THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [November 25 , 1871 . 
424 
Cantharis nepalensis, C. Waterhouse, Trans. Ent. 
Soc. 1871, p. 405. 
Closely allied to C. ruficeps of Illiger, hut is to he 
distinguished from it by the deeper red colouring, 
and strong punctuation of the head, and by the 
elytra being distinctly broader towards the apex. 
The head is dull dark red, not very thickly, but 
somewhat strongly punctured; the clypeus is almost 
entirely black, as are also *tlie labrum and other 
parts of the mouth. The antennse are filiform, very 
slightly pubescent; the first joint short, the second 
very short, the third the longest, the fourth to 
seventh equal, the eighth to tenth rather shorter, 
the eleventh a little longer than the seventh. The 
thorax is subquadrate (contracted in front), thickly 
and distinctly punctured, less closely, and rather 
more strongly on the disk; the fore part is slightly 
impressed on each side, there is a faint longitudinal 
line on the disk, and a deep fovea in the centre of 
the posterior margin. The elytra somewhat broader 
towards the apex, where they diverge, each rounded 
at the apex, the whole surface distinctly punctured. 
The under side of the insect is entirely black, clothed 
with long black pubescence; legs simple; the an¬ 
terior tibiae not dilated, nor clothed with long hair. 
Length 6|-llf lines.— C. O. W. 
Included in the Pharmacopoeia of India, in note, 
where it is stated to be one of the vesicants em¬ 
ployed. 
Mr. C. Waterhouse has also described a black 
species from Allahabad, in the ‘ Transactions of the 
Entomological Society,’ which is probably also em¬ 
ployed as a vesicant. It is named by him Cantharis 
hirtipcs , and is very closely allied to C. nepalensis, 
but larger and more cylindrical. Length 12^ to 
13f lines. 
Red-breasted Blister Fly, Lytta rujicollis, 
Fabr.; golden green, thorax rufous, attenuated an¬ 
teriorly.—Fabr. Ent. Syst. 1. p. 85; Oliv. Ent. iii. 
t. i. f. 6. L. syriaca, Fuessly, Arch. t. 30, f. 1. L. 
tenuicollis, Pall. Ic. p. 102. t. E. f. 35. 
Native of the East Indies. A little smaller than 
the common blistering-fly. Antenme filiform, 
bronzed. The head is inclined, of a golden green, 
with the eyes black. Thorax rufous, attenuated an- 
teriorly. Elytra flexible, minutely punctulate, 
golden-green. Body beneath golden, subtomentose. 
Tibiae dark ferruginous. Feet coppeiy green. 
Christison states that this species is employed in 
the Deccan. 
Yellow Deccan Blister Fly, Lytta Rouxii, 
Castelnau; black, above and below clothed with 
short golden pubescence, elytra and tibiae pale 
brownish-yellow. Length G-8| lines.—Castelnau, 
Hist. Nat. des Insectes, ii. p. 274. 
Male.—The head is moderately thickly and 
strongly punctured, with a slight impression on the 
forehead; at the base of each antenna is an ovate 
smooth spot, impressed in the middle; the front 
of the head between these spots also is smooth. 
The first, second and upper edge of the third 
joints of the antennae are pitchy-red, the third and 
sixth joints are triangular, the seventh joint very 
slightly so, the eighth to eleventh cylindrical. The 
thorax is black, subquadrate, finely punctured, 
a trifle longer than broad, suddenly contracted in 
front, longitudinally finely canaliculate on the disk; 
the elytra are very little broader at the apex than at 
the base, very slight!}' diverging at the apex, -where 
■each elytron is rounded; anterior femora not fur¬ 
nished with any special silky spot at the base ; the 
basal joints of the tarsi have a tendency to reddish- 
yellow, especially those of the fore-legs. 
Female differs from the male in having the third 
to sixth joints of the antenme not dilated, and the 
head is punctured almost to the front margin, with¬ 
out the smooth spot at the base of the antenme.— 
C. O. W. 
Found in Bombay, and, according to specimens in 
the Museum of the Pharmaceutical Society, in the 
Deccan. These specimens are labelled Cantharis 
aurata and C. rujicollis ; but the two bottles of spe¬ 
cimens appear to be specifically the same. They 
are believed to be commonly employed as vesicants 
in that part of India. Mr. C. 0. Waterhouse refers 
these specimens to the species above named, but 
adds, “ Casteliiau’s description does not mention 
that the thorax is black; his specimen may have 
been immature, but should the insect above described 
prove distinct, the name C. aurulentus might be given 
to it. 
Under the name of C. aurata, Dr. Christison 
mentions a species which is used in the Deccan. 
It may be the above. 
Andol-Andol. Dr. Boxburgh Wylie, in a recent 
communication to the Australian Medical Journal 
(March, 1871), states that “during my three and a 
half years’ residence in the island of Java, Dutch 
East Indies, I found that a vesicant was extensively 
used in medical practice, the name or existence of 
which I had never before heard. Like cantharides, 
tinct. andol-andol is obtained from a fly. It is 
found in China in great abundance. It is of a dull, 
dirty leaden colour, about twice the size of the 
Spanish fly, and in general appearance not unlike 
a large Australian blow-fly. The tincture of andol- 
andol is most convenient as a blistering fluid, being 
painted on the part to be vesicated, just as tincture 
of iodine is used. It dries on the skin in a few 
seconds after application, and vesicates most effec¬ 
tually in from three to four hours. 
“ Before applying it, however, the skin of the part 
to be blistered should be washed, first with soap and 
water, and then with common vinegar. Ever since 
I first heard of it, until now, I have used tinct. andol- 
andol and never found it fail. It can be had of any 
chemist in Java.” 
Of course it would be only speculation to name any 
insect as the source of this vesicant, but the proba¬ 
bility is in favour of its being some species of Can¬ 
tharis. The only one specifically named by Dr. 
Porter Smith in his ‘ Chinese Materia Medica,’ is C. 
erythrocephala, which he says has been met with in 
Shanghai and Chefoo. It is possible that the andol- 
andol may be the Iluechys sanyuinea hereafter to be 
alluded to. If so, its mention here is premature. 
{To he continued.) 
CROTON CHLORAL. 
The following particulars concerning a new organic 
compound, to which Dr. Licbreich has given the above 
name, have been furnished to the Medical Times and 
Gazette by Dr. Julius Althaus :— 
“ I think it will be interesting to the readers of your 
journal to hear that Dr. Oscar Liebreich, of Berlin, to 
whom we owe that valuable therapeutic agent, hydrate 
of chloral, has lately been engaged in investigating the 
physiological and therapeutical properties of a new or¬ 
ganic compound called croton-chloral, which is formed 
