Miscellaneous. 425 



after numerous observations, and having verified them in several other 

 species of insects, are still less astonishing than those which charac- 

 terize the pathological state of the same blood. 



The blood of the worms when affected with other maladies than 

 muscardine, contains fewer globules in proportion to the proximity of 

 the death of the animal. But the appearance of the blood explains 

 the disappearance of the globules. At first, those found in it in 

 small numbers are all mature, or have even already discharged their 

 granules externally ; whilst globules in progress of development are 

 entirely absent, but in their place are observed corpuscles in every 

 .respect resembling the granules of the nucleus of the mature globules. 

 These corpuscles, which are all alike, move with rapidity, although 

 there appears to be no cause for their motion, which moreover pre- 

 sents all the characters of voluntary motion. 



M. Guerin, by numerous observations which have been verified by 

 other persons, has acquired the conviction that these corpuscles are 

 the granules which have escaped from the nucleus of the globules 

 existing in the blood. These granules under the influence of the 

 morbid state have not been able to form new globules, and then 

 enter upon a kind of independent vitality which begins the disorga- 

 nization of the diseased individual by that of its nutritive fluid. We 

 can now understand the absence of the globules in the earliest periods 

 of their development, and the constantly greater diminution of the glo- 

 bules in proportion as the animal approaches its end ; it is a source 

 which flows off without renovation. M. Gucrin-Meneville gives the 

 name of Hcematozoides to the animals thus developed in the diseased 

 blood. He has also met with them in other insects ; and what is still 

 more curious, is that he has succeeded in producing them at pleasure 

 in healthy insects, by causing them to endure hunger for some days ; 

 so that, at least in insects, depauperization of the blood from the action 

 of debilitating causes of any kind is caused by the inaptitude of the 

 existing nucleolar granules to form new ones. This result undoubtedly 

 deserves great attention. 



But muscardine has presented to M. Guerin some facts of a still 

 more remarkable character. In it, whether the worm has acquired 

 the disease naturally, or some sporules of Boti'ytis bossiana which 

 produces muscardine have been placed upon its body with the point 

 of a needle, even before the morbid condition is announced by any 

 external signs, the blood begins to exhibit the hsematozoids ; they 

 increase every hour, and intermixed with them very short navicular 

 bodies are soon seen, but which speedily become developed, even 

 under the mere influence of moisture into the thallus or root of the 

 muscardic Botrytis. At this period of the disease, M. Guerin has 

 seen one of the most curious phsenomena in organic nature, and one 

 which bears upon several long-debated questions ; he has seen the 

 Hcematozoides^ those animated corpuscles which originated from the 

 nucleolar granules, gradually become transformed into the thallus of 

 the Botrytis. They acquire a more elongated form, the motion still 

 existing ; then when they have acquired a further state of elongation, 

 the motion ceases, and the animate matter is metamorphosed into 

 vegetable matter, which however continues to grow more and more. 



