216 ANNIE POUTER. 



fungus infesting- Melophagus ovinus seems to be more 

 nearly allied to the Peronosporeie. 



I learn from a private communication that a similar fungus 

 was found last year by Dr. H. B. Fantham, of Cambridge, in 

 the alimentary tract and Malpigliian tubes of the grouse-fly, 

 Ornithotnyia lagopodis. From examination of a pre- 

 paration of the fungus of Ornithoniy ia, kindly lent to me, 

 I believe that the fungi of the grouse-fly and the sheep-ked 

 are very closely related. 



Appendix III, 



On the Occurrence of an Anti-coagulin in the Ali- 

 mentary Canal of Melophagus ovinus, and its 

 Significance in Relation to Crithidia raelo- 

 phagia. 



The pronounced and peculiar brightness of the blood in the 

 crop and fore-part of the stomach of the keds examined was 

 noticed very early in the investigation. The blood of the 

 sheep in the stomach of keds that had not fed for as long as 

 three days was still practically fluid and had not coagulated 

 much, while twelve to twenty-four hours after feeding the 

 blood had not coagulated at all. This led me to suspect that 

 an anti-coagulin, such as had been described in a tick (Argas 

 persicus) by Nuttall and Strickland (1908), was present here 

 also, and a series of tests were performed at different times 

 which verified this inference. Every test that I performed 

 had the same result — coagulation was delayed. 



The method of testing was simple. Separate emulsions of 

 the salivary glands, stomach, and intestine of Melophagus 

 ovinus were made with 0'75 per cent. NaCl solution. A 

 known quantity — about 0*5 c.c. of human blood from a pricked 

 finger — was then mixed with the same quantity of organ- 

 emulsion, while for control purposes the same quantity of 

 blood mixed Avith 0'7o per cent. NaCl solution was used. 

 The test fluid and the control fluid were taken up in small 

 glass capillaries, and the test Avas applied by bloAving out the 



