PARASITES OF MARINE ANIMALS 121 



The above mentioned Moufet reports that even beetles 

 are tormented by just such ugly little creatures, and, 

 though I have not had occasion to verify this by observa- 

 tion, I am persuaded that it is true, as I, together with 

 many others can bear eye-witness that even ants are not 

 exempt; and that every kind of ant has its special va- 

 riety; but it is necessary to have sharp eyes, armed with 

 a fine microscope to discover the lice, for they are so 

 minute as to be almost invisible, and one might be 

 tempted to class them with atoms. The vermin of 

 winged ants are shaped like the hen's tick, which may be 

 seen drawn on plate 2, and those of wingless ants are 

 similar to the ticks infesting the turtle, which also may 

 be seen on the second plate. 



Writers in natural history make an assertion, con- 

 firmed by all fishermen, that fish are also molested by 

 various kinds of insects, among which the best known 

 are the flea, the louse, and the sea-bug (cimex marinus). 

 Aristotle wrote of this in connection with dolphins and 

 tun-fish; others have affirmed the same in the case of 

 salmon and sword-fish. Pliny speaks of it in a general 

 way, saying : " Nothing exists on the earth which has 

 not its counterpart in the sea. Even those little beasts 

 can be found there which infest the inns in summer, and 

 hop about with annoying celerity, and also those, that 

 hide in the hair. When the hook is drawn from the 

 water, they are often on it; and these, they say, are the 

 pests which at night disturb the sleep of fish in the sea." 

 In order that you may more easily give your adhesion 

 to the authoritative opinions of these approved writers, 

 I will not omit to tell you that, in the month of March, 

 as I was seeking sea-urchins, on the Melloria reef, I saw 

 some little animals caught in the bristles of numerous 



