\OVKMHI R, 1911. 



KNOWLEDGE. 



445 



from that of the uell-Unown Blow fly. and as this organ does 

 not take any active part in the process of bloodsucking, it 

 need not claim our attention here. The central blade of the 

 set of five lancets is the labnini, which in a specimen before us 

 measures •06-inch X -Ol-inch but tapers toward the extremity, 

 ending in two oval chitinous plates set obliquely on each side, 

 each bearing about sixteen rasp-like teeth, the central portion 

 between them being also finely toothed. The edges of the 

 labrnm are thin and sharp and furnished with delicate hairs, 

 whilst down the centre there is a groove, the upper end of which 

 is in commimication with the alimentary canal. Immediately 

 below this is the true tongue, or hypopharyn.x, somewhat 

 shorter and narrower than the labrum, slightly grooved on its 

 outer face, and tapered towards its rounded extremity. When 

 in operation this is pressed upon the inner surface of the 

 labrum and the grooves being then in apposition, form 

 a tube up which the blood is drawn. On either side 

 of these are the uiandihlcs, rather longer than the 

 labrnm and about the same width, formed of two ex- 

 tremely thin laminae and tapering to a lancet-shaped 

 point, the outer edges being smooth and sharp, whilst the 

 inner edges are bordered with minute teeth the forty- 

 thousandth of an inch in size. Outside these again are two 

 delicate blades which are generally regarded as the maxillae. 

 These are somewhat shorter than the mandibles, but are only 

 •004-inch wide, slightly tapering and rounded at the ends. If 

 these are examined with a magnifying power of, say, X150 

 or X 200, it will be seen that the ends are furnished with ten 

 to tw-elve rows of strong teeth pointing upwards, each tooth 

 consisting of a sharp point set in a socket of more flexible 

 material. A short distance from the end, where the maxilla 

 has widened to almost its full breadth, these large teeth give 

 place to a band of teeth of a smaller size, running down 

 either side, beginning in close rows of seven, but gradually 

 diminishing in number until they narrow to a single tooth, 

 leaving the central portion of each maxilla bare ; the inner 

 margin of each maxilla is smooth, but the outer edge is closeh- 

 fringed with long soft hairs almost throughout its entire 

 length. All the teeth point in the same direction, their use 

 being, no doubt — as in the case of the reflexed teeth on the 

 hypostome of a Tick — to enable the insect to maintain a firm 

 hold whilst sucking up the blood. The effects of the bites of 

 these flies vary considerably according to the state of health 

 of the person bitten, but the after irritation is often much 

 increased by portions of the mouth organs being broken off in 

 the puncture by a sudden attempt to crush the creature when 

 caught in the act. In many specimens which I have 

 examined, the partly damaged mandibles and maxillae seem to 

 confirm this suggestion. In some of the smaller species of 

 Tabanidae the diameter of the suctorial tube is obviously 

 less than that of a human blood corpuscle, and it is therefore 

 thought by many that the sali\a of the insect — probably 

 containing some form of formic acid — is injected into the 

 wound for the purpose of breaking down the red corpuscles to 

 enable their contents to be more easily absorbed ; luit in 

 answer to the question why are visitors so much more 

 persecuted than natives, it is asserted that the latter become 

 in a short time so inoculated with the poison as to be immune 

 to the usual after-effects, .is indeed is said to be the case with 

 bee-masters, to whom, after becoming similarly inoculated, the 

 sting of a bee merely means a momentary prick, ij q- r 



CLARE ISLAND SUK\KV.— The results of this survey 

 are being published by the Koyal Irish Academy, and will 

 form Vol. XXXI of the Proceedings. When completed there 

 will be sixty-seven separate reports dealing with the flora, 

 fauna, geology, archaeology, and so on, of the Island and the 

 adjacent Mainland. We have before us Nos. 37, 51 and 52, 

 of these reports, dealing with the Arctiscoida — James Murray ; 

 Rotifcra (excluding Bdelloida) — C. F. Rousselet : Rotifera 

 lidelloida — James Murray. Until the commencement of the 

 Clare Island Survey, there appears to have been no previous 

 record of the occurrence of Water-bears in Ireland. Thirty- 

 three species were collected in the small area under examina- 

 tion, and it cannot be supposed that this list is fairly repre- 

 sentative of the whole of Ireland. When other parts of the 



country are examined the list v i'l undoubtedly be considerably 

 increased. There are eleven species which are new 

 records for the British Isles, making the Britannic 

 list up to sixty-one specie?. An interesting feature of 

 the Irish list of water-bears is the occurrence of three 

 species which were recently discovered in Canada and which 

 were hitherto unknown in Europe : — Echinitscus intermedins, 

 Macrobiotiis occidentalis and M. virgatus. With the 

 Canadian Water-bears is associated in Ireland a Canadian 

 Bdelloid Rotifer — Callidina aspenila. These facts open 

 up some interesting questions in the geographical di,stribution 

 of fresh-water organisms. Are they cosmopolitan, given the 

 suitable conditions postulated by Mr. Rousselet in a recent 

 paper on the Geographical Distribution of the Rotifera ? 



The Survey collected fifty-seven species of Bdelloids, besides 

 a number of very distinct varieties. As there were previous 

 records from Ireland of nine species, forty-eight are additions 

 to the Irish fauna. The study of the list in relation to the 

 world distribution of the species is instructive. There is not 

 a single species which is confined to Ireland. Xevertheless, 

 the Irish Bdelloid fauna exhibits much more peculiarity than 

 that one fact would seem to indicate. Much importance 

 attaches to the varieties of common species which are found, 

 these occuring chiefly among the spiny Bdelloids. in the 

 genera Dissotrocha, Pleuretra and Callidina. Mr. Murray's 

 reports are illustrated with his well-known skill. 



A Course of eight lectures on "The Manipulation and 

 Theory of the Microscope" is being delivered by Mr. J. Edwin 

 Barnard. F.R.M.S., at King's College, Strand, The lectures 

 are addressed to advanced students of the University and to 

 others interested in the subject. .-Admission free, without 

 ticket. The syllabus shows that a very complete treatment 

 is aimed at, and the lectures cannot fail to be of very 

 considerable interest to students and others. 



We have received Catalogue No. 2 from Messrs. H. F. 

 Angus & Co., Wigmore Street, W.. containing a list of second- 

 hand scientific apparatus and accessories. That part of the 

 catalogue devoted to the Microscope is divided under separate 

 headings, such as : Stands only, stands with objectives, 

 objectives and eyepieces, substage illuminators, and so on. 

 .\11 the instruments listed have been tested and adjusted where 

 necessary. It is proposed in course of time to issue a larger 

 list at periodical intervals. 



A catalogue has also reached us from Messrs. Clarkeand Page, 

 Thavies Inn, E.C., of microscopical preparations, microscopes 

 and accessories which they supply. Their catalogue is now 

 issued in a much improved form to previous editions. We 

 w^ould dr.aw attention to Section .\ of their list of mounted 

 microscopical objects, a series of preparations mounted without 

 pressure in cells, in which a new fluid medium is used. .\11 

 these slides are particularly fine for dark ground illumination. 

 We have before us five of these preparations, of which we 

 would specially mention : Coralliiium nihnim,v.hh extended 

 polype, .\mbulacral disc and tulie of Echinus esculentus. 

 and the head of a Sand-wasp [Miscns sylvcstris). showing the 

 mouth parts. These fluid mounts are finer than any which 

 have hitherto come under our notice. 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



By Hugh Bovd Watt, M.B.O.U. 



NEW NAMES FOR THE GREEN WOODPECKER.— 



Amongst the vicissitudes of birds at the present time is the 

 peril of losing their old and honoured scientific names and of 

 having a fresh and unknown style conferred upon them. We 

 suppose that it is not within the scope of the operations of the 

 Society for the Protection of Birds to attempt to save the good 

 name of a bird, but, if it w-ere so. they might well intervene. 

 A new name is now proposed b.\- Dr. Ernst Hartert for the 

 English form of the Green Woodpecker viz. : — Picks viridis 

 pluvins. subsp. nov. With an unexpected regard for tradition 

 the justification is added, "because of the well-known ancient 

 superstition that its call is a sign of approaching rain." This 



