568 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. I., No. 20. 



great abundance of eggs and spermatozoa, were 

 noticed bj' the above-mentioned observer. 

 Amongst tljis debris, however, certain living 

 organisms are alwaj's met with, often in great 

 numbers, which maj' be regarded as parasites, 

 or at least as commensals, inhabiting the diges- 

 tive canal of the animal. 



In the stomachs of specimens of O. edulis, 

 from Cancale and Marennes, the author dis- 

 covered Hexamita inflata Duj., which was also 

 observed in the act of division in this unusual 

 position ; and, as it is also found in infusions 

 and stagnant water, it is proved that it is a 

 true commensal under certain circumstances. 



Another organism was observed amongst 

 the contents of the stomach, principally at its 

 anterior part, which might at first be regarded 

 as a Spirillum of relativelj' large size. It varied 

 in length from 0.04 to 0.12 mm., and in thick- 

 ness, from 0.001 to 0.003 mm. It was found 

 to have a vibratile frill attached, which was 

 arranged spirallj' on the bod^', making two, 

 three , rarety eight or ten , turns around it. This 

 thin vibratile film was demonstrated in the living 

 specimens bj- the use of aniline colors, dahlia, 

 and methyle blue, and also bj' killing the 

 creatures with the fumes of osmic acid, and 

 afterwards staining with the colors named. 

 M. Certes regards this organism as related to 

 Trj'panosoma sanguinis, — described and fig- 

 ured in 1843 b}^ Gruber as a parasite of the blood 

 of the frog, and rediscovered by Raj- Lankester, 

 and named UnduKna ranarum, — ■ and Trj'pan- 

 osoma Eberthii of Saville Kent, found in the 

 intestine of the duck. For the parasite found 

 in the oyster, M. Certes proposes the name of 

 Trypanosoma Balbianii. 



Besides the foregoing, a small species of 

 Enchelj'odon was found in the liquor which had 

 been kept covered for some daj-s from Marennes 

 oj'sters, as well as in the fresh juices which 

 escaped when the shell was opened. Prorocen- 

 trum micans Ehr. was also noticed. A plate 

 containing twelve figures accompanies the 

 paper noticed {Bull. soc. zool. France, vii. 

 1882). 



The organism which M. Certes has described 

 as Trj'panosoma Balbianii is probably the same 

 as that commonly met with in the stomach of 

 Ostrea virginica, and which I had proposed to 

 call Spirillum ostrearum in a paper prepared 

 last September for the census report. Its 

 . behavior was so like that of a Spirillum which 

 I have at times found in the foul, stagnant 

 waters of the gutters in the streets of towns, 

 that it seemed to me that it was a vegetable 

 organism belonging to the schizomycetous 

 fungi. The French naturalist is probably right, 



however, as to its systematic position, unless 

 the form found in Ostrea virginica is entirely 

 different, which I think altogether unlikelj^ 

 Sachs (Text-book of botany, 2d ed., 1882, p. 

 248) says, " The Schizomycetes live in fluids 

 which contain organic substances (albumi- 

 noids) liable to putrefaction, from which they 

 obtain their nutriment, and of the putrefaction 

 of which they are the cause." While it is 

 hardly fair to saj' that putriditj' characterizes 

 the contents of the alimentarj^ canal of the 

 03'ster, j'et the conditions favorable to the 

 growth and multiplication of low organic forms 

 are probably present. We usually found this 

 organism present in oysters examined bj' us : 

 in fact, sometimes countless multitudes were 

 present, especiallj- in the stomach and around 

 the crj'stalline style and the intestinal pouch or 

 fold in which the latter is lodged. Yet, upon 

 eating these same individuals known to be in- 

 fested with parasites, no inconvenience was 

 experienced, showing that these organisms, 

 whatever they may be, are probably harmless 

 to man. 



I have alluded to a singular association of 

 messmates, found inhabiting the cavity of the 

 mantle of the American oyster, in mj' report to 

 the Maryland commissioner for 1881 (Appen- 

 dix A, pp. 24-25). The Httle oyster-crab 

 Pinnotheres ostreum Say was found to support 

 colonies of the vorticellid Zoothamnium on 

 its back and legs. The infusorian, in its turn, 

 supported on its stalks verj' minute Bacteria 

 and Vibriones. In such a case, the colonies 

 of infusorians may be of actual benefit to the 

 oj'ster, since many of the zooids thrown off 

 doubtless become food for the host. 



J. A. Ryder. 



THE USE OF STEEL SOUNDING-WIRE 

 BY LIEUT. J. C. WALSH, U.S N., ON 

 THE TANEY, IN 1S49-50. 



Two notes on this subject have been pub- 

 lished by Mr. W. H. Dall in Science (No. 3, 

 p. 65 ; and No. 7, p. 191) . In these, Mr. Dall 

 refers to the log-book of Lieut. Walsh, when 

 in command of the Taney, as if it were still 

 unpublished. Nor does he give anj' refer- 

 ences to the detailed report of the expedition, 

 made by Lieut. Walsh to Lieut. Maury, as 

 ordered by the secretary of the navy. This re- 

 port was dated Aug. 15. 1850, and was printed 

 in 1851 in connection with the ' Abstract log of 

 the Taney,' which includes all the observations 

 in tabular form, with a column of remarks, as 

 a part of ' Lieut. Maury's Investigations of the 

 winds and currents of the sea,' Appendix to 



