-212 NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF DUBLIN. 



very interesting. Several years ago, however, Professor Allman had 

 recorded in this Society the fact itself, as well as the oviparous repro- 

 duction of the animal, and its stinging properties, although the credit 

 of the first notice of it, he (Mr. Andrews) believed, has been attributed 

 to more recent observers. 



Dr. Bennett said that, having carefully examined the animal, as he. 

 had stated, he found it to be quite uninjured by its removal — in fact, 

 it had travelled in the aquarium a distance of about three feet, which, 

 had it suffered any injury, it could hardly perhaps have done. 



The last paper for the evening was then read, entitled — 



Further Observations on Entozoa from some Animals in the Royal 

 Zoological Gardens, Pho3nix Park. By Arthur "Wynne Foot, 

 M.B. 



The communication which I had the honour of reading before the 

 Society at its last meeting had reference to the adult, fully formed, 

 and mature Tapeworms of the broad and narrow varieties. I wish now 

 to bring before your notice some specimens of the encysted or larval 

 condition of one class of those parasites ; some of tbem were taken from 

 the body of a Callithrix monkey, and others from a Russian rabbit. 



The occurrence of the cystic worms in man and other animals was 

 known to the ancients, although of the animal nature of these structures 

 they were in complete ignorance. Aristotle, in his " Historia Anima- 

 lium," speaks of the Cysticerci of the pig as a disorder which had been 

 known for ages ;* yet in comparatively modern times great mystery 

 hung over the origin and meaning of these formations, for we have John 

 Hunter asking, " Do these hydatids proceed from cold or indolence ?"f 

 and Dr. Bright, when writing of abdominal tumours, saying, " Of the 

 origin of hydatids we are so completely ignorant, that it would be vain 

 to hazard a conjecture on the subject.''^; With reference to their origin 

 even Andral expresses himself in favour of the now refuted doctrine of 

 equivocal generation — namely, that from external mechanical influ- 

 ence, such as a contusion affecting an organ, its necessary nourish- 

 ment may be disturbed, so that the organic particles are not fully assi- 

 milated, and become metamorphosed into lower kinds of animals ; for 

 example, into a Cysticercus.§ The cystic worms were elevated to the 

 rank of an Order by Rudolphi, in his classification of the Entozoa. Of 

 this honour they have been deprived, since a better acquaintance with 

 their natural history has shown that they have no claim to be regarded 



* Kiichenmeister's "Manual of Parasites," Syd. Soc, p. 14. 



f Hunter's "Essays and Observations," by Professor Owen, vol. ii., p. 489. 



% " Clinical Memoirs on Abdominal Tumours," Syd. Soc , p. 11> 



§ " Grundriss der Pathol. Anatomie," vol. i., p. 393. 



