NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED. 45
insect life. . . . The following are the names of some of the Dragon-flies
which have been recorded as having occurred in Epping Forest :—Leptetrum
quadrimaculata and var. pronubila (plentiful), Sympetrum vulgatum (very
abundant), Gomphus vulgatissimus, Anax formosus, Bachytron pratense, AEschna
mixta, AE. cyanea, Calopteryx virgo, C. splendens, Lestes nympha, L. sponsa," and
Agrion mercuriale, above alluded to, taken by Mr. W. H. Nunney. He also
notices Lestes sponsa as occurring at Plaistow.
New Rotifers from Epping Forest.—Several new Rotifers are described
from Epping Forest in the January part of the "Journal of the Quekett Micro-
scopical Club" (ser. ii., vol. iv., No. 30). Mr. Charles Rousselet, F.R.M.S., met
with a very small, free-swimming Rotifer, on several occasions in the forest and
particularly at Snaresbrook, in company with Notops brachionus and N. hypto-
pus and much resembling the latter, but which is distinct, and which he proposes
to call Notops minor. Full description and figures are given (pp. 359-360, and
plate xxiv.). Mr. F. A. Parsons describes a species of Callidina, allied to socialis,
Kellicott, which he names C. magno-calcaratu. It was found attached to the un-
dersides of Asellus and Gammarus in Epping Forest (Wood Street, etc.), also
Pterodina caeca discovered at Loughton in September last, which, like the Callidina,
lives commensally on Asellus. Mr. Parsons also obtained it near Wood Street,
and it and the Callidina were found in company on the same host (pp. 378-379,
plate xxv.). Lastly, Mr. G. Western, F.R.M.S., describes the male of Triphyllus
atustris found swimming among females in a rich gathering of the species from
Chingford (pp. 374-375, plate xxv.).
In "Science Gossip," for March, 1892, Mr. Percy G. Thompson, in a paper on
"Moss-Haunting Rotifers" describes and figures a new species of Macrotrachela
(M. multispinosa) found amongst some Jungermannia gathered from damp ground
in a swampy, wooded hollow, at Wanstead Park, in October, 1891. Mr. Thomp-
son's paper is exceedingly interesting, and he points out a comparatively un-
trodden field for the employment of the microscope.
New Rotifers from River Lea and Epping Forest.—In "Science
Gossip" for September, 1891, Mr. David Bryce has some interesting remarks upon
the genus Distyla, and he describes two species which appear to be distinct from
any of those yet described, and a Monostyla closely related to, but not identical
with, the common and well-known M. cornuta. The species are—
Distyla depressa, Bryce. A gathering made in March, 1890, from the River
Lea, below the Lea Bridge Water-works, which was placed on one side, was found
to contain some moths, later a flourishing colony of Rotifera. "The species were
few but very select, the most conspicuous being Adineta oculata, only hitherto
found, I believe, near Aberdeen. Along with it were many examples of this
Distyla, some Callidina elegans, and some others."
Distyla muscicola, Bryce. Numerous dead examples occurred amongst the
sediment of water drained from Sphagnum gathered in Epping Forest, but Mr.
Bryce has hitherto only found one living specimen.
Monostyla arcuata, Bryce. Dead specimens found very abundantly among the
drainings from Sphagnum from Epping Forest, and Mr. Bryce has had recently
for a short time a colony in a jar, the bottom of which was covered with some
threads of moss, gathered last year, and springing into fresh growth.
Full descriptions are given, with woodcuts of the species.