54 



in the southern States. I hope later, through the kindness of Dr. D. 

 E. Salmon, Chief of this Bureau, to be able to extend my experi- 

 ments to some of these other forms in order to determine whether only 

 the fusca-series of LacJmosterna can serve as sources of infection to 

 our herds, or whether E. gigas can develop in other species of Ameri- 

 can insects as well. 



Schneider's theory that Melolontha vulgaris is the secondary 

 host of E. gigas in Europe, has met with some objection on the ground 

 that this insect is essentially a phytophag, and not found in the dung 

 heaps. LacJmosterna is also open to the same objection, but this ob- 

 jection, it seems to me, is only an apparent one, for the faeces of hogs 

 are by no means confined to the dung heaps , but are found scattered 

 over fields as well. Mr. Ashmead informs me that Lachnosterna 

 grubs are found particularly frequent under the manure droppings in 

 the fields, an occurence which is very satisfactorily explained by the 

 fact that the roots of plants under the manure patches are very tender. 

 Now it is perfectly evident that if the eggs of E. gigas are contained 

 in tbe manure dropped upon the fields, they will, in course of time, 

 be washed into the ground directly under the patch, and get upon the 

 young roots of the plants. Upon eating these roots the insect larvae 

 can very easily become infected with the eggs of the parasite. Thus I 

 see no objection to considering a phytophagous insect as a normal 

 intermediate host for our parasite. While I thus support Schneider's 

 Melolontha theory, I do not, of course, intend to detract any from the 

 work of my friend Dr. Kaiser, to whom we are indebted for the 

 finest monograph as yet published on the subject of Echinorhynchus . 



Division of Pathology, Oct. 25, 1891. 



II. Mittheilungen aus Museen, Instituten etc. 



1. Zoological Society of London. 



5th January, 1892. — The Secretary read a report on the additions that 

 had been made to the Society's Menagerie during the months of November 

 and December 1891. Amongst these attention was called to four Spotted- 

 billed Pelicans [Pelecanus manillensis) , received from Calcutta , and to a se- 

 cond specimen of the Formosan Fruit-Bat — a species originally described 

 from an example received alive by the Society in 1873. — Dr. E. C. Stir- 

 ling, C.M.Z.S. , exhibited some specimens of the new Australian Marsu- 

 pial [Notoryctes typhlops] , and gave a short account of the habits of this re- 

 markable animal , as observed in a specimen recently kept in captivity by 

 one of his correspondents. — An extract was read from a letter received from 

 Dr.F. A. Jentink, F.M.Z.S., calling attention to the recent acquisition by 

 one of his correspondents in Java of additional specimens of the rare Bush- 

 Rat [Pithechir melanurns). — Mr, Ernst Hartert exhibited a series of eggs of 



