EAST KENT NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 31 



tion of transversely striped muscular fibres ; and the mucous surface 

 was beset by large papillae, so as to present rather the character 

 of a tactile organ than of a gland. 



Neuronaia Lampetrce. — lieferring to the notices in the ' Proceed- 

 ings of the Zoological Society,' Dec. 6th, 1870, and 'Quart. Journ. 

 Mic. Science,' Jan., 1872, concerning this entozoon, preserved speci- 

 mens were shown under the microscope to be entirely devoid of the 

 spines near the mouth and on the surface of the body which charac- 

 terise the allied Neuronaia Monroii of Goodsir. When magnified, 

 Neuronaia LampetrcB somewhat resembles Yarrell's figures, of the 

 natural size, of Tristoma coccineum, which occurs on the skin and 

 branchijB of the suu-fish. 



Eggs and newly hatched Broods of Ixodes Dugesii and Argas 

 reflexus. — Referring to the description of these eggs at the meet- 

 ing on the 4th July, Mr. George Gulliver now exhibited the newly 

 hatched young of both these species. Swarms of the young broods 

 were found on the 1st of August free from the eggs (the hatching 

 continued up to the last day of observation, on the 15th) and running 

 actively about, trying to escape from their prisons. These young 

 of the two species were miniatures of their parents ; only, as 

 already known of some other immature Acarina, they had six legs, 

 and these so crowded that no room appears, before a moult, for the 

 wanting fourth pair, except posteriorly. Besides, in Argas the 

 body of the young was fringed, especially at its hind part, with 

 hyaline hairs ; and these little creatures are so transparent that the 

 urinary sacs near the anus were seen to be filled with the granules 

 of guanine described at the meeting on June 6th, 1872, and reported 

 in the ' Quart. Journ. Mic. Science' of the following month. Thus, the 

 dart-like mandibles, with recurved teeth and the articulated palps, 

 were much produced in the young of both species, especially of 

 Argas. Ixodes is so very prolific that one female confined in a 

 pill-box laid no less than 143 eggs, all of which, except six, were 

 hatched. Having thus discovered the time and manner of breed- 

 ing, and how easily these creatures may be bred for observation in 

 confinement, we may already perceive some practical applications. 

 Thus, the usual attempts of flockmasters to relieve their suffering 

 sheep by picking off" the parasites and throwing them on the 

 ground is simply sowing the vermin broadcast, for all these bloated 

 Ixodes are pregnant females, ready to lay their eggs to be hatched 

 spontaneously. The ravages of this arachnid on sheep and pheasants 

 have been dreadful this season in the neighbourhood of Canterbury. 



September 5th, 1872. — Excursion to Whitstahle. — Colonel 

 Horsley, Mr. Sibert Saunders, and Mr. Fullagar, collected several 

 Campanularidae, Tubularidae, Annelida, and Ascidiae, and exhibited 

 them in different marine aquariums, giving at the same time very 

 instructive demonstrations of the various living animals under the 

 microscope. Mr. Sheppard and Mr. Fullagar exhibited and illus- 

 trated the habits and economy of Pagurus in living specimens. 

 Mrs. Dean collected and named numerous phsenogamous plants, 

 among which was Hippophae rhamnoides ; and Mrs. Fairbrass 



