PARASITES IN THE WILD ASS OF CUTCH. 31 



jungle should still more be invaded by the various Entozoa. Iu the 

 case under examination everything was against my being able to 

 establish my theory ; the animal was young, and old animals 

 though they suffer least from parasitic invasion are more often the 

 victims of it than young, the ass came from a part of the country 

 wherein salt marsh is frequent and, as is well known, salt pastures 

 are prejudicial to most forms of parasite. 

 The result, however, was as follows : — 



A. Stomach. — Cysts, and sph'optera either from these cysts or of 



the species which inhabits the stomach cavity. 



Bots. 



Ascaris megalocephala. 



B. Small Intestine. — Ascaris megalocephala, in enormous num- 



bers, some seventy of these very large round worms 

 being obtained from the stomach and small intestine. 



C. C cecum and commencement portion of the Colon. — Cysts with 



small white worms both in them and in the cavity of 

 the bowel. 

 Strongylus armatus. 



D. Rectum. — Oxyurides — a few. 



E. Anterior Mesenteric Artery. — One immature Strongylus 



armatus. 



Liver, lungs, and peritoneal cavity apparently free from invasion. 



Thus five localities were t infested, the parasites found being of at 

 least six different species and some forms of them extremely 

 numerous. The following points seems to me worthy of comment : — 



(1 .) The parasites above enumerated must be obtainable by 

 animals out on natural pasturage. This is likely to be a useful 

 hint as regards their prevention in domesticated equines: whether 

 these species are obtainable in spite of saline pasturage or no it is 

 impossible to say, but one feels inclined to consider such a view 

 supported by the circumstances of the case; at any rate it is a point 

 worth investigation in the future. 



(2.) It is evident that parasitic invasion is not by any means 

 an infliction on animals following solely in the train of domestication. 

 It has been authoritatively stated that Strongylus armatus is never 

 found in the wild ass, although it is of almost constant occurrence 

 in old domesticated donkeys, my observations distinctly prove this 

 to be an error, probably at some other season of the year the 

 anterior mesenteric artery would have been found crammed with the 



