274 
Life-history of Moniezia 
to have reached a season unfavourable for its development....The broad tapeworms do not 
last long in their adult state but after maturing all their segments are shed at once. From 
the time that the segments are shed the afflicted lambs will begin to receive and rapidly 
lay on fat. 
The above remarks of Curtice’s on the occurrence of Moniezia in the States 
describe exactly the conditions prevailing with regard to the disease in this 
country, and the recrudescence of the trouble yearly in early summer goes 
some way towards supporting the view that the lambs are infected only at, 
or soon after, birth, and do not become re-infected later. It may also mean, 
of course, simply that the conditions for the development of the parasite in 
the older sheep are less favourable. The writer does not altogether agree with 
Curtice’s statement that the worms are at once shed after maturing all their 
segments, but inclines to the view that in many cases the scolex will hang 
on for a considerable period and make an attempt at maturing fresh 
segments. 
On the whole, investigations at Aberystwyth left the writer without any 
particular conviction as to what lines future research should follow, but with 
the feeling that two hypotheses merited careful testing. They were (1) that 
infection may be conveyed from the mother to the lamb when sucking, the 
intermediate stage being assumed to be present in the ewe’s udder; in other 
words that intermediate and adult stages occur in different parts of the same 
host, and (2) that infection may be conveyed through the intermediary of some 
coprophagous mite or beetle which is picked up by the lamb, directly, when 
nosing the grass or, indirectly, from the fleece of the mother-ewe when the 
lamb is sucking. 
The following notes were made on the occurrence of tapeworms in lambs 
approximately three months old from the Aberystwyth slaughter-house, and 
serve to illustrate what has been remarked above regarding the early age at 
which lambs become infected, and also to indicate that the whole of the in¬ 
fection does not take place simultaneously but that re-infection occurs at 
intervals. 
June 9th, 1915. “String” of lamb from slaughter-house. Five individual 
tapeworms were found. The specimens varied considerably in size and degree 
of maturity. In one case the proglottids reached a size of 11 mm. and mature 
ova were present in segments situated approximately 120 mm. behind the 
scolex, the number of segments in this length being roughly 530. The re¬ 
mainder showed no ova at 275 mm. behind the scolex, in which length there 
was approximately the same number (530) of segments, the latter being a little 
over twice as long as in the previous case. 
Same date. String of lamb from slaughter-house. Two worms, one with 
fully mature proglottids, broad and extremely short, the other with appreci¬ 
ably longer proglottids and no mature ova. 
June 11th. String of lamb supplied by local butcher. Seven individual 
worms. There is a considerable difference in appearance among the worms of 
