66 NEBRASKA ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION 



The effects of parasites, tlie degree of infection, and the general fea- 

 tures of preventive treatment are discussed. To this are added data 

 regarding- the taxonomy of some of the more common forms, their life 

 history and the diseases they produce. This article was followed by a 

 second (Ward 9Sa) one section of which contains a synopsis of examina- 

 tions made on domesticated birds at Lincoln and on some from a 

 neighboring state from Avhich the following percentages appear for 



the chick: 



Cestodes Nematodes Total No. 



Free alone alone Both examined 



Nebraska 51 16 IG 16 99 



Iowa 23 23 14 40 100 



It also was shown that the liability to cestode infection decreases 

 rapidly with growth, but that the liability to nematode infection 

 increases with age. Whether this holds true of other species or under 

 other conditions than those of domestication remains to be investigated. 

 The case demonstrates, hoAvever, that in all conclusions the factor of 

 age must be considered. 



It would be impossible to make mention here of all the morphological 

 work which has been done recently even thoug-h it is of great value to 

 the worker in helminthology. Numerous papers by Cohn, Fuhrmann, 

 Hausmann, Liilie, Lonnberg, Kowalewski, Railliet, Volz, Wolffhiig-el, and 

 others, have contributed to clear up the confusion existing in this 

 group and make its complete revision possible. 



Regarding the morphology of the avian parasites from this country, 

 it may be said that a i^aper by Linton (92) constitutes almost the only 

 record of any extent since the brief notes of Leidy published many 

 years ago. Linton described the parasites of six species of birds from 

 Yellowstone National Park examined in August, 1890, together with a 

 few Entozoa collected at Guaymas, Mexico, in February, 1891. It is 

 unfortunate that the accounts given are not sufficiently extended to 

 perm.it of ready use by others. 



From this laboratory Ransom (00) described a peculiar species of 

 cestode known thus far only from the alimentary canal of the turkey. 



"It is not easy for people unacquainted with the phenomena of 

 parasitism and with the mode of distribution of the Entozoa," says Cob- 

 bold, "to shake off the very prevalent notion that tapeworms are 

 generally only in diseased or unhealthy animals. This old and erro- 

 neous idea has been handed down from age to age, and it will probably 

 prevail among us for many years to come" (69, p. 66). The frequence 

 of iJarasitic infection in birds has been clearly shown by the preceding 

 abstracts from various authors. It is now imiDortant to inquire con- 

 cerning the bearings of this fact. In the first place it may be safely 

 affirmed that none of these species are dangerous to man. Not only 

 that the alimentary canal and its adnexa are universally removed be- 



