588 DR. W, A. CUNNTNGTON ON THE 



district from which tliey come is some 200 kilometres or more 

 east of the lake, and that they show East African rather than 

 Tanganyikan affinities. 



The fast of the forms enumerated — Fotamolepis tvelbieri — was 

 established by Moore (137, p. 323), and regarded by him as peculiar 

 to Tanganyika. Moore explains that a small specimen of this 

 sponge was dredged in the lake from great depths during his 

 second expedition *. It has never been adequately examined and 

 described, but Weltner expressed the opinion that it was a 

 distinct species, with a framework very similar to that of 82^071- 

 gilla hohmii. It was accordingly given the specific name iceliiieri 

 and placed provisionally in the genus Fotamolepis. Kirkpatrick, 

 who has also examined some of the material, expresses the view 

 that these two species may possibly be synonymous (105, p. 222). 

 It is perhaps well to leave the matter sub judice, particularly as no 

 further supply of material has been forthcoming to aid in deciding 

 this point. Moore's comparison of the spicules of this sponge 

 with those of the genus Reniera (which he misquotes ^' Renieria") 

 does not strengthen his case. Instead of being "the old fossil 

 genus " {loc. cit. pp. 331 : 354) it would be more accurately de- 

 scribed as the recent marine and brackish-Avater genus— although 

 fossil i-epresentatives also exist in the tertiary strata. In con- 

 clusion it may be stated that despite the suggested resemblance of 

 the spicules of Potamolepis welineri to those of Reniei-a, the 

 sponge fauna of Tanganyika consists essentially of fresh-water 

 and not marine types, although the forms inhabiting the lake are 

 peculiar to its waters. 



Protozoa. 



It is to be regretted that the Protozoa of Tanganyika have not 

 yet been investigated. There are, it is true, a few species to 

 record, but these" are principally forms belonging to the Phyto- 

 flagellata, which are enumerated in the report on the Algse of my 

 expedition (200). This is the more unfortunate, since a good deal 

 of information on this group is forthcoming respecting Victoria 

 jSTyanza and Nyasa, although much is probably unknown. There 

 is no reason to suppose that such a marked disproportion really 

 exists between the Protozoan fauna of Tanganyika and those of 

 the two other big lakes; indeed, the evidence afforded by many 

 groups of animals suggests that Tanganyika is likely to lead the 

 way with a larger and more unusual assemblage of species. An 

 examination by a pi'otozoologist of the extensive series of tow- 

 nettings and other suitable material which I brought from the 

 la.ke should go some way towards determining this point, and it 

 is to be hoped that this will be carried out in the near future. 

 From Albert Nyanza there are a few forms recorded among the 



* It ma3' be mentioned in this connection that the species obtained by Moore's 

 first expedition were, throngh some misunderstanding-, said by Evans to have come 

 from a depth of 350 fathoms (82, p. 471). Moore liimself states (127, p. 405) that 

 on this expedition 1200 feet (200 fathoms) was the greatest depth at which be was 

 able to dredge. These sponges are not in reality deep-water forms, for, during the 

 third expedition, I found them living in quite dialiow water at the lake margin 



