HARDWICKWS SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



165 



provision of three consecutive iron shields over the 

 dynamo, by which simple means the influence is 

 reduced to practically nil. The present report, like 

 its predecessors, abounds in passages which cannot do 

 otherwise than add to the impressions of the incon- 

 venience and inadequacy of the existing site and 

 buildings, and of the consequent hampering influ- 

 ences on the performance of the Observatory work. 



MICROSCOPY. 



Preservation of Melicerta ringens. — In 

 May 1889, and also in May, 1890 you inserted 

 some notes from me on the continued preservation of 

 this organism ; and it will, I think, interest some of 

 your readers to hear of a still greater success in this 

 matter. From the time of my last note to the present 

 I have always been able to find this beautiful rotifer 

 ifi my aquarium, making the total recorded period 

 five years. At times they have been very scarce, at 

 others far to numerous to count. A change of 

 residence of rather more than 200 miles, caused a 

 break of eleven weeks in the hitherto continuous 

 existence of my aquarium. During the time it was 

 perforce empty small pieces of the old plants were 

 preserved in a 2lb. glass jar, these being Ceratophyllum 

 verticellatum, Fontinalis antipyretica, Riccia fluitans. 

 During a greater part of the time I had also Chara 

 Braisnii, also Lemna minor and trisulca. The 

 stickleback lived with me over 2J years ; since his 

 lamented decease the vertebrate occupants have been 

 two small gold-fish. In the whole period since my 

 last communication the water has only been twice 

 changed, the last time only from the manifest 

 difficulty of transportation. At the bottom of the 

 aquarium I have first clay, then coarse sand ; this was 

 undisturbed. About three weeks ago, when I re- 

 established my aquarium, putting in water (from the 

 New River Co.), pieces of the old plants, and two 

 fresh gold-fish, the melicerta; were very few, I could 

 only be certain of at most, two or three ; now they 

 are very numerous, so that it is certain that under 

 favourable conditions their Irate of increase is very 

 rapid. — J. W. Measures, M.R.C.S., Hornsey. 



A Doubtful Species of the Genus CEcistes. 

 — Since the appearance of his article in last month's 

 Science-Gossip (p. 130), Mr. Tugwell has been 

 good enough to send me living specimens of this 

 •creature, which I have no hesitation in referring to 

 <E. ptygura. I gather from Mr. Tugwell that the 

 unusual length of the foot is a character only excep- 

 tionally presented, while I infer that the strongly- 

 marked corrugation of that organ, to which he 

 alludes, is also a merely temporary condition, since 

 the specimens examined by me did not exhibit this 

 deeply-wrinkled appearance. I have suggested to 

 Mr. Tugwell that he has very probably mistaken the 

 scarcely-prominent "chin" of this species for an 



unpaired ventral antenna, seeing that he describes it 

 as "seated upon a small prominence, the upper 

 surface of which is ciliated." The real ventral 

 antennas are a pair of widely-separated minute 

 papillae (similarly situated to those of CE. crystal- 

 linus, and other species of the genus), from each of 

 which springs a very thin pencil of apparently not 

 more than two or three very long, but extremely 

 delicate, setae. These sensory tufts, placed one on 

 each latero-ventral aspect of the trunk, are best 

 discerned in the retracted condition of the animal, 

 when they happen to be seen in profile ; occasionally, 

 it is possible, in a direct ventral view, to glimpse 

 both tufts at once. From their exceeding delicacy, 

 these ventral sense-organs are scarcely noticeable, 

 except when specially looked for, hence it is that 

 their presence has not heretofore been recorded. I 

 think it probable that all the species of Qicistes, 

 without exception, will ultimately be found to possess 

 both a dorsal and paired ventral antennae, although 

 one or other of these have not yet been detected in 

 several of the forms. Certafn it is, that CE. crystal- 

 limes has a minute dorsal antenna, of almost filmy 

 delicacy, in the normal position, and CE. intermedins 

 possesses a similarly-placed dorsal sense-organ ; and 

 no doubt further research will demonstrate the 

 existence of both dorsal and ventral antennae through- 

 out the genus. — Percy Thompson. 



ZOOLOGY. 



The Golden Oriole in Dorset. — My son shot 

 a fine specimen of the golden oriole one day about 

 the close of May. It was running along the branch 

 of a tree in a small copse on my glebe in the dusk of 

 the evening, and, not seeing it clearly, he took it for 

 some small animal. It was making its usual curious 

 warbling or chattering, which my son had not 

 heard before. Since that time he has heard another 

 in the same place, but has not seen it. The one shot 

 is in the hands of a very clever naturalist, Mr. 

 Howlett, of Newmarket, who is stuffing it for me, 

 and is sure to do it well. It is, I believe, the male 

 bird. If any others appear they will be watched, but 

 not molested. No nest has been found. — Jas.Luhin. 



Parasites found in the Lungs of Rana 

 TEMPORARIA. — On dissecting a frog some time ago, 

 I found both lungs swarming with vermiform para- 

 sites, varying from ^ in. to \ in. in length. Before 

 being killed, the frog appeared quite healthy. The 

 characteristics of these worms are as follows. I. A 

 larger form, varying from \ in. to J in. in length, 

 anterior and blunt, terminated in a sucker perforated 

 by the mouth. Posterior end tapering nearly to a 

 point, and terminated by the anus. This form was 

 found only in the bases of the lungs. 2. A smaller 

 form, varying from ^ in. to £ in. in length. Both 

 ends blunt, no reproductive organs. Found in the 



