236 



T. DE MONTE AND G. PILLERl 



teins and total and fractioned cholestérol) and urinary (osmolality, pH, lirea, 

 glucose, Na, Cl, K, examination of urinary sédiment) constituents. This will 

 permit a comparison between thèse river species based on values determined by 

 identical methods. 



MATERIAL AND METHODS 



The following animais were investigated (numbering of the collection of 

 the Brain Anatomy Institute, Berne): 



Inia geoffrensis (De Blainville, 1817) 



1 (J; No. 417, 17 kg and 3 $?; No. 418, 57.18 kg; No. 419, 67.55 kg; 

 No. 420, 26 kg, captured at Puerto Almacien, Beni, Bolivia. 



Platanista indi (Blyth, 1859) 



2 No. 454, 21 kg; No. 455, 15 kg and 3 ??: No. 453, 18 kg; No. 456, 

 14.5 kg; No. 457, 10,4 kg, captured in the Indus river, near Sukkur, Pakistan. 



FiG. 1. 



Densitograms and electrophoretic smears (cellulose acétate gel) of : 

 Platanista indi a: No. 453 $; b: No. 454 cJ; c: No. 455 ^; d: No. 456 ?. 

 Platanista gangetica e: No. 461 Ç; f: No. 463 $; g: No. 464 $. 

 Electrophoretograms on paper (h: plasmaprotein staining, the rest: lipoprotein staining) 



of the plasma of : 



Platanista indi h, i : No. 454 (^; j : No. 453 ?; k: No. 455 ^; 1: No. 456 $. 

 Platanista gangetica m: No. 461 $; n: No. 463 Ç; o: No. 464 Ç. 



FiG. 2. 



Densitogram and electrophoretic smears of the plasma of Inia geoffrensis. 

 a: No. 419 9; b: No. 417 3; c: No. 418 $; d: No. 420 $. 



FiG. 3. 



Crystals found in the urine of Platanistidae. 

 a: Inia geoffrensis. No. 417 Dibasic calcium phosphate crystals linked in rosette form and 

 some crystals resembling xanthine. b: Inia geoffrensis. No. 417 ^. Crystals resembling xanthine 

 and isolated dibasic calcium phosphate crystals. c: Platanista indi. No. 456 $. Calcium oxalate 

 crystals and isolated dibasic calcium phosphate crystals. d: Platanista indi. No. 456 2. Needle- 

 shaped dibasic calcium phosphate crystals linked in rosette form and isolated calcium oxalate 



crystals. 



