ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 459 



Platyhelminthes. 



Detection of Echinococcus Disease.* — J. Putzu shows that in the 

 serum of patients suffering from Echinococcus there are specific " anti- 

 bodies," which may be demonstrated by the phenomenon of " comple- 

 ment-formation " in the presence of their specific " antigen," such as 

 the hydatid fluid from the sheep. 



New Tetracotyle from Brain of Minnow. f — Franz Matare gives a 

 full description of the minute structure of a larval Tetracotyle found in 

 the brain and skull-cavity of Phoxinus Isevis. 



Bucephalus.!— D. Th. Ssinitzin finds that the head organ of Buce- 

 phalus is the modified anterior sucker. In Gasterostomum it re-assumes 

 the character of a sucker. A comparison with Cercaria ocellata shows 

 that the head-organ is morphologically the oral sucker, buccal cavity, 

 and perhaps pharynx of Distomids. The other parts of the gut are 

 represented in the embryo Bucephalus by a series of spaces among the 

 parenchyma-cells. These afterwards disappear. 



The alimentary canal of Bucephalus and Gasterostomum (including 

 pharynx, oesophagus and intestine) corresponds to modified parts of the 

 ventral sucker of Distomids. The primary gut, corresponding to that 

 of Distomids, has degenerated in Gasterostomum. 



It may be said that Bucephalus represents a somewhat modified 

 Distomid Cercaria, that Cercaria ocellata represents one of the inter- 

 mediate stages in the evolution of Gasterostomidse. 



New Trematode from Frog.§ — L. Blaizot describes Cephalogonimus 

 europseus sp. n. from the intestine of Rana esculenta. He contrasts it 

 with the recently discovered C. americanus Stafford, and the genus 

 Cephalogonimus with the genus Prymnoprion. 



Distomid Cyst in Blood-vessels of an 01igochaet.|| — Al. Mrazek 

 reports the occurrence of a Distomid cyst in the ventral blood-vessel 

 of Rhynchelmis, and points out that this and similar cases must be re- 

 garded simply as instances of these hardy creatures going astray in 

 unsuitable hosts. 



Life-history of Schistosomum japonicum.1T — F. Katsurada and T. 

 Hashegawa have proved experimentally that the young of this worm can 

 pass in a short time from the water of the rice-fields through the skin of 

 cat and dog (as well as of man), and may become sexually mature in the 

 course of a month. It is probable that the miracidium forms a sporo- 

 cyst from which numerous young worms emerge. 



Structure of Polychoerus caudatus.** — Leopold Lohner has made a 

 study of this North American littoral Turbellarian, first described by 

 Mark. It belongs to the Convolutidae, and is characterised by the 

 germo-vitellaria, the numerous (up to 50) chitinous pieces at the mouth 



* Centralbl. Bakt. Parasitenk., liv. (1910) pp. 77-91. 



t Zeitschr. wiss. Zool., xciv. (1910) pp. 488-540 (1 pi. and 3 figs.). 



X Tom. cit., pp 299-325 (2 pis.). 



§ Bull. Soc. Zool. France, xxxv. (1910) pp. 34-8 (1 fig.). 



|| Centralbl. Bakt. Parasitenk., liii. (1910) pp. 522-4 (1 fig.). 



«j[ Tom. cit., pp. 519-22 (1 fig.). 



** Zeitschr. wiss. Zool., xcv. (1910) pp. 451-506 (3 pis.). 



