FROM FOREIGN JOURNALS. 77 



even two on each side), especially on the smaller creatures, which con- 

 sist of only one or two articulated pieces. The proboscis is provided 

 with muscles, proceeding from the main lateral ones, and both at the 

 anterior and posterior extremities of the body, placed upon small pedi- 

 cels, to which a delicate black nerve is seen running, black eyes are visi- 

 ble. Each articulated portion is round, and provided with a black, 

 often zig-zag formed nervous fibre, and contains vesicles and granules 

 of various sizes. A black stomach and delicate intestine is also to be 

 found. Propagation is effected by self- division or separation of the ar- 

 ticulated portions. 



Nasse on the Nerves of Frogs The appearance of the nerves of 

 a frog, which had been kept for a whole year without nourish- 

 ment, and in which emaciation was considerable, was quite normal. 

 The fibres of the ischiatic gave, as the ratio of thirty-six measurements, 

 0,000367". In a healthy frog, the ratio of thirty measurements of the 

 fibre of the ischiatic, was 0,000374". 



Fricke has observed species of Acephalocystus in the bones of the 

 Pelvis of a man sixty years of age. Estlin species of Cysticcecus 

 between the conjunctival and sclerotic coats of a girl six years old ; and 

 Gervais makes mention of an Echinococcus being found in a Simia. 



Gliige has examined, microscopically, ramollissement of the brain. 

 According to him, in that kind of ramollissement where the softened 

 portion is devoid of colour, and which is comparatively rare, the 

 primitive nervous fibres are broken up, and contain sometimes a small 

 quantity of pus, and fewer of the small bodies or granules which are 

 observed in the red softening. These last are considered by Gliige as 

 analogous to what he calls his globules of inflammation ; whilst Valen- 

 tin looks upon them as approaching to the particles of the general 

 pigment of the body, though, nevertheless, differing from them. 

 According to Gliige they can be demonstrated within the capillary ves- 

 sels of the substance of the brain itself. Extravasation of blood may 

 cause, ramollissement in two ways, first, in a purely mechanical 

 manner, and secondly, by the absorption of its coloured serum. 



[From the Revue Zoologique, 1840.] 



Bourjot on the Structure of the Eye of Hirudineae. At the Philomatic 

 Society of Paris, 26th March, 1840, M. Bourjot endeavoured to prove 

 that the structure of the eye in Hirudinese, is complete, inasmuch as it 

 consists of a choroid coat and a perfectly round crystalline lens, as is 

 the case in all animals which live in water. Thus, contrary to the 

 opinion of M. de Blainville, and the doubt expressed by M. Moquin- 

 Tendon, in the Monograph of Hirudinese, M. Bourjot establishes, that 

 the eyes of the common Nephelis, and of Clepsina punctata, which ap- 

 proaches near to Planaria, and with greater reason to the higher order 

 Hirudinese, have eyes appropriately adapted for vision. p. 120. 



