Chapter X: Bursaria

Vermis simplicissimus, membranaceus, cavus. A very simple, hollow, membranaceous worm.

119. BURSARIA TRUNCATELLA. B. ventricosa, apice truncata. Ventricose bursaria, the top truncated.

An animalculum that is visible to the naked eye, white, oval, and truncated at the top, where there is a large aperture descending towards the base; most of them have four or five yellow eggs at the bottom. It moves itself at pleasure from right to left, and from left to right, ascending to the surface of the water in a right line, and sometimes rolling about while descending.

120. BURSARIA BULLINA. B. cymbæformis, antice labrata. Boat-shaped bursaria, the fore-part formed into a lip.

A pellucid crystalline animalculum, furnished with splendid globules of different sizes swimming about within it; the under-side convex, the upper side hollow, the fore-part forming a kind of lip.

121. BURSARIA HIRUNDINELLA. B. utrinque laciniata, extremitatibus productis. Plate XXV. Fig. 19.

Bursaria with two small projecting wings, which give it somewhat of the appearance of a bird, and it moves something like a swallow. It is invisible to the naked eye, but by the microscope appears to be a pellucid hollow membrane; no intestines are visible. _a_, the head; _b_, the tail; _c_, one of the wings.

122. BURSARIA DUPLELLA. B. elliptica, marginibus inflexis. Plate XXV. Fig. 18. Elliptic bursaria with the edge bent in and out.

A crystalline membrane folded up, without any visible intestines, if we except a little congeries of points under one of the folds. It was found among duck-weed.

123. BURSARIA GLOBINA. B. sphærica, medio pellucentissima. Spherical bursaria, very pellucid in the middle.

A subspheric hollow animalculum, the lower end furnished with black molecules of various sizes, the fore-part with obscure points, the rest entirely empty, and the middle very pellucid; it moves slowly from right to left.