PACHYDERM AT A. 399 



not assisted by this case in attributing the mortality to para- 

 sitic origin, I am strengthened in my opinion that the death of 

 the previous elephant was due to disease caused by the presence 

 of the liver fluke." This report, by Mr W. S. Adams, is 

 to some extent in harmony with later information. An epi- 

 zootic outbreak amongst elephants has occurred in England, at 

 Sanger's Circus, and I had opportunity to examine one of the 

 dead animals. In my own opinion, and in that of Mr F. Smith, 

 the veterinary surgeon who attended the animals professionally, 

 the disease was due to parasites. I obtained large quantities 

 of Amphistoma Hawkesii from the intestinal canal, and also 

 other worms. The death of one of the elephants was made the 

 subject of litigation, when, as might be expected, great diver- 

 sity, of opinion as to the cause of the fatal issue prevailed. 



Mr Smith, an old pupil of mine, regarding the amphistomes 

 and strongyles as the cause of death, wrote to the effect that 

 " some of the worms were found between the coats of the 

 intestine, and others on the free surface of the gut, whilst the 

 excretory ducts of some of the glands were found blocked with 

 them." The animal examined by myself on the 24th of August, 

 1876, yielded numerous examples of Amphistoma Hawkesii, 

 Ascaris lonchoptera, and Dochmius Sangeri, the last species 

 being so named by me after the owner of the circus who lost 

 the herd of elephants by the epizooty. The male Dochmii 

 measured f and the females f of an inch in length. Here I 

 must reluctantly quit the helminths of -elephants, adding only an 

 expression of surprise that Dr Max Schmidt should have had so 

 little to say concerning them in his otherwise instructive memoir 

 on 'The Diseases of Pachyderms ' (quoted below). 



I have but a few words to offer respecting the ectozoa. A 

 species of mite has been described whose generic position 

 appears doubtful. I allude to Homopus elephantis of Fiirsten- 

 berg, or Symbiotes elephantis of Grerlach. According to Megnin 

 it is a nymphe adventive or hypope of a variety of Tyroglyphus 

 siro. This acarus is abundant in old forage. Another ectozoon 

 is Ham atomy zus elephantis. It differs from the lice proper in 

 many respects, but, according to Piaget, the reproductive organs 

 resemble those of Haematopinus. In ' Science Gossip' for June, 

 1871, Mr H. C. Eichter describes "a new form of parasite," 

 which is called Idolocoris elephantis. The insect, which was 

 one line in length, was found upon an elephant in Ceylon. 

 According to Walker it not only constituted the type of a new 



