398 ANOPLURA. 



CASE within our own limited experience, and we may quote it as a fair 

 example of the kind of cases out of which the third tcind of Pedi- 

 culus (Pediculus tabescentium of authors), said to be peculiar to 

 diseased persons, has been made up. Modern naturalists do not, 

 we think, believe in it ; and if Denny, in his work on the Ano- 

 plura, still gives it a place, he acknowledges that he has no 

 actual knowledge of its occurrence. Our little experience of it 

 was this : Dr. Jackson, of Edinburgh, some years ago consulted 

 us regarding a case of the kind, where a patient, a young lad, 

 was supposed to be infected with the Pediculus tabescentium. 

 Repeated washings seemed to have no effect. A few hours after 

 washing, the unfortunate victim was found again to be swarming 

 as badly as before ; and Dr. Jackson could speak to this fact from 

 personal observation. We expressed our disbelief in the supposed 

 disease, and recommended a more searching inquiry into collateral 

 circumstances, and, above all, the securing specimens for exami- 

 nation. Dr. Jackson soon procured these ; and neither of us will, 

 we think, readily forget the examination of the specimens. Not 

 being supplied with entomological apparatus, he had put them 

 into an old pomatum pot, which happened to be at hand. With 

 justifiable pride he announced that he had secured the desiderated 

 specimens, and had three in this pomatum pot, which he had 

 carefully enveloped in several folds of brown paper. On removing 

 the paper, however, and opening the pot, to our dismay, instead of 

 three specimens we found only one. The other two had escaped 

 from the insufficiently secured vessel ; but whether in Dr. Jack- 

 son's pocket or in our room we could not tell. Friendship has its 

 limits ; and we confess we were unfriendly enough to hope that 

 the escape had taken place before the pomatum pot reached us. ' 

 Fortunately their comrade remained to settle the question, that 

 the supposed Pediculus tabescentium was only the common 

 Pediculus vestimenti. Dr. Jackson had further ascertained the 

 fact that, although the patient was frequently and carefully 

 washed, he was always immediately thereafter re-indued in his old 



