394 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1887. 



noticed the trichina, which was no doubt' one of the causes that led 

 Moses to declare the pig to be unclean ; and in the hundred tape- 

 worms he had examined, from our fellow citizens, during the past 

 twenty five years, he had ascertained that they had all been derived 

 from rare beef. He continued, in a visit to Charleston, S. C. before 

 the late war, at an evening entertainment among other viands, 

 were nicely browned slices of the drum-fish, Pogonias chromis. 

 A friend informed him that some portions were more gelatinous 

 and delicate than others and heljjed him to what was supposed to be 

 one of such. On cutting into it he had observed imbedded in the 

 flesh a soft mass which appeared of enigmatic character. The 

 following day he procured from market a drum-fish on the dissection 

 of which, he found imbedded in the tail several egg-shaped masses, 

 about three inches long and less than an inch thick, which proved 

 to be a large coiled worm, (Acanthorhynchus reptans)} This it was 

 that gave delicacy to the dainty, and in this instance the parasite 

 seems to enhance the excellence of the food. At another evening 

 entertainment nearer home he partook of some stewed terrapins. 

 Taking into his mouth what appeared to be an Qgg it produced such 

 an impression as led to its rejection. Seeming so j^eculiar he tied it 

 in the corner of his handkerchief for more convenient examination. 

 The specimen, now exhibited, was a membranous bag which con- 

 tained thirty yellowish white maggots from 8 to 12 mm long by 1.5 

 to 3 mm broad. They are the larvae of a bot-fly, and resemble 

 those of the Gastrophilus of the horse. Their characters are as follow: 



Body of the larva fusiform, acute anteriorly, obtuse posteriorly, 

 consisting of twelve segments including the head, which is armed 

 Avith a pair of strong, black, hooked maxillae ; terminal segment 

 with a pair of trilateral oval, chitinous disks, each with three spir- 

 acles ; intermediate segments with numerous minute recurved hook- 

 lets, disposed in incompletely separated bands at the fore and back 

 part of the segments. 



The sac containing the larvae is about three fourths of an inch 

 long and half an inch broad, with a short tubular prolongation open 

 at the extremity. It was uncertain whether the sac formed part of the 

 intestine. 



The dish of stewed terrapins was suspected to have been a mixture 

 of the diamond-back, Emys pahistrw and the red-bellied terrapin 

 JE. rugosa. This is not the only instance of the occurrence of bots 

 in turtles, as Prof. A. S. Packard notes the case of larvae being 

 found in the skin of the neck of the box-turtle, Cistudo Carolina.^ 



December 20. 



Mr. Geo. W. Tryon Jr. in the chair. 



Twelve persons present. 



1 Proc. A. N. S. 1858, 111. 



^ American Naturalist, 1882, 598. 



