470 SUMMARY OK CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



zoosporfb of alizro. Ou the other liand, certain forms whicli it is 

 impcissible to separate from the rest have characters which are essen- 

 tially animal. Noctilucce absorb living prey [as do carnivorous 

 plants], others having nrticating organs, eyes, a myophanons layer, 

 and so ou. Tliorght till lately to multiply only by fission, they aro 

 now known to form cysts or to pass into a fixed stage, in which they 

 live parasitically on animals. It is to be borne in mind that we do 

 not yet know the whole life-cycle of any one form. 



Tintinnodea* — Prof. G. Entz points out that Fol's recent publi- 

 cations of 1883 on this family are in accord with the views put 

 forward in his (Entz's) criticism of 1884 on Fol's earlier works on the 

 same subject, the later contributions of Fol having been unknown to 

 him. As regards the peristome, Entz still agrees with Stein and dis- 

 agrees with Fol. 



Variability and Mode of Reproduction of Ceratium hirundi- 

 nella.f — Prof. H. Blanc describes at length the variations that Cera- 

 tium Idrundinella O. F. Miiller undergoes, and affirms that in all 

 cases reproduction is efibcted by fission, the nucleolus dividing first, 

 then the nucleus and afterwards the whole animal. The author also 

 shows that C. reticulatum Imhof is but a phase in the cycle of varia- 

 bility of C. hirundiuella Miill. 



New Infusoria.^ — Dr- D- S. Kellicott gives the chief results of 

 his study during the previous year of American Infusoria, enumerates 

 the species he has succeeded in identifying, and describes the follow- 

 ing new species: — Sci/phidia ovata n. sp. difi'ers from ^S^. tnclinans in 

 form, in being of much smaller size, and in taking a nearly globular 

 form when contracted ; it differs from S. fromentellii in being much 

 smaller, in the character of the ectoi^lasm, in wanting the longitudinal 

 plications on the attenuate posterior part of the body and smooth 

 surface above. Ejjislylis fugitans n. sp. appears to possess characters 

 in common with both E. pijrifurmis and E. tuhijicis of D'Udekem ; but 

 it is much smaller than either and its surface is coarsely striate. O/ier- 

 cularia elongata n. sp. should be compared with 0. steiitorium and 0. 

 ctjUndrata, from both of which it differs, whilst being of the same size 

 as the former. 0. rugosa n. sp. is quite distinct in the characters of 

 the zooid and pedicle, as well as in the position of the zooids clustered 

 at the summit of the branches. Pyxicola striata n. sp. is considered 

 new mainly because the lorica is auterioidy so clearly striate and the 

 posterior termination of the lorica peculiar. Stylohedra lenticida n. g. 

 et sp. ; " the single specimen for which the genus is founded might 

 have been referred to Lagenopkrys by simply emending its formula ; 

 it is, however, structurally distinct from that genus." 



New 'Vorticella.§ — Dr. A. C. Stokes describes a new Vorticella 

 (V. rhahdophora) obtained from a vessel of water containing some 

 dead leaves. Its princijDal characteristic is that the body is clothed by 



* Zool. Anzeig., viii. (1885) pp. l(;3-4. 



t Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat., xx. (1885) pp. 305-15 (1 pi.). 

 J Proc. Amer. Soc. Micr. 7th Ann. Meet., 1884, pp. 110-24 (1 pi.). 

 § The Microscope, v. (1885) pp. 34-6 (2 figs.). 



