On an Ascarid from the Sperm-whale, 211 



tubular portion of tlie vagina has two coats of muscles, the 

 inner longitudinal and the outer circular. The coils of the 

 ovaries are confined to the posterior region of tlie body. The 

 greater part of the uterine branches is filled with immense 

 numbers of embryos, which measure about 0*275 mm. in 

 length, have blunt squarish heads, and tapering, slightly 

 hooked tails, and are apparently without a sheath. 



A microfilaria has been recorded by Evans and Rennie 

 from the blood of the Indian elephant, and it may be that it 

 is the embryo of a form closely related to that here described 

 from the African elephant. In view of the known relation- 

 ships between other parasites of the two elephants, however, 

 it is unlikely to be the same species. 



It has been mentioned above that Amira sameera^ Khalil, 

 occurred in the same collection as the Filaria. Tliis form has 

 hitherto been known only from a single male in the British 

 Museum, from an elephant from the Addo Bush, Cape 

 Province. The present material consists of three females, in 

 rather poor condition, which, from their general characters, 

 appear probably to belong to the same species. 



XIX. — An Ascarid from the Sperm-whale, 

 By H. A. Baylis, M.A., D.Sc. 



(Published by permission of the Trustees of the British Museum.) 



The British Museum (Natural History) recently received, 

 through the kindness of Mr. E. B. Binnie, Stipendiary 

 Magistrate, South Georgia, several specimens of an Ascarid 

 from the stomach of a sperm-whale {Fhyseier catodon). The 

 worms prove to belong to the genus Anisakis, Dujardin, 

 1845, and represent a species hitherto undescribed. 



Anisakis physeteris, sp, n. 



This is a fairly large, stout form. The males measure 

 70-90 mm. in length and about 3 mm. in thickness ; the 

 females 80-112 mm. and 4-4*5 mm. respectively. The 

 cuticle has extremely fine transverse striations, the interval 

 between them being only about 2 fx. The regular, broad 

 cuticular bands, with prominent posterior edges, character- 

 istic of some species of this genus, are here absent, but there 

 are, in addition to the fine striations, some irregular trans- 

 verse wrinkles. The lips are relatively small, and the neck, 



14* 



