56 NATURAL HISTORY MISCELLANY. 
DISPOSAL OF THE PLACENTA.— Noticing in the NATURALIST passing al- 
lusions to this subject, I desire to add my testimony in the case. I have 
closely observed cats and dogs in the act of parturition, and am in posi- 
tion to affirm that these animals devour the afterbirth. It would ration- 
ally be inferred from the fact that a cat’s bed, no matter how numerous 
her progeny, shows nothing but a few blood stains, and those made by the 
liquor amnii. The lying-in of a bitch that I watched through the whole 
process, and had under observation for some days afterward, furnished 
e other interesting particulars. The uterus expelled its contents at 
short intervals, one foetus at a time, each e merging iscay without rup- 
ture of the membranes, and so of course, accompani y the secundines 
intact. The mother at once seized the intrat mass with her teeth, 
tore it open, spilt the water, and shook out the puppy. She then hastily 
took the placenta and membranes in her mouth, chewing and swallowing 
convulsively until the whole mass was in her throat, the funis meanwhile 
hanging out of her mouth with the puppy € attached, its abdomen 
— her muzzle. At this point she began to bite the cord, about an 
inch fr the umbilicus, and chewed it off, Met not the incisor, but 
the canine cx aen th. A few drops of blood followed the severing of the 
cord; the puppy was left to its own em while the mother rested, 
apparently asleep, after yad foam and fatigu The process was substan- 
tially repeated in each instance. In this haut ehe there were nine 
puppies; consequently some idea of the amount of flesh taken into the 
mother's stomach may be formed. 
Here are two points for consideration. In the mode of severing the 
cord we have a fine example of the instinct, or perhaps rather necessity, 
that effects laceration, instead of clean cutting, and thus obviates hemor- 
rhage; for lacerated vessels do not t bleed. It raises a question now ex- 
tensively discussed by obstetricians; and, indeed, one might ask with 
ropriety, was Cain's navel-string tied? Secondly, it is probable that the 
secundines are not wasted, but on the contrary furnish sustenance to the 
mo for a time. In the case to pen I have special reference the 
mother did not leave her bed for forty-eight hours, nor could she be in- 
duced to take food brought to her during that time. The mass was cer- 
tainly digested, and its nourishment assimilated, as was evident from the 
appearance of what was voided on the third day. — ELLIOTT Cougs. 
SUMMER Rep Brrp.—I have just learned, through Mr. Winfield s 
of Amherst (in a letter to the NATURALIST), that a specimen of the 
mer Red Bird (Pyranga estiva), was shot in August, 1867, in that Minor 
this making ae ipei instance now known of the capture of this southern 
bird in this s 
Much is dad still to be learned respecting our Massachusetts 
Vite especially in regard to the frequency of occurrence of many of the 
pecies. It is to be hoped that those having facts of interest re- 
ii such species will see fit to report them in the NATURALIST. — 
