RESEARCHES IN HELMINTHOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY. 20I 



Our reed bird, or rice bird, Dolichonyx o)y.zivoroiis, at the time of 

 its autumnal visit to the vicinity of Philadelphia, I have found to 

 be very much infested with tapeworms. Every bunch of a dozen , 

 as obtained in market, will be found to have three or four individ- 

 uals with the parasite. The worms usually are found in the thin 

 birds, while the fat ones are commonly free, thus apparently indi- 

 cating by their presence an influence on the nutrition of their host. 



2 4 



Figs. 2, 3,4. — Tccnia pcstit'fj-a ; 2, head; 3, anterior setiiuetits; 4, posterior 

 segments. 40 diameters. 



The species formerly described by me, and since more carefully 

 examined, presents the following characters : 



T(S7iia pcstifcra. — Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., 1855, 443. Head quad- 

 rate, scarcely defined from the neck, summit truncate, slighth- promi- 

 nent, flat, or depressed, unarmed ; bothria large, spherical, occupying 

 the four corners. Neck long, as wide or slightly narrowed from the 

 head. Body gradually widening to the middle and then more or less 

 tapering ; anterior segments transversely linear, becoming gradually 

 longer and broader ; subsequently obcuneate longer and narrower. 



In an apparently complete individual, 3^2 inches long, it was 

 widest at the middle and tapering towards the extremities. Head 

 0.75 mm. broad ; middle .segments of body 1.5 broad ; posterior seg- 

 ments 0.75 broad. 



In a number of individuals the head ranged from 0.25 mm. long 

 and 0.875 broad to 0.3 long by 1.625 broad. Posterior cuneate seg- 

 ments variably 0.3 to 0.375 "^"i- lo"& by 0.5 to 0.75 wide. 



I have seen several tape-worms, apparently of the same species, 

 submitted to my examination by Dr. B. H. Warren, of West Chester, 

 who obtained them from the yellow-breasted chat, ktcria vircns. 



Prof. S. F. Baird submitted to my examination a number of tape- 

 worms obtained from the cow-bird, Mo/it/ints ate>\ which I at first 



