Miscellaneous, 515 



taken from the branch of a tree while being fed by birds not of their 

 own species, — an important fact, as showing the parasitic habits of the 

 bird. Now as tiie Scythrops is regarded as a member of the Cucu- 

 lidcB, anything which tends to confirm the propriety of placing it in 

 that group must be considered of great interest ; I have much plea- 

 sure, therefore, in telling you that when the young Scythrops was in- 

 troduced into Mr. Denison's aviary it was placed in a compartment 

 already occupied by a Dacelo giganteay and, doubtless feeling hungry 

 after its journey, immediately opened its mouth to be fed ; and its 

 wants were readily attended to by the Dacelo, who with great kindness 

 took a piece of meat, and after sufficiently preparing it by beating it 

 about until it was in a tender and pappy state, placed it carefully in 

 the gaping mouth of the young Scythrops ; this feeding-process 

 continued until the bird was capable of attending to its own wants, 

 which it now does, feeding in company with the Dacelo in the usual 

 manner. When I saw it in the morning it was perched upon the 

 most elevated resting place in the aviary, occasionally raising itself, 

 flapping its wings, and then quietly settling down again after the 

 manner of Hawks in confinement, and presenting much the appear- 

 ance of a member of that tribe of birds. It comes down for food 

 every morning, and immediately returns to its elevated perch. 

 Judging from what I saw of this specimen, I should imagine that the 

 bird might be very readily tamed and would bear confinement very 

 well. In the young state the bird is destitute of the scarlet orbits 

 so conspicuous in the adult." — Proc. Zool. Soc. Nov. 9, 1858. 



On a Nematoid Worm living parasitically in the Egg of Limax 

 griseus. By A. Barthelemy. 



The author has found numerous specimens of a small Nematoid 

 worm in the eggs of Limax griseus — sometimes one, sometimes three 

 or four in an egg. In the earlier stages their development appears 

 to correspond with that of the embryo of the Slug ; they execute 

 pretty lively movements, and usually keep at a certain distance from 

 the embryo of the moUusk. One was seen attached to the vesicle 

 by which the head of the future mollusk is surmounted. At last the 

 worms destroy the embryo, when the walls of the egg become flat- 

 tened, and the enclosed worms are found arrived at their maximum 

 of development : they are very transparent, and allow their struc- 

 ture to be easly traced by simple microscopic examination. It differs 

 so much from known types, that the author regards it as forming a 

 new genus, Ascaroides, the species being A. Limacis. 



The worm is pfesent in the egg at the moment of its deposition ; 

 and the examination of the slugs whose eggs were infested showed 

 the worms in the intestine and ovaries, still filled with vitelline gra- 

 nules, and always accompanied by a very small monadiform Infuso- 

 rium. The little worms are thus introduced into the eggs of the 

 slug while these are still in course of formation. — Comptes Rendiis, 

 24th January 1859, p. 230. 



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