428 Miscellaneous. 



Delphinus Castelnaui -is distinct from D. Morei and D. Walker!, 

 from the S. Atlantic, as it has a black, and they have a white, fore- 

 head at the base of the beak. 



Experiments on the Scolex of Taenia mediocanellata. 

 By M. Saint-Cye. 



Three Cestoid worms live as parasites in the human intestine, 

 namely : — Taenia solium, derived from the Cysticercus cettulosce of 

 the pig ; Bothriocephalus latus, the scolex of which, according to 

 Bertolus and Knoch, lives in fishes of the genus Salmo ; and Taenia 

 mediocanellata, which was long confounded with T. solium, from 

 which it was distinguished in 1853 by Kiichenmeister, its chief dif- 

 ference being in its unarmed head. 



The history of this last worm is much less complete than that of 

 Tain i a solium. We only know that Leuckart having administered 

 ova of T. mediocanellata to calves, obtained an abundant development 

 of Cysticerci in their muscles, and that these Cysticerci encysted in 

 the calves had* all the characters of T. mediocanellata. 



j\t. Saint-Cyr has repeated Leuckart's experiments, with the fol- 

 lowing results. He administered four proglottides of T. medio- 

 canellata to a healthy young heifer six weeks old, which was still 

 nourished exclusively by its mother's milk. There were soon formed 

 under the tongue two small hard tumours, exactly like those observed 

 in the same region in pigs affected with measles. The heifer was 

 not killed until 224 days after the ingestion of the proglottides; 

 cysticercal tumours were found, but the worms were all dead. 



On the 2nd of April M. Saint-Cyr had an opportunity of repeating 

 his experiments. He administered forty proglottides of T. medio- 

 canellata to a sucking calf four weeks old. On the 21st of April 

 a granulation was observed on the lower surface of the tongue ; and 

 this increased a little until the 26th of May, when the calf was 

 killed, 54 days after the ingestion of the proglottides. Twenty 

 Cysticerci were found scattered here and there in the conjunctive 

 tissues, two under the mucous membrane of the tongue, six along 

 the oesophagus, and the rest in the subperitoneal conjunctive 

 tissue. 



The author describes the parasite as dwelling in a cyst about the 

 size of a cherry, having thick and strong walls. After the removal 

 of the cyst the Cysticercus is of about the size of a pea, and of a 

 spherical form. Its membrane is very delicate and transparent, 

 and filled with a limpid fluid ; at one point there is a small white 

 spot, pierced by a very small aperture, indicating the place where 

 the head is invaginated. The head is tetragonal, truncated at 

 its anterior part, quite destitute of rostellum and hooks, but 

 furnished with four round, thick, and nearly terminal suckers. 

 The greatest dimension of the head is 1*20 millim. ; and the diameter 

 of the vesicle is 3 millims. — Comptes Bendus, August 25, 1873, 

 p. 536. 



