404 Miscellaneous. 



extremity ends in a very fine thread. At the fore part a small short 

 furrow 5 milliemes of a millimetre in length is observed, which may 

 be considered as the mouth. 



By all its characters, this species of haematozoa must rank in the 

 genus Filaria. 



The motion of these animals is very lively. Their life continues 

 even ten days after the blood has been drawn from the vessels and 

 deposited in a vessel placed in a temperature of 59° Fahr. 



By examining a drop of blood under the lens of the microscope, 

 we see these haematozoa swim with an undulatory movement between 

 the globules of blood ; they curl, uncurl, and twist about with great 

 vivacity. 



In order to be certain whether these worms existed in the whole 

 circulatory current, we examined the blood of the coccygeal arteries, 

 those of the external jugular veins, of the capillary, of the conjunctiva, 

 and of the mucous membrane of the mouth, of the skin and of the 

 muscles, and we were always able to detect entozoa. 



For the last twenty days we have daily opened the capillaries of 

 the different parts of the skin and of the mucous membrane of the 

 mouth, and always find these animals present. 



The urine and excremental matters do not contain them. 



The diameter of the globules of the blood of the dog is from 

 7 to 8 milliemes of a millimetre ; that of the Filaria is from 3 to 5. 

 There is therefore not the least doubt but that this worm can circu- 

 late wherever the blood has to pass. We reckon, according to se- 

 veral investigations made in order to ascertain the quantity of blood 

 existing in the vessels of dogs of moderate size, that the dog in ques- 

 tion has l kil *500 of blood in circulation. Now a drop of this blood 

 weighs O kil, 067, and in this drop we are able to detect from four to 

 five Filaria. This dog would therefore contain more than 100,000 

 of these worms in the whole of its blood. 



The prodigious number of the animals is the more astonishing, as 

 the dog seems to be in good health. We should however remark, 

 that the entozoa of the digestive canal of dogs, the Tcenia, even in 

 very great numbers, very seldom disorder the vital functions. 



During a year we have examined the blood of from seventy to 

 eighty dogs without meeting with the Filaria, and dating from its 

 discovery, we have sought for it, but in vain, in the blood of fifteen 

 dogs. 



We have now the honour of presenting to the Academy — 



1 . A drawing of the Filaria of the blood of the dog. 



2. Some blood containing some of these worms alive. 



3. The dog whose blood is verminiferous ; and we can, if the 

 Academy desire it, make an incision in the lip of the animal and 

 show, with the microscope, the Filaria which circulate with the 

 blood. — Annales de Chimie et de Physique for March. 



On the Cotton called " Nurma" in Guzerat. By A. Burn, Esq. 

 The plant yielding what is called Nurma cotton in this part of 

 the country, is the same as is described by Dr. J. F. Royle as Gossy- 



