Scientific Intelligence. — Zoology. 373 



University Magazine, tliere is a quotation from the writings of 

 Donat, who was himself an Irishman, and bishop of Fesulae, 

 near Florence, and who, about the year 820, wrote a brief de- 

 scription of Ireland, in which the following passage occurs : 



" Nulla venena nocent, nee serpens serpit in herba ; 

 Nee conquesta canit garrula rana lacus." 



" At this very hour," says our respected contemporary, " we 

 have neither snakes nor venomous reptiles in this island ; and 

 we know, that, for the first time, Jrog-spaion was brought from 

 England in the year 1696 by one of the Fellows of Trinity 

 College, Dublin, and placed in a ditch in the University park 

 or pleasure-ground, from which these very prolific colonists sent 

 out their croaking detachments through the adjacent country, 

 whose progeny spread from field to field through the whole kino-- 

 dom. No statue has yet been erected to the memory of the na- 

 tural philosopher who enriched our island with so very valuable 

 an importation of melodious and beautiful creatures."' We may 

 state, however, that we have learned from good authority, that 

 a recent importation of snakes has been made, and that they are 

 at present multiplying rapidly within a few miles of the tomb of St 

 Patrick. — Dublin Med. and Chem. Journal, vol. v. No. xv. p. 481 . 

 19. Apparent Death, zohich continued Jbr twenty days, by Dr 

 Schmid. — A young man died in the hospital at Paderborn, who 

 could not be burled until three weeks after he had breathed, at 

 least to all appearance, his last breath. It was not till the twen- 

 tieth day that the characteristic phenomena of death became 

 manifest. The circumstances of the case were these. This 

 young man had been a little time before cured of a tertian ague, 

 when he re-entered the hospital, presenting some signs which 

 caused an apprehension of phthisis, without, however, present- 

 ing any well-marked symptoms of this disease. In other re- 

 spects, no disturbance in his health. On the day he died, his 

 eyes were suddenly opened, and for some minutes we found an 

 irregular beating of the pulse. Several small wounds resulting 

 from cauterizations, to which we then had recourse to rouse him 

 suppurated the second, third, and fourth days. On the fifth 

 ' the hands of the body were turned back ; from the fifth to the 

 ninth day there exhaled from half the body an abundant sweat, 

 free from odour. Towards the end of the ninth day, there ap- 



