ON THE RECENT OCCURRENCE OF AN HALACARID. 59
there are few to rival fruits and seeds. The former have the
great advantage, not possessed by the latter, that their beauty
can, as a rule, be appreciated by the naked eye, while the fingers
are engaged in re-arranging them to better advantage. Probably
the real reason why I indulge in the luxury of displayed mounts
is that I can and do enjoy their occasional re-arrangement,
simply on account of their beauty and their adaptations for
dispersal, if I happen to know and understand a little about them
The use of a collection of fruits and seeds so curated need not
however be confined to the study of dispersal, but whatever
the reason may be for which it is made, great care must be
exercised in the selection of the material and in naming and
recording it accurately. Finally, a keen eye must always be
kept to secure elasticity, easy accessibility, economy of space,
and the non-separation of close allies, and by far the most
important of these four is elasticity.
Note.—The inside measurements of the boxes that I use are, in inches,
as follow :—
ON THE RECENT OCCURRENCE OF AN
HALACARID, A RARE WATER MITE, IN EPPING
FOREST.
BY CHAS. D. SOAR, F.L.S., F.R.M.S.
(Read 25th October, 1924)
With One Plate.
BANKS divides the super family of water mites (Hydrach-
noidea) into two families, Fresh-water and Marine, as
follows :—
Mouth parts not carried upon a beak ; usually suckers
near the genital opening ; usually found in fresh water.
Hydrachnidae.
Mouth parts carried upon a distinct beak ; no ventral
suckers ; living in the sea. Halacaridae.