II 



lower part of the trachea found crowded with Syngami. One of 

 these measured seven-eighths of an inch in length, and two or 

 three others three-fourths of an inch. They contained fully de- 

 veloped eggs, as did also the excretions of the chick just before 

 it was killed. This proves that the embryo of Syngamus in the 

 earthworm is developed to maturity in two weeks from the time 

 it obtains entrance to the chick. The last chick was killed seven- 

 teen days from the first feeding, when in articulo mortis. In the 

 lungs of each of those killed at fourteen and seventeen days from 

 the first feeding, embryo Syngami were found in various stages 

 of development. 



Exp. 10. On July 16th, fed a chick ten earthworms, and re- 

 peated the feeding for nine successive days. The gapes observed 

 on the seventh day, as, usual. On July 26th, ten days from the 

 first feeding, I killed this chick and found a large number of 

 Syngami in the trachea, and also the embryos in different stages 

 of growth in the lungs. 



Exp. 11. In order to see if Dr. Megnin's theory was correct, 

 that the eggs would develop within the fowl, I fed a chick about 

 three weeks old, on July 29th, three perfect Syngami, containing 

 many thousands of eggs. This chick was carefully watched for 

 five weeks, and no symptoms of gapes observed. That this re- 

 sult is correct, we have additional proof in exp. 8, in which large 

 numbers of perfect eggs were found in the excretions of the 

 chick, on the fourteenth day after feeding earthworms containing 

 the embryos of the gape worm. I believe however, if the eggs 

 should in any manner be retained so as to hatch before they 

 passed into the proventriculus,* the gapes would be produced, 

 but think such a case must be very rare, and would be unlikely 

 to occur unless the embryos were fully developed in the egg be- 

 fore they were taken by the fowl. 



Exp. 12. Three young robins (Turdus migratorius), in the 

 nest, were fed several infested earthworms each, daily for twelve 

 days. These earthworms were taken from the same place as 

 those given the chicks. No well marked symptoms of the gapes 

 were observed. Two of them were killed, and three or four gape 

 worms found in the trachea of each. A number were also found 

 in process of development in the lungs. These birds live almost 

 entirely on earthworms during a part of the year, and I wished 



*The proventriculus is the first or glandular stomach where the gastric juice is secreted, 

 the gizzard being the muscular stomach where the food is triturated. 



