222 Dr Fantham, Sarcocystis coli, n. sp., a Sarcosporidian 
Macroscopic Appearance of the Parasite. Its Distribution 
an the Host. 
The Colius was sent to me for examination by Mr J. W. 
Cutmore, taxidermist to the Liverpool Museum, to whom my best 
thanks are due. The bird had been skinned recently and was — 
quite fresh. Superficially it showed a number of elongate, white, 
opaque patches or streaks, distributed over the body surface, in 
the muscles (Pl. V). Teased in normal saline solution, one of these — 
patches showed large numbers of perfect Sarcosporidian spores. — 
The opaque bodies, then, were the large trophozoites of the Sarco- 
sporidian, commonly known as Miescher’s tubes or sarcocysts. 
The parasites were seen superficially scattered over almost the 
entire body surface. Concentrations occurred along the cervical 
muscles near the oesophagus, the inter-coracoidal region, the in- 
sertion of the humerus and scapula, the muscles around the maxilla 
and near the preen glands of the tail. The areas around the 
insertion of the limbs were more heavily parasitised than their 
distal extremities, the dorsal surface containing more Miescher’s — 
tubes than the ventral. Parts bearing long quills, such as the — 
muscles around the ulna, contained few or no parasites. 
When the bird was opened the whole thickness of the breast 
muscles was seen to contain numbers of tubes, lying parallel to the - 
long axis of the muscles. They had also penetrated the inter- 
costal muscles and formed whitish streaks on the endothelial lining 
of the body-cavity. The bases of the abdominal muscles showed 
parasites on their peritoneal surfaces. The pericardium, connective 
tissue around the carotid arteries and jugular veins and the 
mesentery of the intestine also contained a few scattered tropho- 
zoites. The cardiac muscles contained a large number of tubes 
of smaller size than those in the pectoral muscles. 
The most heavily parasitised region of the body was the large 
pectoral muscles. The right and left sides of the body seemed to 
contain about the same number of Miescher’s tubes. The general — 
dorsal surface (Pl. V) showed rather more trophozoites superficially — 
than the ventral, but the enormously increased volume due to the ~ 
pectoral muscles gave a preponderance of parasites on the ventral — 
part of the body. 
The effect of the parasite on the host is doubtful. While the 
bird showed no very obvious external signs of disease, yet there 
was no fat on the body nor around the viscera. The walls of the 
heart appeared somewhat thin, compared with those of an un- 
parasitised bird. It is known that Sarcosporidia produce a toxin, 
sarcocystin, lethal to rabbits. 
