NO.] 105. PROCEEDINGS OF THE RATIONAL MUSEUM. 211 



deposit cotypes with the chief museums of the world. It has been our 

 policy to do this as far as possible, and as soon as the international 

 postal laws 1 are amended so as to allow the acceptance of these 

 specimens in the international mails, the system will be extended. 



As a matter of justice, I believe the type specimen belongs in the 

 national museum of the country in which the specimen was collected. 

 The first duplicate (paratype) belongs by right to the Berlin Museum, as 

 that museum now possesses more types of parasitic worms than prob- 

 ably any other collection in the world. I would set forth the claims 

 of the United States National Museum for the second duplicate on the 

 grounds that the European workers all have easy access to the speci- 

 mens at Berlin, while the frequent sending of a rare and valuable 

 specimen from Europe to this continent is attended with more or less 

 danger of loss. Japan certainly has a claim to the third duplicate. 



It is indeed time that helminthologists give the question of the pres- 

 ervation of types their serious consideration. Many of the older col- 

 lections can not be traced 5 Davaine's collection is evidently destroyed, 

 and many more private collections will follow it if more attention is not 

 given to this subject. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



The chief results of this paper may be briefly summarized as follows: 



1. The time has come when helminthologists must donate their type 

 specimen of every species to museums where they can be properly cared 

 for and where they may be open to the inspection of other specialists. 

 I maintain that the original type rightfully belongs to the national 

 museum of the country in which the specimen was collected ; that the 

 second specimen (first duplicate first paratype) rightfully belongs to the 

 Berlin Museum ; that the United States National Museum has a valid 

 claim for the third specimen (second duplicate), and that Japan has a 

 valid claim for the fourth specimen. 



2. In order to insure the preservation of types and cotypes, I invite 

 the specialists in helminthology to unite upon some regular plan for 

 the deposit and exchange of such specimens. 



3. Permanent mount in balsam appears to me to be a much better 

 method of preserving a type than to retain it as an alcohol specimen. 



4. The known adult leporine cestodes belong to the five genera: 

 Anoplocephala, Andrya, Bertia, Cittotcenia, and Davainea. 



5. Of these genera Anoplocepliala, Cittotoenia, and Davainea are con- 

 sidered as -perfectly valid genera; Andrya and Bertia are left subjiidice, 

 although it is my impression that they will finally be recognized as 

 valid, as soon as sufficient material can be properly studied. 



'Owing to the absurd international postal regulation (16. 3. b.) excluding zoological 

 specimens from the international mails, some of the paratypes mentioned as " distrib- 

 uted" in this paper have not yet been sent to the authors named; they will be 

 forwarded as soon as an opportunity presents itself. 



