ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 265 



Sarcosporidia.* — Dr. E. Blancliard, after a somewhat lengthy 

 but useful historical account of our knowledge of these Sporozoa, 

 describes a new type which he found in Macropus penicillatus, and of 

 which an account has already appeared in this Journal. j He con- 

 cludes his paper with an essay on the classification of the Sarco- 

 sporidia, which he proposes to divide into two families ; the first — 

 Miescheridse — contains those which are found in striated muscles ; the 

 enveloping membrane is either delicate and structureless as in 

 Miescheria, or thickened and traversed by fine canaliculi as in Sarco- 

 cijslis ; the second — Balhianidse — are found in connective tissue, and 

 in the only known genus — Salbiania — the envelope is delicate and 

 structureless. The author thinks that the time has not yet arrived 

 for us to define the species of each genus. The Sarcosporidia are 

 intimately connected with the Coccidia, and more particularly with 

 the polysporous forms (Klossia = Benedenia), from which they only 

 differ in size and habitat. At the same time Dr. Blanchard recognizes 

 that there is no absolute distinction of locality between the Coccidia 

 and the Sarcosporidia, statements to the contrary notwithstanding. 



New Sarcodine.| — M. J. Kiinstler applies the term of Dumontia 

 oplieliarum to a Sarcodine which he regards as the type of a new 

 sub-class ; it was found in the perivisceral cavity of Ophelise, and 

 was when first described spoken of as a Khizopod.§ It varies greatly 

 in size, has an axial internal skeleton, which may be equivalent to 

 the central capsule of Eadiolaria or to the shell of Rhizopods ; it is 

 very closely united with the protoplasm of the cell. During life it 

 reproduces itself by gemmation, and finally the individual breaks 

 up into a number of fragments, each of which is provided with a bud 

 of the axis; each fragment forms a new individual, which recom- 

 mences the same cycle. The areolated structure of its protoplasm 

 recalls that of the Heliozoa ; the pseudopodia are not fine like those 

 of most Eadiolarians, and not obtuse as in many Ehizopods, but 

 rather intermediate in structure. The possession of the central axis 

 allies it again to the Eadiolarians, from which it difiers in other 

 points. Is it possible that it is a Ehizopod, the test of which hag 

 become a central axis, or that the axis has no relation either to the 

 test of Ehizopods or to the central capsule of Eadiolarians ? On the 

 whole, its characters are such as to give it a separate place among 

 the Sarcodinee, between the two great orders of Ehizopods and Eadio- 

 larians. 



Pathogenic Role of Certain Psorospernis.|| — M. P. Megnin, 

 from his observations on certain diseased fishes, is led to support 

 the view of Prof. Balbiani that psorosperms are the cause of the 

 tuberculosis of the liver, from which rabbits are often found to 

 suffer. He has himself studied some barbel from the Meurthe, near 

 Nancy, which are subject to a disease that decimates them ; the 

 disease is characterized by the development on the surface of the 



* Bull. Soc. Zool, France, x. (1885) pp. 244-76 (1 pi.). t V. (1885) p. 820. 



J Bull. Soc. Zool. France, x. (1885) pp. 309-36 (1 pi.). 



§ See this Journal, v. (1885) p. 82, 



li Bull. Soc. Zool. France, x. (1885) pp. 351-2. 



