26 
THOMPSON YATES LABORATORIES REPORT 
blood. On more careful examination it was found that the claws appeared somewhat 
oedematous, and by careful manipulation we were able to obtain specimens of the 
serous fluid, which contained large numbers of the embryos. 
The embryo (plate I, fig. i) in the fresh condition as seen in lymph and some 
blood preparations was 84' 7 fx long. The breadth of the sheath of the embryo, 
1 2 • 7 8 m ; of the embryo itself inside its sheath, 7*9 p.. When fresh the embryos 
exhibited a slow sinuous progressive movement : while, inside the sheath they were 
much more active. The two ends of the worm continually moved about, so that 
the tips seemed always in contact with the inner surface of the bluntly conical end 
of the sheath — the ends never being observed retracted from the sheath. This 
movement of the extremities inside the sheath, which appears a little too short for the 
embryo, causes the body of the embryo to be thrown into two curves, the sheath 
crinkling a little opposite the concavities of the curves. Ecdysis was not observed. 
Both extremities of the embryo are bluntly rounded. At the anterior 
extremity is a short stout conical papilla from the apex of which projects a short thick 
spine which is always closely applied to the inner surface of the rounded end of the 
sheath. There is no prepuce, but a distinct ridge marks off the body from the 
papilla : neither spine nor papilla was observed to be withdrawn. Under high 
powers a central line appears to run down from the papilla into the body. The 
anterior portion of the body of the embryo tapers very slightly. The contents are 
finely granular, a larger more refractile granule appearing at a point at about a quarter 
of the length from the posterior end. At this end the worm has a short rather 
broad, highly refractile tubercle which is always in contact with the sheath, and moves 
from side to side along the concavity of the end of the sheath. 
In fixed and stained specimens, in all of which the embryo is found shrunk 
in various degrees inside its capsule, the length varies from 75 to 84*7 /*. The nuclei 
of the very small cells are evident, but indications of V-shaped or other shaped 
spots are very indefinite and irregular. 
Filaria spiralis avium. Nov. Sp. 
Definitive hosts- — Hyphantornis aurantius. 
Cyanomitra reichenbachi. 
Muscicapidarum. Sp. dub. 
Pyenonotus barbatus. 
Sitagra brachyptera. 
I idua principalis. 
Cinnyris fuliginosa. 
Cypselus ajfinis. 
