122 SELECTED NOTES FROM SOCIETY'S NOTE-BOOKS. 



be imperfectly seen, eggs in various states of development, and 

 the creature itself separate from its dwelling ; also some broken 

 and damaged specimens, which, notwithstanding, have interest. 

 The mouth structure will well repay examination. 



It will be seen that the creature has no legs, and its motion 

 when living is vermicular. 



W. Case. 



Anguillula tritici. — This slide contains two males and one 

 female near them ; the latter is an eel of the usual adult size. It 

 is well known that the black grain called " burnt corn " is a mass 

 of torpid eels, which become active in moist ground ; such of them 

 as come into contact with a fibre of wheat root enter it, and pass 

 up the straw into the ear, and luxuriate on the nutriment it finds 

 there. In the meantime, having grown to an enormous size, the 

 female discharges her hundreds of eggs and dies. The young 

 eels leave the egg their full size, and live on the nutriment as long 

 as it lasts ; they then become torpid, and remain so until revivified 

 in the way of their parents. Some curved processes will be seen 

 near the end of the tail of the male eel, which I have reason to 

 believe are for clasping purposes. Further particulars may be 

 seen in Science Gossips March, 1877. 



A. Nicholson. 



Trichina spiralis encysted in Human Muscle. — This Entozoon 

 is introduced into the human intestine in the larval form by eating 

 measly pork (uncooked German sausage being a fruitful source), 

 and rapidly arrives at maturity. The young filaria, travelling 

 through all surrounding tissues, shortly after their birth, make their 

 way straight to the voluntary muscles, where they usually become 

 encysted. Some of these cysts are calcified, and so hide the 

 worm. One cyst on this slide shows two worms in it. Boiling the 

 meat well is the best way to destroy these Entozoa. 



T. W. Reid. 



Larvae of Vapourer Moth. — These insects are placed by 

 Westwood among the Arctridcc^ the same family to which the 

 Tiger Moths belong, whose hairy larvae are known by the name of 

 " Woolly Bears." He says : — 



" Other larvae, especially those of Orgyia, are furnished, in 

 addition to the long slender hairs all over the body, with several 

 short, thick, truncated tufts of hair on the back as well as at the 

 side, with several other longer and more slender tufts of hair, each 



