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IV. — BemarJcs on some Parasites found on the Head of a Bat. 

 By K. L. Maddox, M.D. 



Plate XCVI. 

 In the early part of the month of April was received from my friend 

 Dr. P. Davidson, Staff Surgeon, late of Eoyal Victoria Hospital, 

 Netley, the head of one of those strange creatures which have fur- 

 nished, in times long past, the pattern for the aeronautical addenda 

 to man's mythical image of the " Evil one." See a plate in W. Young 

 Otley's fine series, entitled ' The Italian School of Design,' published 

 1823, of part of a fresco by Giunta Pisano, of the thirteenth century, 

 in the church of St. Francisco at Assisi, on the high road between 

 Perugia and Foligno, dedicated to St. Francis, the founder of the 

 order of monks that pass by his name, where the sorcerer, Simon 

 Magus, is represented as being borne away by no less than seven of 

 these imps ; possibly his beautiful concubine Helena travelled by a 

 similar mode of transport, though on this we are not enlightened. 

 The wings, when compared to like appendages furnished to the 

 saints, are noticed as very different in structure, as seen in the 

 colossal figures by Cimabue in the same church, and copied by Mr. 

 Otley in his valuable work. Now, it is curious to notice, the artist 

 in his design has given to the expansion of the interfemoral mem- 

 brane eight metacarpal and digital prolongations, whereas in the 

 usual figures of the bat in works on natural history we find only 

 five. 



This " unclean animal " of the Hebrews — Attaleph — of the mam- 

 malian division, was placed in the forbidden list amongst birds : from 

 this, and being so active in the period of darkness, so anomalous in 

 the general appearance, so destructive in some countries, and so 

 strange in their habits and haunts, we may possibly find some 

 reason why this form of wing should have been engrafted on the 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XCVI. 



Fig. 1. — A group of parasites, and the openings made by those detached. 



„ 2 and 3. — The dorsal and ventral aspect of two of the insects slightly com- 

 pressed, after remaining in glycerine and sweet spirit of nitre. 



„ 4. — The ventral aperture surrounded by wavy lines in the skin ; there were 

 four hairs near, but these were not figured. 



,, 5. — A torn part of the skin showing the wavy lines, also the inner surface and 

 some museulur (?) trabeculse. 



„ 6. — The third leg with the plumose hairs and the trifid claw. 



„ 7. — Tlie buccal apparatus more highly magnified. 



„ 8. — Two of the openings in the dermis where the insects had been attached, 

 showing the thickening resulting from the irritation, and a well- 

 marked bundle of nerves, * *. 



„ 9. — The single minute insect found with Figs. 2 and 3, but free and amongst 

 the hairs (? immature male). 



„ 10, 11. — The two inferior maxillae. Fig. 10, side view of the left one ; Fig. 11, 

 view of the right one as seen from above, in tlie natiu'al closed position 

 when the insect is forcibly removed from the skin. 



