268 Miscellaneous, 



It has been usually stated that the only known species of the 

 genus Emyda was generally distributed over India ; we have in the 

 British Museum specimens only from the Valley of the Ganges. The 

 young specimens all agree in the head and shell being variegated. 



We have lately received a specimen of this genus from Ceylon, 

 collected by Mr. Thwaites, which differs in both the above particu- 

 lars ; and in the Museum of the Society there is the shell of an adult 

 animal, sent home from Ceylon by Dr. Kelaart, which shows that it 

 is a most distinct species. They may be thus characterized : — 



1. Emyda PUNCTATA. 



Back and upper part of the head pale spotted ; the odd anterior 

 callosity small, roundish triangular ; the hinder callosity of adult 

 ovate, inner edge semicircular ; of young triangular, far apart. 



Hab. India, Ganges. 



2. Emyda ceylonensis. 



Back and upper part of the head (in spirits) dull pale olive ; lips, 

 chin and lower part of the body whitish. The odd anterior sternal 

 tubercle large, oblong, transverse ; the hinder pair of callosities 

 large, close, in adult nearly united, with straight parallel inner edges. 



Emyda punctata^ Kelaart, Prod. Faun. Ceylon. 179. 



Hab. Ceylon. 



Dr. Kelaart, in his work on the Ceylon animals, was not aware of 

 the distinctness of this animal from the continental species ; he ob- 

 serves that the head is black-lined when alive. 



The new species described in this paper are figured in the 

 Illustrated Catalogue of Tortoises in the Collection of the British 

 Museum. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



On the Vitality of the Anguillulse of Mildewed Wheat. 

 By C. Davaine. 



The AnguillulfB of wheat in the larva state are endowed with the 

 power of remaining dry and apparently dead for several years, and 

 recovering their powers of movement when moistened. This is not 

 the case with these animals after they have acquired sexual organs. 



In the larva state also they exhibit a remarkable resistance to the 

 action of violent poisons, provided these are not of a nature to act 

 upon their tissues. The author has found by experiment, that opium, 

 the salts of morphine, belladonna, atropine, strychnine, and its com- 

 pounds, &c., have no action upon these animals. In a concentrated 

 solution or paste of these substances, they continued to live and 

 move for a fortnight. Nicotine, on the contrary, soon destroys their 

 movements, but not their vitality, for after remaining several days in 

 contact with this substance, they become as lively as ever when freed 

 from it by washing. ; fUiX, ,» 



Organic matters, and especially aiiimal matters in a state of decom- 



