18/6.] DR. T. S. COBBOLD ON ENTOZOA. 201 



abroad. Although it so happens that comparatively few of the 

 parasites are altogether new to science, yet most of the contributions 

 present, in one way or another, points of interest. I propose in 

 future to extend the character of my notes, not only recording new 

 habitats and describing new species, but also paying regard to all 

 facts tending to throw light upon the question of geographical distri- 

 bution. 1 wish also to remark more fully on structural and mor- 

 phological peculiarities, especially when dealing with aberrant types. 

 The importance of certain species in relation to epidemics will also 

 receive attention. None can regret more than myself the necessarily 

 incomplete character of these records. It is evident, however, that 

 if we home-naturalists defer all public notice of the receipt of speci- 

 mens from co-workers abroad until we happen to have time at our 

 command to* do full justice to the contributions, a multitude of useful 

 facts will inevitably be lost to science. In this connexion I may like- 

 wise observe that the mere verification of already known phenomena, 

 especially in the matter of distribution, is not without its cumulative 

 value. 



8. FlLARIA TEREBRA (DieSUlg). 



On the 27th of February, 1875, Dr. Edward L. Moss, of H.M.S. 

 ' Alert,' now engaged in the Arctic Expedition, hrought me three 

 examples of a nematode, which I have little hesitation in referring to 

 this species. 



Dr. Moss obtained these parasites in 1874, during the time that 

 he had charge of the Naval Hospital at Escpiimalt, Vancouver's 

 Island, British Columbia. They occupied the abdominal cavity of 

 the Black-tailed Deer (Ce?-vus columbianus). The worms (usually 

 one, but occasionally two, being present in each cervine bearer) were 

 commonly found lying amongst the coils of the small intestine. 

 They had not in any way attached themselves to the peritoneal 

 membrane. I understood Dr. Moss to say, in conversation, that he 

 had shot seventeen deer in all, the males and females being in about 

 equal proportion ; nevertheless not one of the bucks examined by 

 him showed any trace of the presence of these entozoa. This ab- 

 sence of parasites in the male hosts can hardly, I should think, 

 have been otherwise than accidental. Hitherto the worm appears to 

 have been observed in the Red Deer (O. elaphus) and in three species 

 of American Roe (C. rufus, C. simplicicornis, and C. nambi) by 

 Natterer. Two of the worms measured each about 21 inches in length, 

 the third exceeding 3 inches. The head of one was injured ; but the 

 other two displayed in profile two prominent oral papillae. Pro- 

 bably there were four of these processes, such as Dujardin described 

 in bis Filaria cervina, which, according to Diesing, is a synonym of 

 this species. The body is marked throughout its entire length by a 

 series of prominent and regular folds, these, in some situations, be- 

 coming so conspicuous that, under an ordinary pocket-lens, they 

 present a beaded appearance. All the specimens had their attenu- 

 ated tails more or less spirally twisted ; and a single brown-coloured 

 line occupied the whole length of the body. The precise relations 



