704 
Notes . 
[O&ober, 
species. Wagner’s assertion, however, that in the male bee 
these convolutions are entirely wanting, is inexadt. They are 
present in all male insedls, though in the social species in a 
much lower degree. The development of that portion of the 
brain named the hemispheres is proportional to the grade of 
intelligence, though that of the entire brain is not. In the 
Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Neuroptera the first 
thoracic ganglion is simple, and the second compound. In 
others (such as several dipterous genera), both the first and 
second thoracic ganglia are compound. 
According to M. Arloing, the formiate of soda lowers the 
temperature of the animal system. It neither affedts the heart 
nor the kidneys as profoundly as does the salicylate. 
MM. Brissaud and Richet, writing in the “ Comptes Rendus,” 
point out that there is a very intimate connedlion between the 
normal muscular tone, catalepsy, cramp, myo-reflex contradlion, 
and the contradlion of hemiplegia, and that forms of transition 
between these states will, doubtless, be traced. 
From experiments upon Scyllium catiiciila, M. Cadiat con- 
cludes that digitalin, given in a toxic dose, is a heart-poison, adl- 
ing diredtly upon that organ and producing a tetanisation of the 
ventricle and a diastole of the auricle. It has no adlion upon 
the nervous centres, the peripheric nerves, or the muscles. 
According to M. de Brevans, flights of swallows are some- 
times seen going northwards as late as Odlober, returning again 
to the south when leaving Europe. The author — as quoted in 
“ Les Mondes ” — remarks that this year the swallows have 
returned later than usual. This does not agree with observations 
made in England. 
M. E. Heckel has observed a well-marked case of trichinosis 
in a young hippopotamus which died in the Zoological Gardens 
at Marseilles. He asks if the pachydermata are especially liable 
to a spontaneous development of this terrible parasite ? 
M. Dareste, having placed eggs in warm water of a tempera- 
ture proper for incubation, found that all of them presented 
marks of incipient development, though in every case the embryo 
had perished. In one case only the structure had escaped 
decomposition, and it was a monstrosity of the class which the 
author has described as omphalocephalous. The heart, clearly 
distinguishable, was placed above the head. 
Dr. A. W. Lyte, in the “ Medical Brief,” recommends the oil 
of sassafras as an effectual antidote for the bite of the copper* 
head snake, and as destructive to all insedl life. 
The application of osmic acid to microscopical purposes forms 
the subjedl of a paper read before the Royal Microscopical 
Society on the 12th of March by T. J. Parker, B.Sc. It is 
valuable principally on account of its property of killing and 
