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SCIEXCE-G0SS1P. 



advantage of consulting the beautiful drawings in 

 Hudson and Gosse's work on "The Rotifera" I 

 enclose a sketch of the floscule (fig. i). It thrives 

 and breeds freely in captivity, I having kept 

 specimens under observation for several weeks in 

 a glass cell of one inch diameter and one-sixteenth 

 of an inch deep. During this time the individuals 

 have increased and multiplied so freely that I have 

 had as many as forty or more of all ages and sizes 

 in such a cell at one time. I have, I believe, 

 several times observed the male of this floscule, but 

 could not succeed in making a good drawing of it. 

 It is much like the male of F. camfanulata, as 

 figured in Hudson and Gosse (pi. i). 



Fig. 2.— Floscilaria gossei (full-groii-n). 



My friend and late pupil, Mr. Daunou, has found 

 this summer a still rarer floscule, F. gossei (fig. 2), 

 for the identification of which I am indebted to the 

 kindness of Mr. Rousselet, to whom I submitted 

 some specimens, finding no description or figure at 

 all corresponding to it in Hudson and Gosse's 

 "Rotifera." It has been discovered, indeed, since 

 the publication of that epoch-making work, by Mr. 

 Hood, of Dundee, who described it in the " Inter- 

 national Journal of Microscopical Science" in April 

 of last year. 



This floscule is also of large size, some individuals 

 reaching one-twentieth of an inch in height, and 

 appears at first sight to be destitute of lobes. A 

 more careful observation, however, shows it has 

 three, one small dorsal lobe, and two very small 

 ventral lobes, all beset with short hairs It is a 

 ravenous feeder, and will take in a surprising 



number of cclcfs or other infusoria. The finding 

 of this rare rotifer is very creditable to Mr. Daunou, 

 inasmuch as he has been only working at micro- 

 scopic natural history for a year ; and his good 

 fortune should encourage other beginners to 

 persevere, in the hope of adding something new or 

 rare to our microscopic fauna. As the F. trilobata 

 especially favours the Utricularia, so F. gossei 

 usually seems to select the stem and leaves of 

 Hottonia for its habitat. 



Among other fioscules found here are 

 cornuta, coronetta, algicola, camfanulata and ambigua. 

 I have not yet met with F. cydcps, but I do not 

 despair of doing so, as this floscule was first found 

 by Mr. Cubitt in another tributary of the Stour, 

 Xorthbourne Brook, between Eastry and Deal. 

 Moreover, I have found at Minster, this summer, 

 the very rare rotifer Limnias anmdatus, which was 

 discovered in that brook at Xorthbourne, by 

 Mr. Cubitt. in 189 1 . This limnias differs in a remark- 

 able way from the common form, L. cerate fhylli, 

 in having a transparent tube transversely ringed 

 throughout. Mr. Rousselet informs me that he finds 

 this limnias in the Botanic Gardens in London. Dr. 

 Hudson had only seen it once, and speaks of it as 

 rare. I have found it here mostly on Fontinalis 

 antipyretica, and other submerged mosses, and it 

 flourishes well in my aquarium. Melicerta tubicolaria 

 is another somewhat rare rotifer which is tolerably 

 abundant here on the stems and branches of 

 Utricularia, Callitriche, Ranunculus aquatilis, etc. It 

 thrives under domestication, and forms large 

 colonies in my aquarium. Three or four years ago 

 I sent some beautiful clusters of this melicerta to 

 Dr. Hudson, who had never seen them in such 

 closely -packed colonies before. 



Besides the various tubicolous rotifers above 

 mentioned, many more or less rare ones are met 

 with, roving freely among the leaves of the various 

 water-plants enumerated. One very frequent is 

 Philodina megalotrocha. This pretty little rotifer 

 forms colonies, and is usually seen in parties of 

 several, of various ages, with eggs and young. It 

 is very abundant in my aquarium, and a numerous 

 colony is usually found clustered around the upper 

 part of the ccencecium of Lophopus crystallinus, a 

 polyzoon which flourishes exceedingly well with 

 me. Even when newly hatched from the stato- 

 blast the young polypides are infested with these 

 little rotifers in all stages of development and 

 growth. (See fig. 3.) The reason of this curious 

 instance of ccmmensalism is not far to seek. A group 

 of Lophopus, consisting of from six to twelve, or 

 more, individuals, will, by their powerful ciliary 

 action, produce a strong vortex, into which large 

 supplies of food are drawn from the surrounding 

 water, consisting of minute forms of animal and 

 plant life, a circumstance of which the sagacious 

 little rotifer avails itself to pitch its habitation and 



