CORESPONDENCE. 139 



doing 1 Their, at first sight, unattractive appearance in part, perhaps, 

 accounts for theii' neglect ; yet not a few of the species are extremely 

 beautiful. The scarcity of rehable, but not too expensive, books of 

 reference, is doubtless another reason ; but this should not deter us from 

 collecting these insects and observing their habits. When a sufficient 

 demand exists for the books, they will probably be forthcoming from 

 some quarter or other. The Hemqjtera, again, is another despised gi'oup : 

 but why ? The insects are generally small, it is true, but science is not 

 chiefly concerned about mere size, and as to colour this class includes 

 some real beauties, I would therefore ui'go Entomologists to extend 

 their operations to some of these too little known classes of insects. A 

 little more mutual help is also much wanted among us. Thus, when a 

 Lepidopterist is out collecting and meets with insects other than those 

 he is specially interested in, he might often be of use to some fellow 

 workers if he would devote a little trouble for their sake, and pick up 

 "bugs," or bees, or other insects which he knows them to care for. In 

 return he would invariably be helped in his pursuit. " Fellow feehng 

 makes us wondrous kind." Speaking for myself , I shall always be glad 

 to send Lepidoptera in exchange for Diptera or Homoptera, and shall only 

 want to know concerning any specimens sent to me the locality from 

 whence they are obtained. — S. L. Mosley, Hon. Sec, Huddersfield 

 NaturaUsts' Society, Primi-ose Hill, Huddersfield. 



A Paeasitic Wobm infesting the Air Sinuses of the Coinios 

 Weasel. — April 13th, 1878, Mr. Montagu Bro-«Tie, the Natm-ahst, 

 forwarded to me, for the pui-pose of ascertaining the cause of death, an 

 adidt specimen of the common weasel, which had not been trapped or 

 shot. I carefully examined all the abdominal and thoracic viscera, 

 squeezing up their structures into tliin layers for the purpose of finding 

 any parasitic larvae or adult worms. I searched the alimentary canal 

 from the mouth to the anus but found no parasites. Not suspecting that 

 the air sinuses and nostrils might contain parasites, I was stupidly 

 content to let them pass with a cursoiy glance ; but as I desired to 

 observe the arrangement of the bones of the ear in this animal, I 

 commenced to skin the head, and aiTiving at the point of union 

 of the frontal bones, I observed a round hole in the median 

 line, one-eighth inch in diameter, covered with a clear transparent 

 membrane, which was continuous above and internally with the 

 periosteum. I could not make out any mucous hning, though I suppose 

 there should have been one, for the sinus communicated immediately 

 with the left nostril. On removing this clear membrane, which looked as 

 though it covered a hole filled with ink, I found what at first sight 

 appeared to be small elongated clots of blood. There were no movements 

 whatever, no apparent sign of hfe ; however, I examined one of them, 

 and made out that it was a worm, (a female,) full of eggs for about one 

 half its length, and the remaining half occupied by many hundreds of 

 minute, young, hving, wriggling w'onns. There were in this sinus six 

 specimens, four females, and two males. The male is considerably 

 smaller than the female, not reaching to even half her size in the largest 

 and best developed specimen. The female, the largest, measui'ed one 

 inch and a quarter long, and the thirty-second of an inch in diameter, 

 and the smallest specimen, which contained both eggs and young aHve, 

 measured half an inch long and about four lines in gi'eatest diameter. 

 After being satisfied as to their character I proceeded cautiously to 

 search the remaining sinuses, the brain and its cavities. The brain was 

 healthy as far as the microscope could determine, but the sinuses were 

 fidl of the parasite. In the sinus of the left temporal region no less than 

 fourteen of these creatures were discovered coiled round one another and 

 dead, twelve of them females and two males ; in the air passages of the 



