DK, T. S. COBBOLD ON THE PAEASITES OF ELEPHANTS. 249 



festooned appearance. On the small tusk, from which a large number of the eggs 

 had evidently been rubbed off, I counted 150 ova — that is, reckoning the perfect and 

 imperfect shells, as well as the impressions left by such as had been detached. The 

 counting of the eggs and markings on the larger tusk was a more tedious process ; but I 

 satisfied myself that at least 2000 ova had been deposited. The Assistant Conservator, 

 Dr. Garson, obligingly removed one or two egg-shells. I found that these ova gave an 

 average length of ^ of an inch. Separately they presented a linear-oblong figure, 

 being rather thicker at one pole than at the other. In a perfect 

 specimen the narrow end measured the -g 1 ^ of an inch, the broad end being 

 about the ^ of an inch in diameter. From certain appearauces I am 

 inclined to think that the intra-ovular maggots make their escape by the 

 opening of the shell in a lid-like manner. Large numbers of the eggs, 

 have their shells open as if three fifths of the exposed surface had fallen 

 away after the manner of a lid. The external configuration shows a 

 rather sudden transition from the thicker to the thinner part of the egg, 

 which circumstance also favours this view. Considering, moreover, the 

 known facts relating to the form and contents of the eggs of gad-flies 



Eij£j of <i Dii>tcron 



generally, it appears to me not improbable that the ova in question have (x 20 diam.). 

 been deposited by the mature Gastropkilus elepkantis. It is a question which the 

 entomologist is alone competent to settle ; but I may observe, as favouring this view, 

 that since the tongue of the Elephant could not reach the ova if the gad-flies deposited 

 their eggs on the legs and shoulders (as obtains in the Horse), it becomes a necessity for 

 the gadfly of the Elephant to deposit her eggs either on the coarse hairs in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the mouth, or in situations similar to those actually occupied by these 

 dipterous ova. It is scarcely likely that the trunk of the Elephant would or could be 

 employed to detach ova measuring only the ^t of an inch in length. 



Ectozoa. — There are two other arthropodous parasites known to infest the Elephant : 

 the one is a huge louse, the other a species of mite. Hcematomyzus elepkantis differs 

 from ordinary lice in many particulars, but it has been remarked by Piaget that the 

 reproductive organs resemble those of the genus Hiematopinns. Mr. C. H. Ptichter 

 described, in the pages of ' Science Gossip ' for 1S71, what, at the time, was sup- 

 posed to be " a new form of parasite," which he called Idolocoris elepkantis. This 

 insect, one line in length, was found upon an Elephant in Ceylon. According to 

 Walker, who defined the genus, it not merely has supplied us with the type of a new 

 genus, but with that of an entirely new family of the Hemiptera Heteroptera, coming 

 very near to the bed-bugs (Acanthidae). In the same publication (p. 231) Dr. Buchanan 

 White suggested the name Phantasmocoris for the genus ; but a subsequent writer (ibid. 

 p. 278) cleared up the difficulty by referring the parasite to Piaget's Hcematomyzus. 



The excellent figures given by Richter and Piaget leave little to be desired; but 

 notwithstanding Piaget's explanation, the specific term longirostris would perhaps have 



31* 



