494 REPORT OF THE HARVARD AFRICAN EXPEDITION 
The youngest stages, like Plasmodium agamae, are usually situated toward 
one end of the red blood corpuscle, though they may be located in any part. 
The mature schizont is very large, often producing a distinct distortion of 
the red cell. The number of nuclei is very large — at least forty, it being 
impossible to count them accurately. The gametocytes are very large and of 
the usual two types, the dark staining macrogametocytes and the light blue 
microgametocytes. The pigment is golden brown in color (No. 401, Figs. 
1-7). 
A very noticeable feature is the change in the host-cell. These are usually 
enlarged and have altered staining reactions. The increase in size was often 
very noticeable even when the cell was parasitized by a young schizont. The 
nucleus is often displaced. The alteration in the staining reaction manifests 
itself by taking on a more purplish tinge than the normal cells. These differences 
are very well illustrated in No. 401, Figs. 6-7. The differences between Plasmo- 
dium agamae and Plasmodium gigantewm may be summarized briefly as follows. 
Plasmodium giganteuwm is a much larger organism in all stages. The mature 
schizont contains numerous merozoites, whereas the mature schizont of P. 
agamae typically contains only six. The host-cell infected with P. giganteum 
is very often enlarged, distorted, and has an abnormal staining reaction, and 
the nucleus is often displaced. 
Adler! in Sierra Leone studied a specimen of Agama colonorum heavily 
infected with a pigmented haemocytozoon which he concluded was the same 
species that Wenyon had described as Haemoproteus agamae in the Sudan. 
From Adler’s description and his figures, it seems more probable that he was 
dealing with the same parasite that we found in Liberia and for which we pro- 
pose the name of Plasmodium giganteum, n. sp. According to Adler’s account, 
the mature schizont contained as many as seventy merozoites. Also the nucleus 
of the host-cell containing the growing schizont was often displaced. Some 
of his figures show that the red cells are sometimes enlarged, though Adler 
does not specifically mention this fact in the text. 
GENUS HAEMOPROTEUS 
Parasites which we place in this genus were found in four birds, each of 
which is considered briefly below. 
Haemoproteus in the blood of the barbet Gymnobucco calvus 
The blood of this bird contained rather a light infection. Only the mature 
gametocytes were present. Smears stained by Giemsa’s method showed clearly 
the two types of gametocyte, the microgametocyte and the macrogametocyte. 
The parasites occupy the whole red blood corpuscle, the nucleus of which is 
displaced to one side and encircled by the organism. The shape of the organism 
is often almost round, the typical long halteridium forms being also present. 
This round form of the parasite is in all probability due to changes following 
the death of the host, as the blood smears were not made immediately after 
1 Adler, S.: Ann. Trop. Med. and Parasit. (1924), XVIII, 131. 
