44 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Hatschek and Lang held the intermediate position. 



Collection and Preservation. — The Tapeworms of birds are for 

 the most part found in the alimentary canal (sometimes in the 

 mesentery, having perforated the canal- wall). They are found 

 in a fresh bird fixed to the wall of the canal by means of their 

 suckers, or hooks, or both ; the rest of the body, or the strobila, 

 lies loosely in the lumen, and is never very extended, but generally 

 contracted to a very short dimension, and always lies in the 

 direction of the cloaca, due to the flow of excreta. The position 

 occupied by these parasites in the alimentary canal is shown in 

 the following tables, from which it will be seen that the greater 

 number of parasites was obtained from the ileum or small 

 intestine. 



Method of Procedure. — The bird to be examined was laid on a 

 dissecting board and the skin cut open from neck to cloaca, and 

 deflected on each side so as to thus expose the pectoral muscles. 

 The pectoral muscles were cut away, and the sternum completely 

 removed. 



By doing this the whole of the viscera is exposed in situ. 

 Next, the state of the viscera was commented upon in the 

 following table, and any Tapeworms lying in the mesentery were 

 collected : — 



Number of 

 Specimen. 



Condition of „ . vi 



Number of 

 Tapeworm. 



\ 



Good. 

 Poor. 

 Poor. 



Fair. 



Full. 

 Putrid. 

 Shrunken. 

 Distended. 



— 



The whole of the alimentary canal was then taken out and 

 pinned out on a wax table under water. Next the canal was laid 

 open by means of a pair of scissors, and the contents examined. 

 This was also done to the caeca (if present). 



The large parasites were picked out, if loose, but if still 

 adhering to the canal-wall they were allowed to remain for some 

 ten minutes, when they release their hold and can then be 

 bottled. The larger ones having been thus obtained, the fluid 



