352 
Protozoa of Lizards , etc. 
in Fig. 1. Finally, very minute forms (Fig. 1 , a and b) more or less spherical 
or circular in outline are seen, having a diameter of about 2 \x. These minute 
flagellates have relatively long flagella. Some of them are devoid of flagella 
(Fig. 1 , b and e) and from them small ovoid bodies with a more definite out¬ 
line appear to arise (Fig. 1 , d). These are probably encysted forms such as 
occur in the similar flagellate of the flea, Pulex irritan.s. I have shown in this 
case that complete drying of the spread-out flea faeces for 24 hours does not 
prevent a culture being obtained when introduced into N.N.N. medium (1912). 
Between these tiny parasites and the elongated form every intermediate stage 
can be easily traced (Fig. 1 , g , i, j, k). In the small forms the nucleus and 
kinetoplast lie close together. 
Multiplication takes place in the usual manner by longitudinal fission 
after division of the nucleus and kinetoplast. The new flagellum is formed by 
an outgrowth from the daughter blepharoplast (Fig. 1 , h, l, n). 
I have been quite unable to make out any connexion between the kineto¬ 
plast and the nucleus, nor have I seen any indication of an axostyle. 
Distribution of the flagellate. 
The flagellate was found in all the chamaeleons examined—about six. 
As already stated, it was confined almost entirely to the cloaca into which 
the rectum and ureters open. It was encountered in small numbers in the 
rectum, but not in the ureters, while in the cloaca itself it was limited almost 
entirely to the surface of the mucosa where it occurred in the mucus in enor¬ 
mous numbers. When the lizard defecates it passes a cylindrical mass of 
faeces or solid white urine which is covered with this mucus in which swarms 
of flagellates can be found. In the actual urine itself they do not occur and in 
the faeces only in small numbers. It is probable that the latter are forms 
which have passed down from the rectum. The mucus from the cloaca is a 
clear transparent substance and is remarkable in that there is practically no 
contamination with bacteria or with faecal material. In stained smears no 
bacteria were seen and the only organism met with apart from the flagellate 
was the fungus described below, which was present on two occasions. 
Careful examinations of the various organs of the body both by smear and 
cultural methods failed to reveal any tissue infection. This is perhaps sur¬ 
prising in the light of the work of the Sergents, Lemaire and Sene vet (1914) 
and the later work of Chatton and Blanc (1918). These observers have shown 
that cultures of leptomonas can be obtained by inoculating N.N.N. medium 
with the blood of the gecko, Tarentola mauritanica. Examinations of smears 
of the blood and organs failed to reveal any leishmaniform parasites, the 
flagellates only being demonstrated by the culture method. It seems probable 
that the leishmaniform bodies seen by Chatton and Blanc (1914) within the 
red blood corpuscles of the gecko on an earlier occasion have no connexion 
with the leptomonas obtained by them later in cultures. In the light of these 
successes it would be interesting to make further attempts to isolate a lepto- 
