296 



CRYSTALLOGRAPHY OF THE HEMOGLOBINS 



FLORIDA LYNX, Lynx canadensis var. Plates 92 and 93. 



The specimen was received from the National Zoological Park at 

 Washington, District of Columbia. The blood was somewhat clotted and 

 was prepared by grinding the clot in sand with ether and centrifugalizing 

 for several hours. From the clear solution thus obtained slide preparations 

 were made as usual. The color of the blood was red, and it showed the 

 oxy hemoglobin spectrum; but, as is usual in the cats, the crystals that 

 formed most plentifully were reduced hemoglobin. The blood crystallized 

 readily; small trichites and baculites of apparently oxyhemoglobin formed 

 first, but soon good crystals of reduced hemoglobin appeared. Even in 

 the tube in which the stock of centrifugalized prepared blood was kept, 

 crystals gradually formed. After about 24 hours the slides were filled with 

 well-formed crystals of reduced hemoglobin, and in a number of slides 

 there were small crystals of oxyhemoglobin in the form of thin plates. 

 These last were dissolved by the next day, and only the crystals of reduced 

 hemoglobin remained. These continued to increase in size; and inside of 

 4 days they had reached dimensions that were relatively enormous, their 

 form being readily seen with the naked eye. A very small number of crys- 

 tals of a second form of reduced hemoglobin were observed, which had 

 different optical properties from the normal crystal ; but these may be some 

 form of twin of the normal reduced hemoglobin. These two forms of reduced 

 hemoglobin are designated as a-reduced hemoglobin (the normal crystal) 

 and /^-reduced hemoglobin (the second form). 



a-Reduced Hemoglobin of Lynx canadensis var. 



Orthorhombic : Axial ratio a : b : 6 =0.9605 : 1 : 0.3944. 



Forms observed: Unit prism (110), rare; brachyprism (120), macrodome (101), 

 base (001), macropinacoid. 



Angles: Brachyprism 120 A 120=55, unit prism 110 A 110 = about 88 (com- 

 puted, 87 42'), macrodome 101 A 101=41 30'. 



356 



357 



FIQB. 352, 353, 354, 355. 356. Lynx canadenni a-Reduced Hemoglobin. 

 Fit). 357. Lynx canadenni (3-Reduced Hemoglobin. 



Habit type (a) short prismatic, consisting of the brachyprism (120) and the macro- 

 dome (text figure 352) ; with occasionally the macropinacoid also; these are the common 

 crystals, and range in ratio of length to thickness from 3 : 2 to 5 : 1, with some that are 

 much longer, and a few shorter, down to 2 : 3. They grow to very large size as single 

 crystals and in parallel growth along the prism faces. The dome faces are often very 

 unequally developed, giving an oblique aspect to the crystal (text figure 353); and in 



