346 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Zool., &c, vo). v., Geneva, 1898, p. 420) : " This species is 

 rather rare in our district, but when we have the fortune to 

 come across a pool which is suitable for it we may be certain 

 of finding it again every year and always in abundance, espe- 

 cially in spring. Unfortunately, the localities where it can 

 be met with are very scarce, and, at the Jonction, the pool 

 whence I used to obtain specimens is now filled up." The pool 

 on Boxmoor Common will soon share, I think, the same fate 

 as M. Weber's pool. 



24. (Ecistes stygis, Gosse. — This seems to be a very rare 

 Kotifer. One solitary specimen is all that I have seen from the 

 numerous water samples taken during three years from a large 

 number of the pools, and from the streams and Canal in the 

 Chess and Gade country. This solitary specimen was obtained 

 from Parsonage Farm Pool, Abbots Langley, on September 6th, 

 1912. It was embedded in a little mass of fine brown fibres, 

 extending up the stem of the Rotifer for about two-thirds of its 

 length. This mass of fibres was, as far as my memory serves 

 me, from a large stone at one corner of the pool, having its 

 submerged parts covered with a thin coating of similar vegetable 

 matter, so that (Ecistes had a very firm support. The specimen 

 itself might be said to have been a nearly straight trumpet, 

 with a magnificent circular and richly ciliated mouth or corona. 

 When extended, the Rotifer swayed slowly about its foot, and its 

 corona turned slowly in various directions, so that the inclina- 

 tion of its plane to the axis of the stem varied. A slight 

 disturbance at once caused it to spring back into its casing, and 

 when the disturbance ceased the Rotifer soon extended itself 

 slowly. 



(To be continued.) 



