Occasional Notes. 



By the Editor. 



Bites and Stings. — RICHARD Schomburgk'S account 

 of the death of poor KATE (jxnte p. 312) reminds us that 

 we have very few reliable accounts of the effe6ts of 

 venomous bites and stings. As for popular ideas on 

 this subje6l they are exceedingly vague, the common 

 expression in regard to what does not kill being, that it 

 " gives fever." Except the bites of ants we have rarely 

 experienced any of these, yet it may be interesting to 

 give an account of three cases. 



The most virulent was undoubtedly that of a mason 

 wasp or " mud dauber." While hanging up our hat in 

 an open gallery we must have gone too near its nest, 

 the consequence being a sting on the second finger of the 

 right hand. The immediate effe6l was a burning pain as 

 if a hot needle had penetrated the skin, soon followed by 

 numbness almost amounting to paralysis. The finger 

 was slightly swollen and very shortly afterwards the 

 stiffness extended over the whole hand and up the arm 

 to the shoulder. The pain was trifling but the whole 

 arm and hand was so paralysed as to prevent their being 

 used properly. It was with very great difficulty we 

 could use our knife at dinner and the stiffness, although 

 it became gradually less, could be felt up to the third 

 day. From these feelings we could easily understand 

 that the numbino effe6t on a spider must be something 

 very great ; no wonder that it produces catalepsy for 

 weeks or even months. 



