404 
Transactions of the Society. 
XI. — On the Anatomy of Nyctotherus ovalis. 
By Wm. Cecil Bosanquet, M.A., Fellow of New College, Oxford. 
(Communicated by Prof. F. Jeffrey Bell, Sec. K.M.S.) 
(Bead lQth June , 1895.) 
Plate IX. 
While practising a method of cutting sections of small objects, I 
took for the “ corpus vile ” of experiment Nyctotherus ovalis of the 
Cockroach, since the host was easily procured and the parasite 
abundant. On examining the sections one or two points were 
brought out which seemed worthy of record. 
Body Substance. — Stein (1) and Biitschli (2) describe in this 
animal portions in front of the nucleus ( Kornerfeld ) of specially 
granular appearance, and the endoplasm behind, containing apparently 
globules of fat. In the sections this difference was not visible, the 
portions behind and in front of the nucleus being very similar in 
structure. In those specimens which were best preserved the body- 
substance of the animal seemed to consist of either a fine reticulum 
of protoplasm or a number of rounded granules closely packed 
together (plate IX. fig. 1). In one specimen which was very much 
larger than the rest, measuring *36 x *27 mm. instead of about 
* 13 x '07 mm., there appeared to be oval granules — the “ para- 
glycogen granules” of Biitschli (3) — imbedded in a protoplasmic 
ground-substance ; these granules showed in their centres an appear- 
ance of splitting somewhat similar to that which I have described (9) 
in a Grregarine of Lumbricus herculeus, and due, no doubt, to the 
action of the reagents employed in hardening (plate IX. fig. 2) The 
granules were visible in both the front and hinder portions of the 
animal, but were more numerous in the latter. 
Micronucleus . — The most noteworthy appearance seen in the 
sections was, however, the body shown in figs. 3 and 4, which con- 
sisted of a spherical vesicle with amorphous contents ; the latter 
EXPLANATION OF PLATE IX. 
Fig. 1. — Network of protoplasm in the body of Nyctotherus ovalis. x 900. 
Diagrammatic. 
Fig. 2. — Protoplasm and paraglycogen-granules. x 900. Diagrammatic. 
Fig. 3. — Section of Nyctotherus ovalis , showing macronucleus, micronucleus, and 
vacuole, x 450. 
Fig. 4. — Similar section, showing macronucleus, micronucleus, anus, and part of 
pharynx, x 450. 
Fig. 5. — Section of large specimen of Nyctotherus , showing macronucleus and 
micronucleus, x 110. 
Fig. 0. — Section showing large macronucleus and pharynx in section, x 450. 
Fig. 7. — Similar section of individual with very long cilia, x 450. 
Fig. 8. — Portion of similar section, showing macronucleus and part of pharynx, 
x 450. 
