xlii
Journal of Proceedings.
above their fellows, and gave the charm of odour. The way taken was
across the alluvial meadows of the Boding River, from which the hay had
hardly been carted, to the little White Bridge at the " Cascade," guarded
by three fine (Wych?) elms, and so to the site and remains of
"Luxborough House," a low-lying homestead, surrounded by luxuriant
fruit-gardens, now in the occupation of Messrs. Cowe and Tidball, who
very kindly threw their grounds open to the party.
Here a long halt was called to enable our "Pond-hunters" to make
innumerable experimental dips with little bottles, hooks, and nets, into
the weedy moat and ponds. All were soon at work, Mr. Kent being very
desirous of obtaining fresh examples of water-mites (called by the initiated
Hydrachnids) for exhibition later on. They were scarce, and only a very
few could be fished up, but Mr. Kent identified the following species:—
Nesaea convexa, Koch; N. fuscator, Koch ; Marica musculus, Muller, sp.;
Arrenurus globator, Muller, sp.; A. buccinator, Muller, sp.; A. maculator,
Muller, sp.; Limnesia fulgida, Duges.
The curious little "Water-fleas" (Daphnia and Cyclops) were in
excessive numbers, and Mr. Oxley soon dipped sufficient to make the
contents of his collecting bottle assume a very lively appearance, thousands
and thousands of the active creatures (nothing to do with real fleas by-
the-bye, being distant relations of the lobsters) darting and dodging
through the water like a swarm of aquatic bees. Many strange and
bizarre forms of life met our gaze in the bottles as they came up with
samples of the ooze and water of the ponds; but though their size was
small their names were Johnsonian and terrific, and such words as
Entomostraca, Paramaecium, Vorticella, and Planaria, were freely
bandied about by our experts. Mr. Thomas had visited the ponds and
river the previous day, where he found the Fresh-water Sponge (Spongia
fluviatilis), and the following species of Infusoria:—Anthophysa vegetans,
Muller; Opercularia nutans, Ehr.; Vaginicola crystallina, Ehr.; V. tincta,
Ehr.; Ophrydium eichornii, Ehr.; Acineta mystacina, Ehr., var. (a
form which Mr. Thomas thought might be a new species, but which Mr.
Saville Kent has referred to the var. longipes of Mereschkowsky.—See
' Manual of the Infusoria,' 834.)
Dr. Cooke and Mr. English of course kept a sharp look-out for any
stray Fungus:—Agaricus (Collybia) dryophilus, Bull., A. (Clitophilus)
prunulus, Fr., A. (Inocybe) rimosus, Bull., and Russula furcata, Fr.,
were identified; and at the foot of an elm tree a fine group of A. (Psathy-
rella) dissemiatus, Fr., gladdened the eyes of our mycologists. Many
flowering plants were noticed, but all common species—Galium verum,
Lythrum, Nasturtium, and plenty of Rumex hydrolapathum in the ditches.
A sharp shower once drove the naturalists to the shelter of the walls and
garden-houses, and after the fishing was over the party gathered together
in the flower-garden, where an abundant supply of summer fruit, fresh
gathered from the grounds, with milk from Mr. Chilton's farm, was pro-
vided by the thoughtful kindness of the President and Secretary. Mr.