the male now undergoes is somewhat similar to the pupal or 

 " cocoon '' stage in insects. During its increase in length the worm 

 is obliged to double over inside the old wall, first once, then twice 

 and even three times. It now appears as shown in plate V., fig. 4, which 

 stage it reaches in about four weeks after entering the root. The 

 old skin still retains its tapering form at the head and sharp pointed 

 tail. Within it is coiled the mature male worm which soon proceeds 

 to break forth and seek its mate. The mature male is shown in plate 

 v., fig. 5. It is a slender worm-shaped creature, having a length of 

 about 1.5 mm., (J=-- of an inch), and a breadth of about .045 mm., 

 Gt) 0" '^^ ^^^ inch). The body tapers towards the head, at which end 

 it is about half as wide as in the middle. Towards the posterior end 

 the diameter is nearly uniform. The body wall is marked by quite 

 prominent transverse striae. On the head end is a cap-like thicken- 

 ing of the wall with six grooved depressions radiating from the 

 mouth opening in the centre. Strubell considers this as a boring 

 appliance to assist the worm in forcing its way through the soil and 

 roots. The spear is quite large and prominent, the three-lobed base 

 and the enlargement at the centre being plainly visible. The oeso- 

 phagal bulbs are rather indistinct. The excretory duct is seen at 

 its opening near the beginning of the intestine and can be traced 

 down through the body for some distance. The intestine, testis, and 

 spicule appear much as in tlie free living nematodes. We are able 

 to find no ground for Atkinson's* statement that the rare case of a 

 two-branched testis occurs in this species. We have found the organ 

 to consist of the usual single tube connecting with the intestine near 

 the spicule. This connection, however, and the general structure at 

 this point is very indistinct, the most prominent objects being the 

 two walls of the intestine, which, to judge from his figure of the 

 male, are what he has regarded as the two tubes of the testis. No 

 bursa is found in this species, nor is one necessary, since the females 

 are fixed in the roots during copulation. The male comes to maturity 

 at a time when the female is still immature, and since its existence 

 ceases very soon after it reaches the adult stage it is not always easy 

 to find specimens. Working with old, mature galls as material we 

 were puzzled for some time at finding plenty of mature females, but 

 no males. In following through the development of the worm, how- 



*Nematode Root Galls. Rep't .\labama Agr'l Expt. Station, iS 



3 



