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TRANSACTIONS 
OF THI 
SOUTH AFRICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 
NOTES ON THE MODE OF GROWTH OF TUBICINELLA 
TRACHEALIS, THE BARNACLE OF THE SOUTHERN 
RIGHT WHALE. 
By Dr. R. Marnorts. 
(Read September 29, 1898.) 
At the meeting of this Society held on the 28th of July, 1897, Dr. 
F. Purcell exhibited specimens of two kinds of barnacles found on 
whales captured in the neighbourhood, viz., Coronula Diadema, the 
coronet barnacle, from a humpback whale (Megaptera boops), and 
Tubicinella trachealis from a Southern right whale (Balena 
australis). 
In the discussion of the exhibits and of the mode of life of ‘Nase 
parasites, the question was raised by what means these parasites 
were able to penetrate into the epidermis of the whale, seeing that 
their base was quite unarmed, their mouth being turned outwards 
towards the water. It occurred to me at the time that there might 
be some chemical process at work, but such a surmise was not of 
much value .unless it could be proved experimentally. I had no 
opportunity of doing this last year, but when this year, in May, 
a right whale was captured in False Bay, I secured a piece of its 
skin with a number of Tubicinellas in it, and conducted a series 
of experiments in order to test the theory. 
Before stating the results of these experiments, I think it de- 
sirable to explain the mode of life and growth of the parasites as 
far as known at present. 
