TRICHOMASTIX SERPENTIS. 



451 



in Ophidia generally. Unfortunately I have not been able 

 to obtain suitable material for deciding this point up to the 

 present. I venture, however, to give the specific name 

 serpen tis to this parasite. 



It is possible that the form under consideration is identical 

 with that described by Grassi under the name Monocer- 

 comonas coronellee from the gut of Corouella aus- 

 triaca. The description given is, however, not sufficiently 

 accurate for the identity to be established. The same may 

 be said of an organism described by Hammerschmidt in the 

 cloaca of Tropidonotus natrix, and named by him Cer- 

 c o m o n a s c o 1 u b r o r u m . This form appears to be the same 

 as Monocercomonas colubrorum (Hammerschmidt), 

 Doflein, and Bodo colubrorum (Hammerschmidt), Saville- 

 Kent. 



Structure, etc. 



Trichomastix serpentis is usually of a more or less 

 oval or pyriform shape. It is subject to considerable varia- 

 tions however. Some of the more commonly occurring 

 modifications of its form are seen in text-fig. 1 a—g. 



Text-fig. 1. 



Most of these shapes are only temporary, the animal 

 usually returning after a time to a condition more or less 



