May 9, 19(t2.J 



SCIENCE. 



755 



periments among the birds in the New York 

 Zoological' Society's collection. 



Speaking of this mite, Ziirn says : 

 "Wohnort. Im Unterhautzellgewebe, ferner 

 im Bauchfell, in den serosen IJberziigen der 

 Eingeweide, in dem Bindegewebe, welches die 

 grosseren Blutgefasse, namentlieh die Aorta, 

 umgibt, bei Tauben und einigen wildlebenden 

 Vogeln." In all the birds which have come 

 imder my observation the mites have been 

 absolutely confined to an irregular patch on 

 each side of the breast-bone. 



Another paragraph of interest follows: 

 " Hypodectes colunibarum, ist keine fertig 

 entwickelte Milbe, sondern die Larve einer 

 solchen. Megnin halt sie fiir die Nymphe 

 einer ungekannten Milbe, wahrscheinlich 

 eines PieroUchus. Der genannte Forscher 

 will eine solche wurmformige Larve oder 

 ISTymphe auf einem sich mausernden Vogel 

 beobachtet haben, wie sie in die klaffenden 

 Follikel der ausgefallenen Federn eindrang; 

 * * * Ist die Mauser voriiber, dann nehmen 

 die Nymphen die normale Form an, indem 

 sie sich aus ihren Hiillen befreien und auf 

 die Oberflache der Haut wandern." 



This subdermal form may be the immature 

 stage of an arthropod with incomplete meta- 

 morphosis, and as the birds afflicted had 

 passed their moult, the fact that entrance was 

 gained through a gaping feather follicle is 

 not impossible. The hairs on the legs of these 

 organisms would certainly seem to suggest 

 that part, at least, of their existence is spent 

 where these would be of more use than in an 

 inch or two of subcutaneous tissue. 



In two living ibises incisions in the skin 

 of the breast were made, and by pushing the 

 skin back and forth near the pectoral muscle, 

 to which it is so loosely attached, a number 

 of very small mites were 'teased' into view, 

 but these birds have shown no ill effects from 

 them. 



If the ravages of these mites ever become 

 again troublesome, the treatment suggests it- 

 self of injecting or applying some liquid in- 

 imical to parasites, as iodine, during the 

 moulting of the birds which seem to be par- 

 ticularly susceptible. 



Attempts to inoculate pigeons have not thus 



far been made, as in dead birds the parasites 

 have been also without life, ana the living 

 birds which have been examined have been 

 too valuable to warrant any extensive incision 

 for the purpose of obtaining living mites. 

 C. William Beebe. 

 March 18, 1902. 



NOTE ON DISCORBINA RUGOSA d'oEBIQNY, FROM 

 PROVINCETOWN, CAPE COD. 



Through the courtesy of Professor J. Henry 

 Blake, of Harvard, the writer recently received 

 a number of specimens of Foraminifera from 

 various localities. Among this material was 

 some shore sand from Provincetown, Cape 

 Cod, Mass., which contained a large number 

 of foraminifera. Upon examination these 

 were found to belong to a single species, 

 namely Discorhina rugosa d'Orbigny. 



The species is a particularly interesting one, 

 since it does not appear to be at all common 

 at the present time. The Challenger Expedi- 

 tion obtained the species from only two sta- 

 tions: off Papua, near Raine Island, depth 

 155 fathoms, and off Ki Island, 580 fathoms. 



D'Orbigny in his report in 1839 on the For- 

 aminiferes American Meridonale, described 

 the shell under the name Rosalina rugosa from 

 the Bay of St. Bias, Patagonia. 



In the 'Challenger Report' Brady describes 

 the shell as follows : "A more or less explanate 

 modification of Discorhina resembling Anoma- 

 lina ammonoides in general contour. The 

 test is compressed and exhibits some approach 

 to bilateral symmetry, and the peripheral edge 

 is round and lobulated. The umbilical cavity 

 of the inferior side is partially covered in by 

 valvular flaps protecting the successive aper- 

 tures." 



This shell is very abundant in the Cape Cod 

 shore sand at Provincetown, but the writer 

 was unable to find a single specimen in some 

 material submitted from Woods Holl. A more 

 thorough examination may perhaps reveal the 

 shell in other localities along the Atlantic 

 coast, but it is probably confined to northern 

 waters. Our specimens are large, well devel- 

 oped, of a dark brownish color and in a state 

 of perfect preservation. 



RuFus M. Bagg, Jr. 



Brockton, Mass. 



