TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL MICROSCOPICAL 
SOCIETY OF LONDON. 
On two new Species of the Genus (Ecistes, Class 
Rotifera. By Henry Davis, F.R.M.S. 
(Read December 12th, 1866.) 
The hitherto undescribed species of tuhiculous Rotifera 
which I have to introduce, furnish further proof — if such be 
needed — that the generally accepted classification of these 
animals is unsatisfactory in the extreme. In the present 
instance there would almost seem to be a special arrange- 
ment for the purpose of excluding some interesting creatures 
— possessing in every sense a “local habitation,” hut no 
“ name ” — from enjoying the advantages of acknowledged 
relationship with their greater and more famous compeers. 
Mr. Gosse has recently proposed to subdivide the class in 
a manner not only more natural and less arbitrary than that 
complained of, hut having the further advantage, in its com- 
prehensiveness, of admitting as well-defined species the new 
rotifers in which I am particularly interested. He proposes 
to make a family to be called Melicertadae, and in this he 
would include two genera, Melicerta and Megalotrocha, de- 
grading some of the present genera to form species of Melicerta, 
and others to constitute three species of Megalotrocha. The 
first-named genus would embrace nearly all the solitary 
individuals among the tube-dwellers, and the latter those few 
which are aggregated by the adhesion of their gelatinous 
cases. To the genus Melicerta, as thus constituted, fain 
would I add two species — M. longicornis and M. intermedius ; 
hut unfortunately the admirable arrangement quoted has been 
introduced in so quiet and unobtrusive a manner, in the 
pages of a popular journal, that there is some reason for 
fearing it may not be generally adopted, at least for some 
time ; and this fact determines me to find for the strangers 
the least inconvenient place — possibly a temporary one — with 
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