ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 771 



closely to the end of a filament of Oscillaria, and flowed around two of 

 its cells ; after some time the contents of these two cells passed, in the 

 form of two granuLir layers, into the interior of the body of tlie Nuclearia ; 

 the remains of the cell-membrane were seen on the filament. 



In all the cases observed, the Nuclearia attacked the filament from 

 the end ; the cell-membrane was dissolved at the point of junction with 

 the hyaloplasm, and pz*obably under the influence of some secretion of 

 that layer. The undigested remains are got rid of in the form of balls 

 of various sizes and colours. In one case the hyaloi)lasm was seen to 

 send out outgrowths, in the interior of which small granules were 

 inclosed ; tliese outgrowths elongated, got narrower and narrower, and 

 were again drawn in, but the granules remained outside the body of the 

 Nuclearia. 



In conclusion, the author deals with the phenomena of fusion and 

 division ; under certain, but not yet understood, conditions, Nuclearise 

 fuse with one another ; it generally happens when several individuals 

 are collected together ; the individuals that fuse are rarely of the same 

 size, one being generally larger than the other. Division is also to be 

 seen, but only in large individuals which are probably plasmodia formed 

 by repeated fusions. 



Nuclearia is most closely allied to Vampyrella, but the systematic 

 position of these and some allied forms is still uncertain ; Biitschli 

 places them with the Beliozoa; Zopf is doubtful as to the position of 

 Vampyrella; the author thinks they should go with the Myxomycetes. 



Reproduction of Foraminifera.* — M. C. Schlumberger thinks that 

 Mr. Brady's observations on Orbitolites complanafa var. laciniata, which 

 formed the subject of a paper in this Society's Transactions,} prove 

 without doubt that Orbitolites is viviparous, and that the embryos are 

 formed in the chambers of the adult ; to escape they have to injure the 

 parent, but this is of no account, as Oi-hitolites is easily able to repair its 

 " plasmostracum." As to the question of dimorphism, on which MM. 

 Schlumberger and Munier-CLalmas suggested two hypotheses, the 

 observations of Mr. Brady show that the one which explained the dimor- 

 phism by supposing that at a given moment the individual absorbs the 

 rnegalosphere, and replaces it by a new arrangement of more numerous 

 chambers, is the more correct. 



Grassia ranarum.J — Dr. A. Schuberg brings forward evidence to 

 show that Grassia ranarum, with regard to whose position in the 

 systematic arrangement of the Ciliate Infusoria there has been some 

 diflBculty, is not a definite organism at all. Similar appearances to it 

 may be obtained by scraping the mucous membrane of the frog. On this 

 Prof. B. Grassi § makes some remarks in the way of answer. 



* Bull. Soc. Zool France, xiii. (1888) pp. 222-4. 



t This Jourual, 1888, p. 693. 



X Biol. Centialbl., ix. (1889) pp. 284-7. § T. c, pp. 424-5. 



3 H !^ 



