394 Bibliographical Notices. 



pi. 19. fig. 7, which differs from all others of its family in every in- 

 dividual being distinct of itself. It is the cell of a Vesicularia with- 

 out the composite character produced by a connecting stem or tube ; 

 and the single ovate cell is simply supported on a short pedicle about 

 half its length. The polype has the usual structure of the ascidians, 

 and is furnished with twenty tentacula. The specimens were found 

 on the envelope of an ascidia. 



Crisia eburnea occupies rather uselessly a large portion of plate 19 ; 

 and two plates are devoted to Coryna glandulosa, the plate 22 repre- 

 senting a specimen with a very peculiar aspect, in which it is diffi- 

 cult to trace the characters of the species. 



" Calcareous Zoophytes" are embraced in Chapter 5. The spe- 

 cies noticed with more or less detail are Flustra membranacea, Le- 

 pralia pustulosa, edentata, punctata, nitida, lineata, margarita, spinosa, 

 trispinosa and squama, Cellepora cingens, pumicosa, ramulosa and iris, 

 Membranipora pilosa and Tubipora serpens. Several of these names 

 are new to the British zoologist, but whether they designate new 

 species is somewhat uncertain, for Sir John Dalyell never uses a 

 specific character, which, in our opinion, every new species ought to 

 have, and that neatly and curtly defined so as only to embrace its 

 own peculiarities. The lengthy characters now so much in use are 

 comparatively useless, and bespeak feebleness in the authors of them. 

 Lepralia pustulosa seems new, and is characterized by a circle of 

 minute tubercles around the base of each cell which is raised with 

 a plain circular aperture ; of X. edentata we can say nothing ; Sir 

 John's L. punctata is the L. variolosa, Johnst., nor are we satisfied 

 that his L. lineata is distinct from it. Lep. margarita embraces more 

 than one species, one of them being apparently L. ciliata, or perhaps 

 the ovarian capsules only of a species whose cells have been obli- 

 terated. Lep. spinosa is Lep. immersa, Johnst. ; but neither the de- 

 scription nor figure enables us to characterize the Lep. squama. Cel- 

 lepora cingens is new to us ; but the C. iris seems to be nothing but 

 a small specimen of C. Skenei, Flem. 



Chapter 6 is the most interesting in the volume. It embraces the 

 " Lunate ascidian zoophytes — Cristatella, Alcyonella, Plumatella," 

 which are beautifully illustrated and admirably described. The 

 figures of the Cristatella have really surprised us, and exhibit an 

 animal curious beyond imaginative creations. We shall seek for it 

 carefully to satisfy the curiosity which Sir John has raised by his 

 pen and pencil. " Among the zoophytes of the fresh waters of Scot- 

 land," says our author, " this is perhaps the most remarkable of all. 

 The features by which it is distinguished belong to none of the rest, 

 nor, it may be, to any other known animal of the universe." (p. 89.) 

 The history of it is very complete, but it must be read as a whole to 

 be properly appreciated. 



Equally complete and interesting is the history of the Alcyonella, 

 but we are not aware that any of the facts are unknown to natu- 

 ralists. Two plates are appropriated to its illustration ; and Sir John 

 attempts to define two species of the genus — the A. stagnorum and 

 A. gelatinosa, and a nameless third one is indicated. The author 



