THE FAUNA AND FLORA OF OUR METALLIC MONEY. 339 



regularly made its dreadful ravages in Bombay every third year, the 

 coppersmiths were to a man immune from it. I, therefore, think the 

 substitution of bronze and nickel coins for copper ones undesirable." 



These two letters afford me the welcome opportunity of expressing 

 my full agreement with the views advanced in them. hun, Ihi r, 



however, says, that " while other currencies swarmed with germs none 

 were found on copper coins." If I, as regards our metallic money, 

 said the same, the statement would surely not agree with the facts, as 

 the above mentioned organisms were seen not only on silver-coins but 

 also on copper-currencies. The only difference was that the plants and 

 animals detected on copper were devoid of life, while those on silver- 

 coins, in most cases, were animated. And so we may say with 

 Dr. Dhurandhar, that copper is an excellent germicide. 



