56 



Dr. Weinland read a paper on the motions of animals 

 as regarded from a psychological point of view. 



The President stated that, within a few days, he had 

 made an experiment, upon a mouse, of the poisoning 

 powers of one of the living Rattlesnakes belonging to 

 the Society, 



The mouse when put in the case with the snakes showed no 

 particular signs of fear, but occupied itself apparently in search- 

 ing for the readiest way of escaping, in the course of which it 

 repeatedly approached the reptiles, and sometimes crossed over 

 them. After being repeatedly struck at, it was wounded by one 

 of them, and died tetanic in the course of two minutes. It was 

 then taken from the case for the purpose of making an examina- 

 tion of the state of the blood. On being opened, the animal 

 proved to be a female far advanced in pregnancy, and the inter- 

 esting fact was noticed that the foetuses were alive for fourteen 

 minutes after the mouse was wounded ; the poison acting much 

 more promptly on the latter than the former, —a circumstance 

 not easy to be accounted for; — ^in reality the arrest of the cir- 

 culation was as likely to have been the cause of death in them as 

 the poison. 



The Secretary inquired whether the arrest of the respiratory 

 function by the tetanus might not have been the cause of death 

 in the parent ; a cause which would not directly act upon the 

 young ? 



Dr. "Wyman replied that he could not answer positively upon 

 this point, — the tetanus was universal. 



After the body had been examined, it was returned to the case 

 with the snakes, and was swallowed in due time by the one which 

 had bitten it. The process of deglutition seemed to be per- 

 formed entirely by means of the upper jaws. On the fourth day 

 after being swallowed, the animal was voided entire, without 

 having been digested. 



Prof. Agassiz spoke of a new work on Fishes by Duraeril, 

 which was in process of publication in a costly and elegant man- 

 ner. As to its scientific value it was entirely behind the present 



