44 TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 



the entire c.ase, as above described 

 is unique, and the parasites', found 

 are some uncatalogued sareoptes 

 species — in my own humlild opin- 

 ion at least. The cutieular scrap- 

 ings, as stated, contained a vast 

 variety of superficial cutieular ab- 

 rasions and deeper-seated pro- ^ 

 ducts, especially of the follicular * 

 system of the derma, and among 

 these were remnants of the para- 

 sites, some seemingly incrusted 

 and surrounded by a calcareous 

 encasing. 



The sarcoptes species in differ- 

 ent animals differ from the one 

 under consideration in many re- 

 spects, and it is for this reason, 

 and in particular, also, as the par- 

 asites, larva and remnants of same 

 etc., were found in scrapinfrs re- 

 moved from the body of man. that 



this is such an interesting study, 

 even were there found no parasi- 

 tic vestages. 



Referring to the microscopic 

 illustrations herein, the photomi- 

 crograph. Fig. 1, shows how 

 immensely this parasite is magni- 

 fied — compared to the smallest 

 hardly visible dot in Eig, 3, 

 and it shows the bold outlines ,of 

 the legs, body and headparts 

 plainly. Fig. 2, represents the 

 cast off remnants of the larval 

 state of this mite. Fig. 4, 

 shows the general appearance of 

 the raw cutieular material sent for 

 examination ; and the large dot in 

 Fig. 3, shows the average size of 

 the globular bodies expelled, some 

 of which revealed the encased lar- 

 vaL parasite. 



Some Observations on the Echinococcus Disease 

 (Bladder Tape Worm.) 



Of the Texas Jackrabbit *in Particular. 



The near relationship of the 

 echinococcus parasite of man to 

 the same parasite disease in ani- 

 mal, and the question often asked 

 of the writer whether this disease 

 was the cause of the widespread 

 and common tapeworm pest, in- 

 duced me to investigate this inter- 

 esting matter thoroughly in the 

 following paper published some 

 years ago in a medical journal. 

 There is no doubt to me, as to oth- 

 ers who have given the matter a 

 close consideration, that there oc- 

 cur cystic tumors in man which 

 are really echinococi in advanved 

 and degenerated state, but were 

 overlooked as such for want of a 

 microscopic examination. My pa- 

 per, therefore, and the photo-mi- 

 crographs of the echinococcus par- 

 asites, which I prepared from mi- 

 croscopic testings, I hope, will be 

 welcomed in throwing a little 

 more light on the matter. Besides 

 the more common and well-known 



species of tape-worm — the taenia 

 medioeanellata, taenia solium and 

 bothriocephalus latus — there oc- 

 curs in this climate a very minute 

 and but little known taenia, the 

 embryonic or larval state of the 

 bladder tape-worm, which, in ani- 

 mal, infests with narticular pref- 

 erence the prairie rabbit; and to 

 hunters it is well known that 

 among the rabbits it is nearly ex- 

 clusively the large so-called jack- 

 rabbit which is often infested with 

 peculiar tumor-like protuberances 

 or cysts in different parts of its 

 body, and that, especially during 

 a protracted dr-"^ season, a~ perfect 

 epidemic of the disease exists 

 among the large prairie rabbits, 

 and that the small bush rabbit is 

 nearly exempt from the disease. 



In consulting a number of 

 works, medical as well as veterin- 

 ary, I find no mention of the echi- 

 nococcus disease among the rab- 

 bits. It is a noticable fact that, 



