The material for the present investigation was obtained from nine oystercatchers shot on the coast of Cardigan and one shot at Peterstone on the coast of Monmouth; for the material from the latter bird the writer is indebted to Mr Thomas Walker, M.Sc., of University College, Cardiff.

The state of Yugoslavia provides both an abundant and important source for zoological studies owing to its varied geographical, climatic and ethnographic conditions. To the student of ticks especially there is hardly a country in Europe which offers as large a field for study as Yugoslavia. Therefore I trust a short description of the Yugoslavian ticks and their biological habits, so far as known, will be of some interest.

Dr F. W. Edwards has kindly submitted to me the specimens of Streblidae collected by him in March 1935, during his entomological expedition to East Africa, in the caves near Kapretwa, at 6500 ft., on Mt Elgon, Kenya. To this material he added the specimens collected by Dr G. H. E. Hopkins, in the same locality, and asked me to write a short report.

The Province of Quebec provides a magnificent field for fresh-water faunistic and ecological research on account of its numerous rivers and lakes. Investigations in ecology and ecological parasitology by the authors have revealed a rich fauna in the areas described herein.

Examinations of fourteen species of fresh-water fish have produced twenty-eight species of Myxosporidia, of which twenty-five are new and three have been already described. The existence of races or strains or varieties of some of the forms is demonstrated.

Descriptions and illustrations are given of twenty-eight Myxosporidia found by the authors in fresh-water fishes of Quebec Province. The new species include: Sphaerospora notropis, Myxidium percae, Zschokkella salvelini, Myxosoma notropis, M. commersonii, M. orbitalis, M. pfrille, M. media, M. ellipticoides, M. parellipticoides, Myxobolus poecilichthidis, M. dentium, M. percae, M. rhinichthidis, M. notropis, M. catostomi, M. couesii, M. hybo-rhynchi, M. subcircularis, M. transversalis, M. grandis, Henneguya fontinalis, H. fontinalis var. notropis, H. percae, H. salmonis and H. esocis. Myxosoma catostomi Kudo, Myxobolus conspicuus Kudo and M. ovoidalis Fantham are described from Canadian fishes. Details are given of a series of races, strains or varieties of Thelohanellus notatus Mavor, of Myxobolus catostomi, of M. notropis and of Henneguya fontinalis from other than the original host fish.

The pathology of the myxosporidian infections from the many different situations in the hosts is discussed. Unusual sites of infection are the palatine teeth of Esox maskinongy with Myxobolus dentium and the iris of the eye of Couesius plumbeus with Myxobolus couesii.

In connexion with the economic importance of the Myxosporidia found in Quebec fishes, the destruction of young fish, alteration of the character of the fauna dependent on the same, human food supply, possible epizootics in hatcheries and possible cross-infection of game fishes and other fishes of economic importance are considered. The immediate danger is not great; it is the future that may be imperilled.

The oocysts studied were concentrated from the contents of the colon and caecum of the cottontail rabbit. The concentration method of Benbrook (1929) has been found to serve best.

Habitat and material. About a hundred specimens including both sexes were taken on the upper surface, especially the dorsal and ventral fins, of two Zeugopterus punctatus (Bloch), 13 and 21 cm. respectively in length, by Miss Nora G. Sproston at Roscoff in September 1938.

In the vicinity of Grand Isle, Louisiana, Menticirrhus americanus, a marine fish of the surmullet family, carries in the intestine an acanthocephalan which has been previously undescribed. The attention of the writers was first called to this species by collections made available by Mr J. E. Tobie. Additional specimens were later secured from Dr H. J. Bennett. This new species is clearly a representative of the family Rhadinorhynchidae but in it are embodied peculiarities and combinations of characters which preclude its inclusion in any previously recognized genus. Hence a new genus is herein proposed and the species is described as Illiosentis furcatus.

The paper deals with the biology, morphology and anatomy of seven species of syrphid larvae viz. Syrphus luniger Meig., S. balteatus De Greer, S. ribesii Linne, Catabomba pyrastri Linne, Sphaerophoria flavicauda Zett., Sph. scripta Linne, and Platychirus scutatus Meig.

The habitat, mode of progression, aphidophagous habits and characteristic coloration are described for each species.

It is shown that the larvae of all the above species, like larvae of other cyclorrhaphous Diptera, definitely pass through three stages separated by two moults. The mode of dehiscence of the puparium is described briefly.

Each of the species, except Catabomba pyrastri, has three generations in the breeding season which lasts from May to October. Platychirus scutatus hibernates only in the larval stage, but the other species may be found in both the larval and pupal stages during the winter.

The larvae of all the above species, except Syrphus balteatus, are commonly parasitized by ichneumonid larvae.

The morphology of the egg, the three larval stages and the puparium of S. luniger is described in detail.

The characters common to the third stage larvae of all the species dealt with are summarized and short descriptions of the third stage larvae and puparia of the individual species are given. The general appearance of the living larvae and details of the buccopharyngeal armature, spiracles and puparia of each of the species is represented in figures.

In connexion with the pupae a number of new structures are described and it is suggested that some of them are concerned with the formation of the characteristic shape of the puparium and with the dehiscence of the puparium.

Internal pupal spiracles are present in all the species dealt with, but external pupal spiracles are present only in Platychirus scutatus.

The anatomy of P. scutatus is described and figured, an account being given of all the structures except the musculature of the body wall. Study of the anatomy affords evidence as to the carnivorous mode of life of the larvae and also indicates that the larvae have evolved from aquatic forms.

The comparative morphology of the Syrphinae is discussed with respect to the relationship of the Syrphinae to other Aschiza and to the cyclorrhaphous Diptera.

1. The anatomy of the male and female genitalia of Parorchis acanthus is described in detail. An extensive receptaculum uterinum occurs in the female system.

2. The chromosome number in P. acanthus is twenty-two.

3. Spermatogenesis, oogenesis, and fertilization, are described in the adult worm. The chromosome number in both male and female cells is reduced to eleven at the first meiotic division.

4. Maturation in the female takes place in the “receptaculum uterinum”.

5. Cleavage of the ovum to the three cell stage has been followed.

6. The probable synonymy of P. acanthus and P. avitus is discussed.

Cases of myiasis by Hypoderma in a human subject in Great Britain are of sufficient rarity to warrant the recording of the following case.

A larva taken from a “small abscess on the neck of a boy aged 10”, was sent to the British Museum (Natural History) by Mr Colin Matheson of the National Museum of Wales, with a request that it be identified. The specimen was not in particularly good condition but after examination it was determined as a fully grown first stage larva of Hypoderma bovis de G. (the “second stage” larva of MacDougall (1930), “third stage” of Laake (1921), “first stage” of Knipling (1935)).

1. Two new species of Xiphidiocercariae have been described. These two forms have been designated as C. lühei and C. gopyjungi.

2. The flame-cell formula of C. lüheiis 2 × 3 × 3 = 18 and that of C. gopyjungi is 2 × 4 × 3 = 24.

3. It is shown that C. gopyjungi has the characters of both the subgroups Polyadena (Cort) and Daswan (Sewell), and the group Cercariae armatae is redefined.

4. Further, two new species of furcocercous cercariae have been described. They have been designated as C. ajmeri and C. anasagari.

5. It has been pointed out that the types of excretory systems as met with in C. ajmeri and C. anasagari are of extreme importance from the evolutionary point of view and fill in gaps in Sewell's (1930) evolutionary scheme.

6. The latter two species have been listed in their proper position in Miller's (1926) scheme of classification of the furcocercous cercariae.

I am greatly indebted to Prof. O. Nybelin of Göteborg for the loan of two specimens of female Lernaeopoda scyllicola Leigh-Sharpe, 1915 taken by him from the extra-cloacal region of two Scylliorhinus canicula (L.) during the first fortnight of September 1938 at Roscoff which show peculiar cases of pigmentation (Fig. 1).

Cephalobus parasiticus is described from eleven out of sixteen young specimens of Macacus irus mordax (synonym, M. cynomolgus) caught in the vicinity of Batavia.

The species, which strikingly resembles and is easily capable of being confused with the rhabditiform free-living generation of Strongyloides, is found in the stomach and intestine of the monkeys but is apparently non-pathogenic. This nematode appears to be unable to establish itself in the rat and guineapig but is capable of being propagated indefinitely on bouillon agar at room temperature.

The life cycle of Coitocaecum anaspidis involves three important stages. The adult occurs in Galaxias brevipennis, G. attentuatus, Gobiomorphus gobioides, and in specimens of Anguilla spp. less than 30 cm. long. Potamopyrgus antipodum and P. badia are the molluscan hosts of the sporocyst and cercaria. In New Zealand the cercaria attacks and encysts in Paracalliope fluviatilis, and in Australia in Anaspides tasmaniae. A metamorphosis of the cercarial larva into a progenetic metacercaria takes place in the amphipod.

Paracalliope does not become infected with Coitocaecum till the crustacean has reached 2·0 mm. in length. The thigmotropism of the Paracalliope fits exactly with the ground-living habit of the stumpy-tailed cercaria. The small river fish feeding in slack water acquire Coitocaecum from Paracalliope.

Many great men have said that no science is really worthy of the name until it has attained quantitative accuracy and can express its principles and laws in mathematical form.

A recent accession to the collection of the British Museum (Natural History) contains a number of ticks taken in 1927 from a captive Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) in the Zoological Gardens, London. Figures of the two species of ticks concerned were prepared by Mr A. J. E. Terzi for the late Dr W. L. Sambon who intended to describe them as new but died before he had done so. The two species have since been described by other authors, but Mr Terzi's excellent figures are reproduced here (Figs. 1–4), together with a note on the synonymy of one of the species.

Uncertainty and disagreement still exist among protozoologists regarding the proper name of the trichomonad flagellate which is commonly found in the human mouth and generally called “Trichomonas buccalis”. The nomenclature of this organism undoubtedly presents several awkward problems; but I believe all of them can be solved simply and satisfactorily if we merely read aright the description recorded by its discoverer, and consequently recognize the validity of his original specific name.

Leishmania forms of L. tropica were obtained in cultures. The methods and results are given and discussed.

1. Observations on the bionomics of Chrysomyia rufifacies Macq. in India have been recorded.

2. Protein is essential for the maturation of eggs, which is complete in about 5 days after emergence.

3. Mating is necessary for oviposition, though egg formation can proceed independently of mating. A single mating is sufficient for at least three batches of eggs.

4. Eggs hatch in 8–12 hr. after they are laid.

5. The average number of eggs produced is 210 (bred flies).

6. The development from egg to adult occupies about 9½ days in summer.

7. The larva is semi-carnivorous, and the floor of the pharynx is provided with ridges.

8. Females of this species produce offspring of one sex only, either all males or all females. This phenomenon, which is independent of diet and of season, is extremely rare among animals especially as parthenogenesis does not occur in this insect.

1. An average incidence of infection of 38 % was found in thirty-seven ring-neck pheasants over a period of 7 months.

2. There was a drop in the incidence from 70 % in October to 30 % in November. The incidence remained at 30 % during February and March and jumped to 67 % in April.

3. Three species of Eimeria were identified: E. phasiani Tyzzer and two new species, E. pacifica and E. megalostomata. A fourth type designated as type IV was seen but not described because of an insufficiency of specimens.

4. All infections observed were light. Histopathological studies showed little damage to the intestine and there was no significant difference between the weights of infected and non-infected birds.

5. Oocysts of E. pacifica sporulated at temperatures from 8 to 30.5° C. The latter is the optimum temperature. Intracellular organization prior to sporulation was indicated in oocysts of E. pacifica kept at 8° C.

6. A temperature of 37.5° C. was lethal to oocysts of E. pacifica. Degenerative changes in the oocysts were first observed 9 days after being placed at that temperature.

This work was done in the Zoology laboratory of Washington State College, Pullman, Washington. I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr R. F. MacLennan, of that Institution, for suggesting the problem, for his help and co-operation in the prosecution of the work, and to Dr F. S. Henika for assistance in the collection of specimens. I also wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr Victor Burke and the Dairy Department for the use of the apparatus. Acknowledgement is also made to the Washington State Department of Game for permission to collect pheasants.