1G8 LEAHEDj ON A NEW PARASITE. 



mussels, M. Vogt tliouglit these fish were the young of the 

 Bullhearl {Cottits gobio, Liun.).* The subject is a eurious one, 

 and merits further investigation. 



The following queries may suggest inquiry into those points 

 of the economy, &c., of the fresh-water mussels which require 

 elucidation : 



1. How long do the Glochidia remain attached as para- 

 sites, and what is their development during this interval ? 



2. Is the parasitism absolutely essential to its growth and 

 final development. 



3. What are the different stages of growth and form of the 

 shell between the time of the Glochidmm quitting the fish 

 and its assumption of those characters which belong to the 

 adult mollusc ? 



4. Do other members of the Unioniche exhibit any difi^er- 

 ences in habit, form, &c., from what obtains with the Anodonta 

 cygnea. 



Description of a New Parasite found in the heart of the 

 EDIBLE Turtle. By Arthur Leared, M.D., M.R.I.A. 



"While dissecting the heart of the common turtle in August, 

 1860, I observed certain elongated, flattened white bodies, 

 upon the interior of the cavities, and on the valves. The 

 number of the bodies was considerable, and they existed in 

 all the chambers of the organ, but I had no opportunity of 

 examining the blood-vessels. Their average length was aline 

 and a half, and the breadth about one third of this. On 

 examining with the microscope, 1 found them to be fluke 

 worms which presented some novel features. 



As may be seen in the engraving, the body is indented at 

 each side near the centre, the posterior segment being slightly 

 longer than the anterior. The worm is furnished with an oral 

 sucker and also with a large and peculiar-shaped ventral sucker, 

 which is semi-detached from the body. The oral sucker 

 presents a somewhat radiated appearance, at first giving the 

 idea of an armature of booklets, but after attentive examina- 

 tion, I have decided that no such armature exists. The 

 oesophagus is remarkably long and tortuous, leading to a 

 double intestine, Avhicli at the outset forms two remarkable 

 curves. The separate portions of intestine then pass down 



* This, however, cau scarcely be the case; the spawn of (he Bullhead 

 consists of a compact mass of agglutinated ova, and is firmly attached to 

 the under sides of stones and other submerged bodies ; these fish, moreover, 

 love a gravelly bottom, and are not generally found in the same company 

 with the mud-loving swan-mussel. 



