186 MISCELLANEA. 



for the beautiful specimen of Ahyonella, which reached me quite 

 safely; to me a most interesting addition to the local fauna."* 



The specimens retained continued to exist with me for a few 

 weeks in a small aquarium then naturally died, the polyparise 

 becoming infested with a mixed and innumerable population of 

 Annelids, Monads and Bacteria, while the surface of the water 

 and margin of containing vessel became covered with statoblasts ; 

 these were suffered to remain undisturbed over winter. In the 

 following June many of these resting eggs opened as bivalves, 

 and the young Polyzoons appeared with exserted tentacles while 

 still attached to the shells ; the endless ciliary action and con- 

 stant play of the floral like crown, together with its translucence 

 and consequent visibility of structure, renders this creature a 

 most charming and instructive object. 



A second habitat was detected in the summer of 1881 by Mr. 

 J. S. B. Bell, on the south wall of a cattle pond near to Fenham 

 Gates on the Nuns Moor. Notwithstanding that the water is 

 usually rendered turbid and muddy by the trampling of cattle, 

 the organism was developed in profusion, the wall being literally 

 plastered with it. The thickness of the mass showed that the 

 new Polyparies were formed upon the debris of the old ones; 

 when last examined it still remained vigorous and abundant. 



Paludieella procumhens. — This rare Polyzoon, figured and de- 

 scribed for the first time by the late Mr. Albany Hancock in the 

 first Yol. of this Society's " Transactions," was obtained from its 

 old habitat in Broomley Lough in 1878, as described, on the under 

 side of stones ; there is, however, considerable difficulty in find- 

 ing it. 



Hydra. — I noticed upon an aquatic plant, gathered from a pool 

 in Jesmond Dene, several examples of a beautiful pearly white 

 Hydra, side by side with the ordinary JI. viridis. Although it 

 may have been a mere variety of the latter, the contour was dif- 

 ferent and the size larger. I left some of the specimens, together 

 with another which appeared upon some Chora taken from Broom- 

 ley Lough, at the Museum of the Natural History Society. 

 There was no difficulty in identifying the last as the variety 



* See Note, p. 189, infra 



