454 MRS. H. h. M. riXELL-GOODRICH ON 



of MincMnia were digested except the ripe spoi-es, which pass 

 through unchanged. It is of interest to notice that the shell of the 

 Chiton passed through undissolved, the eight plates renppeaiing 

 generally unbroken in the fseces, whereas in the case of Pomatoceros, 

 which is also readily torn from the rocks and devoured by the 

 Blenny, the portions of tube eaten were softened if not entirely 

 dissolved. This difference is, no doubt, due to the greater pro- 

 portion of insoluble organic matter in the Chiton shell. 



2. Rochling. — Chiton left undisturbed for 7 days. 



3. Goby. — One Chiton bitten off, but none eaten during 8 days. 



4. Motella. — Chiton left undisturbed for 12 days. 



5. Crab {Garcinus mcenas) devoured Chiton readily. All stages 

 of Minchiidawere digested except the spores, which passed through 

 nnopened. The tails of the spores were often broken, for, as a 

 rule, the spores weie freed from their cysts. 



6. F'ur'pura, — Chiton left undisturbed for over a month. 



7. Star-fish (Asterias glacialis) ■ — 6 Chiton out of 8 eaten in 

 10 days. MincMnia spores found in alimentary canal showed no 

 signs of opening. 



8. Sect-Urchin {Echinus mUiaris). — Chiton left undisturbed for 

 13 days. 



The passnge of the spores through the alimentary canal of the 

 Crabs and Blennies lasted at most three days. Doubtless in this 

 way they are disseminated, but they do not appear to be changed. 

 Experiments to induce spoi-es, recovered from the ffeces, to open 

 in the digestive fluids of Chiton were no more successful than 

 with fresh spores. 



From the desci-iption given above it will be clear that MincMnia 

 has affinities with Urosporidium and Hajjlos'porid'ninn and belongs 

 to the family Haplospoiiidje of Caulleiy & Mesnil (2), Avhich 

 Leger and Duboscq (15 a) also recognise as a v>"ell-defined group. 

 There is therefore no need to enter here into the controversy as 

 to whether the Haplosporidia taken as a whole, as conceived by 

 CauUery and Mesnil, is a rational group. Doubtless, as these 

 authors were well aware, some rearrangement will be necessary 

 when more is known as to the life-history of these strange forms. 

 Cepede (3 & 4) in 1911 and 1913 briefly described a curious Haplo- 

 sporidian from Dcnax, unfortunately without giving any figurf s ; 

 owing to the presence of a surrounding cell in the young spore he 

 seemed to think that the term Haplosporidia («7rAoi)s, simple) 

 was not suitable, and suggested renaming the group Acnidosporidia. 

 There appears to be no need for such a procedure, the Donax 

 parasite and also JTinchinia, in which the young spore likewise 

 shows an indication of a parietal nucleus, have simple spores in 

 comparison with those which possess polar capsules. At any rate 

 it seems most inadvisable at present to encumber with new names 

 and classifications the already complicated literatuie of these 

 forms when the majority of their life-histories have never been 

 at all satisfactorily investigated. 



