ZOOLOGY. 69 



instrument consists of a circular cup, attached to an India rubber ball. 

 The cup is placed over the central portion of the globe of the eye, the 

 eyelids being closed, and the air of the ball is pressed out so as to form 

 a vacuum ; the ball is then allowed to expand, thus producing a strong 

 compression on the globe, by which the capillary vessels are speedily 

 filled with blood. It operates precisely on the principle of the ordinary 

 cupping glass. It is well adapted to that condition of the eye too 

 great flatness of the globe which is a frequent cause of imperfect 

 vision ; and to chronic weakness of the eye from deficient circulation. 



EXISTENCE OF LIVE ANIMALS IN THE HUMAN STOMACH. 



AT the Boston Society of Natural History, June, Dr. Durkee read a 

 letter from Dr. J. B. Johnston, Sherbrooke, Canada, detailing the case 

 of a girl, a patient of his, who had been suffering for several months 

 with gastric difficulties and a cough, which were suddenly relieved by 

 the vomiting, as she alleged, of a specimen of Salamandra symmetrica. 

 The account was accompanied by the specimen preserved in alcohol. 

 The letter stated that the patient, being suddenly seized with nausea, 

 hurried to the door, and, discharging the contents of her stomach on 

 the door-step, the salamander was observed in the mass. On being 

 taken up it was very sluggish in its movements, and of a light color. 

 It was kept living in water for a week, in which time it assumed a 

 darker hue. It was about two inches and a half in length. 



Prof. "Wyman doubted the facts in the case. He thought it impos- 

 sible for this animal to exist in the human stomach alive ibr any length 

 of time. He knew of an instance in which a toad had been swallowed 

 alive by an insane man, and was ejected dead within half an hour. A 

 few years since, a man in Reading was reported to have vomited a snake, 

 and by this act to have been immediately relieved of a chronic disease 

 of the stomach. The face being doubted, the point was settled by 

 opening the stomach of the snake, when its only contents were found 

 to be another snake, proving incontestably that it could not have been 

 an inmate of a human stomach. The supposed vomiting of the rep- 

 tiles, in both instances, was the result of an accidental coincidence, 

 such as might very readily account for the story without impugning 

 the veracity of the witnesses. 



SEA-SICKNESS. 



AT the late meeting of the British Association, a paper was read by 

 Mr. J. Atkinson, " On Sea-sickness, and a remedy for its prevention," 

 from which we make the following extracts : 



" Let a person on shipboard, when the vessel is bounding over the 

 waves, seat himself, and take hold of a tumbler nearly filled with water 

 or other liquid, and, at the same time, make an eflort to prevent the 

 liquid from running over, by keeping the mouth of the glass horizontal, 

 or nearly so. When doing this, from the motion of the vessel, his 

 hand and arm will seem to be drawn into different positions, as if the 

 glass were attracted by a powerful magnet. Continuing his efforts to 



