Miscellaneous. Xfj/f^ 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Note on the Bird of Paradise (Paradisea apoda). 

 By M. de Lafresnaye. 



We understand from an old merchant at Rouen, a great amateur 

 in Natural History, that one of his friends, a captain, had informed 

 him, that being lately at Batavia and compelled to remain there for 

 some time, he had made the acquaintance of a rich colonist who had 

 a taste for keeping live birds, and possessed some which are very rare 

 and valuable. Amongst others he noticed several pairs of the Bird 

 of Paradise, and it was not without astonishment that he several 

 times saw the males of this bird display themselves before the female, 

 expanding the long plumes of their flanks. By means of a sort of 

 vibration of their entire plumage, they raised all their feathers, 

 including these long plumes, and surrounded themselves completely, 

 so as to form a sort of halo, in the centre of which the bright green 

 head formed a disc, which at the moment looked like a little emerald 

 sun, with its rays formed by the feathers of the two plumes. He had 

 no doubt that this action, which was frequently repeated, was intended 

 to please the females, as is remarked in all birds the males of which are 

 furnished with ornaments. — Revue et Mag. de Zool. 1853, p. 339. 



New Observations on the Development of the Intestinal Worms. 

 By Prof. Van Bene den. 



In the intestines of Rana tcmporaria I have found in abundance 

 specimens of Tcenia dispar, which is usually observed only in the 

 Tritons. In the adult Proglottis the eggs are distributed in threes 

 in capsules placed in two longitudinal rows. The embryos can move 

 in their shells, and their motions may be seen through the integuments 

 of the mother ; the hooks especially are constantly in motion. I 

 succeeded in hatching these ova artificially, as I had done five years 

 before, with the Linguatulce, by crushing them between two plates of 

 glass. Amongst a great number of ova and embryos which were 

 completely destroyed, a few still retained life and motion, and I made 

 the following observations upon them. 



All their movements were the same ; they were consequently the 

 effect of a normal condition. The six hooks are disposed exactly in 

 the same manner in all the individuals, — there are two in the middle 

 in front, and four others placed in pairs to the right and left of 

 these. These six hooks are not all alike, as has hitherto been sup- 

 posed ; they vary both in length and form. Those placed in the 

 middle are not recurved at the apex like the others ; they are straight, 

 very tapering, a little longer than the others, and thinner throughout 

 their length. The four lateral hooks are all alike ; they consist of 

 two parts — a rather long, straight stem, and a terminal portion, 

 recurved so as to form a hook with the concavity behind. The 

 two hooks in the middle are in contact at their base, but separate 

 towards the apex, like a fan. 



The following is the action of these organs, it being understood 

 that the embryos are in the midst of the debris of the Proglottis. 

 The six hooks are first of all united in a bundle, and plunged into 

 the tissue before them ; the two central straight styles remain sta- 



