CONFERVA ON THE SKIN OF THE GOLD-FISH. 345 



XVII. ON THE CONFEBVA WHICH VEGETATES 

 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 Mr. Bryson to explain the cir- 

 cumstance. That gentleman, having seen in the Microscopic 

 Journal a notice of the occurrence of vegetables parasitic on 

 living animals,t 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. Mr. 

 Bryson 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 opportunity 

 of observing the parasite during the life of the animal. 

 The water had begun to be tinged with 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 examined under water, presented to 

 the naked eye a continuous mass consisting of minute filaments 

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

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



* Bead before the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, January 13, 1842. 

 t See Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. viii. p. 229, and p. 10. 



