176 



HA RD WICKE'S SCIENCE- G CSSIP. 



The plant is a deciduous climber, and has pea- 

 like flowers of a reddish-purple. A specimen two 

 years old may be seen at Kew, but it has not yet 

 flowered. 



On chewing the leaves, which are composite and 

 much like those of the acacia, a sweetish liquorice- 

 like taste will be noticed ; it is in fact called the 

 wild liquorice, but must not be confounded in any 

 way with the liquorice plant (Glycyrrhiza) of the 

 British Pharmacopoeia, though they both belong to 

 the same group of plants. 



CHAPTERS ON ANIMAL PARASITES. 



By W. A. IlYSLor. 



No. IV. 



TO resume our brief classification of these 

 interesting objects : — 

 3. Akidoproctus. — There are but few species of 

 this genus, and they are easily distinguished by the 

 curious indentation in the fore-part of the head (see 

 Fig. 107). 



Fig. 107. — Head of Akidopr ;Ctus. 

 X 20. 



Fig. 108.— Head of Ornithobius 

 of Swan. X 60. 



Fig. log. — Goniodes of 

 Peacock, cf . X 20. 



Fig. no. — Goniocotes of Trnjeyan 

 Pheasant, cf . X 20. 



Curiously, the root 01 this plant is poisonous, and 

 has often been used by the convicts in Mauritius, 

 both by rubbing it in their eyes and chewing it, to 

 induce illness. Another most interesting fact about 

 this plant — or rather the seed — is that the natives of 

 the country in which it lives found out that all the 

 seeds weighed precisely the same (about five grains, I 

 should say), so, as they had no other standard weight 

 they instituted these seeds as a standard weight, and 

 called each seed in their own language a carat ; and 

 this carat is in fact the origin of our carat weight of 

 gold. 



This fact alone made the seed one of interest to 

 me, and, combining it with the fact, that it belongs to 

 one of, if not the most important order of plants of 

 economic value, makes me think that there may be 

 others like myself, who, being ignorant of the above 

 facts, will be glad to know them. 



Whitmore Wells. 



Hyph^ne, a small genus of African palms, is 

 remarkable for having stem branched. The ginger- 

 bread tree of Egypt (If. thcbaica), doum or doom 

 palm, has a stem frequently three or four times forked 

 or branched in old trees, though when young it is 

 always simple. A. Smith, who is my authority for 

 above, states that this genus is confined to the African 

 continent. — J. Christie. 



Fig. in. — Lipeurus of 

 Tragopan, (f . X 20. 



Fig. 112. — Trichodectes ol 

 Horse, 9. X 60. 



4. Ontocophorus. — This genus forms a link 

 between the Docophori and Nirmi, and the species 

 are difficult to distinguish, some being very like the 

 former and others like .the latter. There are only 

 about six species known. 



5. Goniodes. — The parasites of this genus are of 

 large size, with a broad thorax and abdomen, and have 

 as a distinguishing feature the antennae cheliform in 

 the males (see Fig. 109), the first joint being large 



