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1s Aaa PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 377 
of whose wall lies in the inner surface of the eyelid. This sinus is 
probably surrounded with muscular tissue of sufficient force to cause 
the thin wall in the lid to be ruptured and the blood to be ejected to a 
considerable distance. If this is the actual structure of the apparatus 
the rupture would soon heal and all things be ready for the next time 
of peril. Now, on turning up the upper lid of the eye of the living 
specimen the inner lining is seen to be very dark, not with pigment, 
apparently, but as if there were a quantity of blood there contained in 
a thin-walled vessel. However, if Such an explanation is the correct 
one, the sinus, in order to contain sufficient blood, must be continued 
back into the head some distance. I hope ere long to secure materials 
sufficient to enable me to settle this interesting question. 
Conversation with friends has elicited the fact that others have noted 
the remarkable habit referred to above. Prof. L. M. Underwood, of 
De Pauw University, has kindly sent me the following: 
In answer to a request from Prof. O. P. Hay I give herewith my experience with 
a Phrynosoma. : 
In 1885 a student of mine received a specimen of Horned Toad from California. In 
examining the animal I took occasion to turn him on his back, using a lead pencil 
for the purpose, The animal resented this treatment and showed considerable anger, 
opening his mouth and pufting up his body. Irritating the animal still more, he 
grew more and more enraged, until finally blood spurted from just above his eye, 
which was fired at least a foot from the animal, as several spots struck my arm con- 
siderably above my wrist. After spurting the blood the animal became limp and 
collapsed, and remained in a stupor for some time, and, when handled, behaved as if 
dead. After x time, possibly not over five or six minutes, certainly not over ten, the 
animal revived and commenced to run about the table. Wishing to know if he 
would repeat the operation, I commenced to irritate him again in the same manner. 
After becoming enraged again the animal soon went through the same process, ejecting 
‘blood from the same eye as before. He then fell into a similar stupor and remained 
about the same length of time, after which he revived. No amount of irritation 
could produce a third discharge, although the animal showed some anger. 
Mr. 8. F. Denton, of Washington, D. C., has communicated to me 
his experience with the Horned Toad. About seventeen years ago he 
was at Sonora, Cal. He caught one day a very large Horned Toad. He 
had been told by the proprietor of the hotel that these animals were 
called by the Mexicans “sacred toads” “because they wept tears of 
blood.” Mr. Denton scouted the idea, but it was not long before he had 
reason to confess his mistake. He was gently stroking the animal on 
the back, when it appeared to look at him as if taking aim, and then, 
all at once, a stream of blood was shot into his eye. There was so 
much of it that it ran down on his shirt bosom. He thought there was 
between a tablespoonful and a teaspoonful. The blood was shot out 
with so much force that some pain was produced, and there was pain 
felt for some little time, though this ceased as soon as the blood was 
wiped out. The next morning the eye was somewhat inflamed, but this 
condition soon passed away. Not long afterwards, perhaps the next 
morning, the animal squirted blood out of the other eye. Mr. Denton 
