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SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
is a precocious splitting of the segmented skein, in which the number 
of terminal chromatin masses is doubled, and all are organized in an 
equatorial belt. The spindle is intranuclear. The centrosome is extra- 
nuclear. A typical paradesmose is present. There is a blepharoplast of 
two basal granules, surrounded by archoplasm. In the middle of the 
pro phase these granules divide into four. Tbe flagella either split or 
grow out anew. The rhizoplasts split longitudinally. Division finally 
occurs by a longitudinal constriction along the sulcus. J. A. T. 
Variation in Trypanosoma lewisi. — W. H. Taliaferro ( Proc . 
Nat. Acad. Sci., 1921, 7, 163-8). While growing the same “pure line” 
in different rats may cause significant differences in the mean size, these 
differences are small. The differences in the mean are never greater 
when the “ pure line ” is grown in different species of rat than when it 
is grown in different individuals of the same species. Passage of the 
“ pure line ” from rat to rat is not followed by any significant change 
in the coefficient of variation. But the passage of the “ pure line ” 
through the flea is invariably followed by a significant increase in the 
ooefficient of variation. This is interpreted as showing that the “ pure 
line ” breaks up into heritably diverse lines following such passage. 
Although passage through the flea has such a marked effect on the 
variability, it has no significant effect on the mean size. “ Wild ” in- 
fections may consist of a “pure line ” or a few pure “ lines,” which differ 
among themselves but are per se constant in size. J. A. T. 
Insect Flagellates. — W. S. Patton (Ind. Journ. Med. Res., 1921, 
9, 230-9, 3 pis.). First time that a species of Herpetomonas is described 
from one of the hasmatophagous species of the genus Musca. Herpeto- 
monas cragii sp. n. is parasitic in the alimentary canal of the adults of 
Musca bezzii. The adult flagellate stage was found in the mid-gut in a 
few cases, and the post-flagellate stage in the hind- gut and rectum of 
about 75 p.c. of the flies examined. The mature flagellate measures 
from 20-25/a by 1’5-2/a. The nucleus is large and usually situated 
about the middle ; the blepharoplast is small and lies close to the 
anterior end. Post-flagellate stages are also illustrated. Alimentary 
tracts of many larvae of the fly were examined, but no stages of the 
parasite were found in them. Description is also given of the various 
stages of Herpetomonas mirabilis , found in the larva of Lucilia aryyri- 
cephala , the infection being carried over to the adult stage through the 
pupa. As the result of certain transmission experiments and other 
observations, the author believes that species found in closely related 
Diptera are distinct, and not identical with those found in other species. 
Larvae of Musca nebulo were also found to be infected with Herpetomonas 
muscse domesticse , the infection being carried over to the adults. 
B. L. B. 
Behaviour of Herpetomonas tropica in the Bed-hug. — W. S. 
Patton, H. M. La Frenais, and Sundara Rao (Ind. Journ. Med. 
Res., 1921, 9, 240-51, 2 pis.). As the result of previous work, conclu- 
sion was reached that in Cambay Gimex hemiptera appeared to be the 
only possible insect-carrier, and that the parasite is not transmitted by 
the bug in the act of sucking blood. A long series of experiments have 
