98 Prof. M'Intosh's Notes from the 



and similar organisms have, however, attracted little notice in 

 the seas of our own country, probably from the fact that the 

 ordinary tow-net has chiefly been used in examining the pelagic 

 fauna. The large mid-water net formerly mentioned in this 

 journal will^ however, make a considerable revolution in this 

 respect, since it demonstrates that many forms of great interest 

 float in mid-water or near the bottom, which forms wovild en- 

 tirely escape the ordinary tow-net as well as the dredge and 

 the trawl. One may indeed be excused for imagining what the 

 results of such an apparatus would have been if perseveringly 

 used during the unparallelled opportunities afforded on board 

 H.M.S. ' Challenger.' 



In the midst of the profusion of forms captured by the mid- 

 water net on the 13th May a peculiar appearance was caused 

 in the water by certain small gelatinous structures — ovoid, 

 dumb-bell-shaped, or somewhat cylindrical in outline. Their 

 size varied from 1 to 2 millim. in their long diameter, and 

 thus they were much smaller than examples of Collozoum 

 inerme. When conveyed to the laboratory they floated some- 

 what heavily near the bottom of the glass vessels, though 

 it is possible their range in the open sea varies in depth 

 according to circumstances. They presented a hyaline gela- 

 tinous matrix, in which were studded small greenish-yellow 

 cells containing nuclei, and many of which, from their con- 

 stricted aspect, appeared to be in a state of division. Occa- 

 sionally somewhat large, round cells with nuclei occurred 

 amongst the others. In some examples, again, minute acicular 

 bodies like spicules were sparsely scattered throughout the 

 protoplasm, resembling those of SphcBvozoum neapolitanum 

 as figured by Brandt (pi. v. fig. 64) *. After preser- 

 vation in spirit the latter became finely granular in the 

 centre, and were rendered invisible when the preparation 

 was mounted in calcium chloride. 



These gelatinous masses were in vast quantities in the bay, 

 and could not fail, whether Radiolarians or otherwise, to 

 have an important influence on the fauna, especially the 

 pelagic fauna, and thus indirectly on the food of fishes. 

 Hitherto it has been chiefly Eadiolarians with a conspic- 

 uous siliceous capsule that have attracted notice in the 

 alimentary canals of Invertebrates (e. g, in the i^nnelids 

 dredged by the ' Challenger '), and, indeed, the group is 

 only incidentally mentioned in Prof. Ryder's ' Protozoa ' 

 in relation to the food of fishes t- In the present instance 



* " Koloniebildende Radiolarien/' Fauna u. Flora des Golfes von 

 Neapel, xiii. Monographie (1885). 

 t " The Protozoa and Protopliytes considered as the Primary or Indi- 



