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Show 592 DR. J. MURIE ON A CASE OF MALIORMATION [Dec. 13, enclosed insects dead or abortive, when, to my surprise, near of the 6th of July last two perfect insects came forth nearly simultaneously. One of them, however, appeared stronger than the other, and, its wings drying quicker, it prepared to fly off, and only was prevented by the glass cover on the dish; the other soon after rallied, but did not attain such a complete condition as the first, the wings remaining slightly crumpled and less unfolded. I watched their movements for a considerable time, and then killed and pinned them out on cork for further reference. I had intended to take them to the British Museum for identification, and to have them figured, and so laid them aside. Next morning, however, I was horrified to find that a mouse had gained access to the glass case in which they were placed, and broken fragments of legs and antennae were all that remained of the two interesting specimens. My examination of the insects, however, easily permitted my recognizing in preserved specimens and figures that they were no other than the true GZstrus tarandi. The pupa-case in the above is uncommonly like that of the CEstrus bovis of Clark, as may be seen on comparison with his plate in the ' Linnean Transactions;' but he himself specially calls attention to Oestrus tarandi being larger, and with a longer, narrower, tapering abdomen. Linnaeus's own account of the manner in which the Reindeer are attacked, unfortunately, I have been unable to refer to ; but Mr. Clark quotes passages of his travels in Lapland, where he says the Reindeer crowded in multitudes round the hut at night in an excited condition, owing to fear of these insects. On another occasion, when travelling on a journey, the Reindeer in the team, on the fly alighting on it, suddenly stood still, apparently paralyzed with fear. Another curious point connected with the insects brought forth in the Gardens was, that the moment of their escape from the pupa-case vast numbers of minute white-coloured parasites scampered everywhere over their bodies, and issued in troops out of the case itself. It would seem, therefore, that these Acari iufest the insect even before it is hatched. In the present instance there could be no doubt regarding their not being conveyed thither by external agency at the time, as the pupa-cases were in a perfectly clean gallipot covered with glass, and laid apart from every foreign substance likely to contain such creatures. 14. Account of a Case of Malformation in the Generative Organs of a Cow. By J A M E S M U R I E , M.D., F.G.S., Prosector to the Society. Mr. G. Latimer, of Porto Rico, C.M.Z.S., kindly forwarded to in September 1865, a young Cow, which presented some peculiarities worthy of being recorded. No history of the animal was furnished by the donor, further than that the specimen was supposed |