158 CJironides of Science. [Jan., 



small acicular crystals were mingled with the altered blood-corpuscles, 

 and as the bloody serum and effused blood dried, the blood-cor- 

 puscles seemed to be transformed into crystalhne masses, shooting 

 out into crystals of hfemtdin (haemato-crystalUn ?) in all directions. 

 The blood-vessels of the brain were filled with gelatinous coagulable 

 blood, which ]3resented altered blood-corpuscles and acicular crystals." 

 Dr. Halford, about two years since, figured and described in the 

 ' Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science,' the microscopic ap- 

 jDearance of the blood of a dog killed by snake-bite. He particularly 

 di'ew attention to the enormous increase in the number of white 

 corpuscles in the blood. Dr. Joseph Jones concludes that the 

 special toxic effect of the poison of the snake is due to its destruc- 

 tive effects on the red blood-corpuscle. Mr. Frank Buckland, in a 

 recent note on this subject, in his highly interesting journal, ' Land 

 and Water,' says that the snake's poison seems to "curdle" the 

 blood. It may very well be questioned how far it is right to 

 attribute this condition of the blood to the direct action of the snake's 

 poison. Should we attribute the buffy coat of the blood of a fever- 

 patient to the direct action of the fever-poison ? or the increase of 

 white corpuscles after blood-letting to some specific poison in the 

 lancet ? 



New Books. 



Tlie Record of Zoological Literature of 1867. — This, the fourth 

 volume of the ' Kecord,' is issued in three parts, in accordance with 

 a suggestion of Dr. Albert Giinther, the editor, so that naturalists 

 can purchase what is most interesting to them without being en- 

 cumbered by other matter. The Vertebrates form one part ; the 

 Insects, Myriopods, and Arachnids another ; and the third contains 

 the Mollusca, Crustacea, Rotifera, Annelida, Scolecida, Echuioder- 

 mata, Coelenterata, and Protozoa. Dr. Giinther, Professor Newton, 

 Mr. W. S. Dallas, Dr. von Martens, and Professor E. P. Wright 

 are the Eecorders, and have performed their task in the same satis- 

 factory manner as heretofore. A grant of lOOZ. was given by the 

 British Association at Dundee and at Norwich to assist in the yearly 

 publication of the ' Record,' and it is hoped that all working naturahsts 

 and also the patrons of science will procure this work and make 

 good use of it. It is well known that Mr. Van Voorst the pubhsher 

 is continuing this work, not for profit, which lie will probably never 

 realize, though his successors may, but we congratulate him more 

 heartily upon the laurels which he will reap as a lover and patron 

 of Zoological Science, than we should do if we thought he was about 

 to benefit materially by his work. 



