EUMINANTIA 339 



microscopic examination. Immediately, to my satisfaction, I 

 found that the fsecal contents displayed a large quantity 

 of my strongyle ova, enclosing still living embryos, and in 

 addition several free embryos presenting characters which 

 declared that they were from the same source. Clearly they 

 had been ingested by the earth-worm along with its ordinary 

 food. One or two of the embryos were conspicuously larger 

 than their fellows, but the structural changes they had under- 

 gone were not so marked as to lead me for a single moment to 

 associate them with any of the various sexually- mature worms 

 which have been described as normally infesting the earth-worm. 

 I had no doubt whatever that such slight structural changes as 

 were now discernible had resulted from growth and develop- 

 ment consequent upon this accidental admission into the body 

 of the intermediate bearer which might or might not prove to 

 be its legitimate territory. It will be seen that subsequent 

 observations tended to affirm the truth of this view. I made a 

 careful examination of one of these larvae, whose active move- 

 ments were such as to render the process exceedingly tedious. 

 The earth-worm itself (or rather its unequal halves) was placed 

 in a fresh watch-glass containing ordinary mould. The larvae 

 or embryos obtained from the earth-worm now measured about 

 of an inch in length, their heads exhibiting a short and 

 simple chitinous buccal tube, whilst their tails were somewhat 

 more pointed and bent upward. The somatic granules were 

 more crowded, rendering the position of the intestinal tract 

 more marked, though, as yet, the differentiation gave no indi- 

 cation of the formation of a distinct intestinal wall. There 

 was no perceptible increase of thickness of the body of 

 the embryos. The results thus far naturally encouraged 

 me to procure some fresh earth-worms for experimental 

 purposes. 



On the 26th of October I found that the halves of the earth- 

 worm were alive, and I left them undisturbed in rather dry 

 mould, freshly added. To a watch-glass containing newly 

 sifted earth and embryos I added a fresh garden-worm, which 

 was rather sluggish from the cold ; and in the original jar I 

 placed another smaller and very active earth-worm obtained the 

 same morning. Finding the soil in the jar congenial, this 

 lumbricus soon buried itself. Another and larger earth-worm 

 subsequently added refused to follow this example. It was 

 therefore removed from the jar. Believing the fine and arti- 



