EDENTATA 321 



thorn-headed worm (Echinorhynchus echinodiscus) . On the 1st 

 November, 1875, I received from Prof. Flower a jar labelled as 

 follows : " Entozoon found attached to intestine of tamandua 

 ant-eater/' The parasite was procured from the society's 

 gardens on August 12th, 1871. Natterer originally obtained 

 this worm from Myrmecophaga jubata and M. bivittata. Creplin 

 described it from a M. didactyla from Surinam (' Wiegmann's 

 Archiv/ 1849). I presume that M. tam.andua answers to the 

 M. bivittata of Geoffroy, as well as to the tridactyle and tetra- 

 dactyle species of Linnaeus. The parasite in question was a 

 female, measuring exactly 10 inches long, and 

 had its proboscis firmly anchored within the 

 gut. The armadillos (Dasypidas) entertain a 

 variety of nematodes. In 1858 I obtained 

 several examples of Ascaris retusa from the 

 rectum of a poyou or weasel-headed armadillo 

 (Dasypus sexcinctus). The worm was first pro- 

 cured by Natterer from the black armadillo 

 (D. peba), which host also harbors Penta- FlG 60> _ Tdil of the 

 stoma subcylindricum. According to the " finds " 

 of Natterer and the subsequent descriptions 

 by Diesing, the two most common helminths of the Brazilian 

 armadillos are Aspidocephalus scoleciformis and Trichocephalus 

 subspiralis. As regards the sloths (Bradypidtf) it would 

 seem that they are particularly liable to entertain round 

 worms. The Ai (Bradypus tridactylus) is infested by Stron- 

 gylus leptocephalus, Spiroptera gracilis, Sp. anterohelicina, and 

 Sp. br achy stoma; whilst the unau (Cho.loepus didactyius) harbors 

 the last-named species and also Sp. spiralis. All these worms 

 have been described by Molin, and, with the exception of the 

 two first named, were new to science when he wrote his well- 

 known monograph on the genus. They were collected by 

 Natterer. All the species infest either the stomach or intes- 

 tines, with the exception of 8p. spiralis. This singular worm, 

 like the closely allied Sp. helicina, infesting the feet of birds, 

 has the habit of coiling itself amongst the tendons of the digits 

 of the hind limbs more especially. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY (No. 48). Cobbold, " On some new Forms of 

 Entozoa," 'Linn. Trans./ vol. xxii, p. 365, 1859. Idem," List 

 of Entozoa," &c., ' Proc. Zool. Soo./ March 26, 1861. Idem, 

 " Notes on Entozoa," part iii, ' Proc. Zool. Soc./ Feb. 1, 1876, 

 p. 202. Marcgrav, in his ' Historia rerum nat. Brasil./ 1648, 



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