118 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Shore Larr near London. — I have a young male Shore Lark, 

 Alauda alpestris, which was caught with some Sky Larks at the end of 

 October last, near Stamford Hill, Clapton. It is still alive, in perfect 

 health, and coming nicely into song. — L. W. Hadler (London Fields, 

 Hackney). 



Snake Poison as a Pepsine. — Much has been said and written during 

 the past three months concerning the so-called peptic properties of serpent 

 virus, founded on the observations of Drs. de Lacerda and Ladislao Netto, 

 of Brazil, who discovered that the secretion obtained from the poison-sacs 

 of certain Crotalidce acted readily as a solvent to hard-boiled egg and other 

 forms of albumen. This is, undoubtedly, a very curious and interesting 

 fact, and one which opens a wide field for speculative investigation. But 

 has not the term " peptic" been applied a little hastily ? The action of the 

 gastric juice, to which the virus is compared in this respect, consists 

 of something more than merely dissolving albumen. The free hydrochloric 

 acid which it contains would effect this by itself under certain conditions; 

 but it requires the chemical process of the true pepsine, in addition, to 

 render nitrogenous food capable of being assimilated, viz., the conversion of 

 albumen into peptone and albumenose, its change from the colloid form, 

 which is incapable of dialysis, to the crystalloid, which may be absorbed 

 through the coats of the vessels. To this alone, and not to the simple 

 solution of azotised matter, can the expression, " peptic action " be accurately 

 applied [wtwra, to digest); and no such property has yet been demonstrated 

 to exist in snake-poison. Possibly this solvent or disintegrating power 

 may serve to account, in some measure, for the intense local severity of a 

 veuonous snake-bite. Anyone who has had the opportunity of watching 

 the tiny punctures which have been allowed to take their course without 

 being submitted to cauterization, must have observed how disproportionately 

 wide-spread and destructive is the surrounding j inflammation, and what 

 intractable ulcers it forms. Phlegmonous erysipelas, sloughing of the 

 areolar tissue, unhealthy abscesses, and gangrene of the neighbouring parts 

 are very liable to follow, and often kill the patient who has recovered from 

 the primary effects of the bite ; though, no doubt, the supervention of these 

 is due as much to the general lowering of the vital powers, consequent on 

 the shock to the system, us to the local presence of morbific matter. — 

 Arthur Stradling (Teignmouth). 



Floating Crab at Penzance. — I have had the good fortune to secure 

 seven specimens (six males aud one female) of the rare Floating Crab, 

 Planes Linimana, at one haul. They were taken out of soil and sea-weed 

 growing on a derelict cask of paraffin picked up at sea, about six miles from 

 this place. They vary a little in size, but are all about five-eighths of an 



