418 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
fuclisin or methylen-blue. The general appearance of these Filarim 
conformed to the description of F. sang, liominis perstans, and this 
diagnosis was confirmed by Manson. In the first specimens the animals 
were extraordinarily agile and in continual movement. Measurement 
of dry preparations showed two sizes, one 0*009— 0*1 mm. and one 
0*160-0*180 mm. Intermediate sizes were rare; once a Filaria 
0 * 230 mm. was noted. All were devoid of a sheath aud their cuticula 
was finely striated. All the negroes were in good health. Most of 
them had been absent from their native land for some months, and one 
had lived in Belgium for six years. 
Platyhelminth.es, 
Nemerteans of the Lake of Garda.* — Dr. A. Garbini points out 
that this lake is not of marine origin, and that its fauna is not a relict 
fauna. It includes Tetrastemma lacustre du PL, which seems, like 
T. obscurum M. Sch., adapted to fresh water. He attributes the dis- 
persal of this and similar forms to birds. His paper has reference to 
the conclusion recently expressed by Dr. du Plessis, that the Nemerteans 
of lakes were relict marine forms. 
South American Nemerteans.f — Dr. O. Burger describes some 
marine and terrestrial Nemerteans collected by Plate in Peru, Chili, and 
South Patagonia. The new forms are Eunemertes violacea , E. flavens , 
Geonemertes grajji , G. micholitzi , Eupolia platei , and E. aurea. 
Histology of Cerebratulus lacteus.f — Dr. T. H. Montgomery has a 
preliminary note on the histology of this worm. He thinks that the 
connective elements of Nemertines have never been satisfactorily clas- 
sified. He proposes to arrange them under four heads: — (1) Paren- 
chyme tissue, in the strict sense. This tissue is characterised especially 
by the presence of cell-walls and the absence of intercellular fibres or 
substances. (2) Connective tissue with intercellular substance. It con- 
sists of multipolar-branched cells with oval or spindle-shaped nuclei, 
which stain deeply. Between the cells and their branching fibres 
there is a nearly homogeneous substance, which stains faintly with 
haematoxylin. (3) Mesenchyme tissue, in the strict sense. This con- 
sists of usually bipolar, but frequently multipolar flattened cells, whose 
long branching fibres anastomose together and with those of neighbour- 
ing cells. The small nucleus stains deeply. Between these cells, which 
are without membranes, there is no intercellular substance. (4) The 
intracapsular connective tissue of the central nervous system. This 
consists of branched cells with a comparatively large nucleus, but no 
membrane. Three modifications of these cells are noted, 
[New Turbellarians.§ — Prof. F. Vejdovsky describes the following 
new forms : — Derostoma gracile, D. anophthalmum , Vortex microplithalmus, 
V. quadrioculatus, Prorhynchus fontinalis, P. hygrophilus, Macrostoma 
obtusum, and Planaria Mrdzekii. The paper devotes particular attention 
to the reproductive organs, but it is in Bohemian. 
* Zool. Anzeig., xix. (1896) pp. 125-7. 
t Zool. Jab rb. (Abth. Syst.), ix. (1896) pp. 270-6 (1 pi.). 
X Zool. Anzeig., xix. (1896) pp. 241-5. 
§ SB. K. Bohm. Ges. Wiss., 1895, 47 pp. (8 figs.). 
