27 
A PRELIMINARY NOTE ON PARASITES INFESTING 
DOMESTICATED SILVER BLACK FOXES IN CANADA 1 . 
By J. A. ALLEN, B.V.Sc., 
Animal Pathologist, in charge of Fox Research Station, Charlottetown, P.E.I. 
AND A. B. WICKWARE, V.S., 
Animal Pathologist, Biological Laboratory, Ottawa, Ont. 
(From the Health of Animals Branch, Dept, of Agriculture, Canada.) 
The growing importance of the silver black fox industry in Canada, and 
latterly in other countries, has been so marked, that scientific workers have 
turned their attention to a study of the maladies affecting this species of fox. 
A survey has been made by one of the writers (J. A. A.) of the benign 
and contagious forms of disease to which domesticated foxe.. ate subject, and 
papers of a popular and scientific nature have already been published in 
various journals. 
In the course of recent investigations dealing with a distemper-like foim 
of disease causing a high mortality amongst foxes, a determination of the 
species of internal and external parasites was undertaken. 
As pointed out by Riley in his recent paper 2 , "An Annotated List of the 
Animal Parasites of Foxes,” very little literature is available on this subject, 
and it is for the purpose of adding a small contribution that the parasites 
found by us to date are herewith recorded. 
We take especial pleasure in acknowledging the courtesy shown b} Dis 
B. H. Ransom, Chief Zoologist, Bureau of Animal Industry, Washington, 
D.C.; Maurice C. Hall, Senior Zoologist, Washington, D.C.; and F. C. Bishopp, 
Entomologist, Bureau of Animal Industry, Dallas, Texas, in identifying the 
listed parasites, and to the various fox ranchers who have provided us with 
animals for autopsy. 
PROTOZOA. 
Coccidium bigeminum — Isospora bigemina (Stiles, 1891). 
Small and large intestine. 
ACARINA. 
Sarcoptes scabiei vulpis (Fiirsten berg, 1861) Railliet. 
Body of host. 
Otodecies cynotis (Hering, 1838). Ears of host—external meatus. 
1 Published with the approval of Dr F. Torrance, Veterinary Director General. 
2 Riley, W. A. (in. 1921), Parasitology , xiii. 86-96. 
