1913.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 137 



is very accurate. Mexican conure (P. Z. G. No. 2,599) showed at 

 autopsy a solitary female and a solitary male worm, yet it was 

 detected, January 31, 1912. Two ova in one slide. We have been 

 particularly gratified by the subsequent showing of the parrot- 

 house. Out of 23 birds dying during the last nine months, not one 

 has shown worms. 



Life History. — The determination of the life cycle of this worm 

 would be of scientific and prophylactic value. In only one, Spirojj- 

 tera sanguinolenta, has the life cycle been worked out. From a 

 hygienic standpoint, such a determination would be valuable by 

 ascertaining : 



1. Mode of transmission from bird to bird. 



2. Time elapsing between ingestion of ovum and development 

 of sexually mature female. 



As long as we have to rely upon finding ova in the droppings, 

 we will not be able to detect those birds ^\ath immature worms. 

 If we can determine the time elapsing between ingestion of egg and 

 maturity of female we will have determined the period of time 

 during which to quarantine new arrivals, who, while not showing 

 ova in droppings, may nevertheless harbor immature worms. The 

 determination of this point would also give us the intervals at which 

 to reexamine the parrots which have been passed as healthy to 

 the parrot -house. In the absence of this knowledge we run a certain 

 risk. Future reexaminations will have to be made at quite ar- 

 bitrary intervals until this developmental period is determined. 

 Now that each inmate of the parrot-house has been examined and 

 passed, any cases developing or dying there with worms will throw 

 new light on the subject. 



We have inquired into the life history of the worms bj^ trying to 

 grow them in artificial media and in experimental birds. 



Ova from proventricular slime of a bird dead with Spiroptera 

 were placed in various nutrient media (bouillon, condensation water 

 of blood serum media), tap water, and weak alkaline and acid solu- 

 tions. These were kept at various temperatures. One series at 

 room temperature, another at 37.5°, and a third at the temperature 

 of a bird's body (41°). They were examined daily. On the sixth 

 day larval worms could be seen issuing from the eggs in tap water 

 at room temperature. They did not hatch in the acid solution, 

 but did appear sporadically in the other solutions at room tempera- 

 ture. The larvse may be extruded either through the side or the 

 end of the egg. One wonders how so large a worm could be coiled 



