748 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Fresh-water Sponges.* — Dr. A. Wicrzcjski found near Lemberg in 

 Givlieia, what appeared to be a new form of fresh-water si^nge, most nearly 

 resembling Spongilla novae terrse, described by Potts from Newfound- 

 land. More accurate examination couvineed him, however, that tho 

 form in question was a deformed Meijcnin (Ej^hi/datid) midleri Lieberk., 

 and lie believes that the same is true of the Newfoundland species. Tho 

 author makes a detailed comparison of the two forms, showing their 

 close resemblance and the reasons for regarding both as abnormal 

 varieties. Ho believes that the conditions atfecting the abnormal 

 development, especially of the gemmules, are environmental. The 

 various forms of EnspoiKjiJla are briefly discussed, and according to 

 Wierzejski are all referable to one species. The paper is mainly of 

 systematic interest. 



New Species of Uruguaya-j — Dr. G. J. Hinde gives an account of 

 two new species of this fresh-water sponge — U. macandrcici and U. 

 pyymsea — from Paraguay, together with notes on U. coralliodes. Dr. 

 Hinde shows that Mr. Carter was wrong in thinking that gemmules were 

 not developed in this genus ; in one species gemmules have not yet been 

 found, and in another they are scarce. These facts may be correlated 

 with the evident conditions of existence to which they are subjected ; 

 their large size results from an uninterrupted growth of several years* 

 duration, so that the specimens must have lived in positions where they 

 were not exposed to those influences of heat, drought, or cold which 

 limit the existence of most fresh-water sponges to a single season. In 

 other words, their conditions of existence must have approximated 

 closely to those of marine forms. The gemmules are only found in tho 

 basal layer of the sponge, and it is probable that they are not produced 

 after the first year. Urugiiaya is probably related to Mcyenia. Dr. 

 Hinde approves of Dr. Marshall's suggestion that fresh-water sponges 

 are of polyphyletic origin. 



Protozoa. 



Vesicular Elements of Protoplasm in Protozoa.:}: — M. J. Kunstler 



remarks that for the last six years he has taught that the protoplasm of 

 certain beings, especially Protozoa, is not the continunus material — 

 sarcode — as some have declared, but that it has a special and constant 

 structure, which, now that his view has become almost classical, he 

 proposes to speak of as areolar and alveolar. This structure is charac- 

 terized by an intimate mixture of denser and more fluid matter, the 

 former forming the closed alveoli which contain the latter. 



In some recent observations on a Foraminifer M. Kunstler observed 

 that, in a young stage, the protoplasm was perforated by fine vacuoles 

 with thick walls and containing a small quantity of fluid ; externally it 

 was covered by a delicate pellicle with oblique strise. In the course of 

 development these small cavities, in the internal region, become altered 

 in appearance; they grow into small vesicles. At the periphery of the 

 body the primitive appearance persists for a longer time, and there thus 

 arises a ditferentiation between endo- and ectoplasm. We arrive at a 

 stage in which we have not to do with a protoplasmic being merely 



• Yerh. K. K. Zool.-Bot. Gesell., xxxiii. (1888) pp. 529-36 (1 pi.)- 

 t Ann. ami Maj?. Nat. Hist., ii. (1888) pp. 1-12 (1 pi.). 

 X Coiiiptos Eemlus, cvi. (1888) pp. 1G84-G. 



