651 



COLLECTANEA. 



Art. I. Zoology, 



Facts and Observations in Natural History, hy William 

 Sells, M.Ii.C.S. Kingston, Surrey, January I. 1832. — [The cir- 

 cumstances under which the following paragraphs were writ- 

 ten are explained p. 470. ; the present being the remainder of 

 all that were communicated. — J. Z).] 



On the Ihocess of Lactation in Animals, {White's Selborne, 

 p. 215.) — It has been most wisely ordered that the process 

 of suckling the young should be as pleasurable to the parent 

 animal, as it is essential to the support of the infant progeny ; 

 the mammae (dugs) of animals become painful when over 

 distended with milk; and the drawing off of that fluid not only 

 removes positive uneasiness, but affords positive pleasure. 

 The nipple, previously soft and flaccid, upon the young 

 animal beginning to suck, becomes enlarged, firm, and erect, 

 and the flowing of the milk is accompanied by an exquisitely 

 pleasing sensation to the mother : the nipple is highly organ- 

 ised, and becomes erect on application of slight friction, and, 

 by a kind of spasmodic action, will sometimes throw out the 

 milk in jets. I once saw, at Exeter 'Change, a young panther 

 suckled by a bitch ; and, last year, a tom cat of mine, which 

 had been castrated in order to make him a better mouser, and 

 to keep him at home, was often to be seen sucking a spaniel 

 bitch. 



Boars scarcely emasculated by the Loss of their Tusks, The 

 following note was annexed to a passage in White's Selborne, 

 (p. 212.), where he alluded to the fact reported by Mr. Lisle, 

 of a boar losing his sexual powers in consequence of being 

 deprived of his tusks. This is doubtless erroneous, as I have 

 known the tusks of many dangerous boars sawed off, to 

 prevent accidents, without any such consequence; but I have 

 seen them appear much cowed by the loss of their tusks, as 

 they were no longer able to command their previous monopoly 

 of the sows, the young boars ceasing to be afraid of them. 



Retention of Vitality in Frozen Fish and the Ijcech, ( Whitens 

 Selborne, p. 294.) We have the best evidence to prove that 

 fish and some molluscous animals may be frozen without 

 destroying their vitality. A friend of mine, at Camberwell, 

 had an inflamed eye during the winter of 1829, and had a 



