WORMS ON THE KNEE-JOINT. 293 



tacked the throat, and its existence was soon ter- 

 minated. 



The weight of this animal was one hundred 

 and sixty pounds. On the inner side of each 

 knee-joint I observed a collection of several 

 hundreds of worms,* long, thin, and of a white 

 colour, inclosed in a cyst of cellular membrane, 

 through which they could be seen. It was situated 

 external to the knee-joint. I dissected a cyst as 

 perfectly as possible, and placed them in spirits; 

 at the same time regretting that 1 had no means of 

 preserving the joint with the cyst attached entire. 

 Similar worms are said to exist in the stomach 

 and intestines of the animal. These cysts, I 

 understand, are not uncommon ; some persons 

 have asserted that they have never killed a kan- 

 garoo without them, whilst others declare they 

 are more common in males than in females, f 

 and are found in two kangaroos out of three. 



When examining the body of the kangaroo 

 last killed, the attack of mosquitoes, horse-flies, 



* They are mentioned in the catalogue of the museum of 

 the London Royal College of Surgeons, " Preparations of 

 Natural History in Spirit," Fasc. 1, part 4, p. 37, as a doubt- 

 ful species of Filaria. " Filaria Macropi majoris." 



f This assertion accords with my remarks, for I did not 

 observe these cysts in the females, but only in the male spe- 

 cimens I dissected. 



