668 
ZOOLOGICAL LITERATURE. 
species) . It appears to reside not only in the feet of human 
subjects, but also in the skin of mice and other animals, which 
accounts for the presence and persistence of the Chigoes in 
deserted houses and huts. From KarsteiFs statements the pre- 
sence of the Chigoe in the feet is by no means so dangerous as 
it has sometimes been represented ; he is entirely opposed to 
the notion of the hatching of the larvae in the skin, and declares 
that only the impregnated female is a parasite, the unfecun- 
dated females and the males living freely on the ground. In 
other words, the mode of life of the insect is the same as that of 
the other fleas, except as regards the parasitism of the impreg- 
nated females. These views are supported by a very detailed 
exposition of the anatomy of the female generative organs, by 
which it is clearly demonstrated that the eggs must be extruded 
in the usual manner. The author gives a very full account of 
the structure, both external and internal, of the male and female 
Chigoe, illustrated with numerous figures. The most remark- 
able fact announced by the author is, that during the parasitic 
existence of the female its tracheae entirely lose their spiral cha- 
racter, become thickened, and contain no air, and the intestinal 
canal is at the same time considerably reduced ; hence the author 
infers that the life of the animal during its parasitism becomes 
purely vegetative, the lymph of the nutritive organism being 
introduced into the body of the parasite probably chiefly by 
capillary action, and assimilated without undergoing any further 
change by the ovarian organs. 
Wes 1 WOOD has commuiiicated (Proc. Ent. Soc. 18G5, p. 91) some remarks 
on Karsteii’s paper on the Chigoe. He objected to the generic name Rhyn- 
choprion then applied to this insect, maintaining that his own name Sarco- 
psylla should be adopted. Professor W estwood seems to have missed noticing 
that Karsten denied the deposition of the ova in the skin of the person bear- 
ing the gravid female, and implies that the development of the larvae takes 
place in freedom as does that of the common Flea. 
NEUROPTERA. 
' A. Separate Work. 
Pictet, A. -Edouard. Synopsis des Nevropteres d^Espagne. 
Geneva, 1865, pp. 123, 14 plates. 
In this work Pictet describes the whole of the Neuroptera 
(sensu Linn.) hitherto found in Spain. The descriptions are 
carefully prepared ; and the synopsis will form an excellent guide 
in the study of the species of this group inhabiting the peninsula. 
The author concludes his work with a note on the geographical 
distribution of the Spanish Neuroptera, from which it appears 
that, out of 142 truly Iberian species, 49, namely 33 true 
Neuroptera and 16 Pseudo-Neuroptera, are peculiar to the 
