266 
Charakters umstiirzen wird; denn die Fundamente scbeinen mir 
durch die innigsten Beziekungen zur Phylogenese als sichere er- 
wiesen“. I, on the contrary, take the liberty to express the collegial 
wish that the considerations and studies contained in this paper 
may help Dr. Schneider to cliange bis view about the systematic 
significance of the colonial characters. — 
Professor Kristine Bonnevie who has published se veral 
papers on Norwegian and North- Atlantic Hydroids, among which is the 
report on the Hydroids from the Norwegian Nofth-Atlantic Expedition, 
quite agrees with Schneider in his systematic view, and in the 
last named work says about the systematic arrangement proposed 
by the present author 1 ): “I 11 this family as in Campanulinidcie 
Le vin sen has niade a division of genera based upon the nature 
of the lid of the hydrotheca. But the remark that I made 
previously is also applicable here, namely, that the nature of the 
lid and of the margin of the hydrotheca, are very good specific 
distinguishing features, but that in basing a system upon these 
characters we ascribe to them too much importance.” Though the 
author thus acknowledges the diversities found in the opercular 
apparatus at least as very good specific characters she does not 
mention the structure of the operculum in any of the species 
named in her work, not even in the new species described by her. 
While Bonnevie gives to each species the name of the 
group to which it is referred, another follower of Schneider’s 
system, Mr. H. B. Torrey 2 ) does not think it neeessary, and, 
bésides, as far as I understand him, thinks it an advantage not to 
do so. He expresses kimself as follows: „Anyone who has had 
occasion to work among the Sertulariidae wilL admire the masterly 
way in which Nu t tin g has dealt with the perplexing questions of 
classification in that family. I am not yet prepared, however, to 
abandon Sckneider’s plan of segregating the species into typical 
groups which shall tåke the places of genera. These groups do 
D 12, p. 76. 
2 ) 58, p. 21. 
