Miscellaneous. 77 



On the Occurrence of Gyrodactylus elegans in Shropshire, 

 To the Editors of the Annals of Natural History. 



Gentlemen, — I have to record another locality for the occurrence 

 of this singular and highly interesting parasite, which, though first 

 discovered by Nordmann, some years ago, has only recently (January 

 1860) been known to occur in this country, having been found on 

 Sticklebacks in the Hampstead ponds by Mr. Bradley (Journal of 

 the Proceedings of the Liunean Society, 1860, vol. v. p. 209). 

 Dr. Spencer Cobbold has also recorded the occurrence of Gyro- 

 dactylus in great numbers in the Serpentine. With these two 

 exceptions, I am not aware of any other recorded localities for the 

 Gyrodactylus. 



I first observed this parasite in May last, on the pectoral fins and 

 the tail of some young Sticklebacks {Gasterosteus leiurus), which I 

 had hatched from a nest of ova brought home from a ditch on the 

 Eyton moors. On close examination of the father-fish, I discovered 

 that he was literally covered all over the surface of the body with 

 Gyrodactyli ; there must have been two or three hundred of these 

 creatures infesting him. I found, on the death of the fish, that his 

 gills were likewise full of them. I subsequently examined freshly 

 captured specimens from another ditch which abounded with Gas- 

 terosteus leiurus and contained also a few specimens of the much 

 more uncommon G. pungitius, and found Gyrodactyli on most of 

 them, only in moderate numbers. 



When once the eye has become acquainted with these minute 

 parasites on the fin of a fish, their detection by means of a lens is 

 an easy matter. All the specimens I examined were of the same 

 species. I suspect that careful observation will determine the 

 Gyrodactyli to be not uncommon parasites upon various freshwater 

 fish. 



I remain yours truly, 



W. Houghton. 

 Preston Rectory, Wellington, Shropshire, 

 June 6, 1862. 



Experiments on the Migrations of the Entozoa, 

 By MM. PouCHET and Verrier. 



One of the authors, in a work published in 1859, gave a careful 

 expose of the doctrines of the naturalists who have studied the meta« 

 morphoses of the Entozoa and their peregrinations, in Germany and 

 Belgium. The result of such an investigation, they say, is to raise 

 great doubts upon these points ; and they quote the opinion of M. 

 Davaine, "that the question still waits for a sound criticism and 

 fresh investigations.'' 



A naturalist asserts that he has succeeded nine different times ia 



