CONFERVA ON THE SKJN OF THE GOLD-FISH. 345 



XYIL— OX TTTE CONFErcVA AVTTTrjI \T.GI<:TATES 

 ON THE SKIN OF THE GOLD-FISH.* 



Lady Brisbane having observed that a gold-fish -which had 

 lived for some time in a glass vase presented a very unusual 

 appearance, as if a quantity of cotton were attached to its 

 dorsal fin and tail, requested INIr. 1 hyson to explain the cir- 

 cumstance. That gentleman, having seen in the Microscopic 

 Jmirnal a notice of the occurrence of vegetables parasitic on 

 living animalSjt at once suspected that the cotton-like substance 

 was a plant. Lady Brisbane kindly allowed him to remove 

 the fish to Edinburgh for more accurate examination. ^h\ 

 Br}'son sent it to me, with the information that the peculiar 

 substance had made its appearance on the animal six weeks 

 before. 



The fish had been conveyed to town in a jug of water, 

 but had died on the journey, so that I lost the oppoi-tunity 

 of observing the parasite during the life of the animaL 

 The water had begim to be tinged ^vith blood and colouring 

 matter from incipient putrefaction. The results of the 

 examination were not, therefore, so satisfactory as I could 

 have wished. 



The parasite, when cxaniined under water, presented to 

 the naked eye a continuous mass consisting of minute filaments 

 about three-quartere of an inch in length and extending all 

 along the dorsal and posterior edge of the tail-fins. The 



• Kcixd Wforo the Rotanical Society of Etliiilnirj;!!, January 13, 1842. 

 t Sco JtiTi, and Mag. Nai. Hist, vol, viii. p. 229, and p. 10. 



