8 
AUDY & HARRISON 
Graduate School. Between 1948 and 1952 a large number of trombiculids were selected after 
screening the collections and sent to Mr. Womersley, for whose help we are extremely grateful. 
He has already described 23 of the new species collected (Womersley 1952). It is intended that 
most of the remaining new species shall be described by various authors in this present series of 
papers on Malaysian parasites. The routine identification of trombiculids has been kept fairly 
well up to date, and more attention is now being paid to breeding different species, correlating 
larvae with postlarval stages, and making ecological studies. The identification of the other 
ectoparasites has inevitably lagged behind. It may thus be several years before the identification 
of the parasite fauna of one particular host is reasonably well worked out. 
The hosts examined for parasites are listed on specially printed cards according to time, 
locality, and host species-group. Against each host is tabulated the numbers and species of all 
ectoparasites, as they are identified. Each card, therefore, when complete, gives the summary 
of the ectoparasite fauna of all hosts of a particular group, collected in a particular locality or 
area, during a specified time. Any host which is brought in dead, when the parasites may have 
left, is completely ignored for the purpose of these particular records. The senior assistant 
responsible for the parasite collection is Mr. Nadchatram, ably assisted by Messrs. Lee Fatt- 
Hing and Johan bin Haji Adam. A separate section devoted to breeding mites and experiments 
connected therewith was formerly in the charge of our colleague Mr. K. L. Cockings, who left 
the Unit in August, 1950. A number of colonies of mites are now being maintained by 
Messrs. Aman bin Mohamed and Harun bin Peral. 
The examination for endoparasites was not systematic until November, 1950, when 
collaboration was established with Professor A. A. Sandosham of the Department of Parasitology, 
University of Malaya, Singapore. Prof. Sandosham’s Department has paid for the employment 
of an assistant, Mr. Phang Ong-Wah, who is responsible (among other duties) for the collection 
of endoparasites. A considerable collection of helminths has now been made and a preliminary 
note on these follows (Sandosham 1953, this Study , p. 23). Collaboration has also been 
established with Prof. R. Hoeppli, who is a visitor to Prof. Sandosham’s Department and 
is studying the histopathology of bites due to arthropods, in continuation of work which he 
has carried on for many years (Feng and Hoeppli, 1933). Animals of certain groups at 
certain times are passed to the Malaria Research Division of the Institute for blood examina- 
tion, and some of the results have been reported by that Division (e.g. Field and Edson, 1949). 
Mark-Release experiments 
In addition to the routine collections described above, the animals trapped in certain areas 
are examined, marked, and released again, usually, to be recaptured from time to time. Most 
of the animals so marked are rats of various species, but toads, monitor-lizards, tortoises, shrews, 
and squirrels have also been recovered after marking. The rats are marked by a system of 
toe-clipping. 
On capture or recapture the animal is slightly anesthetised and all visible trombiculids are 
removed. Other parasites are collected casually, but no systematic search is carried out for 
them. The animal is weighed and the details of weight, infestation, and place and time of 
capture and release are entered on a card for each marked animal. Cards are indexed under 
locality and marked-number, and no separate register is kept. 
Each of the areas from which animals are marked is trapped systematically according to a 
prearranged plan, and the traps, which are usually left in each position for a working-week, are 
rotated so that the area is effectively covered about once a month and each trap-site is trapped 
once in about ten weeks. 
STUD. INST. MED. RES. 
