NOTICES OF MEETINGS. 273 
from such a widely different organism as the anemone, was more than he could 
tell. Another parasite attacking the whale was figured, and the lecturer said 
that by the look of it the parasite might frighten the whale. It was ferocious 
enough to do so if it was big enough. He had a good deal to say about the 
different parasites that attack fishes, and particularly carp. One of the chief 
points of attack was the gills where there was a plentiful supply of blood. 
There was one curious and apparently most cruel parasite which attacked the 
eyes of sprats. By a kind of anchor (or barb) it attached itself to the centre of 
of the sight of the creature’s eye. It was not unusual to find several of these 
parasites in one eye. Having dealt with external parasites, some of which bury 
themselves in the bodies of the victims, having inserted themselves into the 
flesh, he spoke of the internal parasites. A most curious fact in connection with 
the life history of some of these was that they required to live first in one body, 
and then complete their existence in another and widely different organisation. 
He instanced the dreaded trichine. The tape worm in man was caused, he 
said, by an animal whose first home was the pig. A parasite which attacked 
the dog had its first home in the rabbit, and one that attacked the cat had its 
first dwelling place in the mouse. A tape worm found in the snipe was illus- 
trated. A parasite which sometimes caused enormous destruction amongst 
flocks of sheep was supposed first of all to be a small snail which was in the 
herbage. Just as Virgil supposed of bees, it had been thought that these para- 
sites had no ancestors, but the life history of very many of these forms was now 
well known. Concluding with reference to parasites, he especially referred to 
fevers caused by bacteria getting into the human organism, and with reference 
to the suggestion that it might be possible to secure immunity, by means of 
vaccination, from various diseases caused by parasites, he said he was afraid that 
if it could be carried out one vaccination would destroy the effect of another. 
What was required was to find something that could destroy all these kinds of 
organisms without affecting the human body seriously. In the second part of 
his lecture he dealt with ‘‘ messmates ”—widely different creatures who follow 
each other and the two live quietly side by side, but by what bond of union we 
could not discover. He instanced the pilot fish and shark, prairie owls and 
prairie dogs, barnacles and whales. A very pretty description was given of 
parasitic anemones attaching themselves to the hermit crab. He related an in- 
stance of hermit crabs being placed in a tank where there were anemones. These 
at once showed as much commotion as they were capable of, detached them- 
selves from the piece of rock, and attached themselves to the hermit crabs. 
QUEER PLANTS. 
On Thursday evening a lecture under this title was given by Mr. G. E. Davis, 
F.R.M.S., F.C.S., Editor of the Northern Microscopist. Dr. Welsh, of Whit- 
worth, presided, and there was a large audience. The lecture consisted first of 
interesting observations on the immense varied characters of vegetation, com- 
mencing with the forest growth of various countries, such as the bamboo jungles 
of India and the coco-nut groves of China and Japan, lantern slides of which 
were exhibited. 
The lecturer next showed his audience a photograph of a tree-fern, and 
illustrated his remarks upon their structure and that of the flowering plants with 
photographs from nature of various sections, the disc of deal and the stem of 
rush being amongst the number. 
One of the most interesting subjects of the lecture, at least to many members 
of the Society, was the reference to coal plants, a study much followed by several 
in the districts of Oldham and Rochdale, the Calamite, the Lepidodendron, 
Asterophyllite, Sphenophyllum, and Annularia, were all thrown upon the 
screen. 
The Mosses, Lichens, and Hepatics were mentioned as being fair fields for 
study, after which the motile algee were minutely described, one of Dr. Maddox’s 
