﻿ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  CONTRIBUTIONS 
  -NO. 
  IV. 
  

  

  By 
  J. 
  A. 
  LINTNER. 
  

  

  I. 
  ON 
  MERMIS 
  ACUMINATA 
  RtJDOLPHI. 
  

  

  A 
  PARASITE 
  OF 
  THE 
  LARVA 
  OF 
  CARPOCAPSA 
  POMONELLA. 
  

  

  In 
  April, 
  1875, 
  an 
  example 
  of 
  this 
  entozoan 
  was 
  received 
  at 
  

   the 
  State 
  Mnsenm 
  of 
  Natural 
  History, 
  from 
  the 
  Hon. 
  Joseph 
  

   D. 
  Friend, 
  of 
  Middletown, 
  Orange 
  Co., 
  N. 
  Y., 
  with 
  the 
  re- 
  

   quest 
  for, 
  information 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  it. 
  Its 
  examination, 
  in 
  

   connection 
  with 
  the 
  circumstances 
  under 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  found, 
  

   proved 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  so 
  much 
  general 
  interest, 
  that 
  the 
  following 
  

   reply 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  him, 
  through 
  the 
  columns 
  of 
  the 
  Albany 
  

   Evening 
  Times, 
  of 
  April 
  12th 
  : 
  

  

  Dear 
  Sir: 
  The 
  "new 
  apple-worm" 
  which 
  you 
  submitted 
  

   to 
  us 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  since 
  as 
  having 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  instances 
  

   in 
  Orange 
  county, 
  ~N. 
  Y., 
  during 
  the 
  present 
  season, 
  coiled 
  

   about 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  the 
  apple, 
  bore 
  so 
  strong 
  a 
  resemblance 
  to 
  

   the 
  Grordius, 
  or 
  ' 
  ' 
  hair-worm 
  " 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  ordinarily 
  called, 
  that 
  

   on 
  its 
  presentation 
  by 
  you 
  I 
  unhesitatingly 
  (but 
  erroneously) 
  

   referred 
  it 
  to 
  that 
  genus. 
  The 
  brief 
  notice 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  worm, 
  

   which 
  has 
  appeared 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  journals, 
  has 
  excited 
  no 
  

   little 
  apprehension, 
  lest 
  so 
  diminutive 
  a 
  creature, 
  the 
  diameter 
  

   of 
  a 
  horse-hair, 
  five 
  inches 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  

   apTple 
  pulp 
  — 
  might 
  be 
  introduced 
  in 
  its 
  living 
  state 
  unnoticed 
  

   into 
  the 
  stomach, 
  and 
  continue 
  its 
  existence 
  as 
  an 
  internal 
  

   parasite 
  within 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  organs 
  of 
  the 
  body. 
  

  

  The 
  Gordius 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  uncommon 
  animal. 
  Under 
  its 
  popu- 
  

   lar 
  name 
  of 
  hair-wprm 
  or 
  hair- 
  snake 
  (either 
  appellation 
  being 
  

  

  