454 OBSERVATIONS ON A NEW TAILLESS CERCARIA. 
treatment adopted consisted in changing the food, cold appli¬ 
cations to the head, and the administration of saltpetre inter¬ 
nally. 
Professor Paljuta, of Charkow, described in a separate 
brochure the pernicious effects of Stellaria graminea of the 
South Russian steppes. A number of oxen of a drove which 
were fed with hay containing a quantity of Stellaria became 
affected with colic, and seven died. It appears to have been 
noticed that beasts were frequently ill on pastures where 
Stellaria abounded; but it is added that the plants when 
dried in hay lost their pernicious properties in six months. 
Of still higher interest is the statement that out of 300 
artillery horses, which, during the Crimean War, were fed 
with hay containing Stellaria , no less than seventy fell during 
the first twenty-four hours, whilst the others remained ill for a 
long time. It was also further observed that colonists’ horses, 
which had refreshed themselves whilst marching over the 
wastes abounding with Stellaria , were continually ill. As 
regards the particular starwort at fault, it seems that the 
especially hurtful form is Stellaria graminea , var. hippoctona. 
This is very prevalent in the Cherson, Ekaterinslaw, and 
Taurischan districts, being particularly hurtful to animals that 
have not been previously resident in these localities. Renelt 
supposes that the poisonous properties of Stellaria are due 
to the presence of a narcotic principle which, in course of 
time, becomes volatilised in dry hay and consequently loses 
its poisonous effect. 
In the June number of Alois Koch’s Revue Professor 
Semmer gives an interesting account of the noxious effects 
of various species of Equisetum. These plants, it is needless 
to say, are rarely present in good upland hay. 
OBSERVATIONS ON A NEW TAILLESS CER¬ 
CARIA (C. INCISTIDATA) PROM THE LIVER 
OF THE ESCULENT FROG. 
By Professor Edward Perroncito, M.D., Turin. 
In 18T4 I found in the liver of a large esculent frog a 
white-yellowish spherical nodule, equal in size to a hemp 
seed. Having opened it, a little white-yellowish worm 
came forth, which was endowed with very brisk contracting 
and stretching movements. 
