92 RECOED OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



of tissue of extremely delicate and branched fibrils, wbicb are closely 

 united to form a network, by which the enteron and the sheath of the 

 proboscis are connected with the body-wall. The third modification 

 is found within the sheath of the proboscis as well as in the enteron, 

 and around the generative follicles ; it consists of a finely granular 

 substance in which there are embedded fine refracting branched 

 fibrils with spindle-shaped nuclei. The cells which are found in all 

 these three forms of connective tissue are also to be found floating 

 freely in the coelom. 



Dr. Grafi" is of opinion that the Nemertine under description was 

 imported from Australia with the palm (Corypha australis) in the earth 

 around which it was found. The connection between it and G.palceensis 

 is evidently very close ; both resemble other Nemertina enopla in the 

 structure of their proboscis, of their nervous system and of their body- 

 wall ; but they are both distinguished, as we have already noted, by 

 the opening of the proboscis into the mouth, and by the constant 

 hermaj)hrodite arrangements ; in the former point they are remarkable 

 for agreeing with Malacobdella. 



Excretory System of the Trematoda.* — Professor Biitschli takes 

 occasion to point out that the presence of a ciliated orifice to the 

 canals of this system is not so doubtful as B. Hatschek seems to 

 imagine, nor are the same funnel-shaped openings absent from all the 

 Platodes. Thiry reported their existence in the Cercaria macroeerca, 

 and Biitschli has himself observed ciliated infundibula opening into 

 the interspaces in the parenchyma of other Cercarise ; and he observed, 

 moreover, that their arrangement was bilaterally symmetrical ; seve- 

 ral ciliated funnels are attached to a common stem, and they have on 

 the whole a very remarkable resemblance to the organs of similar 

 function in the Eotatoria. 



New Trematode.t — Dr. Taschenberg describes the parasite which 

 he found on the gill-lamellae of Pelamys sarda at Naples ; rounded 

 yellowish structures were found on examination to be connective- 

 tissue cysts, which always enclosed two long worms, closely inter- 

 coiled. Each animal was about 3 cm. long, and the most anterior 

 portion is spatulate and white ; the colour of the rest of the body is 

 yellowish, with greyish transverse stripiugs. The yellow colour is 

 due to the large mass of coiled tubes, which contain a considerable 

 quantity of ova. This form is to be distinguished from Monostomum 

 by the complete absence of any sucker, and, on account of its mode of 

 life, Taschenberg proposes to call it Didymozoon. The genus may 

 be briefly defined thus : elongated and occasionally reniform or cir- 

 cular worms, with a distinct neck, but without suckers. The intes- 

 tine may or may not be present. The testicular body forms a much 

 coiled tube, and the ovarian tube accompanies it. The generative 

 orifice is at the anterior end of the body. The ova are small, oval, 

 and provided with a chitinous shell : the species of the genus are D. 

 tliynni, D. scombri, D. pelamydis, D. sphyrcence, and D. auxis. 



* ' Zool. Anzeiger,' ii. (1879) p. 588. 



t 'Zcitsch. Gesammt. Naturwiss.' (Giebel), lii. (1879) p. 605. 



