DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW HAEMOPROTOZOA FROM BIRDS IN N.S.W. 93 



that of spirillosis in fowls, while the shorter and broader 

 form approximated more to a trypanosome. It was natur- 

 ally at first supposed that here was a blood parasite 

 resembling Schaudinn's famous Trypanosoma noctuae, 

 perhaps appearing as does the trpanosome-form of that 

 organism, only in the abdominal blood during the night 

 hours (or daylight in this case)! 



On further investigating the subject, however, and in 

 eliminating all possible sources of error, we turned to an 

 examination of the testes, and discovered in these organs 

 of this species and of M. sericea abundant identical bodies, 

 often in vast masses. It would appear that the injury of 

 the shot wound or later manipulations in examining the 

 bird had wounded probably the spermatic duct and liberated 

 numerous spermatozoa which had become incorporated in 

 the blood clot. It seems to us, therefore, important to 

 record this possible source of error in the examination for 

 haematozoa, of the blood of male birds during the breeding 

 season. Some of the photographs will show how striking is 

 the resemblance of these scattered spermatozoa embedded 

 amidst the red cells, to flagellate parasites. 



The Spermatozoa.— These bodies, as demonstrated by 

 Giemsa's stain in films, showed considerable variations in 

 size, from extreme tenuity and considerable length to forms 

 which were truncated, band-like and short. 



1. The long moderately thin forms — these usually showed 

 more or less regular spiral windings, becoming more open 

 towards the tail. They showed a very delicate pointed 

 faintly blue-stained end, succeeded by a deeply stained 

 purph- part which gradually narrowed to be continued into 

 the fhigellum. At or near the junction of the faint blue 

 end and this darker portion, could in favourable specimens, 

 be detected a deeper stained purplish-crimson dot, the 

 centrosome. Occasionally from this, the axial filament 



