Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 4 (1900).djvu/372

342 Although seldom of fatal import, this Threadworm is often present in the peritoneal cavities of the Horse, Ass, and Mule. In one instance as many as would fill a basket (how large we are not told) were extracted from the thoracic cavity of a Horse by Menges, lungs and all being invaded.

Two species of Spiroptera are found in Horses, living in the stomach, namely, Spiroptera megastoma (Rud.) and S. microstoma (Sehn), They are both found in the right sac of the stomach. It is not probable that the second species is at all common, but the former is; neither, as far as can be learned, causes any serious functional disturbances; but the former, if in large numbers, might easily become dangerous.

We have received the Annual Report (1899) of the Millport Marine Biological Station. "The station is now in a position to supply sets of beautiful marine zoological specimens at moderate charges to private individuals, as well as to schools and other institutions. As science is now receiving so much attention in school training, it is hoped that such sets may ere long be possessed by every well-equipped school."

At the request of the Vice-Chairman, Dr. Gemmill, repeated and persistent efforts were made during last winter to fertilize the eggs of the Limpet (Patella vulgata, L.), and to rear the young up through all their stages, but without success. Fertilization of the ova was easy enough, and the keeping of the little brown, opaque, free-swimming larvæ up till the twelfth or fourteenth day, but at that age they invariably died off, excepting in the case of one culture, in which a few lived till the twenty-first day. From the sixth day onwards the water in the hatching-jars was found swarming with Infusorians, which soon devoured the unfortunate larvæ. Similarly, attempts were made, with varying success, on fertilized ova of crustaceans, molluscs, worms, and fishes, as well as on unknown ova obtained from the tow-nets. Failure, when it did occur, was doubtless largely due to the inability to imitate sufficiently the natural conditions of the sea, even by constant gentle movements in the hatching-vessels, and by continual circulation of pure sea-water. With the facilities at command many perfectly normal and healthy batches of Echinus larvæ were successfully hatched out, and the interesting changes in their development carefully watched from day to day. The young of the common Urchin (Echinus esculentus, L.) is a favourite with students of embryology, as its transparency makes it easy to follow the successive changes in structural development, even when alive and active. Some exceptionally good fertilizations of this echinoderm were obtained early in May by Dr. Thomas H. Bryce, Queen Margaret College, University of Glasgow, from which he has prepared