200 The Largest Blood Discs Known. 



ashore, and had it half swallowed, when in his turn the snake 

 was captured by a spectator. When I saw them the snake 

 (about four feet long) had disgorged his prey, which was 

 covered with blood and dust, and apparently dead. On being 

 placed in a vessel of water, the lizard immediately revived, and 

 then appeared to be furnished with three branchial tufts on each 

 side of his head, which were dusky on the upper side, but the 

 fine filaments with which they were thickly tufted were of a 

 dark red colour. They pulsated with a vigorous stroke about 

 fifty times each minute, but would occasionally cease awhile 

 when theanimal was disturbed. Everyminute or two heraised his 

 head above the water, and opening a pretty wide mouth, took 

 a gulp of air, which he afterwards expelled from the gills 

 when under water. He was about thirteen and a half inches 

 long and two broad, and was the largest I have seen of this 

 kind. 



c< The morning after his capture it became apparent that the 

 wounds inflicted by the snake would soon cause his death. 

 The branchial motion had wholly ceased, and the reptile made 

 a respiration of air only occasionally. When he appeared dead 

 I made a small opening in his breast, and got some of his 

 blood, which I hope that you will be pleased to have an oppor- 

 tunity of examining. The blood discs are of a very great size, 

 so as to be visible to the naked eye. I have a slide of the 

 discs of the Siren mounted by Topping, and sent to me as the 

 largest known. They are not, however, half the size of those 

 which I send you, measuring on the long diameter-- J--, and on 

 the short diameter nearly as much, while the discs of the 

 Menobranchus measure — ^ x ~\—, and the respective areas are 

 in the proportion of 12 to 25. These measurements refer to 

 the largest discs ; those of a medium size measure ^\ s x —fT~ 



11 The Siren is not a native of Canada, but of South Carolina, 

 twelve degrees of latitude south of this place. 



" A Canadian Subscriber. 



" Canada, 26th August, 1867." 



