ON ENTOZOA FROM ANIMALS WHICH DIED IN THE GARDENS. 405 



22. Report on Eiitozoa collected £roni Animals wbicli died 

 in the Zoological Gardens of London during Eight 

 Months of 1919-1920. By G. M. Vevers, M.R.C\S., 

 L.R.C.P., F.Z.S., Beit Memorial Research Fellow, 

 Demonstrator in Helminthology at the London School 

 o£ Tropical Medicine, and Honorary Parasitologist to 

 the Zoological Society of London. 



[Received June 1, 1920 : Read June 1, 1920.] 



During the past eight months I have made an attempt to 

 examine systematically for Entozoa all animals dying in the 

 Gardens, and have attended post-mortem examinations of four 

 hundred animals for this purpose. 



Before the hody was actually opened, a microscopical exami- 

 nation of the f?eces was made, whenever practicable, for ova and 

 embryos of Entozoa which would give some indication of the 

 parasites harboured, and would direct attention to the particular 

 regions for special search. 



Whether this preliminary investigation gave a positive or 

 negative result, a subsequent search of all organs was carried out. 



I have also applied this method of diagnosis to living animals 

 in the Gardens, and these examinations have in some cases given 

 positive results. On the death of the animal the diagnosis has 

 been confirmed by the discovery of the adult parasites ; for 

 example, the Cylichnostomes recorded from the Grevy s Zebra in 

 the accompanying chart were detected in this manner. 



Of the four hundred animals examined 76 or 19 per cent, were 

 found to harbour parasites. 



The Entozoa found fall into the following Phyla and 

 Classes : — 



Number 



of Species Percentage, 



found. 



fCestoda 15 21-40 



PLATYHELMIA, \ „ n ^ .^r^ 



iTrematoda 7 10-00 



rNematoda 45 04-40 



Nemathelmia. < , „ , ^^ 



I i\.can th oceph a,l a 3 4-20 



Total 70 100-00 



In all cases of Nematoda and Acanthocephala there was a pre- 

 ponderance of female forms. In four cases females only were 

 found. There were 13 animals which harboured more than or.e 

 species of parasite. In a Leopard Cat (Felis hengalensis) as many 

 as five different species were found. 



The material afforded a valuable opportunity of determining 



27^ 



