170 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



The species is recorded witli more or less description in 1870 by Fischer ; " 

 in 1878 by Brady ;" in 1884 by Brady in the " Challenger Eeport ;"" and 

 in 1893, with a good diagnosis, by Egger ; ^'^ but the next (and last) important 

 lecords are those of Goes, who in 1894 " gives one of his condensed but 

 always satisfactory diagnoses : " Arenaceous, bulimine, oval, or fusiform. 

 Aperture either sutural, an oblique fissure ; or extra-sutural, comma-shaped." 



He figures a series of specimens of the normal form, but he also figures 

 (figs. 262-3), under the name of V. pi/f/muca (? Egger) Brady, the pygmy 

 form to which we have already referred in this paper as an example of 

 nanism or dwarf variation." (Joes was incorrect in his identification of 

 these specimens as V. pygmata, Egger, which is a form of entirely different 

 aspect and construction. In 1896 Goes appears to have recognized his 

 mistake, for he figures the form again from the Pacific Ocean (995 fms.)," 

 and names it V. pusUla, which varietal name for ta.xonomical reasons it is 

 desirable to retain for the dwarf form. Gol'S regarded his V. pusilla as an 

 immature form of Oaudn/iiui scuhrn Brady, to whicli, however, it bears little 

 resemblance. It may be noted that the 1894 figure represents a long, narrow 

 form, and the 1896 figure a broader form 



It should be observed that the normal V. poli/stropha is a remarkably 

 "constant" form, singularly free from the variations and monstrosities 

 which occur under normal circunisLances among other foraminifera. It may 

 also be remarked that thougii the normal test is constructed of minute sand 

 grains, closely and neatly cemented together by means of a deep-brown 

 ferruginous cement, with their flattest sides turned outwards, individuals are 

 far from uncommon which a)>pear to be white or light in colour owing to the 



^^ P. Fischer: "' Fonniiiiifure-M iiiariiih du Departeinent do In Gironde," Actes Soc. 

 Linn. Bordcnux. vol xvii, 1870, p. 3!)3 (in tlie reprint, p. Go}, JS'o 32. 



** H. B. Brady : " Kcticularian . . . Uhizopoda of the North Polar Expedition of 

 1875-6," .\nn. and .Mag. Nat. Hist., .Scr. 5, vol. i, 1878, p. 43<i, fig. 9, a, b, c. 



" H. B. Brady: " Iteport on the .Scientific Results d the Voyage of H.M.S. 

 'ChalloDger' (/oology)," vol. ix, Ixmdon, 1H84, p. 386, PI. xlvi, figs. 15-17. 



^ J. G. Egger: " Furaminiferen aus Meeresgnindproben gelothct . . . von S. M. 

 Sch. • Gazelle ' .\bh. d. K. bayer. Ak. Wias. (Munich)," II CI. vol. xviii, 1893. Pt. IT, 

 p. 280, PI. vii, figs. 17. 18. 



~ A. Goes: '"A Synnjisis of the Arctic and .Scaiidin»%'ian Recent Foraminifera," 

 K. Svensk. Vetcnsk. Ak. Handl. Stockholm, vol. xxv (189^), p. 32, PI. vii, figs. 247-255. 

 • ■ '" Loe. cU. : Goes gives as references for the synonymy of this dwarf form, J. G. 

 Egger: " Die Foraminiferen der Miocan Schichten bei Ortenburg in Nieder Bayem," 

 in Leoohard and Bronn's .Jahrbuch, 1857. p. 284, PI. xii, figs. 10, 11 ; Parker and Jones, 

 1865 (u< supra), and Brady, 1884 (i<< lu/ira), PI. xlvii (misprinted " t. 4. 7."), figs. 4-7. 



".X. Goes: '• Heiwrta on the Dredging 0|>«ratiuns . . . carried on . by the U.S. 

 Steamer ' Albatross,' " Pt. zx, Foraminifera, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard, 

 Cunbridge (L' S A.}, 18!m;. p. 39. I'l. v, tigs. 6-8. 



