[Proc. Rot. Soc. Victoria, 23 (iV.S.), Pt. I., 1910.] 



Ar'I'. XXI. — Notffi on Blood Pdvosiffs. 



BY 



J. A. GILRUTH, l).V.8c., M.R.C.V.S., F.R.S.E., 

 GEORGINA 8WEET, D.Sc. 



AND 



S. DODD, IXV.Sf., F.R.C.V.S. 



(With Phites XXVIII.-XXX.) 



[Eead 14th July, 1910.] 



During the past few weeks several interesting Haematozoa 

 have come under our notice, three of which are herein recorded. 

 The specimens of host animals in which these parasites were 

 found were sent to the Veterinary Research Institute, for post 

 mortem examination, from the Zoological Gardens of Melbourne. 



1. — Proteosoma biziurae, n. sp. 

 (Plate XXVJIL, Figs. 1-15). 



Host animal, Biziura lohata (Musk Duck). 



So far as we are aware, the only records of Plasmodidae 

 from Australian birds are Plasmodium praecox (?) from spar- 

 row (Johnston, 1909, p. 581), afterwards described as Plas- 

 modium passeris, Jnstn., by Cleland and Johnston (1909, p. 

 505). 



As regards the generic name adopted for this parasite, we 

 have decided, following Doflein (p. 657) to retain the original 

 generic name Proteosoma (Labbe, 1894, p. 157) for those 

 melanin-producing plasmodia of Birds having more or less irre- 

 gular, round or pear-shaped gametocytes, which when mature 

 distort the erythrocj-te and displace the nucleus. On these 

 grounds, Plasmodium passeris, Jnstn., should be rather Proteo- 

 soma passeris. The application of a new specific name to this 

 parasite appears to us to be justified by its apparent dissimi- 



