THE MICROSCOPE. 149 



" In walking, this species uses the claw and tibial tooth with 

 great facility (which act as a finger and thumb) in taking hold 

 of a single hair. The male is much smaller than the female, 

 with the abdomen shorter, sub-orbicular, and the segments lobate ; 

 the egg is three-quarters of a line in length, of a creamy colour, 

 and slightly shagreened, oblong and slightly acuminated, sur- 

 mounted by a lid, which, when the young insect is ready to 

 emerge, splits circularly, or, as a botanist would say, has a 

 circumcissile dehiscence." — Editor?^ 



Lice (said to be) taken from a Gull. — I have had a slide sent to 

 me, named as above, and I find that the objects do not belong to 

 the Mandibulata as stated. I compare the mouth with the same 

 part in the louse from Partridge, Gull, Vulture, or Turkey ; and 

 then with the suctorial mouth of HcBmatopimis^ Fediculus, or 

 Phthiriiis. I ask the little creatures what they have got in their 

 maw. Oh ! blood ! As surely do they tell the work they've been 

 engaged in, as did the blood on Lady Macbeth's hands. But 

 where are the oval, nucleated corpuscles ? The blood is not that 

 of a bird, but of a mammal, and of a small one, too. No suc- 

 torial lice have ever been found on birds. These evidently belong 

 to the genus HcEmafopinus^ and seem to me to come nearest to 

 the louse found on the field Campagnol. 



The drawings on Plate 15, lower half, will serve to illustrate 

 the details of the mouths of various species of lice. 



[These last remarks are quoted to show the very shrewd way 

 in which Mr. West was accustomed to detect any error in naming 

 the slides that passed through his hands. — Editor ?\ 



TuFFEN West. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE XIII. 



Upper, Half. 

 Portion of the arm of Solaster Fapposa, showing the calcareous frame- 

 work, — the membrane supported thereby, with openings in it, — 

 and the bundles of spines, apparently seated on short stalks. 



Lower Half. 

 These figures are specially intended to illustrate the characters of the 



mouth-organs in the niandibulate and suctorial Lice. 

 Fig. 1. — Mouth of Louse, said to have been taken from a gull. 

 ,, 2. — Mouth of Gonioies stylifer : — m.m., Mandibles; mx. n'uX.y 

 Maxillae ; Ibr, , Labrum ; Ih. , Labium. 



