Miscellaneous. 117 



cisely the same characters as in the preceding species. I abstain 

 for the moment from pjiviiig a name to tliis 2)arasitc, since my obser- 

 vations do not permit me to der-ide witli a sufficient dciirce of 

 certainty whether it is necessary to distinguish it specifically from 

 the parasite of Caranx, or whether the two organisms are to be 

 united under the same name. 



Lastly, I have found in the kidnc)', the spleen, and the liver of 

 the tench a Coccidium of very small size, for which I ])ro]K)sc the 

 name C. mintttiim. The cyst measures no more than 9 to 10 /it (in 

 sections). I was able to follow the various phases of the develoj)- 

 mcnt, and, among others, to recognize in this form the karyokinetic 

 division of the nucleus which I had previously reported in C. gaster- 

 oshi. There are four fusiform spores, each enclosing two nucleate 

 falciform bodies. 



In concluding this note I desire to draw attention to some very 

 singular liitlo bodies which I have met with for a long time in the 

 tissues of different fishes. 



They are oval in form, occasionally a little irregular, and are 

 ])rovided with a thick envelope with a very sharp double contour. 

 In the interior a nucleus is observed, usually situated at one of the 

 extremities ; the remainder of the cavity is filled by a large number 

 of very delicate little rods, which appear to converge towards a 

 point, most frequently lying opposite to the nucleus. Their dimen- 

 sions seem to vary in the different fishes. I have found them 

 f) to 9 ju in length by 4 to 6 ^ in breadth in the epithelium of the 

 intestine of the perch ; 10 to ] 2 yu by 5 to 8 ^ in the kidney of the 

 stickleback ; 15 /x by 10 to 12 ^u in the connective tissue of the 

 ovary of the minnow ; and 12 to 15 n by G to 9 f.i in the epithelium 

 of the gills of the touch. 1 have also found them in the bleak, the 

 carp, &c. My excellent friend, Dr. Laguesse, in the course of his 

 beautiful researches into the histology of fishes, has had occasion to 

 observe the same bodies, especially in Cren'dahrus. 



Unfortunately I can do nothing but state the existence of these 

 singular forms. Their parasitic nature appears to me to be almost 

 beyond doubt ; but their characters are so peculiar that I have 

 been unable to discover any affinity between them and the parasites 

 at present known. — Comptcs litndus liehdomadaires dcs seances de 

 la hociete de Biologic (Seance du 9 Janvier, 1892) : from a sepai-ate 

 impression communicated by the Author. 



On the Dissemination of Hirudinea hy the Palmipeds. 

 By M. Jules de Guerne. 



MM. Raphael Blanehard and Mcgnin have recently published, in 

 the ' Comptes Ilendus des seances de la Societe de Biologic'*, several 



* Raphael Blanehard, " Sur la Sangsue de Cheval du Nord do I'Afnqiie " 

 (seance du 17 octobre, 1891) ; P. Mognin, " Sangsues cle rAlgeiie et de 

 Tunisie ayant sejourne plus d'un mois dans la buuche de Jkeuis et de 

 Chcvaux " (seance du 24 octobre, 1891). 



