DE. T. S. COBBOLD ON ENTOZOA IN THE DOG. 293 



specting the amount of fatality from all the entozootic diseases 

 combined, the rate of mortality from parasites would be consider- 

 ably larger than this figure, by itself, implies ; yet it fortunately 

 happens that comparatively few of the other kinds of entozoa at 

 present prevalent in England lead to fatal results. Such cases are 

 exceptional. It is equally certain, on the other hand, that much 

 misery and discomfort is produced by the less hurtful species. A 

 very great deal of good might accrue from the acquisition of more 

 extended evidence respecting the prevalence or otherwise of all 

 the known forms of entozoa infesting man and the domestic 

 animals in this country. A report of this kind, drawn up some- 

 what after the fashion of the present communication, would, I 

 conceive, prove highly useful. Such a report should not be a 

 mere record of helminthic epidemics collected from foreign sources 

 but should be a sound and scientific contribution based upon a 

 practical knowledge of entozoa acquired by years of previous re- 

 seach (extended, if possible, by personal observations made in 

 various parts of the country and under every variety of circum- 

 stances). It is one thing to give a literary resit/me of the progress 

 of this department of science abroad, and another to record the 

 actual position in which we stand in respect of entozootics at 

 home. Except by exclusive and prolonged devotion to this sub- 

 ject no great ultimate good can be accomplished. A properly 

 qualified person, always on the alert, could embrace many op- 

 portunities of special research which must of necessity be lost to 

 the mere closet report-maker. In illustration of this let me give 

 an instance. In the ' Times ' of Saturday, July 14th, 1866, we 

 read that " Among the "claims presented to the Glamorganshire 

 Court of Quarter Sessions, was a claim for poison used in killing 

 stray dogs at Merthyr ; another was from the chief inspector of 

 the Swansea police for killing 100 dogs, at Is. each ; whUe the 

 third was from a person who charged one guinea for the removal 

 and interment of three cartloads of the dead bodies of the dogs." 

 Now, I have no doubt whatever as to the wisdom of destroying 

 these animals ; but here is an example of one of those lost op- 

 portunities of investigation to which I have alluded. An exami- 

 nation of the bodies of these animals would have been particidarly 

 instructive if conducted in relation to the great subject of ento- 

 zootics. Much more might be said on this head ; but I leave it 

 for a future occasion. 



18. JPentastoma tcenioides. — This parasite resides in the nasal 

 cavity and frontal sinuses of the dog, but it is comparatively rare 



XINN. PROC. — ZOOLOGT, VOL. IX. 24 



