270 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIII. No. 842 



Short Descriptions of Three New Herpetomon- 

 ads: L. D. Swingle, Nebraska Wesleyan Uni- 

 versity. 



The rat trypanosoma passes through a cycle of 

 development in the digestive tract of rat fleas. 

 After it is taken into the flea's stomach, it soon 

 passes backwards into the intestine. The nucleus 

 moves toward the posterior end, the blepharoplast 

 toward the anterior end of the body and the un- 

 dulating membrane is lost, so that a Crithidia 

 results. Some of the individuals agglutinate by 

 their flagellar ends and eventually form cysts. 

 Others, by rounding ofi' at the anterior ends, form 

 cysts directly. In these the posterior end con- 

 taining nucleus and blepharoplast remains very 

 pointed. Forms resembling the " latent bodies " 

 of T. leioisi were found in the crushed heads of 

 fleas. 



A case which might reasonably be interpreted 

 as a conjugation of male and female forms was 

 found. 



The fleas harbor a natural flagellate, Herpeto- 

 monas pattoni n. sp. Two new herpetomonads 

 are described: they are Herpetonionas calliphorw 

 n. sp. from Calliphora coloradensis and Herpeto- 

 nionas lin^ata n. sp. from Sarcophaga sarraoenice. 

 To be published in the Journal of Infectious 



The Nature and Origin of the Fish-fauna of the 



Ouiana, Plateau: C. H. Eigenmann, University 



of Indiana. 

 Color Inheritance in Tumbler Pigeons: Leon J. 



Cole, University of Wisconsin. 



From black tumbler pigeons crossed with red 

 were produced in Fj 27 ofi'spring, which were all 

 black, with, however, reddish tips (often very 

 conspicuous) on the feathers prior to the first 

 molt. From these birds bred inter se segregation 

 was obtained in F,, which comprised 71 birds, of 

 which 45 were black and 26 red. No explanation 

 was ofi'ered for the departure from the Mendelian 

 ratio. Furthermore, practically all these blacks 

 in Fu have reddish tips on the first feathers. This 

 point was discussed in its relation to melanin 

 oxidation and Mendelian inheritance. 



Some results from other crosses were given. 

 Sem Ratio and other Reproduction Statistics in 



Tumller Pigeons: Leon J. Cole, University of 



Wisconsin. 



Statistics presented showed that of the two 

 eggs laid by pigeons at a sitting each produces 

 approximately an equal number of males and 

 females, and that the chances are equal that the 

 two eggs will produce birds of the same sex or 



birds of opposite sex. This corrects the popular 

 notion that the two eggs of a sitting produce a 

 pair of young (a male and a female) and that 

 the first one laid usually, if not always, produces 

 a male. 



In 62 per cent, of 101 cases of tumblers the 

 interval between the laying of the first egg and 

 the second was 44 or 45 hours. Nevertheless, in 

 a large percentage of eases the eggs hatch at ap- 

 proximately the same time. 



The normal period of incubation is seventeen 

 days, but birds allowed to sit on eggs which do 

 not hatch will sometimes incubate up to thirty 

 days. 



(This paper and the preceding are based on ex- 

 periments conducted at the Rhode Island Agricul- 

 tural Experiment Station, the results of which 

 will shortly be published in full by the station. > 



A Note on the Metamorphosis of Lampsilis Icevis- 



simus: Robeet E. Coker and Thaddeus Sub- 



BER, Fairport Biological Station. 



The glochidium of Lampsilis Icevissimus is of 

 the " axe-head " form similar to that of L. alatus, 

 but without the hooks characteristic of the latter. 

 The same form of glochidium is seen in L. capax, 

 although in the shape of adult, capax is at an 

 opposite extreme from Icevissimus. Nevertheless, 

 in certain significant taxonomic characters IcBvis- 

 simus and capax show agreement in the adult 

 stage. 



A few specimens of mussels in the stage of 

 parasitism which show glochidial shells of the 

 Icevissimus form have been observed. These young 

 mussels show a notable increase in size and a 

 striking change of form as compared with the 

 glochidial stage. It is not known that such 

 marked changes occur in other species during the 

 period of parasitism. 

 An Alpheus with Two Equal "Snapping" Chelce: 



Charles Zeleny, University of Illinois. 



Some Data concerning Dihothriocephalu^ latus in 

 America, ivith Report of a Second Case of In- 

 fection Acquired in the United States: W. S. 

 NiCKERSON, University of Minnesota. 

 I have collected from physicians reports of the 

 occurrence of the fish tape- worm { Dibothrioceph- 

 alus latus) of man in 65 cases, 51 of which were 

 in Minnesota. But six of these have been previ- 

 ously mentioned in literature. The hosts in two 

 cases were Swedes, in one a Japanese, in two 

 native born, and the others with few if any ex- 

 ceptions were Finns. 



I have also to report a second ease of Dibo- 



