l\ RESEARCHES IN HELMINTHOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY. 



grown individual. At all ages they contain the same character of 

 contents, but in the younger ones the large globules are usually 

 predominant, sometimes to such an extent as to exclude the other 

 matters. When quite young they are usually more or less clavate 

 and straight, a little more advanced they form a gentle curve, about 

 one-eighth of a circle. A little older, the distal half or third be- 

 comes uniformly dilated, and forms an obtuse angle with the other 

 portion ; after this as it continues growing, it usually forms a single 

 spiral turn, becomes uniformly dilated, and thus advances to the 

 full-grown individual. The cell contents consist principally of 

 large transparent globules with granules and protoplasma in the 

 interstices. Frequently the cells are found distended with the glob- 

 ules to such an extent that the other matters almost, and occasion- 

 ally even entirely, disappear. Iodine turns the protoplasma and 

 granules deep yellow or very deep brown, and causes the rupture 

 of the granules, when a clear fluid is observed to exude , very 

 slightly colored purplish, or undergoing no change of color from 

 the iodine. Solution of iodine, acetic acid, salt water, or the pro- 

 longated action of water alone, causes a contraction of the cell con- 

 tents from the sides of the permanent cell wall, but they are still 

 held together by an apparent delicate membrane of the character of 

 a primordial utricle. Frequently in dead individuals the interior 

 contents slirink to two-thirds, occasionally to one-third the diam- 

 eter of the cell calibre, and almost 8 to 20 times the diameter of the 

 cell from each extremity, when they have the appearance of a shriv- 

 eled granular membrane. In these latter cases the characteristic 

 globules and granules have disappeared, and their place is more or 

 less occupied with water, and yellowish globular, highly refractive 

 bodies, which resemble oil. These latter globules vary in size from 

 a mere point to one-fourth the diameter of the cell. The smaller 

 ones are contained within the shriveled primordial utricle with a 

 few of the larger ones, and a number of the latter occupy a position 

 between the primordial utricle and the cell wall apparently formed 

 by a conjunction of the smaller globules and an exudation through 

 the primordial utricle during the act of contraction consequent upon 

 decomposition. They are insoluble in alcohol, but are soluble in 

 ether or a solution of potassa ; in fact in all their properties they 

 resemble oil. Can these be oil globules the result of decomposi- 

 tion ? 



The protoplasma or fluid of the cells is colorless or faintly yel- 

 lowish, contracts or coagulates upon the application of alcohol, and 

 is colored brown by iodine, having all the characters usually possessed 



