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NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF DUBLIN. 



calyptus, and a cluster of little red resinous drops were entangled in this 

 adhesion. 



The third, and, perhaps, most interesting, Fig. 1. 



structure is the dwelling of 0. Herrichii (Fig. 1), 

 figured by Westwood,* but the plate is not quite 

 in accordance with the present specimen. This 

 case consists of three parts — a pedicle, body, and 

 peristome. In general shape it resembles the 

 capsule of a gigantic moss, with which, indeed, it 

 was at first confounded. The pedicle by which it 

 was suspended is a longitudinally furrowed cord, 

 a little over four lines in length, widening to its 

 distal extremity, and narrow at its basal end, 

 which is firmly and structurally united with the 

 base of the body. Its distal end exhibits a most 

 beautiful and perfect elliptical loop, a line in 

 length, resembling the eye of a large needle, and 

 made of a flat band of interlaced fibres arching 

 over from one lip of the end of the pedicle to the 

 other. The component threads in it are firmer 

 than those of the rest of the soft flexible pedicle, 

 and its use was to support the case. When found 

 it was thrown around a small branch, and thus 

 the case was suspended. This portion of the 

 habitation is extremely unlike the plate given by Mr. Westwood, in 

 which the attachment is represented by a short thick lock of some irre- 

 gular fibres. The body of the dwelling is ovate in outline, greyish white 

 in colour, not ornamented with twigs, like the other species, and about 

 1 lines to 1 Jth inch in length. Its surface is marked by seven prominent 

 ridges, which, by their projection, give its transversely sectional view the 

 appearance of a heptagon with concave sides. These ribs or keels com- 

 mence in the ridges of the pedicle, but extend for about a line or two 

 on the base of the body as soft, prominent lines ; then suddenly be- 

 coming stiff and rigid, they extend as the arcs of large circles as far as 

 the oral extremity, there suddenly stopping. They are of the same 

 composition as the rest of the nest wall, but harder and firmer, without 

 any basis of foreign matter. Under the microscope this wall can be 

 resolved into a dense coriaceous felted stratum of fibres, closely resem- 

 bling those of the former species. The proximal extremity of the body 

 is projected into a slight collar that overlays the base of the oral end or 

 peristome, which is conical in shape, narrowing to a soft point. This 

 wall exhibits from ten to fifteen acute, wavy plications, and ends in a 

 soft fimbriated margin, with four or five teeth surrounding the door of 

 the dwelling. The interior is lined by an extremely delicate but copious 

 downy mass, and into its cavity there is but one passage. The specimen 



* Loc.cifr, Pi. 



Fig. 3. 



