﻿118 
  Thirtieth 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  State 
  Museum. 
  [6] 
  

  

  given 
  to 
  it, 
  as 
  the 
  particular 
  species 
  or 
  sex 
  noticed 
  approaches 
  

   its 
  minimum 
  length 
  of 
  about 
  four 
  inches, 
  or 
  its 
  maximum 
  

   length 
  of 
  twenty-six 
  inches), 
  it 
  has 
  probably 
  come 
  under 
  the 
  

   observation 
  of 
  most 
  persons 
  living 
  in 
  the 
  country. 
  They 
  are 
  

   occasionally 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  turning 
  up 
  damp 
  soil, 
  where 
  little 
  

   groups 
  of 
  several 
  individuals 
  are 
  sometimes 
  found 
  knotted 
  

   together, 
  occupying 
  a 
  cell 
  in 
  the 
  ground. 
  More 
  frequently 
  

   they 
  occur 
  in 
  standing 
  water 
  by 
  the 
  roadside 
  and 
  in 
  wagon 
  

   ruts, 
  in 
  drinking 
  troughs, 
  in 
  old 
  wells, 
  and 
  in 
  small 
  pools 
  on 
  

   the 
  banks 
  of 
  creeks 
  or 
  rivers. 
  In 
  color, 
  shape 
  and 
  size, 
  they 
  

   bear 
  so 
  strong 
  a 
  resemblance 
  to 
  a 
  -hair 
  from 
  the 
  mane 
  or 
  tail 
  

   of 
  a 
  horse, 
  as 
  partially 
  to 
  excuse 
  the 
  very 
  general 
  superstition 
  

   which 
  prevails 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  them, 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  actually 
  

   originated 
  from 
  such 
  hairs, 
  and 
  that 
  if 
  a 
  horse-hair 
  be 
  placed 
  

   in 
  a 
  barrel 
  of 
  rain-water, 
  it 
  will 
  in 
  due 
  time 
  be 
  converted 
  into 
  

   a 
  living 
  hair-snake. 
  Of 
  course, 
  the 
  more 
  intelligent 
  portion 
  

   of 
  the 
  community 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  told 
  of 
  the 
  utter 
  impossibility 
  

   of 
  such 
  a 
  transformation, 
  by 
  which 
  a 
  body 
  devoid 
  of 
  ani- 
  

   mal 
  life 
  can 
  become 
  a 
  living 
  being. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  law 
  of 
  nature, 
  

   without 
  exception, 
  that 
  all 
  animal 
  existence, 
  the 
  lowest 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  the 
  highest, 
  commences 
  with 
  an 
  egg. 
  

  

  The 
  Gordius 
  belongs 
  to 
  that 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  kingdom 
  

   known 
  as 
  the 
  Entozoa, 
  embracing 
  animals 
  which 
  pass 
  a 
  portion 
  

   of 
  their 
  existence 
  at 
  least, 
  within 
  the 
  bodies 
  of 
  other 
  animals. 
  

   Our 
  common 
  grasshoppers 
  are 
  frequently 
  infested 
  with 
  Gordii, 
  

   and 
  I 
  once 
  was 
  so 
  fortunate 
  as 
  to 
  discover 
  an 
  individual 
  in 
  the 
  

   act 
  of 
  emerging 
  from 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  a 
  grasshopper. 
  They 
  have 
  

   also 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  crickets, 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  butterflies, 
  in 
  vari- 
  

   ous 
  species 
  of 
  beetles, 
  in 
  aquatic 
  larvae 
  of 
  insects 
  as 
  of 
  caddis- 
  

   worms 
  and 
  May-flies, 
  in 
  the 
  honey-bee, 
  etc. 
  

  

  Much 
  of 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  Gordius 
  remains 
  unknown. 
  Dr. 
  

   Leidy 
  has 
  observed 
  the 
  operation 
  of 
  its 
  laying 
  its 
  eggs, 
  in 
  a 
  

   long, 
  thread-like 
  string, 
  broken 
  asunder 
  in 
  several 
  places, 
  but 
  

   aggregating 
  the 
  extraordinary 
  length 
  of 
  ninety-one 
  inches, 
  — 
  

   more 
  than 
  ten 
  times 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  worm 
  extruding 
  it. 
  The 
  

   entire 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  contained 
  in 
  this 
  oviposition 
  was, 
  by 
  a 
  

   careful 
  calculation, 
  computed 
  at 
  nearly 
  seven 
  millions 
  (6,624,- 
  

   800). 
  The 
  young 
  Gordius, 
  microscopic 
  in 
  size, 
  and 
  very 
  tfn- 
  

   like 
  its 
  parent 
  in 
  form, 
  has 
  been 
  observed, 
  and 
  its 
  entrance 
  fol- 
  

   lowed 
  into 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  larvae, 
  through 
  the 
  thin 
  iuteg- 
  

   uments 
  at 
  the 
  joints 
  of 
  the 
  legs* 
  Their 
  subsequent 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  during 
  their 
  condition 
  of 
  internal 
  parasites 
  is 
  unwritten. 
  

  

  