PARASITIC PROTOZOA FOUND IN S. AFRICA. 169 



Didesmis ovalis Fiorentini was found in the large colon of two 

 horses examined post mortem at Onderstepoort. This Didesmis 

 appears to be rare. 



Blepharoprosthium pireum Bundle was found in very small 

 numbers in the caecum and large colon of a horse examined post 

 mortem at Onderstepoort. 



Blepharocodon appendicular us Bundle was observed in the 

 freshly shed faeces of a horse in Johannesburg. The numbers of 

 the ciliates were very few. A specimen drawn with a camera lucida 

 was found to be larger than the dimensions given by Bundle* (1895), 

 its long diameter being 55/* compared with an average of 35/* as 

 stated by Bundle. 



Blepharosphaera intestinalis Bundle was seen in the large 

 colon of a horse examined immediately after death at Onderste- 

 poort. It appears to be rare. 



A species of Blepharocorys hitherto unrecorded in South 

 Africa, namely, B. jubata Bundle, was found in small numbers in 

 the freshly shed faeces of a horse in Johannesburg. A specimen 

 outlined with a camera lucida measured 49/* by 26 /*, which was 

 larger than the measurements given by Bundle. 



Triadinium caudatum Fiorentini was seen once again in the 

 large colon of a horse examined post mortem at Onderstepoort. 

 The same horse contained the Giardia equi mentioned previously. 



Entodinium caudatum Stein, as figured by Schubergt (1888), 

 was seen in the rumen of a sheep examined in Johannesburg. The 

 organisms were active but few in number. They undergo dis- 

 tortion at death, the caudal process often breaking off. 



Spirochaetae. 



Spirochaetes are here recorded for the first time in South 

 Africa from two Gastropod hosts, namely, the freshwater snails, 

 Limnaea natalensis and Physopsis africana. Spirochaetes have 

 seldom been recorded from Gastropods. The Protistan organisms 

 occur in the livers or digestive glands of the snails and are of the 

 Spirochaeta balbianii type, with blunt ends. Those observed were 

 slow-moving and each possessed a spirally wound membrane or 

 crest. When stained they shewed a diffuse nucleus of chromatin 

 bars. The organisms were long, some of them reaching 200/* in 

 length. As regards degree of infection, it may be stated that only 

 seven spirochaetes were seen in a Limnaea. natalensis, which also 

 harboured young encysted flukes. 



Spirochaetes much smaller in size were found in relatively 

 small numbers in the reticulum of sheep examined in Johannesburg. 

 They had pointed ends. A long form measured 30/*, while two 

 shorter forms measured 10/* and 13/* respectively in length, and 

 may have been recent products of transverse division. 



• Zeitschr f. wis?. Zoologie, LX, pp. 284-350. 

 t Zool. Jfthrb., III., Abt. f. Syst., p.p. 365-418. 



