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1885. | Zvology. 1113 
ZOOLOGICAL News.—Fyvotezoans.—Dr. R. Blanchard (Bull. de 
la Soc. Zool. de France), in an article modestly entitled, ‘ Note 
sur le Sarcosporidies,” gives the history of our knowledge of 
these parasites from their first discovery by Miescher in the 
muscles of a mouse to the present time, and presents an essay 
upon their clasification. These Sporozoa or Sarcosporidia are 
intimately related to Coccidium and especially to Klossia. They 
have been found in the mouse, the pig, the horse, the ox, the 
sheep, the dog, the cat and the rabbit, and more rarely in those 
f man. Virchow has noticed that they produce no change in 
the muscular tissue. As they occur in the ape, it is clear that 
M. Edwards presented a note of M. de Folin, re- 
lating a curious form of reticulated rhizopod which inhabits what 
seems to be small pebbles in hardness and aspect. The organism 
forms a sort of paste of foreign particles and sarcode and covers 
the whole with a secretion like that which forms the test of a porcel- 
lanous foraminifer, and is not only smooth, polished and shining, 
but colored in many tints. These foraminifers form the genus 
ithozoa, with numerous species. R. Blanchard has 
described a peritrichous infusorian ectoparasite of fresh-water fish. 
Apivsoma piscicola is fixed during its whole existence. 
Worms.—The thesis of M. J. Porrier for degree of doctor of 
the faculty of sciences at Paris, has for its subject the trematodes. 
he structure of the skin, and the anatomy of the suckers are 
thoroughly treated, and details noted which need figures to be 
understood. The most interesting fact in relation to the digestive 
tube is the description of the absorbent hairs. The ciliated sac 
which surrounds the prostate gland and seminal receptacle seems 
to serve only to protect the prostate and plays no part in copula- 
tion. The canal of Laurer also, once considered a copulatory 
organ, is but a reservoir, so that the only probable and admissible 
mode of fecundation is external self-fecundation, such as Sommer 
admits for the cestodes. M. Porrier has also collected facts of 
author makes two new families. As a rule a parasite seems to 
tect a single genus or eyen species. _ 
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