudopodia (fig. 5). These 

 were obtuse processes, one of which was forked at the end. 

 Their movements were very slow. Such a specimen had thus 

 some resemblance to a monothalamian Rhizopod. Nothing 

 is to be seen in the living animal of a nucleus or a contractile 

 vacuole. The latter is probably not present at all, as Amoeba 

 ohtecta is a marine form ; the nucleus, however, may be ren- 

 dered very distinctly visible by means of reagents. 



If the Amcebas be treated in the fashion described at the 

 beginning, and then stained with picrocarmine, the intensely 

 reddened nucleus makes its appearance distinctly, even in a 

 short time. It is seen sometimes at the posterior end of the 

 body, sometimes in the middle, and it always appears as a 

 uniformly red-coloured mass. The vacuoles in the protoplasm 

 are also very well preserved under this mode of treatment. 



As to the mode of reproduction of this Amoeba I possess no 

 observations. It certainly takes place by binary division ; and 

 the portion issuing from the shell will probably at once form 

 a new envelope for itself. This seems to be shown by the 

 circumstance that we very often find pairs of Amoeba? which 

 lie with their carapaces quite close together. 



These Khizopods have evidently no tendency to undertake 

 migrations, and hence, when the conditions are favourable, 

 lie together in great quantities, and thus form regular 



societies. 



[To be continued.] 



XXXVII. — On the Oopchim of Spiralaria florea, Busk* By 

 J. J. Quelch, B.Sc (Lond.)', Assistant, Zoological Depart- 

 ment, British Museum. 



The genus Spiralaria was established by Prof. Busk for the 

 reception of the beautiful and curious Australian Polyzoon 

 which lie described and figured under the name Sjriralaria 

 fovea in the * Quarterly Journal of Microscopic Science, 1 new 

 series, vol. i. (1861) p. 15:*. The same species has since 

 been redescribed and figured by Prof. M'Coy in the l Prodro- 

 mus of the Zoology of Victoria/ decade v. (1880) p. 31 ; and 

 supplementary information is given as to the nature of the 

 mouth of the cell, of the avicularia, of the margin of the cell, 

 and of the lamina on which the cells are placed; but no 

 mention is made by this latter observer of the occurrence of 



ececia. These were absent from the specimen which was de- 

 scribed by Prof. Busk ; and as I can find no record of them 



