NATURAL SCIENCES OP PHILADELPHIA. 297 



Flies as a 3Ieans of Communicating Contagious Diseases. 



Prof. Leidy remarked tliat at this time, during tlie prevalence of 

 smallpox, he was reminded of an opinion he had entertained that 

 flies were probably a means of communicating contagious disease 

 to a greater degree than was generall^^ suspected. From what 

 he had observed in one of the large military hospitals, in which 

 hospital gangrene had existed, during the late rebellion, he thought 

 flies should be carefully excluded from wounds. Recently he 

 noticed some flies greedily sipping the diffluent matter of some 

 fungi of the Phallus impudicus. He caught several, and fonnd 

 that on holding them by the wings they would exude two or 

 three drops of liquid from the proboscis, which, examined b}^ the 

 microscope, were found to swarm with the spores of the fungus. 

 The stomach was likewise filled with the same liquid, swarming 

 with spores. 



November 28. 

 The President, Dr. Ruschenberger, in the chair. 

 Twenty-three membei's present. 



The deaths of Rev. E. E. Adams and Gen. F. F. Cavada, cor- 

 respondents of the Academy, were announced. 



Prof. Cope made some remarks on the fauna of the Wyan- 

 dotte Cave in Southern Indiana. He stated that the blind fish 

 of the Mammoth Cave (Amblyopsis spelseus) was not rare in 

 waters flowing from it, and that an Astacus^ probably A. pellu- 

 cidus also occurred. He had detected two species of Anophthal- 

 mus, both of which were new, according to Dr. Horn ; and three 

 Staphylinidse^ two of which were to be described by Dr. Horn. 

 A cricket of the genns Raphidophora^ and two species of flies, 

 were also common. There were two species of spiders, one a 

 true Aranean^i the other allied to Opilio. A centipede allied to 

 Pseudotremia was very abundant. A curious aquatic crustacean 

 with external egg-pouches was fonnd in an old trough. The 

 most remarkable animal is a crustacean of the Lernaean division, 

 found parasitic on the npper lip of the Amblyopsis. It had an 

 elongate cephalothorax, oval abdomen separated by a constriction, 

 not distinctly segmented, and with short egg-pouches. The an- 

 terior limbs modified into a single strong peduncle. The form 

 appeared to be allied to Achtheres, but the single nndivided 

 peduncle distinguished it generically. He called it Cauloxenus 

 stygius. 



Prof. Cope exhibited a number of specimens of fossil reptiles 

 recently procured bj^ him in Western Kansas, in the Cretaceous 

 Chalk. They consisted of two specimens of Liodon proriger^ 

 Cope, and portions of jaws with teeth of four new Pythonomorph 

 1872.] 



