aome Parasitic Neinalocles. 495 



by Dr. L. W. Sainl)Oii in 1907. For tlie oppoitunily o£ 

 oxaniiniiiji; it the writer is indebted to him and to the 

 l)irector-in-CMuef, Wellcome Bureau of Scientific Ilesearch. 

 Thanks are also due to Mr. E.. J. Ortlepp, of the Prosectori:il 

 Department of the Zoological Society, for kindly supplyintr 

 some information from tlie records of the Society. 



This interesting form is verj' closely related to the Oxijuris 

 evoluta, V. Linst., described by Smith (11)08) and by Ilall 

 (1916) from EretJdzon dorsatum and E. epixantkum. v. Lin- 

 stow's (1899) specimens from Acanthion hrachyura seem to 

 have been immature, and his description is so brief that it is 

 difficult to be certain whether those of the later authors were 

 of the same species. Smith's specimens were also immature. 

 The American authors, however, have described the presence 

 of cervical ala?, while v. Linstow mentions a spindle-shaped 

 swelling of the cuticle anteriorly, which is probably another 

 interpretation of the same structure. 



In the present material not oidy are the alte apparently 

 absent, but no cnticular swelling can be detected. Unfortu- 

 nately the material consists of females only, and the specific 

 characters depend mainly upon measurements, which can 

 be>t be given in the form of a table. Most of the differences 

 in dimensions between TT'. sambord and O.vi/uris evoluta might 

 be due merely to individual variation ; but, besides the 

 absence of cervical ake, the more anterior origin of the 

 characteristic vaginal outgrowth and its much greater length 

 in the older females, and the somewhat larger dimensions of 

 the eggs, a|)pear to be valid specific characters. In the 

 absence of a fuller description of v. Linstow's original 

 mateiial, therefore, we may regard tlie form under con- 

 sidoration as distinct from 0. evohita. It may be mentioned 

 here that the intestinal dilatations described by Hall do not 

 seem to be constant in magnitude and position, but vary 

 cojisiderabl}', in W. snmhoni. 



Sambon (1907a & h), under the name of Wellconiia 

 ntitc/ielli, biiefly described a form from the Cai)e jumping-hare 

 {Pedetes cafftr). Here again, unfortunately, the description 

 had to be based on females only*, and the measurements 

 indicate no real difference between W. mitchelli and W. samboni. 

 (see table below). The wide differences of host and geogra- 

 phical distribution, however (unless, of course, the infection 

 had been acquired in captivity), seem to justify the assump- 

 tion that the species are not identical. 



* Dr. Sambon believes that a male was seen, but was uuhnppily lost. 

 He thinks it had a very lunjj slender tail, but no other details are 

 available. 



