DURING HIS SOJOURN IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC. 551 



irregularis (Merrem.) at Karavia at the head of Blanche Bay, New Britain, on the 

 18th of July, 1897. Dr Willey distinctly recollects taking tape-worms from a "Malagea" 

 and his Journal contains the following entry: July 18th, 1897. "In the afternoon, 

 dissected a large lizard, 'a palai,' with groups of yellow spotted scales, and a large 

 snake, 'a malagea,' nearly 42 inches loug....Acarines, Cestodes and Nematodes and 

 Pentastomids." There is thus every reason to believe the label in which the above 

 statements are recorded is correct. The reason why I am so precise in this affair 

 is that hitherto the genus Phyllobothrium has only been recorded from Fish, and its 

 presence in a Snake demands some explanation. Unfortunately I can offer none, the 

 only excuse for the snake being that it was living in sight of the sea. 



Van Beneden described in 1850' two species of Phyllobothrium, Ph. lactuca in 

 Mustelus vulgaris and Ph. tridax in Squatina angelus. No trace of a small sucker 

 in each bothria appears in his figures. In 18.58 he mentions as characteristic of the 

 genus a sucker near the external edge of the bothria. In this paper- he describes Ph. 

 auricula from Trigon pastinaca. 



In 18.55 WedP described another species, Ph. gracile, taken from the intestine of 

 Torpedo marmorata, here again the suckers are not evident. 



In 1866-67 P. Olsson-* described a new species. Ph. acanthiae vulgaris, taken 

 from the intestine of Acanthias vulgaris and some undetermined species from Clupea 

 harengus and Lahrus maculatus'. 



In 1870 van Beneden in his " Les Poissons des Cotes de Belgique"" mentions 

 Ph. brassica from Spiiuw acanthias and Ph. fallax fi'om Raia rubus. 



The longer of the two specimens at my disposal is 7 cms. in length, the width 

 1'.5 nmi. The latter does not vary much, the anterior segments except those immediately 

 behind the head being almost as broad as the posterior. Tlje hindermost segments 

 are very elongated, some attaining a length of 3 or even 4 mm. The constrictions 

 between the segments are slight and there is no overlapping of a proglottis by its 

 predecessor. 



The head bears four unstalked lappets and thus to some extent resemble a four- 

 fold clover leaf, as each lappet is indented on its outer edge and somewhat heart- 

 shaped (Fig. 22, Plate LV.). Round the outer border a well marked rim extends, 

 which from time to time gives off a slight ridge which runs for a little distance 

 towards the apex of the heart-shaped lappet and then fades away. 



I could discover no trace of any suckers, but as I could not sacrifice either of 

 the two heads to the microtome I cannot speak quite positively upon this point. 

 Suckers however were not observed by the earlier investigators of the genus. 



' "Recherches sur la Faune littorale de Belgique. Les Vers Cestoides. " .l/rai. Ac. Helgique, xxv. 18.50, 

 p. 120. 



- Mimoire iur les Vers Intestinaux, Paris, 18.58, 



» SB. Ak. Wien, xvi. 1855, p. 373. 



* Acta Univ. Lund. in. 1866—67. 



' loc. cit. IT. 1867. 



" Mem. Ac. Belgique, xxxviii. 1877, pp. 10 aud 17. 



