﻿Q3] 
  On 
  Mermis 
  acuminata. 
  125 
  

  

  Filar 
  ia 
  Mendinensis 
  owe 
  its 
  introduction 
  into 
  the 
  human 
  body 
  

   from 
  the 
  custom 
  which 
  prevails 
  in 
  those 
  countries 
  where 
  the 
  

   worm 
  is 
  found, 
  of 
  using 
  insect 
  food. 
  Insects 
  are 
  well 
  known 
  

   to 
  be 
  infested 
  with 
  Filariae, 
  probably 
  more 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  

   class 
  of 
  animals. 
  In 
  Egypt, 
  Arabia, 
  etc., 
  the 
  locust 
  is 
  eaten 
  ; 
  

   in 
  Guinea, 
  etc. 
  , 
  the 
  larger 
  coleoptera, 
  in 
  the 
  raw 
  state 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  

   this 
  condition 
  Filarise 
  may 
  often 
  be 
  swallowed, 
  and 
  reach 
  a 
  

   higher 
  development 
  of 
  their 
  existence 
  in 
  the 
  human 
  body. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  same 
  paper, 
  Dr. 
  Leidy 
  describes 
  two 
  additional 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  of 
  similar 
  Entozoa, 
  — 
  the 
  one 
  {Filaria 
  cants 
  cordis) 
  as 
  

   indicated 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  given 
  it, 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  a 
  dog. 
  

   The 
  two 
  examples 
  were 
  white, 
  opaque, 
  linear, 
  nearly 
  uniform 
  

   throughout, 
  posteriorly 
  subulate, 
  pointed 
  ; 
  mouth 
  simple, 
  

   round. 
  Length 
  ten 
  to 
  ten 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  inches 
  ; 
  greatest 
  breadth 
  

   f 
  of 
  a 
  line, 
  anteriorly 
  £ 
  of 
  a 
  line. 
  The 
  other 
  species 
  (Filaria 
  

   0003 
  constrictor 
  is), 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  areolar 
  tissue, 
  in 
  an 
  

   irregular 
  or 
  tortuous 
  position, 
  between 
  the 
  muscles 
  of 
  the 
  ribs 
  

   and 
  the 
  integument 
  of 
  a 
  boa 
  constrictor. 
  This 
  was 
  a 
  more 
  

   robust 
  form, 
  ten 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  by 
  f 
  of 
  a 
  line 
  broad, 
  of 
  a 
  

   white 
  color 
  and 
  longitudinally 
  striated. 
  

  

  Br. 
  Leidy 
  has 
  also 
  recently 
  found* 
  the 
  common 
  house-fly 
  

   (Musca 
  domestica, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  presumed) 
  to 
  be 
  infested 
  with 
  a 
  

   thread- 
  worm, 
  of 
  about 
  a 
  line 
  in 
  length, 
  which 
  takes 
  up 
  its 
  

   abode 
  in 
  the 
  proboscis 
  of 
  the 
  fly. 
  From 
  one 
  to 
  three 
  worms 
  

   occurred 
  in 
  about 
  one 
  fly 
  in 
  five. 
  The 
  parasite 
  was 
  first 
  dis- 
  

   covered 
  in 
  the 
  house-fly 
  in 
  India, 
  by 
  Carter, 
  who 
  described 
  it 
  

   as 
  Filaria 
  muscat, 
  and 
  suggested 
  that 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  the 
  source 
  

   of 
  the 
  Gruinea-worm 
  in 
  man. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  these 
  unwelcome 
  suggestions, 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  

   necessary 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  life 
  history 
  of 
  several 
  of 
  these 
  entozoa 
  

   that 
  they 
  should 
  be 
  introduced 
  into 
  the 
  human 
  body 
  through 
  

   the 
  food 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  partake, 
  there 
  to 
  undergo 
  their 
  final 
  devel- 
  

   opment, 
  it 
  is 
  much 
  to 
  be 
  regretted 
  that 
  the 
  entire 
  history 
  of 
  all 
  

   the 
  species 
  to 
  which 
  man 
  is 
  exposed 
  is 
  not 
  yet 
  known. 
  Much 
  

   attention 
  has 
  been 
  paid 
  to 
  them, 
  but 
  their 
  study 
  has 
  proved 
  

   a 
  difficult 
  one. 
  A 
  monograph 
  of 
  the 
  Hair-worms, 
  by 
  M. 
  

   Villet, 
  has 
  recently 
  been 
  published, 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  know 
  nothing 
  

   beyond 
  the 
  information 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  Naturalist 
  for 
  

   December, 
  1874, 
  to 
  the 
  effect 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  then 
  being 
  published 
  

   in 
  the 
  ; 
  'Archives 
  de 
  Zoologie 
  Experimentale." 
  The 
  author 
  had 
  

   found 
  the 
  larvae 
  encysted 
  in 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  Chiron 
  omus 
  (be- 
  

  

  * 
  American 
  Naturalist, 
  Vol. 
  IX, 
  p. 
  247. 
  1875. 
  

  

  