A RoUfetr .New to Britain. 49 amination it will be seen that along the slender maxillary pro­ jection there exists on each side a row of minute .teeth which, on a small scale, bear no distant resemblanoe to the lateraJ teeth on the snout of the saw-fish, and which are very thioldty projecting along the border on each side, with their pomisl .directed a little downward. . 'The ordinary length of this fish is' about a foot, but not un .... frequently it is seen a few inches Longer; the shape Inclined' to round neartheh:~;ad,more compressed a,long the body; and: t,apering toWlZJtr'~Bi .... the .' tlil.The.haadflatie:neid.above, the jaws pro~~~ld,.. ~her 'li;~lWthe most slender. SQ~~iS!,1I3~~~;:i"m :111~·.•geD.eral oolour ~, ,i" ..• ,•.. ~. blne.! ~~.~ ;, ··Iloslril'." :~~~;~e!,.. ~'~Q,'~! 'i.basle, .p()~teid, ,arl>o'VTe ; .dorS1al. iani"~81 )~ ~~y opposite, ,&nu ~ behind them ~-r" ii.nl~ts &1>,ove .. anClthe ,sftrmenumb,erbielow; but I have seensix and. even sevenfinlets aboveandbelow.,Oentral finssmallil~' tail forked. There isa row of minute blnedots along the border of the first gill-cover, seventeen in number, which appear to be: the orifices of mucous-glands.

.A ·RO'TIFER NEW,TO BRITAIN-(CEPHALOSIPHON LIMNIAS).

BY PHILIP HENRY GOSSE, F.R.S. IN the admirable new editionof Pritchard's. "Infusoria" (p.670), Professor Williamson has included in the' family Flo8culfurirea, between the genera Limnias and Laeinularia, a genus named Oepnalosiphon, with the followinghrief characters :,.,..." Rotary organ, bilobed; eyes two; sh~ath single; two froritalhorns, ~:Jl ·~~~,the siphon." One sole species is mentioned, thus ~~~~~tiz~d :~C'I O. lirnnias. .Sheath membranous, annulate, ./~ ~Rotifer, with a very long This IS shown by the pceition of the cloacal orificewith respect antennal prgcess. He considered it to be LinlJnias ceratophylli, to the ~oot, as seen in Fig. 6. Immediatelfbehind the disk are but noticed the discrepancy between the form of the trochal two minute lateral horn-like points, which project from the disk in my figure ofthat species in ((Evenings at the Microscope," h?~d, and o~rve towards each other. These are sometimes and that of his animal. Having intimated to this gentleman VISIble both ill a fro~tal and a lateral view, and with the disk my suspicions. that the creat~e was neither L~nicM, nor any close~ or ~pe~ (s~e Fig~. .A. and B), but at other times the closest other with which I was acquainted, he was so kind as to send scru?n;yf~lls ill disceming them (Fig. c). Behind these, in the medl~n line, there IS an organ which is never concealed: it is me from time to time a number of specimens, all found in ~hich eonsidei'able abundance studding the stems and leaves of Ana. the. smgle antenna, stands up perpendicularly from the "harts alsinast1"'/.uJn-a pond-weed which, Mr. Slack tells me, is OOOlPUP to a great heIght (being almost half as l0ng as the body, ~:x:cluslveof th~foot), and generally arches over the front; but fast displacing all other sub-aquatic vegetation in the waters ~sca:pable about the north of London. The examination of the specimens of VIgorous and sudden movements to and fro and ;frpmside to side. It is evidently tubular throughout· either a thus transmitted, has confirmed the suspicion of its novelty to ~e us, and has convincedme of its identity with the Berlin genus sim:ple tube with thick walls; or else, if the walls thin Oephalosiphon, and probably with the species O. limnias. This farnished with .a slender piston which runs through its length. B~ analo~, this org:an ought to carry a pencil of divergin identification I shall, at least for the present, assume. bristles at ItS extremity] and Mr. Slack has so figured it. an~ ',The animal manifests a very close affinity with GJJcistes, has, moreover, mentioned in a private letter to me that he has Li'mnias, and Melicm·taj in the form of its petaloid disk coming again detected these hairs of unwonted length. On the other between the last-named two; for the outline of this organ (see hand, ~ .have utt.erly: failed to detect the slightest trace of hairs Fig. .A.) may be described as two-lobed, with each of the lateral or of Olliar~ motion m the antenna of one which I watchedmost lobes having a tendency to divide into two; the entire form carefully :mth powers of 600 and 800 diameters, aided by an having a striking resemblance to the expanded wings of a achromatic condenser; though the animal was in vigorous butterfly, such as .our little Orange-tip, for example.. In the c0J?-ditio~, and threw about its tube most waywardly. I did antenna, distinctness from each of the genera named is mani­ d~te~t slgns of what seemed to be both inspiration and ex­ fested, for while Melicerta has two ratherlong antennas, Limmiae piration through the tube; for an atom of extraneous substance two reduced to mere bristles, and GJJcistes none at all, our Gepha­ that by accident was adhering to the tip was now and then losiphon displays a single one, of extraordinary length and suddenly drawn into the open mouth of th~ tube, and presently versatile power. Like Melicerta and Limnias it shows no visible as suddenly blown out. The appearance certainly' favoured constriction or neck below the disk, whereas in GJJcistes this is Ehrenber~'s notion o.f this organ being a respiratory tube. a conspicuous feature. . Thedlsk .when WIt~drawn forms a sort of pimple or mam­ The animal inhabits a case slightly trumpet-shaped, generally mIlIary prommence, WIth a pursed aperture, seated on the front of great length and slenderness, compared with those of its .?f'the head. In this con~ition,. an~ with.this e:;weption, the allies, standing erect on the pond-weed. It is irregular and geJte~~ form of the.trUl;.kls cylindrical,.WIth a slight swellon floccose in outline, very opaque, and of a deep bistre or umber thc~~orsal as:pect~ and WIth the upper end rounded to the base brown by transmitted light, but of a much lighter hue, cedar­ oftheantehna, and the hwerto a closely-and stronglywrinlded brown, by -reflected light. It is composed doubtless of an foot (Fig..A), of whicb.,however,I have been able to see only e:l>:cretiQ:nfrom the skin as the foundation layer, thickened and the ex~reme upper ppdion, at a moment of unwonted extension. opacified' by the addition of the dark material, which I con­ If, as IS no doubt. the. fact, the lower extremipy of the animal jecture to be the frecalpellets succeasively dischargeHENRY JAMES SLAOK, F.G.S. sphericles, each with a dim nucleus. The nervous system shows a comparatively large brain, MR. GOSSE, in transmitting the observations in the preceding seated as a defined gray Cloudy mass of irregularly lobed form, paper, invited me to add any remarks, especially upon the immediately belowthe antenna, and behind the discal mammilla great discrepancy between his sketch and that which I pub­ (Fig. 0). 'The structure that permeates the antenna, whether lished in the ((Marvels of Pond Life," to which he has alluded. tube or nervous thread, expands upon, and is lost in, this brain­ However plainly a particular appearance might be presented mass j and on its side I saw, with great distinctness, in one to my view, I should hesitate in adhering' to ,its correctness in specimen,a bright crimsoneye-speck. I could not, by fooussing, opposition to so able an observer, if our oppottrmitieshad been get a' glimpse of the eye on the opposite side, perhaps from the equal, but in this case I have had the advantag~()fta:peated.all.d opacity or the unequal refrangibility of the intervening tissues; prolonged observations; while Mr. Gosse, evenin~~am.stal1oa of but the position of this one implied that it was one of a pair. the ((single individual," does not seem to haV'e\~~.an thadisk In no other specimen could I find a trace of eyes, naturally expanded at all, and I conjecture hill;'yl!'lwof it must I have not been able to see any muscular bands or threads. have been taken under some peculiar circumstMlcas-perhaps The Cephalosiphon. is very lively and active in its motions. of compression-which disguised its real form'. \1 first dis~ It is v.ery ready to )?rotrude from its case; .and not at all prone covered the creature--which I cannotreconoile.i,Vith the de. to retire upon ordinary alarms, such as a Jar upon the instru­ ~p~iption. given in .Pritchard of theDeJihalosiphq'tfFinOctober, fll~nt, that. woul~ send the F,losctbla1'ia .01' the Stephanoceros into l§§O'fJ,ll~:tr0:rnasi.ngle specimen ga~e anfliccouD,tof it, whioh 'It~retreat In an m~~,;nt. It IS very curlO~s to see it protruding; '~ ..~..e•. fOJ11ldin the Marvels of Pond Life. ."Upon receiving t~EJI011~ ante~na l~v,~rst thrus~ out, and Jerked to and fro, as a . from iMr. .~ossea note. e:;pressing his belief that the thing :f'e~xp~orm~ tH~.surroun~ng water for safety.. This being might be a Oephalosiphon,. although it was certainly not a a con~Ider~ple po~tlOn of the body projects, with a young IMnrl/tas, I endeo,voured to obtain fresh specimens; but did not succeed till November, 1861, during which month I w8ip~.~h~n, Its.bo,!ings and turnings, seems to PY sent a good many to him aa Torquay. Some of them reached t!''l>',. In Its investigafions j presently, a good piece that place alive, but from some cause (perhaps not likingt:he ..••• ..~Y.~oUl~s 01+t, until at last we see the commence­ m~ntof ~nkledJoot' jerkill~ air) not one expanded her disk as in Oamden Town. Asth13• .' e itselfI. the and feeling still weed was abundant, and the creatures plentiful, in the,H . gOJ.Jag, on. Pe~~ lJ,avenotb!'lenfo:tnnat!'l llllllY specimens; stead pond, I SaW no occasion to be in a hurry, andd~() ~JUt 1 have not . "'ii~heopenln~ of .the disk in any Instance; and the an appears chary of e-x:.posing its fn.cial not to call the attention ·of other naturalists to them up:ti NotesO'fb the Preceding Paper. !1l(l;i~_~!:~.;![II"!!'J~.~8rJiJ~1f piJIper. f 'Go.al'liad. oompleteil his researches. Unfortunately, in the lii.pe'.~d:I.( earIJp!ari of'D!eoemlter the pond. was cleared out, a~d I cou~d Pond r:Jt " tobles;oorre6i, l1boadlil~til although I the at, 1'f6JED10eptional than I :the. with 'greatdifficnlti find a few bits of the AnaChaJr1J8J and still fewer live specimens. I however sent some to Professor ;[nthat positioo,'cmmot be seen d \,ctlr> ~ observer looks ,t1orwn··.'OO .the open disk as he would WilliamsonJ of Manchester, to whose labours the lastedition of m.'. Pritchard is so highly indebted. tea-cup, heJil iis mQ;uthslanting bowanls .him. The foo)!a!' It will be most convenient if I comment on Mr. Gosse's ~ppears S1!lTOnn~ byellia, and .~.~. one ~.of the rim. This ·e of things is!:notoommon, but I have·idis- tinctly's:een it\sm0~;,and it will ble understood, on referring to! ~. ~, l\T}B,~ents aftexOO,ii·~ hut very 0011. v~ ~ . Qf~. In that .. ,etea ..the p~ '\.~ i~hown~ t~e~ '. ' bie, i DB varias.insllape, aucfl !()tion. When I'· is l)~iisi(Jis'is carried witbim ~e Imsisaw it, and8lSmy wifedeJinooted it. _ 'nilattitinde.of the animal before the disk i:s opened is like Mr. Gosse's Fig.e, the eye how­ ever being seldom. visible. When the expansion occurs, the amount of protrusion of the body, and the angle at which it is bent, vary indefinitely. Perhaps the commonest position is for the body to be nearly upright, with the upper part bent .. at an angle like the handle of a walking-stick. " The cilia\ are very long; they vi?~~tethroll~h their entire length, and often exlllhl't a row ·a! retreating and a row. of salient. Ctlrr€s•...,. In Fig. 1, the body isnnusuaUy protrtldecl~;he jection .above the, tube, on: the left, h anus. In this sketch the disk iscir tinuous, except imme~a~ly: in front dE boseis, where· a ;depress]

~ari., by 'Mr~ Gosse, but I FIG. 1. l:Sr]"leng-tn, slightly twisted and strarig:el:fhen'f; fllt th.eti0p O:!lon~ side. In some specimens, th~ y probably young, they .are transparent. enough t? allow be0[t'Q.. ller in.Which.t.he occur. Aft.·er 8Jt.t'entively.. \Z!eE.s(i)f the animals in an expanded st&te. I animal to be -seen all the way to the bottom, and ill that state g.to justify the idea of the disk being are so flexible as to move about as it moves. What share thE) fsecal pellets may have in colouring the tubes I do n.ot kJ1~ l!it,Q further ,division, and having & but, with one exception, the darkest food I have seen m heal ~~81Dldle!d wing's of·as bntteri'iy." ~;e:le,~lisia4ten"from individuals has been of a very pale yellow-brown, very m "the'" MfJlrVfJ18 of lighter than the flocculent adhesions. 56 Notes on the Preceding Paper.

, In one individual I observed two rather large oval eggs in great valne to therese~Qlj:Ent·6fMr. Gosse, I should add, that like tube and another adhering to the outside of the tube at the very Btrikingrings mtha foot of that gentlexnan's central the top: These were. watched for s!3veral days in succession. figure, have not been 'exhibited by any~ specimens under my One morning the outside egg had disappeared, and could not notice. My taking this creature for a yoUng Limnias clJIJ'ato­ be traced. The animal did not live long enough for the develop- phylli arose from a general similarity of structure, and from I) ment of the two others to be witnessed. , remark in Pritchard that the rotary disk of that animal waa 'o~ ~~e The disk may require. some bending body to open circular in a juvenile specimen. I have usually found flosculea it but it is retained open ill all sorts of positions. I have seen (ornata, cormtta,and campatnulata) on the sameweed with the the horn-like points which Mr. Gosse describes, but I am at a new rotifer, aad likewise StephanOCIJIJ'08 :JilichO'rrlliJi. loss to tell what becomes of them when the creature moves, as, if a glimpse is caught of them one mom~nt, theyus:ually disappear the next. I think the antenna has a piston to whichthe seice are attached' and which carries them up and down at the will of the creature: On learning that Mr. Gosse had failed to see these bristles (setca), I invited a microscopic friend! and we. examined . four specimens. In three they were .C~:mSPlCUOUS with careful illumination and a power of 180, and ill one not. They were ANOIENT AND MODERN FINGER-RINGS. also seen by Professor Williamson, at Manchester. Itis evident theywere not everted at Torquay, or they could not have escape.d BY H. NOEL HUMPHREYS. so admirable a microscopist as Mr. Gosse, and one of my speCl­ mens-did not exhibit them during many examinations. The pro­ OUR modern finger-rings have lost all characteriatic meaning in b9!:!cis is very flexible, and in one instanc~ my wife ~aw it bent their general form or details. The delicate allusion, the poetio like the forefinger when half closed. Mywife also noticed an ap­ sentiment) the playful conceit conveyed by the graoeful for:tns ,of parent connection between the inner tubes of the proboscis, and interwoven flowers, or other objects) have disappeared.T1l.'a a fine line running round the margin of the disk; which would effect and meaning of the conjunction of. various met~sl be consistent with the theory of its being a respiratory organ as device is a lost art; and the poeticmea.ning' oncea,t~a well as a feeler. Upon the minute anatomy of the creature gems is ?' for~otten branc~ ~f ele~ant By:rn~o.lry ..•••• In. I can add nothing to Mr. Gosse's valuable observations, except race of mgemous and artIStiC artificers, ",ho deVlB~d that the form of, the gizzard was one reason why I at first. con­ site jewels of the 15th and 16th centnr1es,h~e~o sidered it a Li1nJ)~ias. J representatives. ,. ' ' ,, ,." ,./,,>" »Cj;'f My specimens have usually been very free in exposing their So completely IS the art of rm.g~Jew~£orgotten, Phat1y IS disks, much less easily frightened than the Melicerta, and if how sought to give a poetioselltiment'toliheverydefects wlii<>h made to shut up and retract by striking the table, willing to rn;ffi!k~e' degrad.ati?1J....of th~~;ev.e]],~the ~wro~gh~~a try their fortune again in a few seconds. Once, however, I had m:rrn~aiDmgweddiU~rl~gof?u:~l!ryf~befJI1!lty 18 sought m Its a highly nervous lady to deal with, and even a loud noise in ailJsolutte want, 6f; ltotari!atiofefJI'tu:t'es whatever, by calling the street, or slamming a door in the next house, made her it,Wlth a sElnmm:entalitiliction,th~plaing6Id ring. .. retire in alarm. 'I'he same effect was produced by the strildng BElfota,hoWevel':;<[a;~~tI:lPt ..t().shoWiwhat a wed?illg-r~g . '!:!mall German clock. These creatures have no difficulty in might be made,and has been made, let us take a brief review 'g about in their tubes, and it is not uncommon to find of the originoffingeM'il1gs in general. o~~y~\W?:qiAg, to the right, retracting suddenly, and then opening' The earliest kind of rings known appear to have been ~9t~(;lijl(i)ft"ror "making other changes equally inconvenient to merely portable seals. In the first great e~pires of qentral ~pY ..o'9i(i)~tt?lJ:l:pting to sketch an accurate portrait. Asia of which we have any record, Babylonia and Assyrm, the Tlieir W9pd consists of very small objects, and is often so act of sealing was tf, most important one, and, as an act c.onfer- colourless as to giV'€lno aid to the investigation of their internal ring authenticity upon ~y importan~ docw;nent, stood ill the parts., This circm:p.syan'c6,together with the transparency of place of the p:esent practice of attach!ng to It the names ofth~ the tissues, rendersmill11t~ observation so difficult as to give principal paeties concerned. Royal edicts were promulgated. ~u~ tirelythrough the medium of a seal ; the decrees of the A>:;i~'~