SCIENCE-GOSSir. 



79 



few friistiilcs of diatoms." This, however, was bm 

 'the surface-layer. Keneath, the contents were of a 

 similar character, hul all bearin(» traces of de-alh and 

 decomposition, the oo/.c sinined gray by dead organic 

 matter, the (ilobigcrinae being almost entirely in a 

 fragmentary condition. The whole was assuming, 

 through pressure, gradually a more and more Com- 

 pacted calcareous mud ; struclureless and in a line 

 slate of sulHlivision. 



Sir Wyville Thomson adds that the upper layer, 

 IjC-sides Glohi);erina, also contained /'iikiiiiila anil 

 Orhuliiui with a relatively small proportion of finely 

 -divided matter, consisting chiefly of coccoliths and 

 rhalxloliths, and a still smaller proportion of the 

 spines and tests of KaJiolitiia anfl fragments of the 

 spicules of spimges. Mixed with these there are 

 u.sually a considerable number of the dead shells of 

 Plerofoda, and living among the ooze, at any rate at 

 moderate depths, we have other foraminifera, together 

 with sponges, corals, starfishes, and higher inverte- 

 brates which, together with a few small fishes, com- 

 plete the faima of this region. 



The following is a description l>y Sir William 

 Thomson in "The Atlantic," of the living Glohi- 

 _geriiia hitlloiJes, a form which, as we have seen, also 

 occurs abundantly in the chalk : — "The shell is clear 

 and transparent, and each of the pores which pene- 

 trate it is surrounded by a raised crest ; the crest round 

 adjacent pores coalescing into a roughly hexagonal 

 network, .so that the pore appears to lie at the bottom 

 of a hexagonal pit. At each angle of this hexagon 

 the cresl gives oft" a delicate flexible calcareous spine, 

 which is .sometimes four or five times the diameter of 

 the shell in length. The spines radiate symmetrically 

 from the direction of the centre of each chamber of 

 the shell, and the sheaves of long transparent needles, 

 crossing one another in different directions, have a 

 very beautiful efl'ect. The smaller inner chambers of 

 the shell are entirely filled with an orange-yellow 

 granidar sarcode, and the large terminal chamber 

 usually contains only a small irregular mas.s. . . . 

 When the living globigerina is examined under favour- 

 able circumstances, the sarcodic contents of the 

 chambers may be seen to extide graduall)' through the 

 pores of the .shell and spread out until it forms a kind 

 of flocculent fringe round the .shell, filling up the 

 spaces among the roots of the spines and rising up a 

 little way along their length." 



Kor the illustrations in the two last articles, I 

 am indebted to Mr. J. II. Baldock and Mr. 11. 

 Murton Holmes, of Croydon. 



(To he 1011/ i lined.) 



Seismic Distitrb.vn-ce in Euroik. — The very 

 ^jmphaticearthshake that occurredthroughout .Southern 

 Italy on July iglh seems to have been connected with 

 volcanic disturbance at Mount Etna in .Sicily. The 

 eruption is described as of a violent and alarming 

 character. The earthquake that produced the most 

 disastrous effects took place shortly alter two o'clock 

 in the afternoon and extended some distance around 

 Krascati, about fifteen miles from Rome. 



i;ki ri.sii I'Kii.siiw .\ I i-,i< miths. 



By Charlks D. Soak, I-.K. M.S. 



(Continued /roiii pa^e 45.) 

 GENUS .ITKACJ/OES KOCH, 1842. 

 'T'lII.S genus at present contains only one recoriled 

 ■*■ species in Britain. Koenike found another in 

 Madagascar in 1898, and named it Alraelides 

 tlioratlus. The.se are I believe the only two species 

 at present known. 



The characteristics of this genus are : - Hody, soft 

 skinned. Epimera in four groups. Claws to all 

 feet. Legs sparingly supplieil with swinnning hairs. 

 The first pair of legs thicker and have modified tarsi. 

 Three di.scs on each side of genital fissure. Kyes wide 

 apart. 



Alraelides spinifies Koch, 1835 — 41. 

 I'EMAl.K. — Body; Oval in shape. Length about 

 0'6o mm. Breadth about 0^48 mm. Colour a pale 



Fic. 2. Fig. 4. Fig. 3. 



Fit:. i.—Atrnctidcs spinipcs. Ventral surf.iCL*. female. 



Fig. j. — T,-irsus of first le^. FiG. 3. — Genital .irca, female. 

 Fig. 4. — Genital area. male. 



straw yellow with dark brown markings on the 



dorsal surface. From dorsal side at first sight it can 



ea.sily be mistaken for one of the genus Hyi^rohates ; 



but the |)eculiar formation of the first paii of legs will 



soon dispel the idea. 



Lei.s. — First pair about o'84 mm., fourth pair 



about I 12 mm. in length. The legs have few hairs, 



such as there are being very short and .stumpy 



(Fig. I). The last segment of the first pair of legs 



