BY VERA IRWIN SMITH. 550 



terminal, and the vulva opens on a very slight prominence 0.026 mm. behind the 

 junction of oesophagus and intestine. The muscular vagina into which it leads 

 is 0.224 mm. long (Text-fig. 11) . The eggs nearest to it measure 0.044 by 0.023 

 mm. There are two lateral bacillary bands extending along the whole length 

 of the body (Text-fig. .10) . In both sexes the width is from ;1 to J the diameter 

 of the body. The spots on their surface, corresponding to unicellular glands, are 

 irregularly distributed, and vary in size. According to Jagerskiold (1901) these 

 glands replace the ordinai-y Nematode excretory system in this family. The 

 general structure of CapiUaria columb(ie corresponds very closely with the de- 

 scription given Ijy Sliii^ley (1909) of Trichosomicm longicolle. The cells of the 

 "cellular body" or oesophagiis (Text-fig. 10) are from 0.096 to 0.143 mm. long, 

 and are marked, by circular constrictions, into a series of from 8 to 12 segments. 

 An oval nucleus (n.) 0. 023 by 0.018 mm. in size, is centrally situated in each 

 cell, and the very fine lumen of the oesophagus (Text-fig. 10,2) extends through 

 the middle of the single row of cells. Two lobes can be seen of the glandular 

 body situated at the junction of oesophagus and intestine. 



In 1914 Railliet and Henry separated the sub-family Ileterakinae from the 

 family Ascaridae, and raised it to family rank, including in it all polymyarian 

 Nematodes in which a pre-anal sucker is present in the male. In this family 

 they included Dujardin's old sub-genus of Ascaris, Ascaridia, which had been 

 united by Schneider, and all subsequent workers, with the genus Heterakis. The 

 species found in different Columbiformes and commonly known as Heterakis 

 maculosa forms one of the thirty-four species enumerated by them as belonging 

 to this genus. 



According to tliis classification, its systematic position is as follows: — 



Family HBTERAKIDAE Railliet and Henry, 1914. 



Genus A s C A R I D I .\ Dujardin, 1845. 



Species Ascaridia columbae Gmelin. 1789. 



Generic diagnosis (from Railliet and Henry 1914). — Mouth with three lips. 

 Oesophagus club-shaped, without bulb. Generally two lateral membranes. .Male 

 with feeble caudal wings; spicules equal or sub-equal, without accessory piece; 

 preanal sucker slightly projecting, rounded, with horny ring: papillae relatively 

 large. Female with vulva towards the middle of the body; uteri divergent; eggs 

 with thick .shell, with a clear granulation inside the shell, at one of the poles. 



Ascaridia columbae Gmelin. 



1782, Ascaris teres, Goeze, Naturg., p. 84, PI. 1. fig. 6. — 1789, Ascaris 

 columbae, Gmelin, Syst. Natur., p. 3034. — 1809. Ascaris maculosa, Rudolphi, 

 Entoz., ii., 1, p. 158. PI. 1, figs. 14, 16.— 1802, Rudolphi, Wiedem. Arch., ii., 2, 

 p. 22. — 1819, Rudolphi, Synops., p. 45. — Bremser, Icones helm., PI. iv., figs. 

 25-28.— 1842. Civinini, Catal., Lucca.- 1844, Bellingham, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 

 xiii., p. 170. — 1845, Ascaridia columbae, Dujardin, Hist. Nat. d. Helm., p. 219. 

 —1851, Diesing, Syst. Helm., ii., pp. 182-183.-1861, Diesing, Sitz. k. Akad. 

 Wien, xlii. (Revis. d. Nemat.), p. 666. — 1857, Ascaris teres, Prestal, Allgem. 

 deutsch. naturh. Zeitg., iii., p. 353. — 1858, Leuckart, Trochel's Arch., ii., p. 108. 

 — 1866, Heterakis maculosa, Schneider, Monogr. d. Nemat., p. 72, tab. iii., fig. 

 11, text-flg.— 1871, Ascaris sp., Krefft, Trans. Ent. Soc, N.S.W., 2, p. 212.— 



