ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
197 
oxus. In one case ho convinced himself of the presence of two eye-spots, 
which were quite apart from the otoliths. 
New Genus of Synascidians.* — Messrs. Asajiro Oka and A. Willey 
describe a remarkable compound Ascidian from Misaki, Japan, which 
they propose to call Sarcodidemnoidcs misakiense. It is one of the 
Didemnidfe and is allied to Didemnoides. It is characterized by the 
colony forming very thick, lobose masses, laterally composed ; though 
sessile, it is not encrusting. It has a number of knoll-like prominences, 
on the tips of which are placed the excurrent orifices. The ascidiozooids 
are very numerous, but are not arranged in systems ; the complicated 
canal system is differentiated into peripheral and central portions. In 
colour it is brilliantly red. The larvae are large and tailed — a char- 
acteristic of the family. In the superficial region of the test there 
is a thin layer of extremely delicate calcareous spicules ; though they 
vary in form the crenate is the most common ; they are best seen 
in sections which have been mounted unstained. The surface of the 
test consists almost entirely of large bladder-cells which are usually 
rendered polygonal by mutual pressure, but when they contain crystals 
they are invariably perfectly round. The cells below the bladder are 
fusiform in shape. 
New Form of Appendicularian “ Haus. ”f — Mr. G. Swainson describes 
briefly a new form of “ haus,” which was shaped very like a bishop’s 
mitre. He agrees with Prof. Allman in the opinion that the main 
function of this curious structure is to serve as a nidamental covering 
for the ova ; the sac is probably a primitive test, and can bo jerked off 
the Appendicular i a by a vigorous contraction. 
B. Bryozoa. 
Nature of Excretory Processes in Marine Polyzoa.J — Mr. S. F. 
Harmer was led to a study of the physiological meaning of the 
periodic formation of “ brown bodies ” in Ectoproctous Polyzoa, by 
Kowalevsky’s studies on excretion in various Invertebrates. His experi- 
ments with artificial pigments confirm the view that the marine Ecto- 
procta are not provided with definite nephridia, and appear to show 
that the excretory processes are carried on principally by the “ brown 
bodies,” the funicular (connective) tissue, and the free mesoderm cells 
contained in the meshes of the latter. 
On account of their transparency and abundance at Naples, Mr. 
Harmer principally observed Flustra papyrea, Bugula neriiina, and B. 
avicularia. Each was exposed to the action of indigo-carmine, carminate 
of ammonia, and Bismarck-brown, and was placed in sea- water con- 
taining carmine powder in suspension. The colonies were thence 
transferred to pure sea-water. 
One of the author’s most interesting results has been the observation 
of the fact that the tissues of different forms, even of two species of 
the same genus, do not necessarily react in the same way to the action 
of the same pigment ; the taking up of the pigment by particular 
* Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci., xxxiii. (1892) pp. 313-23 (2 pis.), 
f Rep. Brit. Ass., 1891 (1892) pp. 701-2 (1 fig.), 
j Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci., xxxiii. (1891) pp. 123-67 (2 pis.). 
