W. S. Patton 
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Haemoflagellate ? Is it homologous with a similar structure in Trypano- 
plasma and Herpetomonas? We would like to ask Woodcock whether 
he has any definite evidence to support his contentions ? Surely it is 
gratuitous assumption to say what he does about it, and to attach such 
importance to it. We would prefer to leave it alone at present, till we 
know something more about it. The same may be said regarding the 
chromidia of trypanosomes and allied flagellates. We do not know for 
certain that their position in a parasite is of much importance. 
All the data, both biological and morphological, brought forward by 
Woodcock, appear to us, after detailed examination,' to be of very little 
importance, and some of his assertions are certainly incorrect; we there¬ 
fore consider that they do not add any weighty support to his view on 
the diphyletic origin of the trypanosomes. 
Brumpt and Leger’s hypotheses. 
It will be convenient here to consider some of the other hypotheses 
on the origin of the Haemoflagellates of vertebrates. Brumpt (1908) in 
a recent paper has summarised his views on the origin of these parasites. 
He first refers to Chatton and Alilaire’s (1908) recent discovery of a 
trypanosome from the malpighian tubes of Drosophila confusa. We are 
not sure that this flagellate is a true trypanosome, for the reason that 
both Herpetomonas and Crithidia may exhibit an appearance very like 
this parasite (see Donovan, 1909). We (1909) have recently figured 
this stage in a Crithidia, C. ctenophthalmi, from the alimentary tract of 
Ctenophthalmus agyrtes; in this particular stage (post-flagellate) this 
flagellate is not at all unlike some trypanosomes. We have seen 
Herpetomonads exhibit a somewhat similar appearance, and Roubaud 
(1908) has figured this stage in two typical Herpetomonads, H. mirabilis 
and H. mesnili. We would like to point out here that this trypanosome¬ 
like phase is seen in the post-flagellate stages of these flagellates, and 
we believe the migration of the blepharoplast to the posterior end of the 
cell is due to the degeneration of the root of the flagellum and the 
subsequent liberation of the blepharoplast. We note Roubaud (1908); 
found these stages of H. mesnili in the posterior intestine of a species of 
Lucilia ; he has however made no attempt to trace out the life cycle of 
the parasite. At present therefore we cannot accept the statement 
made by Brumpt that Chatton and Alilaire’s recent discovery confirms 
his hypothesis on the origin of the Haemoflagellates. Brumpt says, 
“ Ces Flagelles seraient des vulgaires parasites intestinaux d’invertebres 
