SECOND ANNUAL MEETING 65 



nematodes, or round worms, in birds from the vicinity of Freiburg 

 i. Br., (lerniany. Uc lOiniil tliirty species of iiarasites in thirty-two 

 hosts. Two hosts eai-li liarboivd five species of ^larasites, two four each, 

 three three each, four two each, and the remainder only a single 

 s])ecies of parasite. In general The crow, rajjtores and gallinaceous 

 birds wei-e worst infected with nematodes in respect to nnmbers both 

 ^ f .species and of individnals present. Hansmann (99) found that of 

 species infected .'JO per cent of the individuals harbored trematodes, a 

 figure which has only relative vahie, as in the same lot of birds enough 

 uninfected species were contained to reduce the percentage to 20. The 

 infection was in most cases light. 



The results of the most extended study yet made by any investigator 

 are given by Woltfhiigel (00). The large majority of the birds he studied 

 came from the vicinity of Freiburg in Baden, but a number of foreign 

 birds which had been held in captivity were obtained from the Zoologi- 

 cal Garden at Basle, Switzerland. Among the 630 birds investigated, 231 

 harbored cestodes, 124 trematodes, 252 nematodes, and 41 Echinorhyn- 

 chi, while 180 were free from parasites. Percentages cannot be calcu- 

 lated from these fignires without further consideration since, for 

 instance, land birds are rarely infested by Echinorhynchi, but ducks 

 commonly, so that the total depends evidently on the number of ducks 

 examined. 



Wolffhiigel examined 73 species belonging to 62 genera of birds and 

 found in them 19 species of trematodes. 35 of cestodes, 25 of nema- 

 todes, and 9 of Echinorhynchi. There are extensive tables showing full 

 details of the extent and character of infection manifested by each bird 

 examined, and a careful diseu.>sion of structural details in a number of 

 new and poorlj' known species of cestodes. 



The most extensive and important American contribution to the dis- 

 tribution of avian parasites is that by Stiles & Hassell (96). It deals 

 primarily with tapeworms of poultry, but the species treated are also 

 found in other birds. The discussion given by these authors affords the 

 only accessible source of information regarding certain foreign publica- 

 tions of importance on some of the avian cestodes. Many figures from 

 such inaccessible authorities have been reproduced so that the i^aper 

 gives a comiJlete presentation of the work done on the forms cited 

 therein. 



The check-lists given by Hassall (98, 9Sa, 9Sb) are invaluable to scien- 

 tific workers for the full and exact treatment of the synonjmj- of the 

 liarasites. Though only domesticated birds are given here the same 

 species of parasites are more or less frequently met with among wild 

 fowl. 



In a previous paper (Ward, 98) I have given a discussion of the para- 

 sites of domesticated birds based on observations made in Nebraska. 



