556 



THE AMERK 'AX XA TURALIST [Vol. XLI 



Evermann (MS.) describes the pain as, "A very stinging sensa- 

 tion, more like that which would result from a severe nettle sting.' 

 This describes precisely the majority of stings, for in handling 

 live specimens ordinarily only the tip of the spine enters the flesh. 

 The mechanical injury is so slight that it frequently is impossible 

 to locate the wound except for the stinging sensation. From an 

 ordinary sting, such as is received in handling the live fishes, the 

 pain continues from one to several hours, depending probably 

 upon the amount of poison entering the wound. Both in sensation 

 and duration these wounds differ from those made by the prick 

 or puncture of a sharply pointer! instrninent. The swelling is 

 hardly perceptible,* except in cases of \t rv scmuh' punctures, in 

 which event the flesh about the woun*! l)!'( ()nu's distiuctly swollen 



and sliglitly discolored. Similar results, but more marked, are 

 j)r()(hi(rd l)y introducing a portion of a fresh gland underneath 



The Poison Glands. — All the species of Xoturus and Scliilbeodes 

 possess axillary glands which open througli a poif^ situatt'd in the 

 axilla just below the post humeral pr()('(vss i Fiu. 1, Tiie 

 position of the pore with reference to the l.a^c of the (in and the 



the ,.oiv i'. nioiv or I-., ^iii-likc and i^ Mtuatrd that uhcn the 

 fin i- addu.lrd ilic .].i!u- n,-. riih-i- dircrtlv a'-n... or parallel with 



