﻿2 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  vol. 
  67 
  

  

  two 
  small 
  cuticular 
  protuberances 
  (fig. 
  7) 
  whose 
  morphological 
  

   nature 
  appears 
  uncertain. 
  When 
  viewed 
  en 
  face, 
  three 
  feebly 
  devel- 
  

   oped 
  lips 
  surrounding 
  a 
  small 
  opening, 
  the 
  mouth, 
  and 
  what 
  appear 
  

   to 
  be 
  six 
  rather 
  large 
  papillae 
  could 
  be 
  made 
  out. 
  The 
  esophagus 
  

   consists 
  of 
  two 
  portions, 
  namely 
  (a) 
  the 
  muscular 
  esophagus 
  proper 
  

   and 
  (b) 
  the 
  ventriculus 
  (fig. 
  6). 
  The 
  esophagus 
  proper 
  is 
  filari- 
  

   form 
  in 
  shape, 
  its 
  diameter 
  increasing 
  in 
  the 
  posterior 
  portion. 
  In 
  

   one 
  specimen 
  the 
  esophagus 
  is 
  1.2 
  mm. 
  long 
  by 
  125pt. 
  in 
  maximum 
  

   width 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  base, 
  and 
  62^. 
  in 
  minimum 
  width 
  just 
  

   below 
  the 
  head. 
  In 
  another 
  specimen 
  the 
  maximum 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  

   esophagus 
  is 
  178[x. 
  The 
  ventriculus 
  is 
  oblong 
  in 
  shape 
  (fig. 
  6) 
  from 
  

   223pi. 
  to 
  232[a 
  long 
  by 
  125[x 
  to 
  l78pt. 
  wide. 
  The 
  intestinal 
  cecum 
  

   (fig. 
  6) 
  is 
  long 
  and 
  slender 
  and 
  lies 
  alongside 
  the 
  esophagus. 
  The 
  

   distance 
  from 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  intestinal 
  cecum 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  ven- 
  

   triculus, 
  slightly 
  below 
  which 
  the 
  former 
  originates, 
  is 
  630[x 
  and 
  

   756[x 
  respectively, 
  in 
  two 
  specimens 
  examined. 
  The 
  intestine 
  ter- 
  

   minates 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  133la 
  from 
  the 
  posterior 
  extremity 
  (fig. 
  5) 
  

   and 
  has 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  uniform 
  diameter, 
  which 
  measures 
  115pt. 
  in 
  

   the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  body. 
  In 
  the 
  anal 
  region 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  structures 
  presumably 
  glands, 
  stand 
  out 
  rather 
  prominently. 
  

   The 
  tail 
  (fig. 
  5) 
  ends 
  in 
  a 
  spinose 
  tip 
  which 
  measures 
  about 
  25[x 
  in 
  

   length. 
  No 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  reproductive 
  system 
  or 
  any 
  evidence 
  of 
  

   the 
  presence 
  of 
  gonads 
  could 
  be 
  distinguished 
  in 
  the 
  specimens 
  

   examined. 
  

   Host. 
  — 
  Blarina 
  brevicauda. 
  

   Location. 
  — 
  Under 
  the 
  skin. 
  

   Locality. 
  — 
  District 
  of 
  Columbia. 
  

  

  Type 
  specimens. 
  — 
  United 
  States 
  National 
  Museum, 
  Helminthologi- 
  

   cal 
  Collections 
  No. 
  26052. 
  

  

  On 
  June 
  27, 
  1923, 
  Dr. 
  E. 
  A. 
  Chapin 
  of 
  this 
  bureau 
  discovered 
  

   an 
  encysted 
  nematode 
  under 
  the 
  skin 
  in 
  the 
  costal 
  region 
  of 
  a 
  

   mole 
  (Scalopvs 
  aquaticvs) 
  , 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  trapped 
  at 
  Falls 
  Church, 
  

   Virginia. 
  On 
  July 
  10, 
  1923, 
  Doctor 
  Chapin 
  found 
  another 
  encysted 
  

   nematode 
  under 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  of 
  mole, 
  trapped 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  locality. 
  Doctor 
  Chapin 
  freed 
  these 
  larvae 
  from 
  the 
  

   cysts 
  and 
  identified 
  them 
  as 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  genus 
  Porrocaecum, 
  

   basing 
  his 
  generic 
  determination 
  on 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  esophagus 
  

   and 
  on 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  an 
  intestinal 
  cecum. 
  One 
  specimen 
  was 
  evi- 
  

   dently 
  lost 
  or 
  destroyed. 
  The 
  second 
  specimen 
  was 
  returned 
  to 
  

   Dr. 
  N. 
  A. 
  Cobb 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Plant 
  Industry, 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  

   material 
  in 
  question 
  belonged 
  and 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  present 
  writer 
  is 
  

   indebted 
  for 
  the 
  privilege 
  of 
  studying 
  it. 
  The 
  present 
  writer 
  is 
  

   also 
  indebted 
  to 
  Doctor 
  Chapin 
  who 
  furnished 
  information 
  concern- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  cysts 
  in 
  the 
  host 
  and 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  

   larvae 
  within 
  the 
  cysts. 
  

  

  