302 M. A. Schneider on Oplivyocystis Biitschlii. 



Being anxious, for a work on sporulation, to find cysts of very 

 recent formation, I examined in several examples of Blaps 

 the posterior extremity of the digestive tube, the rectum, 

 when, to my great surprise, I saw in one of them, on the 

 outer surface of this section of the intestinal canal, close to its 

 junction Avith the stomach, a white, sinuous, serpentiform 

 cord standing out strongly and with some parts much more 

 inflated than others. Beside it there were two other similar 

 bodies. Fig. 1 shows this appearance. 



What were these productions ? At the first glance it was 

 very difficult to say ; but I very soon ascertained that I had 

 to do with Malpighian vessels adherent to the wall of the 

 rectum, distended by peculiar contents, and of a clear white 

 colour instead of their usual tint. I cut open these tubes, 

 when there issued from them a quantity of little globules, 

 which were spread over several glass slides, where some of 

 them were observed immediately in the fresh state, only with 

 the addition of a drop of water containing a little salt, while 

 the others were treated with reagents. 



These globules were Sporozoa, and Sporozoa such as I 

 had never seen, although it was impossible to mistake their 

 nature. It is, in fact, an assemblage of a number of features 

 met with isolatedly elsewhere, but never united in a common 

 resultant. Hence, while the general diagnosis is easy, it is 

 in the same degree difficult to decide upon the special group 

 to which we should refer the new form, which, as certain 

 zoologists would say, is eminently syntlietic. Is it a Grega- 

 rina? Is it a Coccidian ? Is it a Myxosporidian ? You may 

 judge, for I have given what was shown by the glass slides. 

 I have multiplied the drawings, devoting an entire plate to 

 show all the important aspects, and endeavouring to omit 

 none of the details that I have been able to ascertain, feeling 

 sure that if some great genius should find this profuseness 

 useless and impute it to poverty of imagination, specialists 

 will thank me for my fidelity and my scruples. 



All the figures have been drawn with the camera lucida 

 and with Hartnack's immersion-lens no. 9, with the tube 

 drawn out. At the bottom of the plate, to the left, is a scale, 

 each great division of which represents one hundredth of a 

 millimetre. This scale applies to all the figures except fig. 1, 

 which is drawn under a low power. 



We will commence with the examination of the objects in 

 the fresh state. 



As will be easily understood, the inflated portion of the 

 Malpighian tubes, the seat of the parasitic production under 

 consideration, being stopped up by these contents themselves, 



