48 



BRITISH FRESHWATER HELIOZOA. 



Habitat. — Lakes and moorland pools ; rare. 



Distribution. — England. — "Windermere, Cumberland 

 (Broivn). 



Ireland. — Gallery and Carrig; Wicklow {Archer). 



The most striking feature in the appearance of this 

 species is the large golden yellow oil-like globule 

 enclosed in the plasma, which may attain a diameter 



Fig. 189. — Elieorlmnis oculea. (After Penard.) 



equal to about three-quarters that of the body ; occa- 

 sionally it is replaced by two or three smaller ones, 

 but in one form or the other it is always present and 

 doubtless plays a necessary part in the vital economy 

 of the animal. 



No food particles have been recorded as present in 

 the plasma so that nutrition is apparently saprophytic. 



The body of the animal floats freely in the interior 

 of the outer envelope, its position being controlled 



