80 THE INTERNAL PARASITES OF 



the sheep, but much doubt is entertained respecting its 

 precise character. My impression is that it is none other 

 than the common Ascaris lumbricoides, which I have already- 

 spoken of in connection with the nematodes of cattle. 

 Lastly, if it be asked whether the little Trichina spiralis 

 ever occurs in mutton, the reply must be to the effect 

 that, up to the present time, no one has seen it in the 

 flesh of sheep. Nevertheless, it is just possible that it 

 might accidentally infest this animal in some one or other 

 stage of its life-cycle, seeing that Professor 0. J. Fuchs 

 and H. A. Pagenstecher, by means of experiments con- 

 ducted at the Zoological Institute of Heidelberg, suc- 

 ceeded in rearing three mature trichinae in the intestinal 

 canal of a goat. 



Although not strictly a helminth, I must also mention 

 that the Pentastoma tceniodes, an arachnidan parasite, is 

 sometimes encountered in the frontal sinuses of the sheep. 

 This is the adult form of the Pentastoma denticulatum, 

 already noticed in connection with cattle. In the full- 

 grown state it likewise infests the dog, and will again 

 occupy our attention in due course. It must not be con- 

 founded with the " bot," or larva, of CEstrus ovis, which 

 also resides in the nasal and frontal sinuses. It is a 

 common opinion amongst farmers that this " maggot," 

 as they term it, actually gains access to the sheep's 

 brain. Some persons will get very angry if told that 

 such an occurrence is quite impossible. 



From the amount of space that I have devoted to 

 the consideration of the parasites of the ox and sheep, 

 it might naturally be concluded that these animals are 

 more subject to entozoal attacks than other domesticated 

 quadrupeds, such, for example, as the horse, pig, and 

 dog. This notion, however, if entertained, is by no 



