It\

FIGURES OF REMARKABLE FORMS

OP

POLYCYSTINS,

OR

ALLIED ORGANISMS,

m THE

i$ariiatro^ Ci)alfi Dcjjosit,

(CHIEFLY FROM THAT COLLECTED BY DR. DAVY, AND WHICH HE HAD

NOTICED IN A LECTURE DELIVERED TO THE AGRICULTURAL

SOCIETY OF BARBADOS, IN JULY, 18iC.)

DRAWN BY MRS. BURY,

AS SEEN IN HER MICROSCOPE, ON SLIDES PREPARED BY

CHR. JOHNSON, ESQ, OF LANCASTER,

1860 AND 1861.

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Itibvarjr of % Pitsciim

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COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY,

AT DARVARD COLIECE, CAMBRIDGE, MASS.
JFounticli I)j prtbatc subscrfjjtfon, fn 1861.

From the Library of LOUIS AGASSIZ.

No. b0 8 h.

OP EEMARKABLE

SS!U

«i« Jfftw ff Ifilwiilt

AND ALLIED ORGANISMS,

Photographed from the Oriyinal Drawiiii/s hij Mrs. Bury.

12 Photographed quarto Plates,

Containing 72 Figures ; with descriptive references to the Works of Professors Johannes

Miiller, Ehrenberg, &c.

PRICE ONE GUINEA.

%n ©geKO ESK!

Dr. DAVY, F.R.S, &c.
CHR. JOHNSON, Esq.
Dr. WALLICH.
MISS HUTTON.
MISS COOKSON.
Mr. HEWSON.
MISS MARRIOTT.

Dr. GREVILLE, F.K.S., P.L.S., &c.
H. C. SORBY, Esq., F.R.S., &c.
JOSEPH JORDAN, Esq.,
PROFESSOR W. C. WILLIAMSON,

P.R.S., &c.
JOHN MARRIOTT, Esq.,
PROFESSOR ALLMAN, F.R.S.E., &c.

May he had of Mrs. BUBY, Croft Lodge, Windermere; or of Mr. J. QABNETT,
Photographer and Publisher, ^c., Windermere.

/^./^ ^^^^^UU^

^^ '

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POLYCYSTINS.

PREFACE

"But WHA.T ARE PoLYCYSTiNS " is the constant exclamation. — So little is yet known of these
curious organisms that Naturalists have not yet decided on their exact place. They belong
however, to the sub-kingdom "Protozoa," and Mr. Reay Greene in his "Manual" places
them between " Rhizopoda " (of which the type is Amoeba, so commonly found in fresh water
as little gelatinous lumps, of the very lowest form of animal life) and Sponges, which form
flinty interior skeletons, called Spicules, to support the Spongiose web, and the animal mass
of jelly, called Sarcode, with which they are invested. The Fohjcystias are also masses of
Sarcode, but they appear to form both internal spicular-like supports radiating from the
Nucleus, and also external shells of a network of flint, through the insterstices of which they
are said to protrude Pseudopodian threads (perhaps analogous to the Tentacles of Sea-anemones
and Star-fishes or arms of Hydra) by means of which they are supposed to imbibe noiu'ishment,
and to have some powers of locomotion. A careful observation of the larv4l changes of the
Echinoderms, and the Pupae states of other young things, can make one understand how the
protean forms of the Polycystins need not all designate distinct species, but that many grotesque
diff'erences of shape, and of spinous ornamentation may, in reality belong to the same object,
in different stages or under different circumstances of development, such as more or less pressure,
abundance or scarcity qf the siliceous material in the surrounding water, &c. Perhaps there may
be said to be four classes of form : — 1st., the discoidal or planorbian flattened spheres, variously
winged or bordered ; 2nd., the Orbicular, with or without spines ; 3rd., the vase or bellshaped,
consisting often of repeated globes growing out of each other, sometimes with a re- duplication
of parts, that might seem to indicate a tendency towards increase by fission ; 4ith., the plane
or straight-sided forms.

Dr. Wallich promises a full history of the structure and mode of development of Polycystins
in his forthcoming work, having obtained living specimens in his recent deep-sea soundings :
some in association with those wondrous benighted star-fishes from two miles deep.

Professor Johannes Miiller fished them up frequently in the Mediterranean, near Cette and
St. Tropez; always from great depths, and under very clear pure sea water, but from their

great delicacy it was most difficult to obtain really Uving subjects, as even tbe passing through
the water, in hauling up the ajiparatus used in dredging them caused death, and when that
occurred the Pseudopodia immediately collapsed, the Sarcode substance became flaccid, and
little more of the vital economy of the organisms could be observed.

The late Professor W. J . Bailey also records some specimens as occurring among his deep-sea
soundings in the Sea of Kamschatka; he speaks of their "organic contents" but does not
state whether obtained in a living state.

In the stomachs of the Salpse, which form so large a portion of the food of the whales, shoals
of Polycystins are found, which have in their turn served as food to the Salpte. In a fossil
state Polycystins have been found in many parts of the world ; those figured in the accompanying
Monograph, are from a sort of chalky earth found in various localities in Barbados, where
Sir Robert Schomburgk describes it as having been forced up by volcanic action, through the
coral reefs of which the island is formed, from the deep bottom of some ancient ocean, where
countless ages ago they may have enjoyed their gift of the power of abstracting pure Silex from
the water, and, while in a plastic state, weaving it into their elegant glass corselets, — then
laying down their skeletons to form part of that incalculably vast bed of Ocean-deposits, of
which some infinitesimally small fraction occasionally comes under the microscopic ken of Man,
— to shew us how the minutest and humblest atoms have yet their allotted part in fulfilling
the Laws of the Great Creator.

Professor Ehrenberg, in a discourse delivered before the Berlin Hoyal Academy of Sciences,
says, speaking of these fossils from the rocks of Barbados (which he calls Siliceous PohjgasfricaJ
" for these organisms constitute part of a chain which, though in the individual link it be
microscopic, yet in the mass is a mighty one, connecting the Life-phenomena of distant ages
of the earth, and proving that the dawn of organic nature co-existent with us, reaches farther
back in the history of the earth than had hitherto been suspected. The microscopic organisms
are very inferior in individual energy to lions and elephants, but in their united influences
they are far more important than all these animals."

Professor Owen (in his "Palaeontology," I860,) further remarks "if it be ever permitted to
man to penetrate the mystery which enshrouds the origin of organic force in the wide-spread
mud beds of fresh and salt waters, it will be, most probably, by experiment and observation
on the atoms which manifest the simplest conditions of Life."

Ch-oft Lodge,

January, 18G2.

BUIIY'S FIGURES OF POLYCYSTIN^.

PLATE I.

riG.

1 & 6. — Varieties of Eucyrtidium Acuminatum of Ehren-

berg.
5. — Podooyrtis Schombuvgkii. Ehrenberg.
2, 3, 4. — Varieties of the same.

4.—

5.—
6.—

PLATE II.

■ Stylodictya Gracilis. Ehrenberg-

■ A Dictyospiris (?) of Ehrenberg, highly developed in

in slide Zjg Cambridge, Barbados.

■ Dictyospiris (?) or perhaps Petalospiris (?) May they

not possibly be the same organisms in different states
of development ? Ceratospiris, Mikrogeologie, PI.
XXII, fig. 37, also resembles these shapes which
occur in great variety in the Barbados deposits.

Ehabdolithes Pipa. spiued stem var. Ehrenberg places
Rhabdolithes in the family of Geolithen.

Stephanolithes Nodosa. ; also a Geolithen of Ehrenberg.

Acanthodesmia of J. Miillcr (Mittelmeeres, p. 30) Ste-
phanolithes Spinesoens (?) of Ehrenberg. It occurs
in double and single circlets, and with varying num-
ber of spines in the Barbados deposits.

2.—

3.-

4.

PLATE III.

A Polycystinous nucleus, with one spine running through
it, and attached at each end to a plain circle of Silex.
— (In shde B. VI. Cambridge, Barbados) Lithocircus,
Mesocena (?)

A similar nucleus with four Acanthometrum shaped
spines (see Miiller's Mittelmeeres, &c., PI. X.) attached
to it, the hooks of which describe part of a circle.
Actiniscus (?) in slide T. Cambridge, Barbado.i.

A Hyaline wand, spirally twisted.

Rhabdolithes Pipa. var. Ehrenberg.

1.-
2_.

3.
4.-
5.
6.

PLATE IV.

• Stephanastrum. Ehrenberg.

• Astromma Aristoteles. Ehrenberg.

■ Stylosphiera. Ehrenberg.
-Haliomma with four spines.

- Lychnocaniuni falciferum. Ehrenberg.

■ Stylosphsera var. (?) with outer web (?)

PLATE V.

■ Astromma (?) finely developed with part of outer web

adhering between the arms.
- Eucyrtidium Mongolfieri. Ehrenberg.

3. — Podocyrtis Mitra. Ehrenberg.

4. — A state of Rhopalocanium (?)

5. — Ptcrocodon Campana. Ehrenberg.

6. — an Astromma partially developed (?)

PLATE VI.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5.— Rhopalocanium Ornatum in dift'erent states.
6.— Spicule of (?)

PLATE VII.

1 & 2.— Surirella (?) from Cambridge, Barbados. Fig. 1 pos-
sibly a young, less developed, form of fig. 2. The
slide from which the fig. 2 was drawn was returned to
Mr. Johnson, and by him sent to Mr. Ralfs, Pro-
fessor W. C. Williamson saw it when in Mrs. Bury's
hands (October, 1860), and kindly suggested it might
possibly be a Surirella.

3 & 4.— Varieties of Dictyospiris (?) Ehrenberg.

5.— Actiniscus (?) of Ehrenberg and Pritchard ; a triangular
net, like a Dictyocha, but with a " solid centre," which
centre (or nucleus) gives the idea of being capable of
stretching up into a Podooyrtis-like form ; sides of
triangle measure .006.5 ; there are nine outer and six
inner cells, arranged round a solid-lobed and punc-
tured nucleus, which bears one long and two short
spines.

6:— A Desmidia-like, but silicious, clear, transparent plate,
with waved edges, and a perforated centre. Appears
to resemble, in some degree, Lithodesmium undulatum,
of Ehrenberg's " Kreidebildung," page 76. Dr.
Wallich suggested (from sketch) that it might be a
part only of some polycystinous form.

7. — The upper part like Ehrenberg's Podocyrtis Cothurnata,
but with a tubulous prolongation of the base.

1,2,

PLATE VIII.

3^ & 4. — Varieties of Haliomma. Haliomma Hum-
boldtii (?) of Ehrenberg, from Cambridge, Barbados,
numerous and variable. Although there are some-
times indications of spines radiating from the centre,
as in Stylodictya, yet the points round the edge
appear to be merely "marginal appendages." — Dia-
meters, including spines, from .0077 to .0085.

6. — Muller describes these as stages of growth of the
Haliomma, where the outer web is spinning itself
over and round the central nucleus, and the siliceous
rafters or supports extending like a framework from
the nucleus to the exterior covering. Page 21 ';'
" Thalassicollen Polycystinen, &c., des Mittelmeeres."
& 8. — Spines or Spicules in Barbados deposit.

5, &

PLATE IX.

riG.

1. — Petalospiris foveolata — var. Elir., Mikrogeologie, Taf.

XXXVI, 14. .0075 high, spines included, .0031 did.

of ball.
2. — The same without the central spike through it.
3. — A Podocyrtis (?) of Ehreuberg.
4. — A Podocyrtis (?) nearly akin to podocyrtis jEgles. Mik.

Taf. XXXV. B. 18.; measures .0106 high, .0052 broad.
5. — A Podocyrtis (?) without the usual surmounting spine.
6. — A Litliomelissa (?) These beautiful little shapes, like

crystal tea-pots, or coffee-pots, for some primeval

world's Queen Mah, are frequent in the Barbado.s

deposit.

PLATE X.

1. — Triiusparent cross, with tubular canals running through
the arms and united by a central ring, — a structure
resembling an object figured in Professor J. W. Bailey's
" Microscopic forms in the Sea of Kamschatka," under
the name " Spongolitbes orthogona," but which he
says he has referred with some hesitation to Spongo-
litliis. Measures .01125 high, .008 broad, with a
slightly warted or rugose surface.

2.— An Eucy rtidiun form bearing tubular spinous projections,
arranged in the pattern of the perforations in Eucyr-
ti'Jiuiii elegans ; appears to be enclosed in a transparent
egg-shaped sheath or envelope, .00362 long — Litho-
botrys adspersa, Ehr. Mik. Taf. XXXVI, fig. 5, has
the appearance of a wing or fin extending round the
object in a somewhat similar way, and so has Carpo-
canium Solitarium, Taf. XXII, fig. 28. This specimen
is in Slide No Gi? Springfield, Barbados.

3. — Eucyrtidium (?) elegans, in an unconstrioted state, .604
long, .0012 broad ; 23 rows of nearly equi-distant
perforations ; from Chimborazo, Barbados.

4. — A Podocyrtis (?) Mitra or Papalis, var, (?) the lower part
devoid of perforations, and with a thickening of the
Silex round the boundary of the plain part, — two
spines from the apex.

5. — Podocyrtis Papalis, Ehr. Mik. XXXVI, 23, .00687 high,
.00375 broad. In numerous specimens the outline of
the base varies considerably, but there always appears
to be an internal ring or ledge.

PLATE XI.

1. — A magnificent Polycystin, from Cambridge, Barbados.
It measures .0214 in height, viz., the ball .0028, and
.0186 from the ball to the base, where several more
squares appear to have been broken off, — about 18 to
20 rows of squares, like windows ; inside soine of
them a very fine internal network is seen ; through
others appear a fiiint reflection of the bars on the
opposite side of the object : the effect of this, viewed
in the Binocular (half-inch objective) , is very striking.

2. — Eucyrtidium Tubulous, Ehr., measures .01 feet long,
.0028 broad, from Peak of Tcneriffe, Barbados. Quar-
ter-inch objective.

3. — Stylosphsera (?) Ehr., measures .01 high, curiously
beset with sharp, spear-like spines, and covered
apparently with pointed knobs or warts. Some of the
Barbados Polyeystins suggest an idea as if their
perforations either may have been, or might have
become occupied by these sort of projections, which,
when broken off, leave holes, and being hollow, would
still permit the protrusion of the so-called Pseudopo-
dian threads, which Professor J. Miiller says " one may
conjecture (Termuthcn) " to be the means by which
the Polyeystins imbibe nourisliment, although their
connexion with the Sareode substance of the bodies,
requires more clear elucidation. In the Thallassicollen
and Polycystena, they can only be traced as far as the
skin-like Capsule of the flabby part lying under the
flint corselet.

4. — Dictyospiris (?) probably the same object as fig. 2, on
plate II ; turned on the reverse side. Ehrenberg calls
this " Ruckseite," and the other with the larger
openings, " Mouthside ; " from Cambridge, Barbados.

5.— Spongolithis Acicularis, Mik. Taf., XXXVI, fig. 47, a
Phvtolitharien of Ehrenberg.

6.— Amphidiscus Verticillatus, Mik. Taf., XXXVI, fig. 45,
classed by Ehrenberg as " Phytolitharia," — of plant
growth.

PLATE XII.

1. — A spinous variety of Eucyrtidium Ampullus, (?) the
narrow end prolonged into a tuliulous siiine, — diam.
of bulb, .00275. Chimborazo, Barbados.

2.— Podocyrtis(?) wliole height, .0112; breadth, 0055; height
of cupola, .0027. Professor J. Midler says, " in all
the flask and bell-shaped Polyeystins, the first joint
(glied) of the reticulation begins from the top, and
the number of the increasing links progresses with
growth in a definite ratio." The links of the lower
part in this fossil skeleton seem running into each
other irregularly, like dropped stitches in a stocking,
or bursting bubbles in a gelatinous film while solid-

3. — A further variation of Podocyrtis Schomburgkii, as
shewn on plate I, fig. 3.

4.— A modification of fig. 2, on plate I.

4 & 6. — Tlie reticulations progressing further towards the
" Ladder" or Lattice-shape. In fig. 6, the inner net
is very plainly seen, its reticulations are also square,
with quarter-inch objective magnifying power used,
about 470 linear. Springfield, Barbados. In another
slide is a broken-oft' top of one of these Ladder-
Pyramids, with the narrow neck sv^elling out into
the surmounting ball nucleus (?)

WlNDEEMiRE : fBINIED BY JOHK GABNETT.

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