Proceedings of Learned Societies. 143 



examination of the parasite's eggs and embryos (obtained from bis 

 own and otber patients) was led to believe that tbey were referable 

 to a new kind of fluke, wbicb be proposed to call Distoma capense. 

 Dr. Cobbold remarked that no person who had previously 

 familiarized himself with the appearances presented by the eggs of 

 the various distomes could doubt for a moment that Dr. John 

 Harley's illustrations represented the ova of the so-called Distoma 

 hcematobium. In short, the symptoms, pathological products, eggs, 

 and embryos described by Dr. Harley, all tended to show that this 

 hematuria of the Cape was identical with the well-known Egyptian 

 malady. Dr. Harley's discovery was, however, a most important 

 one in relation to the geographical distribution and prevalence of 

 entozootic diseases ; for the author had now demonstrated, in a most 

 satisfactory and able manner, that the helminthiasis in question was 

 not confined to Egypt, as had hitherto been supposed, but was more 

 or less prevalent in Southern Africa and in the Mauritius. Speaking 

 zoologically, this parasite was not a true distome, as it represented 

 the type of a distinct genus, to which Diesing, of Vienna, gave the 

 name of Gynmcophorus ; Weinland, of Frankfort, had called Schis- 

 tosoma; Moquin-Tandon had denominated Thecosoma ; and himself 

 had previously entitled Dilharzia, after the name of the original 

 discoverer, Dr. Bilharz, of Cairo. He (Dr. Cobbold) had discovered 

 this so-called Distoma hcematobium in the portal blood of an African 

 monkey (Gercopitliecus fidiginosus) six months before Diesing had 

 communicated his paper to the Vienna Academy, and, therefore, he 

 hoped Dr. Harley (in concert with Weinland and others) would 

 retain the generic name Dilharzia, which had the priority. At all 

 events, this Avas not a new species of fluke, and, therefore, the name 

 Distoma capense could not stand. But Dr. Harley's discovery was 

 none the less important on this account. It was quite clear to him 

 (Dr. Cobbold) that our fellow men at the Cape, in the Mauritius, 

 on the banks of the Nile, and also, if you please, our friends, the 

 monkeys, obtained this parasite by swallowing the " intermediate 

 bearers" of the Bilharzia. These "bearers" or " hosts" were small 

 mollusks or aquatic animals, inhabiting the African rivers. They 

 contained the higher larval states of this parasite, the larva? being 

 introduced into the human body by drinking the African waters 

 unfiltered. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY.— Feb. 1. 



Probable New Source of Silk. — Professor "Westwood showed 

 samples of a peculiar silk forwai'ded from St. Salvador, South Ame- 

 rica, said to be produced by larva feeding on a native species of oak 

 (Quercus). The silk, which is pz'oduced in flat layers, and not in 

 cocoons, is said to be of good quality, and to be capable, after card- 

 ing, of being used in the arts. 



Mr. F. Smith showed a curious collection of wasps' nests, in every 

 stage of progress, from their first commencement to their comple- 

 tion. All of these had been constructed under the direct superinten- 

 dence of Mr. Stone, who has so far succeeded in domesticating wasps 

 as to be able to induce them to construct their nests in any situation 

 that he wishes. 



