1888.] MIOKOSCOriCAL JOUENAL. 123 



terminates slightly behind the very acute tip in an opening (the anus) . There 

 is no distinction of stomach and intestine behind the gizzard. 



When the parts of the alimentary system are thus made out, it is best to de- 

 termine the exact situation of the skin or body wall, which maybe best begun 

 at the head end. It is partly of muscular tissue, overlaid with skin cells, and 

 the whole covered on the outside with a chitinous cuticle, but these parts can- 

 not be readily distinguished. When the body wall has been distinguished, 

 search in the region of the stomach intestine for an organ besides it in this 

 region. A difference will here be found among the specimens, some being 

 males and others females. The organs here are the rather extensive ovaries 

 or testes according to the sex of the individual. If a female, one will see num- 

 erous oblong or oval bodies separate from one another, many with a clear 

 round central spot. These are eggs with their nuclei or germinal vesicles. 

 Careful search of a number of specimens will further prove that an opening 

 exists in the middle of the body. This may, perhaps, be traceable into the 

 generative organ, into which it really leads. It is the reproductive orifice. 

 The males have a different looking generative organ — the testes made up of 

 numerous small round bodies, the ultimate cells which give rise to the sperma- 

 tozoa, and which are ' peculiar in that they retain the character of cells, and 

 may even exhibit amoeboid movements ' (Huxley). 



Besides muscles, digestive organs, and generative organs the vinegar eel 

 has a general nervous system which can only be demonstrated after very 

 special study. It has no conspicuous sense organs. Its zoological relations 

 are with the so-called round worms, many of which are man's greatest ene- 

 mies, such as the Trichina; but Anguillula of vinegar is harmless. Other 

 forms of Anguillula thrive in sour paste and still others are instrumental in 

 producing a disease in wheat. Gordius, the ' horse-hair worm,' belongs to 

 this group.* 



It is scarcely possible to preserve the vinegar eel so as to show the facts 

 pointed out as easily seen, and they can so readily be obtained at any time 

 that it is scarcely worth while to attempt it. However, it may be done in one 

 way, as follows : — As for staining the cuticle prevents the entrance of most 

 stains, but eosine can be made to penetrate with difficulty. 



In mounting the best method is as follows : — First get the specimen in al- 

 cohol in the centre of the slide. Then with the bibulous paper remove all 

 alcohol from the slide, except just about the specimen ; then, quickly, before 

 the evaporation of the alcohol, drop on it a small amount of warm fluid gly- 

 cerine jelly. Balsam should not be used (though it could be well enough), 

 l)ecause of the similar density with the specimen, making the latter almost 

 invisible. Cover the jelly with a cover and run in enough warm jelly to fill 

 out the space between the slide and cover. After the jelly is hard wipe care- 

 fully away the excess at the point where the jelly was run under and ring 

 with Bell's cement or with shellac cement. Slides made in this way will show 

 the points above mentioned, or some of them, and will ' keep' indefinitely. 



The student must be cautioned against expecting to find all the structure 

 shown in any one specimen, because the position in which the body lies may 

 hide some of them. 



Minerals of New South Wales. — Prof. Hversidge, of the University of Sydney, 

 has very aptly celebrated the centenary of the foundation of the colony of New South 

 Wales by the publication of a treatise on the mineralogy of that country. A consid- 

 erable space is devoted to gold, silver, gems, coal, lignite, mineral waters, rocks, etc. 



* Any who would care to know more of these animals will find help in the article Nematodea, Encycloptedia 

 Britannica. 



