The following description is based upon a specimen which was evacuated from a Kea, Nestor notabilis, kept in captivity in the London Zoological Gardens. The Kea, a member of the Psittacciformes, has a very limited distribution, occurring only in South Island, New Zealand. This particular bird had arrived from New Zealand and had been living in the Zoo six months before the cestode was evacuated.

It is believed that this cestode represents a genus new to science, and the name Pulluterina is proposed, with the specific name P. nestoris after the host.

A satisfactory antigen for use in serological studies of nematodiasis in sheep has been prepared from Bunostomum trigonocephalum.

The investigations are outlined and a method for its routine preparation from field material is described.

In February, 1951, several nematode worms belonging to the family Quimperiidae Baylis, 1980, were collected from the intestine of the catfish, Mystus cavasius procured from the local fish market. Since the worms could not be identified with any of the known genera of Quimperiidae, the writers studied the parasite in detail, and after consulting the relevant literature, came to the conclusion that the worms were new to science. It has been felt necessary to create a new genus and a new species for its reception. The following account of the parasite is based on a large number of worms which were collected on different occasions.

In 1985, the writer in collaboration with Prof. M. B. Mirza described Strongyloides from John's Sand-boa (Eryx johnii) in Aligarh and assigned it to S. stercoralis, creating for its reception a new variety, S. stercoralis var. eryxi.

During July and August, 1950, while examining certain snakes at Hyderabad for helminth parasites, the writer found that Strongyloides infection was very common in the Rat-snake. Ptyas (Zamenis) mucosus, for almost all the snakes examined were found infected. In light infections not more than a few, ten to fifteen worms, were obtained from a single host, but as many as 100 to 125 specimens were collected from heavily parasitized snakes. It was also observed that though they may be found throughout the length of the oesophagus and the intestine, the seat of heaviest infection is the duodenum of the host.

It seemed rather strange that one and the same species should parasitize a reptile as well as a mammal so a detailed study of the worm, both in its parasitic and free-living generations, was undertaken with a view to determining definitely whether, as previously believed, it is identical with the human worm Strongyloides stercoralis. As a result of this study the writer has come to the conclusion that the species infesting certain snakes in India is not identical with the human worm, S. stercoralis or any other species of the genus hitherto described.

Using a technique to reduce the possibility of establishing gradients of temperature, illumination, etc., it has been shown that infective larvae of T. retortaeformis, sheep trichostrongyles and horse trichonemes move in random directions when on a vertical plane at temperatures of 16°–17°C. and at 27°C.

In a horizontal plane the same randomness was shown.

Larvae moving in channels of different widths moved different distances along the channels in the same time. In narrow channels the distance moved was approximately proportional to the time (T) of movement. In wide channels the distance was approximately proportional to ✓T.

The effect of a drying water film on the movements of larvae of T. retortaeformis are described.

It is concluded that vertical migration of the larvae may be described in terms of normal larval movements without reference to geotropism or undescribed special receptors in the larvae.

A survey of the helminths of Scottish hill sheep, made by collecting over seven hundred viscera from sheep which died from disease or accidents on over eighty farms, has shown that worms are the direct or indirect cause of the death of many sheep, and of loss in condition of many more.

Infestations of H. contortus increase in incidence and severity in the late spring, but the majority of hill sheep are not infested with it and it is not a serious problem unless lack of herding, bad weather, etc. harm the sheep.

Ostertagia spp. are often the most numerous species found in Scottish hill sheep; their numbers increase considerably for several weeks in the spring and to a less extent and for a shorter time in the autumn. Any prophylactic dosing programmes for lambs, hoggs or adult sheep must include Ostertagia spp. in the species against which they are directed.

The numbers of T. axei increase in Scottish hill sheep during the winter and for some weeks from March onwards contribute to the pathogenic effect of clinical and subclinical helminthiasis of sheep.

In soil samples taken from around trees of Primus serotina and shrubs near the writer's house at Ede, Holland, the nematode population proved to consist mainly of a hitherto undescribed species of Trichodorus. Small numbers of the same species were found in many other places including a strawberry field on light sandy soil near Beverwijk, where it occurred together with T. primitivus (de Man, 1884) Micoletzky, 1922; a garden at Middelharnis (sandy loam) and in arable land at Ottersum (sandy soil). No data could be collected on its food habits.

The Baermann funnel technique is now well known to nematologists, but the modification here described was devised to facilitate the collection of large numbers of nematodes in a small volume of water with the minimum of plant debris present. The method has proved very satisfactory in obtaining nematodes for toxicity tests, for example, from “tulip-rooted” oats infested with stem eelworm. It is often a lengthy procedure to remove nematodes from a relatively large bulk of water such as is contained in a full watch-glass, particularly if much fine plant debris is also present. By means of the modification described an almost “pure culture” of nematodes is obtained, the amount of water being very little greater in volume than the nematodes.

The apparatus is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1:—

The funnel, f, has resting in it a small metal sieve, s, which may easily be made by cutting off a section about ¾-in. deep from a piece of copper pipe of from 2½–8-in. diameter. Fine copper wire mesh, wm, is then soldered on to the bottom rim. This wire mesh need not be fine enough to retain all fragments of plant material, since a circle of fine bolting silk, bs, is laid within the sieve on top of the wire mesh, so that it fits exactly within the inside of the sieve. No bolting silk has yet been found which will retain living nematodes. The bolting silk, however, retains all plant material and is easily removed and cleaned.