458 EVENINGS AT THE MIOEOSCOPE. 



the Monads in incalculable multitudes, but for the 

 most part in still repose. Some were still moving to 

 and fro, however, and, in the course of the day, most 

 of them became again active. As soon as the Oolepes 

 had forsaken their prey, the Monads began to gather 

 around it, cleaving to the same parts, and apparently 

 imbibing the juices ; for the extruded parts still slowly 

 decreased, until at length thesewere reduced to about 

 one-third of their original dimensions. 



A close examination of these latter, when they had 

 settled to rest, showed me that they were of the species 

 Chilomonas paramceeiuTn. There is an indentation on 

 one side of the front, where the mouth is situated ; 

 here there is a ciliary action ; the projecting part, 

 called the lip, is said to be furnished with two slender 

 flexible proboscides ; but my power was not siifficient 

 to discern any trace of these. A sort of a ridge, or 

 keel, runs down the length of the body, perceptible by 

 a slight line ; numbers of stomach cells also are per- 

 ceptible. The motion of these lip-monads was not 

 very rapid when unexcited ; it is performed by a sort 

 of lateral half-roll, the two sides alternately being 

 turned up, like a boat broadside to a swell, and the 

 line of progression is undulating. 



And now having pretty well exhausted the con- 

 tents of this live-box, let us try a dip from this other 

 phial from another locality, equally productive, if I am 

 not mistaken. Yes ; for, to begin, the stalks of Nitella 

 here are fringed with populous colonies of the most 

 attractive of all the Infusoria, the beautiful VorticeUce. 

 The species is not the common bell-shaped one, but 

 the smaller with pursed mouth, the little V. micros- 

 toma. 



