300 Miscellaneous. 



Worms ill Ice, 



Prof. Leidy referred to a former communication on the occurrence 

 of organisms in ice (see Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1884, p. 260), and 

 stated that Dr. S. C. Thornton, of Moorestown, N. J., a couple of weeks 

 since had submitted to him for examination a bottle of water from 

 melted ice, such as was habitually used iu his family, and in which he 

 said he had observed living worms. A number of these proved to be 

 present in the specimen, but were all dead. Having expressed a 

 desire to confirm the statement that the worms were observed alive 

 in the fresh ice-water, Dr. Thornton last week had obligingly sent 

 him a basket of the ice. This was part of the provision made nearly 

 a year ago from the vicinity of Moorestowu. The ice was full of 

 air-bubbles and water-drops. On being melted a number of the 

 worms were liberated, and proved to be in a living and quite active 

 condition. It is probable that while imprisoned in the ice thev may 

 not have been frozen, but perhaps remained alive in a torpid con- 

 dition in watcr-dro])s. It is a remarkable fact that these animals 

 should remain so long alive in the ice and yet die so readily in the 

 melted water subsequently. The worms are of the same species 

 noticed in the ice-water of the first communication, and which was 

 derived from similar ice procured from a mill-pond iu Delaware Co., 

 Pa. These facts would indicate that it is desirable to avoid the 

 spongy ice from stagnant waters, as being liable to retain 

 organisms which would be detrimental to us. In the clear ice, such 

 as is served in Philadelphia, no living organisms are detected. The 

 little worms of the ice appear to be an undescribed species, and may 

 therefore be characterized as follows : — 



Lumhricus glacialis. 



AVorm from 4 to 6 lines long, translucent white, cylindrical, ante- 

 riorly acute, tapering most behind and obtuse, of from 35 to 50 

 segments ; oral segment with a blunt conical upper lip, imarmed 

 and eyeless ; succeeding segments with four rows of podal spines, in 

 fascicles of three ; spines pointed at the free end and hooked at the 

 attached end, nearly straight or slightly sigmoid ; generative organs 

 occupying the interval of the third and seventh spine-bearing 

 segments. 



Thickness of worm 0*15 to 0-25 millim. ; podal spines 0-3 to 0-375 

 millim. long.— Proc Jcad. Kat. Sci. PhUad. 1885, p. 408. 



