LEPTOTHEIX BUCCALIS. 129 



III. Leptothrios buccalis. Tab. I, figs. 3 6. 



Class IsocarpecR. 



Sub-class Malacophyceae. 



Tribe Gymnospermeae. 



Order I Eremospermea. 



Family Leptothricece : " Trichomata tranqullla tenuissima, con- 

 tinua (vel obsolete articulata). Cellulce propagator ice proprice 

 null. Filamenta tubulosa, continua, sine articulatione el motu, 

 endochromate confluente, indistincto plena. Cellules propagatrices 

 nullce out ignotce" 



Genus Leptothrix .- Filamenta tenuissima eramosa nee con- 

 creta, recta aut interdum curvata. 



Species Leptotkrix buccalis : " Trichomatibus rigidulis, line- 

 aribus rectis vel inflexis, non moniliformibus, achromaticis, extre- 

 mitatibus obtusis, basi in stromate amorpho granuloso, adhcerenti- 

 bus : long. 0-020 0-100, lat. 0-0005 mm." 



Habitat: " In super fide linguae, intervallis dentium, cavo den- 

 tium corruptorum, unde in succos stomachi aut intestinorum (si 

 diarrhoea accedit) descendit." 



Wedl describes this plant as occurring upon the epithelium of 

 the papillae of the tongue in the form of a dark brownish-yellow 

 granular mass. From these masses are developed very delicate 

 fibrillse transversely divided, entirely structureless, and about 

 0-0008 mm. broad. They are not affected by vinegar or weak 

 alkaline solutions. They are of various lengths, and mostly 

 assume a bent position. They commence with a few fibrillse, 

 and gradually form projecting bundles which are evidently of a 

 vegetable nature. They can be easily procured by scraping the 

 middle of the tongue, and are seldom absent except in the case 

 of clean red tongues, whilst they are most numerous on the upper 

 part of the tongue. Wedl, Kb'lliker, and Hofle regarded them 

 as Fungi ; but Robin describes them as Algse. He says that this 

 parasite is found accompanied by epithelial cells, and a number of 

 a species of Vibrio. It consists of small semitransparent, finely 

 granular yellowish masses of variable form, and a length of O'OSO 

 0-040 mm., and consist of numerous round, straight filaments, free 

 at one end, and with the other planted in the granular mass. 

 Uuder the highest powers of the microscope small round granules 



9 



