107 



^MICROFILARIAE IN THE BLOOD OF AUSTRALIAN 



BIRDS. 



Dr. T. L. Bancroft/ 5 ) in 1889, communicated a paper 

 dealing with the occurrence of filarial embryos in the blood of 

 "the following birds from Queensland : — 



Eurystomus pacific/as, Lath, (in 9 out of 9 examined) ; 

 Strepera graculina, White (in 1 examined) ; Gymnorhina 

 tibicen, Lath, (in 3 out of 4); Cracticus destructor, Temm. 

 (in 12 out of 23) ; Ghibia bracteata, G-ould (in 1 out of 4) ; 

 Myiagra rubecula, Lath, (in 2 out of 4) ; Sericulus chryso- 

 cephalus, Lewin (in 3 out of 10) ; Oriolus Sagittarius, Lath., 

 syn. Mimeta viridis, Lath, (in 2 out of 5) ; Corone australis, 

 Gould (in 2 examined) ; Pomatorhinus frivolus. Lath, (in 5 

 out of 14) ; Myzantha garrula, Lath, (in 15 out of 16) ; 

 Entomyza cyanotis, Lath, (in 4 out of 10) ; Anellobia chrysop- 

 tera, Lath, (in 3 out of 4) ; Trichoglossus novce-hollandice, 

 Gmel. (in 3 out of 6); and Podargus strigoides, Lath, (in 2 

 examined). We have studied microfilariae from three of these 

 species, namely, Gymnorhina tibicen, Corone australis, and 

 Anellobia chrysopteraSQ 



It may be pointed out that the bird referred to by Dr. 

 Bancroft and one of us as Anellobia lunulata is really A. 

 chrysoptera, Lath. (syn. A. mellivora, Lath.), as the former 

 is only found in Western Australia. < 7 ) The two species, how- 

 ever, very closely resemble each other. 



Larval filarije (Microfilaria sp.) in the Blood of the 



Black-backed Magpie or Piping Crow -shrike 



(Gymnorhina tibicen, Lath.). 



In the blood of Gymnorhina tibicen, shot near Syd- 

 ney in March, 1910, the presence of larval filarial was noted. 

 The parasites were short, with the anterior end blunt and 

 rounded, the posterior narrowed slightly and also blunt. There 

 was no sheath. The cuticle showed well-marked, delicate, 

 transverse annul ations. The body protoplasm stained a deep 

 purple with Giemsa's solution, showing granular masses; one 

 or two of these were isolated at the anterior end, a small 

 clearer area surrounding them, and occupying the extreme 

 anterior end of the parasite. Two, three, or four clear spaces 



(5> Bancroft, T. L., Proc. Roy. Soc, Queensland, ri., 1889 

 (1890), pp. 58-62. 



(6) Johnston, T. H., Jour. Proc. Roy. Soc, N.S.W., xliv., 

 1910, pp. 109, 111, 114. 



(7) Matthews, E., "Handlist of the Birds of Australasia." in 

 Emu, vii., 1908, Supplement, p. 99. 



