252) NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF DUBLIN. 
I regret to say I have never met with examples showing any 
reproductive or further developmental condition. As I have mentioned, 
no ‘‘nucleus”’ discloses itself to my examination, either in the central 
body or the external vesicles. I can throw no light on the growth of 
the latter, nor how they self-divide or increase in number. It is clear 
they are not vacuoles or cavities in the marginal region of the Rhizopod, 
but distinct (so to speak), independent structures; still, as is seen, 
there must remain a doubt as to whether they could be regarded as 
justly laying claim to the dignity of ‘“cells.” But they seem suffi- 
ciently curious and remarkable. Unlike the true ‘‘ cells” of Cysto- 
phrys (described ante, p. 239), they are not contained within the 
sarcode body, and thus retained 7m situ, but are deposited externally, 
and remain there unless detached by accidental external or internal 
force. Indeed, there appears, as has been mentioned, to exist a very 
narrow, but appreciable (as it were) vacant, interval between these 
outer vesicles and the external surface of the actinophryan body, that 
.is, when an equatorial plane is brought into focus; but the vesicles 
themselves mutually touch, being held together by a very delicate, 
colourless, investing sarcode layer. 
This is the only freshwater Rhizopod that I have seen showing the 
peculiar red colour of the pigment granules which I have tried to de- 
scribe and portray; there are, indeed, rhizopodous forms, or develop- 
mental states of such, of a buff or orange colour, but none exactly like 
the present.* 
This form, whose short diagnostic characters I defer to the end of 
this paper, is by no means uncommon in our heath pools in different 
parts; but it always occurs isolated, never abundantly or in groups. I 
hay eseen it from the south and north of Ireland; but in the county 
Wicklow (Callery and Carrig) it occurs more frequently than in other 
places. I have for some time familiarly called it (for want of another 
appellation) the “red bubble-bearer,” in allusion to its soap-bubble- 
like vesicles; and I have thought, in the choice of a name for the 
genus which it must represent, that it might sufficiently appropriately 
retain the title under the new shape of Pompholyxophrys punicea. 
Gromia socialis, sp. nov. (Pl. X., figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11). 
Passing on from the freshwater Rhizopods of the ‘“ Radiolarian” 
type, which have been the subject of the preceding pages, and in con- 
tinuation of these casual notes of new or little-known forms which I 
have from time to time had the opportunity to meet with, I have now 
to draw attention to one of a different group which is amongst the 
most minute, but one at the same time seemingly very well marked. 
Unlike those which have formed the subject of previous communica- 
* Subsequent to the above lines being written, a Paper by Greef made its appear- 
auce, in which several ‘‘radiolarian’’ freshwater forms with red colouring granules are 
described, to which I again refer in the subsequent part of this paper. 
