+ be * 1 “ ‘ mea Do Sireitrececeses :: bs . 7 a 7 + - ~ 4 pepe : +7 + oe Oey a Rr teeta 4 - “ -- 4 ‘ — 4 : > (PEARS riper ‘ < ve * 7 ; ; ES bey bre ok be : ; ; -O--6sb-ecess va ott i ee eaee eee sicsgace. G7 7? eas) Paprees : pee ; . a =! ne 0. 8298 <9: ; sho Ra sae - . . . - tas Geeta ha soea -w oe : * ) ° yer 3 > mH if sald i ; no >. PoP. : {+48 om + ba ° ‘ a) ees fonske i eT} a 2 ee Ni pie erahd 24 ib DUDA wh oe as widows ‘2 ee Hoes <2 ae : ry , ; 1 La | Hee 3 * ¥ ; ge * afte ni ff eat) ren ere Se os bs — ~— pat e ABS ed Bia: or 4 [ whey ay ; 2 + 2 ay : ae \ ea bm rehire * “ rf rc . . é im ; 4 oe . i + | | ay ve : < : int x a ca hte M4 ; } ; 5 ; 4 ry] ' : ‘A 6 - , THE ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY, INCLUDING ZOOLOGY, BOTANY, anp GEOLOGY. (BEING A CONTINUATION OF THE ‘ MAGAZINE OF BOTANY AND ZOOLOGY,’ AND OF LOUDON AND CHARLESWORTH’S ‘MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. ) CONDUCTED BY Sir W. JARDINE, Barr., F.L.S.—P. J. SELBY, Esq., F.L.S., GEORGE JOHNSTON, M.D., CHARLES C. BABINGTON, Esqa., M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S., J. H. BALFOUR, M.D., Prof. Bot. Edinburgh, AND RICHARD TAYLOR, F.L.S., F.G.S. itd ~ ~ LONDON: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY R. AND J. E. TAYLOR. SOLD BY S. HIGHLEY; SIMPKIN AND MARSHALL; SHERWOOD AND CO.; W. WOOD, TAVISTOCK STREET, BAILLIERE, REGENT STREET, AND PARIS: LIZARS, AND MACLACHLAN AND STEWART, EDINBURGH ¢ CURRY, DUBLIN: AND ASHER, BERLIN. 1846. ‘‘Omnes res create sunt divine sapientie et potentie testes, divitie felicitatis humane :—ex harum usu bonitas Creatoris; ex pulchritudine sapientia Domini ; ex ceconomia in conservatione, proportione, renovatione, potentia majestatis elucet. Earum itaque indagatio ab hominibus sibi relictis semper zstimata; a veré eruditis et sapientibus semper exculta; malé doctis et barbaris semper inimica fuit.”— LINNZUS. «+e hic obitus rerum contemplor-et ortus, Et quibus @ causis ordine cuncta fluant. Et disco, quidquid varios mare gignit ad usus, Quidquid et omnifero terra benigna sinu. Seepe juvat solem gelida vitare sub umbra, Multaque de plantis arboribusque loqui. Quid varios pisces, et nata corallia ponto -Eloquar, et conchis ostrea tecta suis ? “Hle sed equoree numerum subducat arene "Qui volet undivagos enumerare greges. P. Loricui1 Elegiarum lib. iii. eleg. 4,—Ilib. ii. eleg. 6. / A bv a i C/ Nee f / f CONTENTS OF VOL. XVIII. NUMBER CXVI. I. On the Circulation of the Sap in the Interior of Cells. By Hugo Von Mout ,........ cescecesdensoue eocerccescvcseceeseseeee eceveccees seeeeeeeeeeees II. List of the Birds observed to winter in Macedonia; from Notes made by Capt. H. M. Drummonp, 42nd R.H., during a two months’ Shooting Excursion in the Interior during the winter of 1845-46 ...... III. Observations on the Cell-Membrane’ of Plants. By G. H. K. THWAITES ...000. eesgueue eveseveeccseveccevesccesese dee ceceescecseseseees | & me |B ad * Vioeaane eatin 35 | -yormsryg TeanO *aatys-salayung BS "WOIMsIyD = S eT urey ‘pum *19JOMLOWIAY ], *1IJOULOIV ES °. “AANYUQC) ‘asunpy younpungy pv “uoysno[y_ *- ‘Ady 247 Aq pun {auIHS-sarusWacy ‘asunyy yztvdaddp yp ‘vequag * AA *A2Y 947 &9 {NoLsog 7D ‘|BaA “AN Aq fuopuoT «vau ‘HOIMSIHD) 70 Ajarog jounynoysozy ay2 fo uapsvy) ayz yo uosdwoyy, “Aj 49 apom suoinasasqy) porsojosoajapy THE ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. — No. 117. AUGUST 1846. 1X.—Notices of British Hypogeous Fungi. By the Rev. M. J. Berxeey, M.A., F.L.S8., and C. E. Broome, Esq. Since the publication of the last series of notices of British Fungi (vol. xiii. p. 360), several interesting discoveries have been made amongst the hypogzous species, which it is desirable should at once be recorded. It is to be regretted that the memoir of Messrs. Tulasne has not yet been published, though presented to the Academy. Two recent opportunities however of inspect- ing their drawings, and the communication of many new and rare species, as also the receipt of a very complete collection of authentic specimens from Vittadini and Corda, have enabled us to ascertain some points which were previously uncertain. Doubtless many more species will reward the continued re- searches in a field which is almost new to British botanists, and there is every reason to believe that the greater part. of the spe- cies are pretty generally diffused. The list of indigenous spe- cies in proportion to our flora is already as large as in France or Italy. It would not be fair to omit recording the active researches of Mr. Thwaites, to whom we are indebted for many valuable observations. | I. Species SporoPHoR. _ *Hymenogaster luteus, Vitt. Mon. Tub. p. 22. Splanchno- myces luteus, Corda, Fasc. 6. tab. 8. fig. 76. med. Apethorpe, Norths, July ; Rushton, Norths, Oct. Varying somewhat in the depth of the yellow tint of the hy- menium, but always easily recognised by the character of the spores. * HT, olivaceus, Vitt. 1. c. p. 24. Our British specimens accord very exactly in the form of the spores with those of Vittadini, in which however the colour of the hymenium when dry is of a redder tinge. Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xviii. G 74 Messrs. Berkeley and Broome on British Hypogeous Fungi. Hymenogaster olivaceus, Vitt. 1. c., var. modestus, Berk. and Broome. An Hymenogaster occurred at Hartham Park in the autumn of 1845, nearly intermediate between H. citrinus and H. olivaceus, differing from the former in being of a pale watery brown within and of a softer texture, with spores exactly intermediate between those of the two species. The scent was something like that of H. citrinus, but not so strong. It was not at all yellow exter- nally, but first white, and then of a watery brown. It grew in a very dry fir-plantation, therefore its watery texture could not arise from situation, especially since H. citrinus occurs in much moister places without any similar appearance. We consider it best for the present to record it as a variety of H. olivaceus, dif- fering in scent and in the form of the spores, 1. H. vulgaris, Tul. MSS. “ Rotundatus, irregularis ex albido sordidus, molliusculus ; gleba primum albida dein saturate fusces- cente ; lacunis irregularibus majusculis, basi sterili minuta; hy- menio plano ; sporis oblongis vel lanceolato-oblongis acutis, basi attenuatis maturis atro-brunneis subopacis, superficie inequali- bus.” Splanchnomyces tener, Corda, Fasc. 6. ined. tab. 8. fig. 84. Hym. griseus, Tul.! Ann. d. Se. Nat. ser. 2. vol. xix. p. 374. Apethorpe, Norths, July 15, 1845; Leigh Wood and Stapleton Grove near Bristol, &e. The British specimens accord exactly in form with those sent — by Messrs. Tulasne, and have the spores merely apiculate and by no means acuminate. In general the internal substance changes from dirty white to pale reddish brown, and then almost to black. Sometimes however there is at first a slight tinge of pale tan. The spores are variable in form, but are never acuminate. This species was inadvertently mixed with specimens of H. tener, and in consequence communicated with the true H. tener, a very distinct species, to Messrs. Tulasne and Corda, and possibly may be substituted for it in some copies of the fourth fasciculus of — British Fungi. 2. H. pallidus, Berk. and Broome. Parvus rotundato-depressus subglaber albus, demum sordide alutaceus molliusculus, intus ex albo pallide flavus dein dilute fuscus; basi absorbente obsoleta ; peridio tenuissimo ; cellulis minutis semivacuis ; sporis lanceolatis acutis breviter pedicellatis asperulis, guttulis subtribus minutis ; odore debili. Cotterstock, Norths, in a dry fir-plantation, Oct. 1845. This species, which scarcely exceeds in size a horsebean, is nearly allied to the last, but differs in its more acute spores as well as in colour. A single specimen only of H. vulgaris has oc- curred in the immediate neighbourhood, H. duteus being the most abundant species. Messrs. Berkeley and Broome on British Hypogeous Fungi. 75 3. Hymenogaster decorus, Tul.! Ann. d. Se. Nat. ser. 2. vol. xix. p. 374. Epping Forest, Hartham Park, King’s Weston, Chud- leigh, &e. » This is a much firmer species than H. tener, darker within, with larger spores; but it is especially distinguished by its elon- gated filiform sporophores, which project far beyond the surface of the hymenium. 4. H. Thwaitesii, Berk. and Broome. Parvus globosus firmus extus albidus maculis saturatioribus notatus, tus brunneus ; sporis minoribus globosis, vesicula interiori seepe contracta, sca- briusculis papillatis ; nucleo unico magno. Portbury, Sept. 6, 1845. This species is proposed as new with the sanction of Messrs. Tulasne, who examined a slice prepared in fluid by Mr. Thwaites. The spores are far more globose than in any other species, and are either quite obtuse or minutely apiculate. The imner mem- brane of the spores often contracts so as to present a very sin- gular appearance. A few elongated spores are mixed with them, but the normal form is globose ; indeed, except the normal form be taken into consideration, it would be impossible to draw up distinguishing technical characters of any Hymenogaster, as there are always some irregular spores mixed with those which are peculiar to the species. They are larger than in H. tener, but smaller than in H. decorus. *H. tener, Berk. Ann. of Nat. Hist. vol. xm. p. 349. HZ. ar- genteus, Tul.! Fung. Hyp. in Giorn. Bot. Ital. Ann®. 1°. This is one of the most distinct species, characterized by its small, widely elliptic or subglobose spores. The synonym of Tulasne is given on the authority of its authors, and on exami- nation of authentic specimens. 5. H. pusillus, Berk. and Broome. Minimus obovatus vel sub- depressus albus basi sterili ampla preditus, intus albidus ; cel- lulis pro ratione magnis ; sporis pallide rubiginosis brevibus late ellipticis papillatis demum asperulis. On mossy ground in the Wilderness, Rushton, Norths, Oct. 8, 1845, with H. luteus. About 2 lines high, obovate or somewhat depressed, pure white, yellowish brown when dry, and then resembling strongly a specimen of Sclerotium complanatum, Tode, nearly smooth ; dirty white within, furnished with a large distinct absorbing base. Cavities of the hymenium large for the size of the fungus, clothed sparingly with the rust-coloured spores. Sporophores clavate, frequently forked or irregular, having two spores on rather long spicules. Spores short, minute, broadly elliptic, at first smooth, at length rather rough, obtusely apiculate. This species, which has no particular odour, has at present occurred very sparingly. Its nearest ally is H. tener, but the G2 76 Messrs. Berkeley and Broome on British Hypogeous Fungi. cavities of the hymenium are larger ; it is almost without scent, and there is not the slightest tendency to become black in dry- ing. There is little difference in the form or size of the spores. 6. Octaviana asterosperma, Vitt.! Mon. Tub. p. 17; Tul.! Ann. d. Se. Nat. /. c. p. 876; Corda, Ic. Fasc. 6. tab. 7. fig. 64. (imed.) Leigh Wood near Bristol ; Chudleigh, Devon. This very interesting addition to our flora has at present occur- red very sparingly. The smell, as observed at the latter locality, was just like the pungent odour of some Ichneumon or small bee. It is probable that Hydnangium Stephensii really belongs to this genus, and that H. carotecolor is a true Hydnangium. The structure of the trama is very different, in the former resembling that of an Agaric, in the latter that of a Russula. In Hydn. carotecolor the colouring matter consists of oil glo- bules. It is probable that it is from the gradual escape of these from the dry plant, that the paper to which they are attached, or with which they chance to be in contact, is stained with lemon- colour. Externally it is of a more decided yellow, free from any tinge of orange and paler than the fructifying mass. Hach spo- rophore in this species usually bears four spores ; in H. Stephensii one only. *Rhizopogon rubescens, Tul.! Fung. Hyp. in Giorn. Bot. Ital. An°. 1°. Melanogaster Berkeleianus, Broome! Ann. Nat. Hist. vol. xv. p. 41. This species occurred last year abundantly at Chudleigh, and appears to be certainly the same with the species of Tulasne. Hysteromyces graveolens, Vitt., of which authentic specimens have been kindly communicated, is probably also the same species, as is also the case with Rhizopogon luteolus and R. virens from Italy, Hymenangium virens, K1., Rhizopogon luteolus, Corda, and perhaps with Rhiz. luteolus, Fr. This species grows gregariously in sandy fir-woods. When young it is almost transparent, and resembles young Phallus ca- ninus, being of a pure white and furnished with white roots which proceed from a mycelium which spreads sometimes an inch or two ; im this state it turns pink on being touched ; in a more advanced stage it is yellow, but even then it has here and there a pink tinge. The smell is very much like that of Melanogaster ambi- guus when old, but when young it has an acid smell like that of sour ham. It rapidly decays into a brown fetid pulpy mass. II. Species SporipIIFERz. 7. Genea papillosa, Vitt. l. c. p. 28. Near Chudleigh, Aspley Beds, and Bristol. This species, which appears to be but little known and very rare in Italy,—for there is no authentic specimen in any of the Messrs. Berkeley and Broome on British Hypogeous Fungi. 77 collections which have been distributed by Vittadini, as far as we have been able to ascertain,—has lately occurred abundantly in the neighbourhood of Bristol, and is far more distinct from G. verru- cosa than would be inferred from the name or description. The whole peridium is of a rich brown, and is densely clothed with brown bristles wherever it extends. The sporidia are very much larger and far more coarsely granulated, the granules indeed being often bifid. The single specimen from Bowood formerly referred to this species, is now ascertained, on comparison of authentic specimens, to be the same with G. verrucosa, Vitt., the specimens communicated under that name by Klotzsch and figured in the ‘Flora Regni Borussici’ differmg materially from the Italian species. The sporidia of G. papillosa often contain two nuclei, but sometimes there is but one *. * We take this opportunity of describing two new Pezxize remarkable for their globose, tuberculate or echinulate spores, the first of them being re- markably analogous to Genea verrucosa, Peziza (Aleuria, Helv.) radula, Berk. and Broome. Magna cupulzformis sessilis demum depressa externe verrucis subzequalibus exasperata atra, intus vinoso-fusca ; sporidiis globosis tuberculatis. On the ground in woods near Bristol, Cup depressed, sessile, nearly an inch across, black externally, broken into nearly equal distinct subconical warts like those of Genea verrucosa. Hymenium of a dark vinous brown. Asci large, obtuse; sporidia large, globose, containing a single nucleus rough with obtuse distinct tubercles ; paraphyses septate with the ultimate articulation clavate. This species has externally a close resemblance to a crushed specimen of Genea verrucosa or Klotzschii, and singularly enough, the sporidia are somewhat similar, though differing in size. The hymenium however is naked, not to mention other points. Pez. bufonia, Pers., appears closely to resemble it, but that is described as substipitate and of a bright red- brown, and we have no information as to its sporidia. Messrs. Tulasne have sent a verrucose Pexiza which is almost closed, and covered with hairs like Genea papillosa, but with elliptic smooth sporidia. P. (Lachnea, Sarc.) trechispora, Berk. and Broome. Depressa, planius- cula aurantio-miniata extus pilis pallido-fulvis vestita; sporidiis globosis echinatis. On the naked ground in woods or on the sloping wet banks of rivulets. King’s Cliffe, Bristol, &c. Mons. Léveillé has sent the same spe- cies from Montmorency. Cup 4rd of an inch or more broad, depressed or slightly concave, orange, paler externally and clothed with rather rigid tawny bristles. Asci elon- pee Sporidia globose, sharply tuberculate. Paraphyses very slender, inear. This species is no doubt frequently confounded with Pez. scutellata, which it resembles very closely, though distinguished at once by its very different sporidia, those of the allied species being smooth, much smaller, broadly elliptic with a single nucleus. There is no analysis extant of Pez. umbrosa; it is therefore impossible without authentic specimens to say how far it re- seule that species. Pez. scutellata grows we believe invariably on rotten wood. Mr, Thwaites has found another species with echinulate sporidia, but be- longing to the same series with P. repanda. P. phlyctospora, Mont., and P, aurantia have also rough sporidia. 78 Messrs. Berkeley and Broome on British Hypogeous Fungi. pi Genea verrucosa, Vitt.! 1. e: p. 28: Bowood Park, King’s “ This is distinguished from the species of Klotzseh by the more minute sporidia, their minor axis being only half the size of that in the following species: Two specimens only have at present occurred in England, the remainder belonging to G: Klotzschit, and one perhaps to Genea spherica, Tul., but on this further in- formation is desirable. In all the species the sporidia when seen Jaterally are really elliptic. Genea bombycina is now referred by Messrs. Tulasne to a new genus which they have named Stephen- sia. The true locality of this species is Castle Combe: it has also been found at Chudleigh. 9. G. Klotzschii, Berk. and Broome. Feetida; peridio subplicato intruso extus intusque verrucoso nigro; subtus fibrillis radican- tibus parcis rigidiusculis fuscis affixo; mycelio effuso candido araneoso-contexto; sporidiis majoribus tuberculatis. G. verru- cosa, Kl.! Fl. Regn. Bor. no. 474. Hydnocaryon fragrans, Wall.! Fl. Crypt. Germ. p. 86. Abundant in the neighbourhood of Bristol and in Devonshire. The mycelium spreads for some distance on or within the soil, so that the plant is easily detected when the leaves are raked off. This vanishes when the peridia are perfect. One or more indi- viduals are found in each patch of mycelium. In the young pe- . ridium the point of attachment is lateral, as in the eggs of some insects and in some specimens of Pachyphieus melanoxanthus. The sporidia are large, coarsely granulated, and much exceeding in volume those of G. verrucosa, which does not seem to have the same kind of mycelium ; at least no notice of it is taken by Vit- tadini. 10. Hydnobolites cerebriformis, Tul.! Ann. d. Sc. Nat. Z. ¢. p. 879. Abundant about Bristol, Aug., Sept.; Pangbourne, Wilts. This is a small species resembling a small lacunose truffle, but differs in having no real peridium, as is the case with the genus now to be described. Hydnotrya, Berk. and Broome. Peridium nullum ; substantia earnosa compacta similis extus anfractuosa exarata, intus sinu- bus serpentinis magnis fungi ad superficiem apertis varie pertusa filamentis flexuosis mollibus brevibus vestitis. Asci elongati lineares obtusi substantia laxe cellulosa serie unica nidulantes, sporidia octo spheerica reticulata sed non echinata foventes. Fungi globosi, edules. *H. Tulasnei, Berk. and Broome: Hydnobolites Tulasnet, Berk. Ann. of Nat. Hist. vol. xii. p. 357. Fine individuals of this species, 2 inches or more in diameter, have been found at Chudleigh. Having now had an opportu- Messrs. Berkeley and Broome on British Hypogeous Fungi. 79 nity of examining fresh specimens of Hydnobolites, it appears that our truffle does not belong to the same genus; the asci of the one being very short and sacciform, of the other linear and dis- posed in a single row; the sporidia in Hydnotrya moreover are not echinulate. Corda has communicated a species under the name of Hydno- bolites carneus, which is eaten in great quantities at Prague under the name of Czerwena Tartoffie. We do not know how he di- stinguishes it as a species. 11. Spherosoma ostiolatum, Tul. MSS. Near Bristol, under leaves amongst loose mould. Only two or three individuals of this curious production have been met with. One was quite young and resembled very closely authentic specimens of Spherosoma fuscum, Klotzsch, but differ- ing in having a cavity within round a central core. The adult plant, instead of being subglobose, nearly even and of a washy brown, is strongly plicate and of arich mulberry-brown. Klotzsch appears to have seen his species in every stage of growth ; we have no hesitation then m considering ours as distinct. It is possible too that it may not be the same as that of Tulasne, but at any rate it agrees in general appearance, and we have not sufficient materials to speak decidedly. There is not the least trace of peridium in any stage of growth, the genus being to the sporidiferous series precisely what Guat- teria (the analogue of Sparassis) is to the sporophorous. A very curious circumstance sometimes occurs, viz. that there is more than one stratum of hymenium. I know of no similar instance in sporidiferous fungi. The asci are much shorter than the paraphyses. * Pachyphleus melanoxanthus, Tul. Fung. Hyp. l.c. Choiromyces melanoxanthus, Tul.and Berk. Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist. vol. xiii. p. 859. This species has occurred at King’s Cliffe near Bristol and in Devonshire since its first publication, and is probably generally diffused. The peridium is black in every stage of growth. The genus is very properly separated from Chotromyces, with which it does not at all agree in habit. We have the pleasure of adding two new species. 12. P. citrinus, Berk. and Broome. Subglobosus verruculosus peridio fusco citrino-pruinato apice vivide eitrino, intus flavidus interstitiis citrinis floccosis, basi radicante. In woods near Bristol, Wiltshire and Devonshire. Very nearly allied to P. melanoxanthus, which is however black in every stage of growth, and has but little odour, whereas P. ci- trinus is densely powdered with lemon-coloured particles, and has a strong smell like that of rotting sea-weed. The orifice is ge- 80. Messrs. Berkeley and Broome on British Hypogaous Fungi. nerally more expanded, and is of a fine deep lemon-yellow from the exposure of the interstices of the fructifymg ves, and the peridium thin and brown frosted with yellow, when young of a uniform gamboge-yellow. In P. melanoxanthus the veins are nearly black with yellowish interstices, and the peridium thick, far more coarsely warted, more compressed and irregular in form and always black. The specimens received from Messrs. Tulasne under the name of P. melanoxanthus are all the foregoing species, but it is probable that their characters were drawn up from both species, judging from their sketches of the fresh truffle. P. melanoxanthus is often attached laterally to leaves, sticks, &c. without any connexion with the ground. 13. Pachyphleus conglomeratus, Berk. and Broome. Irregu- laris lobato-plicatus conglomeratus levis, peridio fusco-rufo hic illic preesertim interstitus adpressim sericeo-fibroso citrmo. Near Bristol, October 22, 1845. About an inch in diameter, shortly stipitate, much-lobed and plicate as if made up of a number of individuals, the lobes rounded, of a deep brown olive. Sometimes quite even, sometimes rather rough, but not the least verrucose ; interstices of the lobes clothed with adpressed silky yellow fibres. Asci clavate, irregular, con- taining eight globose tuberculate sporidia. Sporidia larger than in the other species and differing in their appearance. Very few individuals of this species have at present been found, but it differs very much in habit and in the total absence of tu- bercles or warts on the peridium*. 14. Choiromyces meandriformis, Vitt.! Mon. Tub. p.51. tab. 2. fig. 1. Tuber album, Sow.! tab. 310. The original specimens of Tuber album, Sow., still remain in the herbarium, and are identical with the species of Vittadini just cited. Unfortunately no locality is indicated on the paper to which the specimens are attached, or in the text. It has not yet occurred in the extensive researches made in Wiltshire and So- mersetshire. * Tuber brumale, Vitt.! Mon. p. 37. The specimens formerly referred to T. melanosporum belong to this species, as appears on the inspection of a series of specimens of 7. melanosporum obtained at Paris in January, where it is the species usually exposed for sale in winter. 15. T. dryophilum, Tul.! Fung. Hyp. /. c. King’s Cliffe, Chudleigh, Bristol, &c. | The species referred to T. dryophilum, on an inspection of authentic specimens and comparison of the sporidia, is decidedly * The specimens began to dissolve away after being kept two days, whereas the other species will keep well for a week, nor do they then dis- solve. ‘The flesh is filled with oil- globules. Messrs. Berkeley and Broome on British Hypogeous Fungi. 81 gregarious with little odour, rounded, usually about the size of a nutmeg, nearly smooth, white, marked here and there with darker patches. The peridium is thick, hard and tough, easily parting from the flesh, which is firm, reddish brown, with white inter- stices which are given off from different points of the surface, The sporidia are elliptic and coarsely reticulato-echinulate. 16. Tuber puberulum, Berk. and Broome. Irregulare sublo- batum album, pilis rectis brevibus puberulum dein rufo-albidum hic illic albo-maculatum ; peridio subtenui, venis albis e basi ra- diantibus pulpa fructifera gilva demum rufo-brunnea; sporidiis subglobosis reticulato-echinatis ; odore raphanoideo. Abundant in the neighbourhood of Hanham near Bristol, Chudleigh, Aspley near Woburn, in sandy districts. Gregarious ; clothed with short, erect down, which gives it to the naked eye a peculiar pearly appearance. The white spots are very visible even in dried specimens. Peridium very thin and delicate, so that the pinky brown colour of the flesh is apparent through it, often cracked. In some individuals the veins are very few. Sporidia more nearly spherical than in any species we have had an opportunity of examining. | 17. Elaphomyces anthracinus, Vitt. 1. c. p. 66. Leigh Wood near Bristol. A single specimen only in clayey soil. The original specimens of Vittadini are minutely granulated under a lens, a character which does not appear in our specimen. The sporidia are alike and at once distinguish it from E. macu- latus, the only species with which it can be confounded. The smell is very powerful, in which respect again it does not agree with Vittadini’s species. It is indeed probable that it will prove new, but on the authority of a single individual, not in very good condition, it would be rash to do more than indicate its nearest affinity. The outer rind in the specimen when gathered was black, the inner of a dull yellowish white. III. Species VesicuLiFERz. 18. Endogone pisiformis, Lk. Diss. i. p.83; Fr. Syst. Mye. vol. ii. p. 297. Glomus macrocarpus, Tul.! Fung. Hyp. /. c. Amongst moss and in the superficial soil. Bristol, Bowood, Chudleigh, &c. Under beech and larch, and in the oak and hazel woods. In a young state it is hard, when old less compact and granu- lated. The vesicles are almost visible to the naked eye. A single specimen of some allied species with the vesicles in the young state far larger and connected with each other by short filaments, occurred at King’s Cliffe in July 1845. 19. E. lactiflua, Berk. and Broome. Irregularis depresso-glo- bosa alba dein sordide imcarnata, foetida, intus lacte crasso isa- 82 On the Regular Arrangement of Crystals in Plants. bellino repleta ; vesiculis nudo oculo distinctis. Chudleigh, Oc- tober 1845. Globose, at length depressed, half an inch in diameter ; at first white, but soon, especially when rubbed, assuming a reddish tinge, pouring out when cut a rich pale red cream-like fluid. Spo- rangia as large as those of Hndogone pisiformis. A. very distinct and interesting species. X.—On the Regular Arrangement of Crystals in certain Organs of Plants. By Enwin J. Quexert, F.L.S. Ir rarely happens in plants that any definite organ is the seat of crystalline collections symmetrically arranged, though the occur- rence of crystals (raphides) in the cells of various portions of a vegetable is extremely common. fi About two years since I met with two organs which exhibit the singular fact, that in them at least the crystals are constant and have a regular arrangement. One of these is the testa of the seed of Ulmus campestris, mn which the sinuous boundaries of the compressed cells of which it is composed are completely traced out by minute rectangular crystals adhering to their walls. The other is much more re- markable, because, as far as I have been enabled to carry my ob- servations, every member of two allied natural orders have very much the same disposition of these bodies in the same organ. If a sepal of any of the ordinary cultivated Pelargoniums be taken, and a portion of the upper cuticle be removed and sub- mitted to the microscope, or if the entire sepal of Geranium Robertianum or lucidum be similarly used, it will be readily seen, by magnifying 300 times, that every cell beneath the cuticular layer is small and round, and in each is a cluster of crystals (con- glomerate raphides), each crystal in the group radiating from a common centre. These crystals fill the whole of the cells in the middle of the sepal, and. do so likewise all the cells until within a short distance of the margin, where they are absent and the border is transparent ; the appearance they present is very beautiful and their numbers and regularity most extraordinary. Their size is about the z5/,5th to +z;yth of an inch, and their composition appears to be oxalate of lime ; they are insoluble in boiling water, but are soluble with- out effervescence in nitric acid, but after being heated red-hot are soluble with effervescence. I have found them in all the species of British Geranium and Erodium, and in all the species of Pelargonium and Monsonia (for which plant I am indebted to Mr. J. Smith of Kew) that I have been enabled to obtain ; and it is not improbable that they Mr. W. King on certain Genera of the Class Palliobranchiata. 83 may occur in all the species, and may be as general a character of the order as the beautiful markings in the cuticle of the petals are well known to be. Other orders have been examined which are said to have a near affinity with Geraniacee, but none of the plants examined, be- longing to the orders Balsaminacee, Tropeolaceea, Oxalidacee or Linacee, manifest anything like the appearances deseribed—in fact no clustered crystals have been met with ; but in taking an order said to be somewhat more remote, Malvaceae, I find in all the examples that I have examined of British and foreign plants, precisely a similar disposition and number of crystals. If the leaves constituting the involucrum of Althea, Malva and Pelargonium be carefully examined, a few crystals will occasionally be found, but altogether not in the slightest to be compared with the number or disposition of those in the sepals. If constitutional peculiarities, besides structure, have any in- fluence with systematists, then Malvacee ought probably to be placed somewhat nearer Geraniacee ; and when we consider the monadelphous condition of the stamens of both orders and their tendency in Monsonia to be indefinite, and the carpels of some plants of Malvacee to have but one seed, exalbuminous, and to be disunited, and the parts of the flower of the same numbers, there appears to be some reason, as far as the structure of the reproductive organs is concerned, to bring the position of these orders in closer relation. The sepals of most plants are favourable organs for meeting with crystalline bodies, either of the solitary, acicular or clustered varieties. The sepals of Prunella vulgaris and Dianthus caryo- phyllus exhibit well the solitary cubic crystal beneath the cuticular cells ; the Fuchsias contain a great quantity of the acicular kind, and the sepals of the Strawberry exhibit the clustered variety as seen in the Geraniacee. Thus it appears that there is something peculiar to the sepals of certain plants that disposes the contents of their cells to form erystals which does not belong to the neigh- bouring organs. 50 Wellclose Square, July 4, 1846. XI.—Remarks on certain Genera belonging to the Class Pallio- branchiata. By Wiitram Kine, Curator of the Museum of the Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. [ Continued from p. 42. ] PENTAMERUS. Tue beak of Pentamerus is furnished with an aperture of the form of a triangle, the base of which corresponds to the hinge 84. . Mr. W. King on certain Genera line, and the apex to the rostral point. Owing to the great in- curvation of the beak in some species (P. Knightii), the aperture is concealed, except in the young state ; but other species (P. con- chidium), in which the beak is slightly incurved, have it exposed during their entire existence. Nothing more need be said to show that the aperture is the same as the open deltidium of Spz- rifer, &c. From the sides of the deltidium two plates extend to within a quarter of their length of the frontal margins of the shell, at the same time decreasing in depth and gradually be- coming more and more separated from the roof of the valve to which they belong, till their extremity, which is reduced to a mere point, is within an eighth of their length of the inner sur- face or floor of the opposite valve (P. conchidium). Both plates are conjoined superiorly throughout their entire length ; and as they follow the curve of the upper valve, though somewhat more sharply, they form as it were a longitudinally curved arch-shaped process, which strongly resembles the upper mandible of a parrot, supposing the base of the mandible to be attached to the sides of the deltidium. At their point of attachment to the cardinal margin, the plates are thickened, or rather converted into two condyles, which fit into a pair of sockets excavated in the corre- sponding part of the opposite valve: in this mode of articula- tion, Pentamerus agrees with all the dentigerous palliobranchiate genera. Owing to the different degrees of incurvation of the beak in different species, the arch at its posterior end, that is, where the plates are attached to the sides of the deltidium, presents some widely different appearances: thus in Pentamerus galeatus, in which the beak curves so much downwards as actually to overlap the natis of the opposite valve to some extent, the arch, from the condyles to the rostral pomt or apex of the umbone, is doubled up as it were; whereas in Pentamerus conchidium, in which the beak extends considerably behind the hinge line, the correspond- ing part of the arch is completely unfolded. Besides being connected with the sides of the deltidium, the arch is attached to the medio-longitudinal line of the roof of the dorsal valve by means of a vertical plate extending along its crest, from the posterior to nearly the anterior extre- mity. The length and depth of this plate vary according to species: in P, conchidium and P. Knighti, its superior margin embraces the posterior three-fourths of the length of the shell; but in P. galeatus and P. bashkiricus it extends no further than the centre; and as the arch falls lower in P. Knightiui and P. galeatus than in P. conchidium and P. bashkiricus, this plate is consequently deeper in the former than im the latter. The ventral valve (of Pentamerus galeatus) is furnished with belonging to the Class Palliobranchiata. 85 two outwardly-inclined plates extending from the socket-walls to the centre, a distance exceeding, by one-fourth “of their length, the anterior extremity of the arch. Both plates are attached to the inside or floor of the valve, at a little distance from each other, nearly their entire length, gradually increasing in height and becoming more divaricated as they advance. Looking down upon the plates, their posterior half is seen at first, that is, com- mencing from the floor of the valve, leaning outward, then to turn inward, and again to turn outward; this brings their superior margin nearly in contact with the postero-lateral margin of the valve to which they are attached: their anterior half is simply inclined outward at first, and then inward; the difference being caused by the absence of the superior eflected portion, which, de- ereasing in depth somewhat rapidly in its progress, is not carried beyond the middle of the plate: in Pentamerus Knighti the su- perior eflection is carried much further forward, and it appears to be the same in P. conchidium. Although there is considerable dissimilarity between Penta- ’ merus and other palliobranchiate genera, yet I cannot agree to the amount of difference contended for by M. Verneuil, who recognises little or no identity between the parts composing the internal apparatus of the former, and those entering into the com- position of its homologue in the latter*. In the first place let us consider the arch of Pentamerus. The position of the plates composing this arch, relatively to the delti- dium, and their subserviency to articulation, place beyond doubt their strict identity with the condyle plates of other Palliobranchs. This view was first advanced by Von Buch, from an examination of Pentamerus conchidiumt+. In Productus, &c. the condyle plates are never seen; in Terebratula they are only partially present ; while in Spirifer, Atrypa, Hypothyris and Orthist, they are rarely absent. In those shells which are provided with them, the position of the condyle plates relatively to each other is often very different: in many Orthises, Atrypas, Hypothyrises and certain Terebratulas (7. elongata and T. hastata), they vary slightly from the perpendicular ; in certain Orthises (O. eximia, O. crenistria, &c.), and most of the Spirifers, they strongly in- cline towards each other superiorly, but without coming in con- tact ; in Spirifer heteroclitus, Orthis adscendens, Uncites Gryphus§, * Geology of Russia, vol. ii. pp. 107, 108 and 109. + Ueber Delthyris, &c. t The condyle plates are rudimentary in Orthis senilis, O. Wangenheimi, &c. The peculiar twist of the umbone in O. senilis, &c. is probably owing to the absence of the condyle plates. § This singular shell has the condyle plates forming a remarkably flat- 86 Mr. W. King on certain Genera Atrypa undata, and in the Camerophorias, they curve in and con- join at their upper margin so as to form an arch more or less resembling that of Pentamerus. _ With reference to the suspending plate of the Pentameruses, its position, and its connexion with the arch or condyle plates, establish its identity with the mesial plate, which serves to di- stinguish certain genera and certain species. In Spirifer cris- tatus, S. Walcotti, S. rostratus, Zeiten, Martinia imbricata, &c., this plate, which is large, is situated between and independent of the condyle plates; in Strigocephalus it is a well-known in- ternal appendage; in Spirifer heteroclitus it is largely developed in comparison with the condyle plates, which are cemented to the lower part of its sides; in Orthis adscendens and the Came- rophorias it is comparatively small, and attached to the crest of the arch as in Pentamerus; in certain Orthises, and in the Lep- teenas, it exists under a rudimentary form, projecting a little below the central line of their remarkably flattened arch-shaped process*, tened arch, separated from the roof of the deltidial valve as in Pentamerus conchidium, but not suspended as in this species by a mesial plate. The arch is so flat and the natis of the opposite valve passes so close up to its under surface, especially in old specimens, as to leave little or no opening for a pedicle; indeed I suspect that this part only belonged to young indi- viduals. I am not acquainted with the armature of the opposite valve of Uncites, it is therefore difficult for me to form any positive conclusion as to its generic affinities. In the synoptical table it is placed in the family Ze- rebratulide, on account of its resemblance to Pentamerus conchidium in a few particulars. * The most remarkable internal structure that I know of is to be seen in the dorsal valve of a shell labelled ‘ Terebratula concentrica from the Eifel,”’ specimens of which I owe to the kindness of M. de Verneuil and Mr. W. R. Loftus. In this species the condyle plates are attached to a process, which, to use a homely comparison, resembles a shoe-lifter. Imagine a pro- cess of this kind, about a third of the length of the shell, with its narrow end fitting into the rostral point, and its lateral margins attached to the in- side of the dorsal valve along its medio-longitudinal region ; then imagine the superior margin of the condyle plates attached to its under or convex surface, one on each of, and along, its sides, and a tolerably correct idea will be formed of this singular apophysis. ‘To complete the internal structure of this shell, I may add that its lower valve is furnished with a deep mesial plate, which supports a concave crural base, and that it possesses a pair of spiral appendages,—the latter character added to its external form is in favour of this shell belonging to Atrypa : whether it should be made to form another genus I am not at present prepared to offer a positive sau Notwith- standing its dissimilarity to all other known Palliobranchs in its internal structure, I am led to suppose that the appa- ratus of the dorsal valve of this species is a modification of those condyle plates (in many Spirifers) which are drawn in towards each other at their superior half as here repre- sented: what is required to convert such a pair of condyle plates into the apophysis of 4trypa concentrica is the approximating parts belonging to the Class Palliobranchiata. 87 The plates of the ventral valve, as they are prolongations of the socket-walls, must be considered as identical with the socket- plates to be seen in certain paleozoic species, as Orthis eximia, Spirifer cristatus, S. striolatus, Meckl., Hypothyris? (Terebratula) nucella, &c., and which are characteristic of that singular Silurian group described by Pander under the name of Porambonites. It requires to be mentioned, that in a great many of the shells lately cited, I have cleaved the plates of the dorsal valve in the same manner as it is usual to divide those of Pentamerus, which proves that they are composed of two united lamellz. M. Ver- neuil seems to be of opinion, that it is in Pentamerus alone that the plates (at least the mesial one) possess a bilamellar structure, and that this shell is therefore essentially distinguished from all other palliobranchiate genera. In some of the shells that I have broken. up, the lamellz separate as freely as those of Pentamerus ; in most they are not quite so easily divided, and in a few there is some difficulty in separating them; the difference, it is highly probable, being simply due to the more or less intimate union of the two lamellz of which they are composed. STRIGOCEPHALUS. This genus possesses an area furnished with a deltidium, which is open in young individuals and cicatrized in those fully grown ; in individuals of an intermediate age, the cicatrix exhibits a small circular opening, which resembles the entire subapical foramen of Hypothyris obsoleta, &e. The inside of the dorsal valve is furnished with a mesial plate, resembling that which suspends the arch in Pentamerus : it extends from the umbonal cayity to within a third of its length of the anterior margin of the valve, increasing in depth as it advances. With the exception of two slight ridges running into the condyles, there is no other yestige of an arch-shaped process. In the ventral valve, a massive slightly curved process (the concave side being upwards) stretches from the middle of the hinge to a little behind the centre of the opposite valve, where it clasps as it were the mesial plate by means of a bifurcated extremity ; in other terms, this extremity is notched, which actually enables the. process to pass to a little more than an to become confluent as in this diagram, which represents a \. _Y; transverse section of the apparatus enlarged. Another mo- dification of the condyle plates is to be seen in Spirifer mosquensis and §. rostratus (that is, the Jurassic shell so named by Zeiten), which have them so much prolonged as nearly to touch the frontal margin of the valve to which they are attached. (Vide Geology of Russia, vol. ii. for the former species, and Von Buch on Delthyris for the latter.) 88 Mr. W. King on certain Genera eighth of an inch of the inner surface of the dorsal valve, leaving thereby just sufficient space for the thickness of the animal’s mantle. Iam not aware that any opinion has been hazarded on the use of this singular process; there is every rea- son to believe however, from the remarkable modifications which the cardinal muscular fulerum occasionally undergoes, that both are strictly homologous. In some fossil Terebratulas the cardinal muscular support is erect and unusually elongated, particularly in a cretaceous species, probably 7. pectiniformis ; it appears to be the same in Orthis eximia, Vern.; and in the existing Tere- bratula rosea it is very much lengthened, but situated on an elevation rising out of an excessively dilated cardinal plate. In the hinge of the same valve are situated two depressions or sockets for the condyles of the dorsal valve, one on each side of the cardinal muscular support: the socket-walls are very much expanded laterally, so as to form two prominent plates, which descend, curving in towards each other at the same time, to a little below the origin of the cardinal muscular support, where they nearly touch a slightly elevated vertical plate, which stretches to about half-way along the medio-longitudinal line ~ of the valve. Their origin and position, and the peculiarity next to be described, are highly in favour of these plates consti- tuting a divided crural base*. ach of the crural plates, on its lower part, gives off a slender lamelliform process, which curves (the concave side upwards) towards the anterior end of the me- sial plate of the dorsal valve, but a little to one side of it; the process now makes a sudden bend upon itself, curves downwards and postero-laterally, till it nearly touches the end of the car- dinal line; here it makes a sharp forward curve, runs along the side, and afterwards along the front of the valves, at the distance of a quarter of an inch from their margin, to nearly the medio- longitudinal line of the shell; further I have not been able to trace it. This is the course of both processes: they thus form two symmetrical subgyrate appendages, which remind one of the spiral coils of the Spirifers and the folded loop of the Terebra- tulas. It is to be hoped that sufficient has been adduced to show the generic difference between Strigocephalus and Penta- merus, which has occasionally been doubted+. The difference is such as to induce me to place the former in the family Spirz- * This view is further supported by the striking resemblance which these plates bear to the concave crural base of Martinia (Terebratula) hyalina, Buch. This species is interesting in another point of view, as from its external resemblance to Strigocephalus, we are warranted in supposing that both are intimately related to each other, although belonging to separate genera. + “The difference between Strigocephalus and Pentamerus appears to me not very important.””—Phillips, Paleeozoic Fossils of Cornwall, &c., p. 55. belonging to the Class Palliobranchiata. 89 ferida, and the latter in that of Terebratulide. Besides its sub- gyrate processes and its deltidium (which when the shell is young has precisely the character of that of the Spirifers), its close resemblance to Martinia (Terebratula) hyalina, Buch, both as regard external characters and the crural base, are eminently in favour of Strigocephalus belonging to the Spiriferide ; and the probability is even great that it is directly allied to the genus Martinia. CAMEROPHORIA. Some years ago I was struck with the remarkable difference between the casts of a magnesian limestone Terebratula and. those of every other species with-which I was then acquainted. Judging from casts of the dorsal valve of the latter, it was obvious that the umbonal cavity had been either furnished with two vertical condyle plates, generally divaricating as they passed from the beak, or unprovided with any kind of armature; but in the former there had evidently been an arch-shaped process, suspended from the roof of the umbonal cavity by a shallow late. The contrast between casts of the magnesian limestone shell and of certain carboniferous species (Hypothyris pleurodon, H. pugnus, &c.) closely allied to it by external characters, was particularly striking. In 1840 Dr. Goldfuss kindly favoured me with some casts of a fossil labelled “ Pentamerus Knightu from Hohenzolen,” when I was immediately struck with their resem- blance to the magnesian limestone species, which I at once con- cluded to be a Pentamerus; but on a further comparison I became convinced that there was a decided difference between them in the apophysis of the ventral valve. M. Verneuil also _ appears to have been at first led to suppose that the magnesian limestone shell, specimens of which he collected in Russia, was a Pentamerus ; but though M. Verneuil and myself are now satis- fied that this was an error, we differ in opinion as to the value of the internal structure which belongs to the shell in question : M. Verneuil considers it not sufficiently marked to form a ge- geric character; while I am led to believe that it ought to be regarded as diagnostic of a new genus, for which the name Ca- merophoria is proposed. _ Having, by the examination of a large number of specimens of the typical species (C. [Terebratula| Schlotheimi) m various states of preservation, satisfied myself regarding the internal characters of Camerophoria, I will now proceed to describe them with reference to their generic value. The upper or rostral valve possesses a deltidium, which is open and only exposed in young individuals; in old ones it becomes dilated at its base, and is then occupied by the umbone of the Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Vol, xvii. H 90 Mr. W. King on certain Genera opposite valve, as in Pentamerus galeatus. Two condyle plates pass from the deltidium, one on each side of it, toa third of the length of the shell; they conjoin at their superior margin, so as to form an arch-shaped process, the crest of which is attached to the roof of the valve by means of a shallow vertical plate. In no respect do these plates differ from those composing the arch and its support in Pentamerus, except in degree. In the ventral valve, the space between the socket-walls is occupied with a triangular horizontal plate or platform, having two of its margins attached to the hinge, and the other one free and facing the cavity of the shell. Upon the platform is situated a rounded protuberance, which from its position and the lines or strize on its surface, is evidently the cardinal muscular support. From the free margin of the platform arise two slender filiform processes (one on each side of and close to its centre), which curving upwards pass to the anterior end of the arch, just within touching it. Immediately below these processes, a much larger one is seen to originate, and to project with a slight upward curve nearly to the centre of the shell, and within a third of its own length of the opposite valve: it becomes considerably dilated towards its free extremity, and is concave superiorly, which gives it a spoon-shaped appearance. ‘This process is supported by a deep vertical plate extending from the under side of the platform to a considerable distance along the medio-longitudinal line of the shell. On comparing the armature of the dorsal valve of Camero- phoria with that of the corresponding valve of Pentamerus, the strongest resemblance is visible; but as the arch and its support are occasionally seen in other genera, they cannot be considered of much value in a generic point of view: if however our atten- tion be directed to the ventral valve, we observe a structure which cannot be disposed of so summarily. In Pentamerus the separation of the two socket-plates at their base is such as to afford room for the attachment of the inferior terminations of the valvular muscles to the inner surface of the lower valve. In Camerophoria however 1 am convinced that these muscles were not so attached, but that they were supported by the projecting spoon-shaped process. The reasons for this view are, that no muscular impressions are visible on the inner surface of the ventral valve; that where they only can occur, the surface is crowded with vascular impressions ; and that in Hypothyris, an allied genus, several species (H. acuminatus, H. pugnus, &c.) exhibit the muscular impressions on that part of the mer surface of the ventral valve corresponding to the place in Camerophoria which is overspread by the spoon-shaped process. Has a valvular muscular support, in the form of a projecting process, ever been belonging to the Class Palliobranchiata. 91 seen in the ventral valve of any other Palliobranchiate genus? As far as my own observations extend, 1 haye not yet become acquainted with a single instance of the kind, M. Verneuil’s principal reason for maintainimg the genus Pentamerus is founded on an alleged wide dissimilarity between its internal apparatus and that of all other cognate genera: it has been shown however that the amount of dissimilarity is not so great; nevertheless, very few will be disposed to question the validity of this genus, inasmuch as it possesses a combination of characters peculiar to itself, This 1s no more than may be claimed for Camerophoria, which, until it is known that a project- ing process for the support of the valvular muscles exists in the lower valve of other Palliobranchs, may be considered a more isolated genus than Pentamerus. Reverting to the remaining characters belonging to Camero-. phoria, the platform appears to be the same as the crural base. (in this case a flat one) of Terebratula, and may therefore have supported the inferior pedicle muscles. The filiform processes I am disposed to. look upon as supports for the labial appendages and the visceral parts of the mollusk. It may be asked, is not the valvular muscular process in the ventral valve of Camerophoria, the plates of Pentamerus united ? Considering the definition previously given of a socket-plate, L am certainly disposed to think that it is not: the latter being: prolongations of the socket-walls, compels us to consider them as. true socket-plates; but as regards the former, its total want of connexion with the sockets, and its striking off from below the centre of the free margin of the platform, strongly support the view that it is the mesial plate to be seen in the lower valve of many shells (Atrypa concentrica, Terebratula rostrata, Hypothy- ris pugnus, Orthis Michelini, Strigocephalus, &c.) bilaterally ex- panded on its superior margin. Camerophoria appears to have an extensive geographical range. M. Verneuil has collected two species in Russia, C. Schlotheimi and C. superstes, the former in the carboniferous limestone and the latter in the lowest beds of the Permian system. I have specimens of an allied species from the mountain limestone of Weardale. The genus abounds in the magnesian limestone near Sunderland, and in the Zechstein of the Thuringer-Wald: in the former locality three, if not more species are found. The strong external resemblance which Camerophoria bears to certain carboniferous and Devonian shells, leads me to think that it will hereafter be found to comprise a number of species*. * As M. Verneuil’s objection to the genus Camerophoria appears tz be founded only on a knowledge of the structure of the dorsal valve, it will be unnecessary to say more than that, if the species belonging to it differed from H2 92 Mr. W. King on certain Genera STROPHALOSIA. If we examine Productus giganteus, P. horridus, &c., it will be seen that they do not possess articulating condyles nor an area. - The absence of these characters has generally been urged as essentially distinguishing Productus from most of the Pal- liobranchiate genera. It is not to be denied, however, that some species of this genus may have existed possessing an area and teeth in a rudimentary or incipient state*. Considering how closely allied Productus is to the dentigerous and areated genera, the presence of these characters under such a condition is to be expected in some species, which in this case would be looked upon as so many aberrant forms; but when we find both the condyles and area assuming a fully developed form, and pre- vailing in a number of species allied to each other by other di- stinguishing characters; and these species belonging to three consecutive geological periods, and having a wide geographical range, it then becomes a question whether it would not be work- ing out a natural division to group such species under a separate genus: as this is my opinion, I have been induced to form a genus for them, bearing the name Strophalosia. It will now be necessary to enter more into detail respecting the distinguishing characters of Strephalosia. Both valves pos- sess an area, that of the ventral valve being merely the hinge-plate thickened: the area of the dorsal valve is furnished with a cica- trized deltidium, at the base of which are situated two condyles which fit into a pair of sockets excavated in the hinge-plate of the opposite valve, one on each side of the cardinal muscular fulcrum: the umbone of the large valve is generally flattened or irregularly indented, and the entire face of the ventral valve is often furnished with spmest. Hypothyris only to the extent that Orthis adscendens and Spirifer hetero- clitus do from their respective genera, I would not hesitate to consider them as Hypothyrises. * M. Verneuil places Productus comoides in Chonetes, because it possesses an area and cardinal spines. If the figures given by Von Buch in plate 1 of his memoir on Productus represent the internal structure of P. comoides, we may then be certain that this species does not belong to Chonetes, since the concave or ventral valve of this genus is not furnished with the crescent- shaped bodies to be seen in one of the figures just referred to, and charac- teristic of Productus. A specimen of Productus giganteus in the Newcastle museum exhibits what might be taken for an area, but which, instead of oeing an additional piece set on the hinge-plate, as is the case with a true area, is only the hinge-plate itself considerably thickened. Perhaps this is the case with the Productus comoides examined by M. Verneuil. + M. Verneuil has pointed out the existence of spines on the flat valve of the so-called Productus horrescens. In the true Productuses, the spines, when present on this valve, are generally confined to the cardinal region : Productus punctatus and P. fimbriatus may be exceptions. belonging to the Class Palliobranchiata. 93 The whole of the foregoing characters distinguish Strophalosia from Productus, both of which agree in the form of their valves, in their dorsal valve being beset with spines, and to a certain extent in their internal structure*. Another apparent distinguishing character of Strophalosia con- sists in its habit or mode of attachment: the flattened state of the umbone, so general to the species, goes far to prove that they were attached to foreign bodies by this part, as obtains in most of the Thecideas ; further, several of my specimens of a magne- sian limestone species are found under cireumstances completely proving, that in addition to an umbonal attachment, they adhered to the inner surface of dead shells of Productus horridus by means of long creeping spines. The species which I purpose placing in the genus Strophalosia are the following: Productus horrescens, Vern.; P. subaculeatus, Murch. ; Orthis productoides, Murch. ; a Himalayan fossil, three magnesian limestone species found in the neighbourhood of Sun- derland, and a few doubtful forms, as Productus spinulosus. The above shells are found in the Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian deposits. They have equally as extensive a geographical range. M. Verneuil has discovered two species in Russia: three species occur in the magnesian limestone of Sunderland, one of which I have found in the Zechstein of Konitz in Thuringia: one (or more) belongs to our home carboniferous deposits : spe- cies identical with those found in Russia, and some others, occur in the Hifel and the Bas-Boulonnais: and I have specimens of a species { collected by the late Dr. Gerard in crossing the boundary * There is a slight but interesting difference between Strophalosia and Productus in their ovarian impressions or crescent-shaped bodies, which will be explained and figured in my “ Monograph.” + This mode of attachment of Strophalosia will probably throw some light on the habit of Productus. Many suppose that the latter was attached by means of fibres passing out between the hinge-plates, which does not appear to be supported by any evidence: Koninck, from an examination of Pro- ductus proboscideus, supposes that it was attached by means of fibres pass- ing out of the anterior opening, which would compel us to conclude that the genus did not belong to the Palliobranchiata. Instead of Productus probos- cideus subserving such an office, I cannot but think that it simply served as a passage for the ingress and egress currents. The tubular form of the an- terior opening is also seen in old individuals of a magnesian limestone Stro- phalosia. As the convex valve of Strophalosia was attached, I am led to believe that the same valve of Productus was the inferior one, as is the case with Pecten dentatus, P. Jacobeus, and others having the byssal sinus or notch in the large valve. t This is the shell which Dr. Gerard alludes to in his Journal as resem- bling an oyster (vide Asiatic Researches of the Bengal Society, vol. xviii.). As it does not appear to have been named, I embrace the present opportu- nity of dedicating it to this enterprising traveller, and drawing up a pro- visional specific character for it. Strophalosia Gerardi.—Ezxternal Characters. Form oval; width greater 94 Dr. B.C, Alexander’s Hweursions in Upper Styria. of Ladakh and Bis-Ahér, in the Himalayas, at an elevation of 17,000 feet above the level of the sea. Strophalosia and Productus are placed in the synoptical table in a family distinct from that of Strophomenide, because from all the genera of the latter they are distinguished by the form of their ovarian spaces and the presence of spines. In the former character some of the Strophomenas (S. transversalis, 8. oblonga, &c.) appear to approximate them ; and in the latter they are assi- milated to a certain extent by Chonetes. XII.—Ezcursions in Upper Styria, 1842. By R. C. Avexanper, M.D,* On the 2nd of July I visited the romantic ravine between Arzberg and Gutenberg, and found Pyrola media, Sazxifraga elatior (M. and K.), Aizoon, rotundifolia, Sedum dasyphyllum, Rhododendron hirsutum, Athamanta cretensis, Teucrium montanum, Scrophularia canina, Euonymus latifolius, Dianthus plumarius, Hieraciwum inci- sum, Mehringia Pone, Peltaria alliacea, Arenaria laricifolia. On the 7th of July I was on the Schéckel, a mountain above 5000 English feet high, near Gratz, and found Ranunculus al- pestris and aconitifolius, Hieracium villosum, Botrychium lunaria, Saxifraga controversa, Soldanella alpina in fruit, Spergula sagi- noides, Anthemis tinctoria, but was prevented by heavy rain from continuing on the mountain. On the 15th of July I was on the Lantsch, and found Astra- galus Cicer, Meehringia heterophylla, Koch (diversifol. Doll.), Me- lica ciliata, Sambucus racemosa, Myagrum paniculatum, Semper- vivum hirtum, Androsace lactea, Aronicum Clusii, Carex atrata and firma, Chrysanthemum corymbosum, Cotoneaster vulgaris, Cen- taurea montana, Cortusa Matthioli, Carduus personata, Dryas oc- topetala, Geum rivale, Gymnadenia conopsea var. minor, Lonicera nigra, Orchis globosa, Ribes alpinum, Sonchus alpinus, Silene acau- than the length in the proportion of six to five. [The specimens examined are 1} in. wide and 1} in. Jong.] Upper valve convex, the convexity, which is greatest over the cardinal line, equal to one-third of the width of the shell: opposite valve concave, the concavity equal to half of the convexit of the upper valve. Umbone rounded, slightly prominent. Area: lengt equal to half the width of the shell, depth equal to one-sixth of its own length. Deltidium, the base one-third the length ofits side. Spines of the dorsal valve adpressed, none exceeding a quarter of an inch in length, di- stant from each by a space equal to twice their diameter (which is the six- teenth of an inch in the largest spines): spines of the ventral valve (speci- mens imperfect in this particular).—Jnternal Characters (unknown). The formation to which this species belongs has not yet been ascertained : one of my specimens is associated with a /’enestella. It is from the crest of a pass near the boundary of Ladah and Bisahar at an elevation of 17,000 feet. * Read before the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, April 9th, 1846. Dr. R. G, Alexander’s Excursions in Upper Styria. 95 lis, Thlaspi montanum, Thesium alpinum, Veratrum album, Pedi- cularis verticillata, Convallaria verticillata, Valeriana saxatilis, Draba aizoides, Gentiana acaulis, Lilium bulbiferum, Potentilla Clusiana, Helianthemum elandicum, Primula integrifolia, and all that I had found on the Schéckel. At an inn at the foot of the mountain the people spoke a jar- gon that I had great difficulty in understanding, and they had as much I suppose in comprehending me. The innkeeper told me, begging my pardon, that I did not speak German very well, and should stay a month or two with him in the Breitenau to learn the language. I asked him if he did not think I had better op- portunities in Gratz: Oh no, he said, they talk there according to book, “ nach der Schrift.” The Lantsch is one of the stations given in books for the rare Saxifraga hieracifolia on the authority of Vest, the late Professor. It has never been found there, the specimen in Vest’s herbarium having been sent to him from the Carpathians by Zahlbruckner, and recognised by him here in Gratz. Whether Vest wished to have the credit of finding a rare plant, or from slovenliness had got the Carpathian specimen mixed with Styrian ones accidentally, I cannot say. He was the most untidy botanist ever known. His specimens were never pressed, but -put as they were into bandboxes. Dr. Maly was commissioned after his death to ex- amine the collection, and gives a most humorous account of it,— a blackberry stuck with a pin upon a leaf, &. The Sawifraga in question has been found on the Reichart, but very sparingly. My next excursion was over the alps to Leoben. On the way _ [found abundance of the Mehringia heterophylla, but already out of blossom. It was first discovered by M. Zehentner about three years ago, and appears to be very common in ravines where the stone is clay-slate, both in Styria and Carinthia. Phyteuma scorzonerifolium and some common subalpine plants. From Leoben I madea very pleasant and remunerating excur- sion up the Reiting. It is tedious to give a mere catalogue of the plants collected on every separate mountain when there is nothing particularly interesting about any of them, and I shall therefore give a full list at the end. On this excursion, from incautiously drinking cold milk and cold water, I suffered for the rest of the summer from diarrheea on all the alps that I attempted to ascend. I believe the milk is the chief cause of this complaint, and im Upper Styria there is nothing else to be got on the moun- tains. ‘The next that I explored was the Grimming, a very dif- ficult and dangerous one, consisting of a brittle limestone that splinters in the hand of the climber. During a hailstorm that overtook us great masses came rolling down the ravines. I found that day scarcely anything. On the Hoch Yolling, about 10,000 96 Dr. R.C. Alexander’s Excursions in Upper Styria. English feet high, I collected many interesting things: Eritri- chium Hacquetii, Androsace alpina, Geum reptans, Sesleria di- sticha, Primula glutinosa, and others that grow at the snow line. Having given a rather detailed account of excursions in the Windisch part of the province, it is fair here to describe one in Upper Styria. On the road towards the Grimming my fellow- traveller was a very intelligent mine-engineer from Hungary, who had been appointed to superintend some iron-works of a Styrian company and been in their service many years. By his recommendation I visited Schladming. The valley is for an al- pine country extremely beautiful. To me alps have no great charms, but the outline of the mountains here is grand and stri- king. The path from Schladming leads for an English mile along a succession of fine waterfalls. The valley then divides, and I ascended the Unterthal. The protestant clergyman lent me a book descriptive of the district, in which these two dales, Ober- thal and Unterthal, are raised into competition with the most beautiful parts of Tyrol. It was into these mountains that the protestants fled for refuge during the persecution under Ferdi- nand II., and half the population of Schladming and the whole of that of the Ramsau is of that persuasion. They are now tole- rated. Nothing can be more striking than the difference between this protestant part and the rest of Styria. Here I found beau- tiful cattle, well-built houses two or three stories high, good fences and well-dressed people. I felt on entermg the Ramsau as if I were come to adifferent kingdom. I had often heard the remark made of the Swiss cantons, but could not conceive it fully till I made this excursion. The Yolling lies on the opposite side of Schladming. The guide told me I should find good night-quarters, and brought me to the hut where the dairymaid lives durmg the summer months, the Zennerinn. The next morning we started at five, and were within an hour’s walk of the summit, when the clouds approaching rendered it dangerous to proceed, and we descended by a different path into the Oberthal. For the first time I had the opportunity of seemg pastoral life on an alp. The evening in July draws in there at about six o’clock; and the goats come home of their own accord. The cows and sheep must be driven home. It is extraordinary how these latter climb the precipices, the cows as well as the sheep. In Switzerland in the same situation there would probably have been a decent inn and accommodation for travellers as good as in towns. In Styria one must content oneself with admirmg nature. One advantage of travelling here is the cheapness. I gave a shepherd boy who accompanied me about three hours a Dr. R. C. Alexander’s Excursions in Upper Styria. 97 ten-kreuzer piece, fourpence English, and he kissed my hand and said it was too much. — As a sample of what may be found on one of the higher mountains in this province, I give the catalogue of what I brought home from the Yolling :— rere Aronicum Clusii and var. glaciale. —_—_ Linaria alpina. Azalea procumbens. Aconitum Lycoctonum. Napellus. Avena sempervirens. versicolor, Androsace alpina. Arenaria austriaca. Agrostis rupestris. Aspidium Lonchitis. Bartsia alpina. Carex frigida. atrata. curvula. Centaurea Phrygia. Cirsium heterophyllum. spinosissimum. Chrysanthemum alpinum. Cerastium ovatum, Hopp. Cardamine resedifolia. alpina. Campanula alpina. pusilla. barbata. Cherleria sedoides. Cineraria rivularis. Eritrichium Hacquetii. Eriophorum capitatum. Euphrasia salisburgensis. Geum montanum. reptans. Gentiana punctata. nivalis. acaulis. bavarica 6.imbricata, Schleich. Gnaphalium fuscum. Hedysarum obscurum. Hutchinsia alpina. Heracleum austriacum. Oxyria reniformis. Polygonum viviparum. Pedicularis incarnata. asplenifolia. recutita. Phyteuma hemisphzricum, globularifolium. Phleum alpinum. Potentilla aurea. clusiana. Primula minima. glutinosa. Pinguicula alpina. Ranunculus glacialis. Rhododendron ferrugineum. Rhodiola rosea. Salix retusa. Statice alpina. Saxifraga muscoides. androsacea. stellaris. aspera. Aizoon. aizoides. oppositifolia. rotundifolia. Sempervivum montanum, arachnoideum, Silene acaulis. Pumilio. Sesleria disticha. Soldanella pusilla. Swertia perennis. Senecio alpinus. carniolicus. Vaccinium uliginosum. Valeriana. celtica, Veronica alpina. My next excursion was to Klagenfurt, and thence up the Sultzbach mountain on the frontier of Styria and Carniola. Klagenfurt is situated on the Drave exactly as Gratz is on the Mur, in the midst of a tract of-alluvial land, and has nearly the same flora. Arrived at Sultzbach, we quartered ourselves on the clergyman, who does not exactly keep an inn, but is very happy to see respectable travellers, and does not refuse a few florins as recompense. He is the only person in the place ex- 98 Dr. R.C. Alexander’s Excursions in Upper Styria. cept his housekeeper that understands German. The friend who accompanied me was too zealous a catholic to climb a mountain on Frauen Tag, and so I went up alone and found the beautiful Campanula Zoysti, Saxifraga squarrosa, Sieb., and Cirsium car- niolicum, Scop. The latter was a new discovery for the flora of Styria. The rain compelled me to return long before reaching the top. / 5/8 142 | 52] 5 | g2]- : ee ; : ie pal a] P |e | BR] TR| P| PR) RRS | wulina |FF | om | BURG? foweswmna| FF | weno [ee _ “<4 “Urey “PUM *19J9ULOULIOY J, *19}9WOIV = Fy *RANWUQG ‘asunpy younpung yo ‘uoysnojQ °C “Ady 247 49 puy {au1HS-saIusWAG ‘asunyy YzLvdajddp zn ‘requug *A\ “Ady 947 49 {NoLsog 70 \JBOA “II 49 fuopuoT avau ‘MOIMSIHD 70 Ajawwog oungnoysozy 2y3 fo uapsvy ay, yo uosdwoyy, ‘aA 49 apowm suoymasasgg yonFoj0s0ajapyr / THE ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. No. 118. SEPTEMBER 1846. 7 XVI.—On the Growth of Cell-Membrane. By Hueco v. Mont*. Since my doctrine, that cell-membrane increases in thickness by the deposition of successive layers of membrane deposited internally, has recently been contradicted on various sides, and, in opposition to it, the theory has been propounded, that the innermost cell-layer is the oldest and the most external the youngest, it is only natural that I should accept the challenge and enter the lists in defence of my views. The first attack proceeded from Prof. Hartig of Brunswick : I endeavoured to set aside his objections to my view two years ago in the ‘ Botanische Zeitung’+, without success so far as that author was concerned, as since that time a second treatise of his has appeared (Das Leben der Pflanzenzelle, 1844), which con- tains an answer to my objections and a more extended exposition of his theory. In reference to this second treatise however I must stand aloof, since my own observations agree so little with the researches there brought forward, that they afford me no point on which I ean bring forward either opposition or confir- mation ; in the following pages therefore I can take no notice of it. Otherwise it is connected with the observations on which the Utrecht professors, Harting {, and Mulder § rest their objec- tions to my theory, As to the matters of fact in these researches I agree in many respects with my honourable adversaries, and there are I believe but few points which they have not taken into consideration, these however I must bring forward against the conclusions they have drawn. According to my views, the primary membrane of the young cell is not perforated with orifices, and certainly no definite structure is visible in it||. On the other hand, Harting and * From the ‘ Botanische Zeitung,’ May 15th—22nd,1846. Translated by Arthur Henfrey, F.L.S. &e. + Jahrg. ii. 273. Scientific Memoirs, vol. iv. p. 91. { Mikrochemische onderzookingen, &c., vide Bot. Zeit. Jahrg. iv. p. 64. § Versuch einer physiologischen Chemie. || Vide my essay on the Structure of Vegetable Cell-Membrane in my Vermischte Schriften, p. 314. Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xvii. M 146 M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. Mulder now assert that, almost universally, the yet unthickened membrane of young cells, when coloured blue by iodine and sul- phuric acid, is perforated like a sieve by a great number of small pores, through which the light appears bright and uncoloured ; the cells of the pith of Asclepias syriaca, Hoya carnosa, Ricinus communis, of the bark of Euphorbia caput meduse, of the wood of Asclepias syriaca, and Clematis Vitalba, are especially named in relation to this. Harting states that in the old medulla-cells with thickened walls of a great many dicotyledonous trees, e. g. Atsculus Hippocastanum, Syringa vulgaris, Rosa canina, Sophora japonica, there are, among the canals of the dots closed by a membrane, others which are quite open ; and from his investiga- tions he was led to the conclusion that these open pores are not the result of the absorption of the membrane closing the canal, but that they are the remains of the pores occurring in the young cell, which have not, like the others, become closed at a subse- quent period. 1 confess that to me this statement was unexpected. I had already, in cells 1 had’ coloured blue by iodine, often seen very bright dots, which appeared like real orifices, but I always be- lieved that I saw a closing membrane; as I might have been deceived in my earlier observations, I submitted this point to a new investigation. In the first place, however, I must remark that I do not wholly approve of the mode of examination with iodine and sulphuric acid, chosen by Harting and Mulder; a deep blue colouring of the young cell-membrane is indeed ob- tained by this means, but in fact this deep colour is not advan- tageous, as will hereafter appear ; moreover, when too strong an acid is employed a considerable expansion of the cell-membrane is readily caused, by which the dots may be closed; this indeed cannot give rise to a delusion in reference to the presence or ab- sence of a closing membrane, but renders the making of a new preparation necessary. Both evils are avoided when no sulphuric acid is used, but the cell-wall coloured blue by the application of very concentrated tincture of iodine and subsequent moisten- ing with water. In this way we are not exposed to the risk of producing a mechanical alteration of the cell-membrane, and there is the further advantage, that the preparation coloured by iodine may be allowed to dry again, by which means, as is known, the detection of very thin and transparent membrane is especially facilitated. I treated in this way the medulla-cells of the young developing bud of Sambucus nigra, Asclepias syriaca, and of the apex of the stem of Euphorbia caput meduse. The result of the microsco- pical examination of these does not at all agree with that offered by Harting and Mulder. It is certainly quite true that the M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. 147 dots are so transparent, and appear so bright in the coloured cell- membranes, especially when they have acquired a deep indigo tint, that by an illusion they look like true openings. But to make the fact certain, we must ascertain accurately the perform- ance of our microscope, and carefully select the suitable objective and covering glass of the proper thickness, regulate the proper illumination, in short, we must neglect no circumstance which may influence an important microscopical examination. Since the question, whether in these young cells actual openings are present or not, is one of the principal hinges on which the doc- trine of the development of cell-membrane turns, I may be per- mitted to enter somewhat minutely into the qualifications of the microscope employed by me in these investigations. I am in- deed, generally speaking, of opinion that the accuracy of a mi- croscopical observation does not depend upon the fact of the microscope being a little better or worse, since experience in ob- servation frequently counterbalances the inferiority of the in- strument; but I consider that the present case is one of those in which an instrument of the most superior quality is necessary, and in which we cannot come at the truth without a microscope of great penetrating power.. I commonly make use, in import- ant investigations, of the three strongest of Pldssl’s objectives (N. 5-7), with an Amici’s achromatic ocular, since this combi- nation gives an image of surpassing sharpness and clearness with a magnifying power of about 800. Notwithstanding the supe- rior performance* of this combination, I was not in a condition ever to detect any trace of a membrane closing the dot in the young medulla-cells of Sambucus, since the light shone through perfectly bright and clear, and apparently quite uncoloured as through a true opening. But when I used the strongest of Amici’s objectives, which can only be employed with profit in few cases and to very delicate and transparent objects, and which with the same ocular gives a magnifying power of 500 diameters, every doubt was dissipated as to whether a membrane was stretched over the dot or not, since such a membrane was now distinctly to be perceived: it was indeed very transparent, but small granules, &c. were distinctly to be seen adhering to it. If this was not to be mistaken in the preparation which was lying in water, the result of the examination of dried preparations was yet more decisive, since no doubt was longer possible as to the presence of a closing membrane, and of the bright violet colour- ing of the same. * For instance, the transverse stripes on the scales of the 8 side of the wing of Hipparchia Janira are quite clearly seen with it; these scales afford an object which cannot be sufficiently recommended for testing the microscope. M2 148 M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. _ One is less readily exposed to the risk of an illusion in exa- mining the medulla-cells of full-grown yearling shoots of Sy- ringa, Aisculus, or Sophora japonica, than m the young cells previously mentioned ; but here also, and especially in Sambucus and Sophora, when the cell-membrane has acquired a deep blue tinge, we must be cautious, since the contrast between the dark blue of the thick portion of the membrane and the brighter co- lour of the thin allows the membrane closing the dot to be easily overlooked. If, on the contrary, we expose the specimer from twenty-four to forty-eight hours to the air, till part of the iodine has again evaporated and the cell-membrane has acquired a bright violet colour, we can readily make out the thin and also violet-coloured membrane. When, as not unfrequently happens in the full-grown medulla-cells of Syringa, &c., the outer cell- membrane is coloured yellow, and the inner, in which canals of the dots lie, blue, the membrane stretched over the dot appears yellow, in which case also a delusion as to its presence is not easily possible. The presence of dots on medulla-cells of buds of Sambucus shows that we have here no longer to do with a simple mem- brane; in other cases, e. g. in the buds of Aselepias syriaca, on the contrary, I found the membrane quite homogeneous and without any trace of dots. I believe these observations to be decisive, and consider my- self entitled to persevere in the view, that the primary cell-mem- brane is closed. Another question is, whether the outermost cell-layer, as I believe, or the innermost, as Harting and Mulder assume, is the oldest. Before I enter upon the action which chemical agents exercise upon the different layers of cell-membrane and the consequences deduced from the appearances observed under such circumstances, I may be permitted briefly to state the reasons which, on ana- tomical grounds, induce me to declare the most external mem- brane to be the oldest. It is a universal phenomenon, that the membrane of young cells and vessels is smooth and thin; that, on the other hand, when the membrane has become thickened in the course of time, two principal layers may be distinguished in it; one exterior, thin, and imperforate, and an interior, of greater or less thick- ness, pierced with slits and holes. If the holes.are small, the inner layer appears as a continuous membrane, pierced like a sieve with holes; if they are large, or elongated into slits and approximated together, it appears as a deposit of fibres, which are sometimes combined in a reticulated manner, sometimes run- ning spirally, sometimes annular, &c. In many cases, e. g. in M. Mohl on, the Growth of Cell-Membrane. 149 the cells of the endothecium of anthers, the inner layer forms a continuous layer on one side of the cell, while on the other it is split into fibres which run out like rays from the membranous portion,—a distinct proof that fibres and membrane are vig different varieties of form of one and the same element of the cell. Lastly, it may happen that the inner membrane is only deposited along the angles of the cells, and not on the surface, and forms semicircular borders projecting more or less into the cavity of the cell. If now it be proved, and I believe that I have furnished the proof in the foregoing, that the membrane of young cells pos- sesses no openings, and if by following the development of cells we see in an indubitable manner that their membrane becomes gradually thicker, and that in these thickened cells, under all circumstances*, an imperforate membrane is present on the ex- terior, while in the layers lying on the inner side of this mem- brane, and becoming continually thicker, there are holes which in proportion as these layers become thicker assume the form of canals, which are closed externally and open to the cell-cavity ; when we further see that this immer membrane is not homoge- neous, but consists of many, superposed, delicate lamellze,—in these mechanical relations, in the earlier presence of an imperfo- rate membrane and in the subsequent production of the inner, continually thickening mass perforated with holes, lies a necessity for the assumption that this latter layer is of later origin, and has been deposited upon the inner side of the imperforate mem- brane. In these relations there is throughout no ground for the further assumption that the lamelle, which constitute the ner secondary layer, have also become deposited in a series from without inwards; but mechanical relations: occur im peculiar cases which would make any other assumption appear very im- probable. In evidence of this we have the fact, that in very thick- walled cells many of the canals of the dots converging toward the interior of the cell become blended; especially however that in cells which merely deposit a secondary layer in the angles, these possess a form convex toward the cavity of the cell, and consist of many superposed layers convex to the interior ; and that in these cases we find in the young cells only few and narrow layers of this kind, while in the full-grown cells a number of broader layers lie upon the inner side of this narrow onef. These are briefly the anatomical grounds which decided me in * Those rare cases in which an absorption of the free membrane in the canals of the dots takes place subsequently, from only an apparent excep- tion. r + Vide Bot. Zeit. ji. 323. tab. 2. figs. 2,3. Scientific Memoirs; vol. iv. p- 106. plate 1. figs. 2, 3. 150 M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. proposing my theory, and which up to this time have their full value to me, since I know of no anatomical facts which are in contradiction to this theory, or would render any other explana- tion half so probable. Prof. Harting mentions two circumstances, the first of which he considers makes it unlikely that the secon- dary layer is deposited upon the inner side of the primary mem- brane, while the second affords him a positive proof of the deposi- tion of the secondary layers upon the outer side. The first cir- cumstance is the direct correspondence* of the dot in contiguous cells, which it is very difficult to comprehend when we adopt my theory. I confess distinctly that I do not at all comprehend it ; T know only that it is so. We do not generally understand the reason of a special organization, because we know nothing of the nature of the power producing organization ; thus we do not com- prehend, for mstance, how it happens that in the putamen of the cocoa-nut the embryo inclosed in albumen is situated opposite an eye. We see the object of this arrangement, but do not under- stand how it is that it becomes developed at this point of the pericarp rather than in any other situation. The second circumstance, which Harting brings forward as a proof of the deposition of secondary layers taking place upon the outer side of the primary cell-wall, is somewhat complicated. From a large number of micrometrical measurements (worthy of all praise) which he made on yearling stems of dicotyledons in the course of development}, Harting draws the conclusion that in the internode of a dicotyledonous plant no multiplication of cells takes place in a radial direction after it has passed heyond the condition of bud, but that in the course of the first year the resulting thickening of the internode is to be ascribed to the expansion of the cells already existing in the bud. In reference to this he distinguishes two periods; in the first, which precedes the thickening of the walls of the ligneous cells, this expansion proceeds in a similar proportion in all the layers * At the same time it must not be forgotten that this apposition is pecu- liarly cireumstanced. It is true that roundish dots correspond accurately in position and generally in form; elongated and obliquely placed dots, on the contrary, come into apposition only at their middles, and no longer cor- respond in their form, since they cross; finally, slits (much-elongated dots) which run between spiral or annular fibres, &c. are usually without any relation of position to each other, in contiguous cells. The connexion there- fore is not so simple as Harting appears to have conceived, when he assumes that openings from one cell into another occur in the primary membrane which directly correspond; of these however it would be as difficult to ex- plain why they form of exactly the same size and in corresponding situa- tions in the two cells, as it is easy to explain the origin of the dot when my view of the structure of cell-membrane is admitted. + Tijdschrift voor naturlijke Geschiedenis, 1844. M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. 151 of the stem; in the second period, on the contrary, in which the wood-cells become thickened, they expand in a greater propor- tion than the remainder of the cells, and, indeed, in such a man- ner that the expansion of their cell-cavities is in proportion to the expansion of the cells which do not become thickened, and that besides this, the radial diameter of the ligneous cells becomes increased by the thickening of their wall: From the circum- stance that by the occurrence of a deposition of secondary layers in the cavity, this latter must necessarily be contracted,—that however such a contraction is not indicated by the micrometrical measurement of this cell, the cavity of the cell enlarging to the same size as where no thickening of the wall takes place,— Harting draws the conclusion that the deposition of layers of increment takes place upon the outside of the cell. Let us examine these assertions as to the ligneous cells some- what more closely. First, it is stated that in the wood of dico- tyledons no multiplication, but only an expansion of cells takes place. Here Harting rests, not so much on the direct counting of the cells lying in the said direction im the woody bundle, as on the estimate depending on the measurement of the cavities and the thickness of the walls of certain of these cells. I wholly disregard the question, whether, from the different magnitude of the ligneous cells, of which those lyimg in the outer part of the wood are mostly much smaller, while the larger are situated toward the interior, this method of investigation is adapted to furnish an accurate result, and whether Harting has proceeded with the necessary regard to all circumstances in carrying ‘it into effect, since distinct facts exist which demonstrate the view that the ligneous cells do not multiply in a radial direction to be completely erroneous. There is, to go no further, evidence of this in the direct calculation of the ligneous cells which lie in the radial direction in different internodes of the same yearling shoot. The following calculations were instituted on transverse sec- tions, always from the middle of the internodes, of twigs which were cut off in January, in which therefore all the woody cells of the first year’s ring were fully developed. The internodes are indicated from below upward by the numbers 1, 2, 3; that marked 1, however, not being always the lowest internode of the twig. The number of cells refers to the perfect wood-cells lying in the direction of a radius between the pith and the cambium layer. They were counted in those places where no vessels, or as few as possible, lay in the direction of the radius; when how- ever, as is unavoidable in the thicker internodes, one or more vessels were situated in the row of cells, the calculation of the 152 M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane: extent oecupied by these vessels was obtained from the cells lying next them*. a. Twig of Tila parvifolia; 1st mternode 149 cells, 5th in- tern. 110, 8th intern. 79, 13th intern. 29 cells. b. Twig of Robinia pseudo-acacia; 1st intern. 141, 5th 96, 10th 74, 15th 42, 20th 18, 23rd 9 cells. e. Twig of Gingko biloba; 1st intern. 42, 4th 36, 9th 17 cells. d. Twig of Morus alba. Here the interior portion of the vas- cular bundle, which consists almost wholly of vessels, and in which six or eight vessels lie immediately behind one another in the radial direction, is excluded from the enumeration, and only the number of the wood-cells is determined, which in every internode lie outside this very conspicuous group of vessels : lst intern. 228, 10th 134, 20th 58, 30th 2—3 cells. We arrive at similar results if we examine twigs which are actually in a condition of rapid growth; for instance, this was shown by a twig of Hoya carnosa about 2 feet long, the leaves of which were yet all in the form of small scales; the Ist inter- node 20 cells, 2nd 19, 3rd 17, 4th 12, 5th 7, 6th 4. In this case the smaller number of ligneous cells in the upper internodes could not at all be attributed to the circumstance that a larger proportion. of the cells were in the condition of cambium cells, since in every internode only three to five cambium cells were situated behind each other in the radial direction. Calculations instituted on other twigs and in other plants may furnish other numbers ; but the great difference in the above numbers renders it incontestable, that at the conclusion of the first period of vegetation the upper and younger internodes con- tam a much smaller quantity of ligneous cells in the radial di- rection than the lower and old. internodes of the same shoot ; also, that during the greater proportionate length of the time of vegetation in the lower internodes than in the upper, a very evident multiplication of cells has taken place. As it may be objected to the result of the above enumerations (though very falsely, since anatomical examination of young twigs bears evidence to the contrary) that a greater number of wood-cells already existed in a nascent state while the internode was yet in the condition of bud, and that the greater number * I was originally undecided whether the vessels and cells should be counted together or separately. Neither method however appears to me to furnish so certain a result as that. which I have followed, on account of the irregular distribution of the vessels. At the same time, the very immaterial relative differences which arise from these various methods of enumeration “are not worth consideration in reference to the general result. M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. 153 which we meet with in the fully developed condition of the in- ternode is not to be ascribed to the occurrence of a new forma- tion of cells during the summer, it may not be superfluous to direct our attention to a second relation, which decides the fact in the most indubitable manner. In the examination of young shoots of dicotyledonous trees, e. g. of oaks, poplars, robinias, &e., we find, without exception, that their vascular bundles run downward from the base of the leaf through several internodes in a parallel direction without entering into any lateral connexion with each other *. The medullary ray lying between two vas- cular bundles has also a length equal at least to an internode. The same relations are met with also, unchanged, in full-grown twigs in the inner part of the wood, in the so-called corona, which corresponds to the young vascular bundles; the larger and more externally situated portion of the wood, on the con- trary, exhibits an essentially different mechanical arrangement of its constituent elements. There are, in particular, no longer any separate vascular bundles to be distinguished, but the whole woody mass forms a continuous cylinder, the fibrous bundles of which exhibit not a straight but a serpentine course, and have grown together at certain distances, so as to form a network of narrow and not very long meshes, which are filled up by the medullary rays. In the very young internode there is not the slightest trace of all this reticulated layer, which at the end of the year forms the greater proportion of the body of the wood; in the course of the summer therefore a new part is produced upon the outside of the typical vascular bundle which existed in the bud, and the cells of this part are developed at a later period. By what we learn both from the increased number of the wood-cells of older internodes as well as from the dissimilar structure of the outer and more considerable portion of their woody bundles, the commonly received opinion, according to which the formation of new wood-cells takes place in the cam- bium layer during the summer, is fully confirmed, and the theory of Harting, which ascribes the extension of the wood in thick- ness solely to the expansion of its cells and the deposition of secondary membrane on the outside of their primary wall, is wholly set aside. In reference now to this latter point, the deposition of the secondary layers outside the primary membrane, it would be na- turally very easy to. decide the correctness or falsity of this view * It is not here meant that lateral connexion between the vascular bun- dles of the medullary sheath is absent in all dicotyledons ; on the contrary, I know well that in many dicotyledons the course of the vascular bundles is quite different from what is stated above, but such connexions are found only at the nodes, and are altogether wanting in most trees. 154M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. by micrometrical measurement, if it were possible to examine one and the same cell at different periods of its development. Since this is not possible, we are obliged to compare the older and younger cells of the same internode with each other ; here however the unequal size which different wood-cells attain brings us into a difficulty which is almost insurmountable, since not only would a vast number of measurements, robbing us of much time, be involved in order to obtain a value moderately approxi- mating the truth if all the cells of the woody mass were deve- loped in a tolerably similar manner, but the detection of alter- ations which the size of the wood-cells undergoes in the course of time is rendered particularly difficult, by the fact that cells lymg in different layers of the rmg of wood annually produced attain a different size. However, before I give certain measure- ments which I made in relation to this, there is a point to be con- sidered which Harting appears to have totally overlooked. The cambium-cells evidently become thickened on all sides in their transition into wood-cells ; the cells, which form the innermost layer of the cambium, before becoming thickened, have already pushed forward their walls so as to be in immediate contact with each other laterally, and thus form a circle which straitly incloses the outermost circle of thickened perfect wood-cells. Let us assume with Harting, that during the transition of cambium- cells into wood-cells their cavity is not lessened in size, but that the increment of their walls is referable to the application of new layers upon the outer side of their walls. In this case it would necessarily follow, from mechanical reasons, that the cavity of the cambium-cell inclosed by the primary walls, under these re- lations, as the side walls would be thickened by each new deposit, would be compressed laterally and the cell must become ex- tended in the direction of the radius, since otherwise the ring formed from the cambium layer must, in consequence of the production of deposits between the side walls of each cell, be- come expanded to a much more considerable size than they pre- viously possessed, and be torn away from the outer circle of the wood-cells. Since the latter evidently does not happen, we must assume’ that if the surface of the transverse section of the cell- cavity does not become enlarged in the conversion of the cam- bium-cells into wood-cells, yet in any case an alteration of form and an expansion of the cell-cavity in the radial direction must take place. Now to prove whether this is really the case or not, I selected a twig of Hoya carnosa, which plant appears to me to be especially suited for these investigations, because its wood-cells are of tolerably equal size, and because during the development of its cylinder of wood, the limit between the wood and the cam- bium shows itself very distinctly. That I might not be exposed Mr. J.D. Dana on Zoophytes. 155 to the risk of selecting arbitrarily for measurement such rows of cells as would best correspond in the form and size of their outer- most wood-cells and innermost cambium-cells to a preconceived theory, I measured, with the screw micrometer, in ten rows of cells lying together in a radial direction, the radial diameter of the two inmost cambium-cells and the two outermost wood-cells, as well as the radial diameter of the cavities of the latter. To extend the measurement to a greater number in the radial diree- tion did not appear to me to be at all to the purpose, as the size of the cambium-cells diminishes very rapidly toward the bark ; on which account those cells lying further out are much less suitable for comparison with the wood-cells than those cambium- cells at the border of the wood which are closely approaching their conversion into wood-cells. The average results of these measurements, expressed in frac- tions of a millimetre, are as follows :—radial diameter of the outer cambium-cell +45, the inner cambium-cell bordering the wood ,, the outer wood-cell 4, the inner wood-cell 7;, the cavity of the outer wood-cell ;+,, and the cavity of the inner wood-cell +35. : [To be continued. ] XVII.—On Zoophytes. By J. D. Dana*. Tue singular features of the growing coral field, the resemblance to vegetation in its productions, as well as their beauty and va- riety, have long excited the attention even of those little curious in the forms of living nature. Trees, shrubs, and other plants of various kinds are represented with wonderful exactness, as if they had been the types of this branch of the animal kingdom ; and they grow mingled together often in rich profusion like the plants of the land. The similarity, moreover, is not confined to general form: corals have their blossoms ; for polyps are flowers both in figure and beauty of colouring. Like the pink or Aster, they have a star-like disc above; and while some are minute, others are half an ich or even two inches in diameter. Every part of a Madrepore when alive is covered with these blossoms : * From Silliman’s American Journal for July 1846. In the series of articles on Zoophytes, which it is proposed to prepare for publication, the writer presents the facts and principles that have been published in his Report on Zoophytes, one of the volumes of the late Ex- ploring Expedition under Capt. Charles Wilkes. The subject is however condensed, and the style and arrangement altered to adapt it to these pages, and give it a somewhat more popular character. It is the writer’s endea- vour to present a succinct account of this department, about which there is little generally known, without confining himself to original observations. 156 | Mr. J.D. Dana on Zoophytes. a Gorgonia, though merely a cluster of naked stems, as seen in our cabinets, consists, when in the water, of as many crowded spikelets of flowers. Thus it is with all zoophytes. Nothing could be more untrue than the night-mare dreams of a favourite oet* ;:— : ** Shapeless they seem’d, but endless shapes assumed ; Elongated like worms, they writhed and shrunk Their tortuous bodies to grotesque dimensions.” And again, they are described as issuing from the coral, like * capillary swarms Of reptiles horrent as Medusa’s snakes.” Polyps are not writhing worms. The choicest garden does not produce flowers of more graceful figure or gayer colours than those of the zoophyte reef; and we may add too, that the birds of the groves will not rival the rich tints of the fishes that sport among the coral branches. The coral tree is without verdure, but there is full compensation in its perpetual bloom. It is not surprising that these resemblances should have misled early investigators. For a long period only the external forms of zoophytes were known, and every analogy observed authorized their arrangement with plantst+. The discovery of the flowers or seed of corals was yet to be made to prove the identity ; and at last, Marsigli, an active explorer of the Mediterranean, came forward with this veritable discovery itself, and published figures of “ les fleurs du corail ’—the coral blossoms{. Other discoveries followed : but it was soon shown that these flowers were gifted with the attributes of animal life. This observation is said to have been first made by Ferrante Imperato, a naturalist of Naples, who published his ‘ Historia Naturale’ in 1599§. It was however demonstrated independently, as is believed, and more thoroughly, by Peyssonel, who wrote an elaborate memoir on certain species examined by him in the West Indies||. But before a transfer of * Montgomery’s Pelican Island. + Among the authors who arranged corals with the vegetable kingdom are Dioscorides, Cesalpin, Bauhin, Ray, Geoffroy, Tournefort and Marsigli, { Marsigli, Physique de la Mer, Amsterdam, 1725. His first observa- tions were made in 1706. § See Blainville’s Manuel d’Actinologie, p.14. __ || Peyssonel’s Memoir covers 400 pages of manuscript. It was sent to the Royal Society in.1751, and an abstract of it was read, which appeared in the ‘ Transactions’ for 1753 (vol. x. of the Abridgement). The memoir, though for many years supposed to be lost, is still extant in the library of the museum at Paris; and a late notice of it by M. Flourens may be found in the ‘ Annales des Sciences Naturelles,’ 2nd ser. ix. 334, 1838. Dr. J. Parsons made a laboured and apparently successful reply to Peys- sonel before the Royal Society in 1752, in which he argues ab ignorantié : ‘It would seem to me much more difficult to conceive that so fine an ar- rangement of parts, such masses as these bodies consist of, and such regular Mr. J. D. Dana on Zoophytes. 157 zoophytes from the vegetable to the animal kingdom was gene- rally allowed, the subject was one of warm debate among the philosophers of the day. The animals detected were suspected of being parasites, and pronounced as too mefficient for the pro- duction of trees of stone with their spreading branches ; while the formation of coral was attributed to a kind of vegetable growth by some, and to mineral aggregation or crystallization by others*. The scientific world was divided, and Reaumur in his earlier writings condemned the new views advocated by Peys- sonel as too absurd to be discussed. The investigations of Trem- bley on the Hydra polyps, and of Jussieu on other species obtained on the sea-coast of France, finally convinced Reaumur. Ellis, by a laborious series of investigations, led the way in England ; and though his facts were doubted by some, they were soon received with full credit}. The figures of these authors represented actual flowers as regards form; but these flowers were shown to have a mouth, and to be capable of eating like animals. They were actually fed, and the process of digestion watched through its different stages. Moreover they were shown to be an essential and constituent part of the zoophyte. The petal-like organs which produce the striking similarity to flowers were observed in some instances to be used as arms in taking their prey and conveying it to the mouth, for which purpose they were conve- miently arranged in a circle around the mouth. The coral blos- soms were consequently declared to be animal in every essential character. Yet Linnzus, after long hesitation, advanced no further than to admit for zoophytes an intermediate nature be- tween plants and animals. Thus more than a century elapsed, after the discussion commenced, before this one simple fact in science became generally believed, that zoophytes are animals, and resemble plants only in sometimes assuming the shapes of vegetation. The point is now no longer doubted. In these remarks we exclude sponges from the class of zoo- phytes. Their nature is still a subject of dispute, and some of ramifications in some, and such well-contrived organs to serve for vegetation in others, should be the operations of poor, helpless, jelly-like animals, rather than the work of more sure vegetation, which carries on the growth of the tallest and largest trees with the same natural ease and influence as the minutest plant.” * P. Boccone, ‘ Museo di Fisica,’ &c., Venice, 1694, 1 vol. 4to, with figures. Baker, ‘Employment for the Microscope,’ pp. 218—220. Lon- don, 1753. ¢ Ellis published various memoirs in the ‘ Philosophical Transactions ’ from the years 1753 to 1776, and also a work entitled ‘ Essay towards a Na- tural History of Corallines,’ 4to, with plates, London, 1754. A posthumous work of this author was afterwards published by Solander, under the title, ‘The Natural History of many curious and uncommon Zoophytes,’ 4to, with 63 plates, London, 1756. ) 158 Mr. J. D. Dana on Zoophytes. the most distinguished names in science are committed on oppo- site sides. If animals, they have only the most general properties of animal life, and are less nearly related to polyps than to the infusorial animalcules. They are arranged with the latter by Dujardin. 7 Though zoophytes have no connection with the vegetable kingdom, polyps may be styled with much propriety flower- animals. The word zoophyte*, originally used by Lipneus, alluded to their supposed intermediate nature. Still, the name is sufficiently appropriate, although the idea in which it originated is exploded. They are plants in form even to the coral-polyps which blossom over the surface ; yet in the mode of receiving, digesting and assimilating nutriment, and every other function of life, they are animal. The relation of the coral to the coral animal, and the mode of its formation, are subjects about which much error has been pub- ‘ lished; and although now correctly explained in some scientific treatises, very erroneous impressions largely prevail. Without entering into particulars in this place, one single fact should be here stated and duly considered ; it is this :—coral is not the residence or hive of polyps; on the contrary, it is contained within the polyps, instead of containing them. It is formed within them by animal secretion, as bones are formed within other animals; and in most living zoophytes it is wholly in- closed, showing not a spine or point externally. This is the case with the Madrepore ; no part of the coral is seen externally while the animal is alive in the water. The idea that coral polyps re- treat into cells is therefore wholly without foundation. Some- times the summit or flower-shaped part of the polyp becomes concealed, in a manner a little similar to the withdrawal of a tur- tle’s head; but even this semblance of retreat is by no means general among the ordinary coral zoophytes. 3 There is no mechanical accumulation of material by the polyp: they are as unconscious of the coral secretions going on within * The word zoophyte is from the Greek (doy, animal, and diva, to grow like a plant. Blainville states that the term was introduced by Sextus Em- piricus and Isidore de Seville in the sixth century. It has been differently restricted in its use by authors, and, on account of its various applications, is wholly rejected by Lamarck. Other late scientific writers retain it, and it is also the popular designation. Ehrenberg has proposed to substitute Phytozoa, derived from the same roots. But science requires a name that will apply to the whole compound structure—the coral tree, sea-fan, or mass of whatever shape ; and phyto- zoon refers only to a single polyp, or phytozoa to polyps in general. These cannot supply the place of the very convenient terms zoophyte and zoo- phytes. Moreover, the term phytozoa or phytozoaires (plant-animals) has been applied to the minute monad-like cellules found in the tissues of some plants, and supposed to be animalcules or plant-entozoa. Mr. J. D. Dana on Zoophytes. 159 them, and as free from actual labour and industry, as we are in the construction of our bones. . The existence of such terms in the science as polypary, poly- pidom, applied to coral, signifying a hive or house of polyps, indi- cates the errors of former days; errors which science should not perpetuate. As a substitute, the old term Corallum* is conve- nient and unobjectionable. Corallium has been rejected because of its application to a particular genus of corals. In Corallum, we have a familiar word, and one which implies no hypothesis or erroneous comparison. The analogy between the work of the polyp and that of the bee or ant, though often suggested, is wholly without foundation. The existence of coral secretions is by no means essential to the existence of polyps. Although a large number of species form coral, there are also many that are wholly fleshy, or secrete only a few scattered granules of lime. The Actinie or sea-ane- mones, as they are familiarly called, are examples of these fleshy species. In every point of structure, and in every function, ex- cept that of coral-secreting, they are identical with coral animals. They have also the same resemblance to flowers when expanded, and their rich tints and large size make them the most brillant flower-animals of any seas. One of the most singular characters of zoophytes is their fre- quent compound nature. The branching Madrepore is an ex- ample of this compound structure. There are hundreds of polyps united in a single individual ; each little prominence containing a cell pertained to a separate animal; and by counting these prominences over a branch of coral, the number of flower-animals combined in its production may be ascertained. In the same manner, in Astreas, each radiate cell or depression over the sur- face marks the site of a polyp. The many animals, though di- stinct in some functions, are still mutually dependent in others, as we shall explain in the sequel. Although these compound forms are most common, yet there are other zoophytes which are always simple polyps. The coral in such cases is a single isolated cup or radiated disc, and the coral animal is a solitary flower. These simple polyp-flowers * Coral has been variously designated in both ancient and modern times. The terms Corallium, Corallum and Curalium were all used by the ancients, and their derivations and use are discussed at length by Theophrastus in his work on plants, book iv. Kovpddvoy is the ancient Greek form, as says Dionysius, mavrn yap didos é€otiv épvOpod xovpadiowo. The more recent Greeks, among whom are Dioscorides and Hesychius, wrote the word xo- padduov. Among the Latins, Ovid wrote, “Sic et curalium quo primum contigit auras tempore durescit.” Avienus uses Corallum. Among the de- rivations suggested, that of xépn, damsel, and dds, sea, appears the most probable. 160 Prof. Gené on the Generation of Ixodes. instead of being microscopic are often of large size. While many are but one or two lines in diameter, others are one or two feet. The large Fungia, with its stellate surface and sprinkling of eme- rald tentacles around its central mouth, is one of the most beau- tiful objects of the coral reef. The foregoing remarks are presented as an introduction to a more particular account of the structure and habits of zoophytes. XVIII.— Observations on the Generation of Ixodes. By Prof.Gzné. Communicated by Atrrep Tuix, M.R.C.S. THovucH some time has now elapsed since a paper bearing the above title was read by Professor Gené of Turin at the Scientific Association held in Milan in 1844, and subsequently reported in its ‘ Transactions’ during the past year, we have been induced to avail ourselves of the latter source to give the reader an ac- count of the facts therein recorded concerning the manner in which the generative functions are performed by both sexes of a genus of Tracheary Arachnida, belonging to the tribe Acarides ; and in trespassing upon the reader’s attention thus late in the day, we would urge as an excuse the very striking relation, if only approximative in kind, between the organ employed by the male Ixodes to copulate with the female, and the palpi as mini- stering to similar uses in the Araneides or true Spiders. The Professor showed how DeGeer had been the first to observe the copulation of the Ixodes, which act consists on the part of the male, which is very much smaller in size than the female, intro- ducing its rostrum into the orifice situated upon the middle of her sternum between the coxee of the last pair of legs ; but inas- much as neither DeGeer, Hermann, and subsequent naturalists were certain whether this strange union was actually one of a sexual character, he commenced by adducing a large number of observations of his own, tending to remove any doubt that might exist upon the question, by proving that the male actually inserts his rostrum and that only into the female aperture, and that its fecundating organs consist of two small white and fusiform bodies which during this insertion emerge on the right and left of the inferior labium, while upon the retraction and consequent disap- pearance of these organs, the male, being then detached from the female, scarcely appears the same creature. In the year 1806 Chabrier had announced that the females of Ixodes gave birth to their ova through the oral opening or mouth ; a statement, however, refuted ten years afterwards by Pastor Miller of Odenbach, who observed that the ova issued from the proper sternal canal of the female, who in expelling each ovum Prof. Gené on the Generation of Lxodes. 161 effected this by means of a conical and tubulose tubercle. This observation, tending to contradict the assertion of Chabrier, was afterwards repeated and confirmed by Lucas, but neither he nor Miiller had seen the half of what takes place in Jvodes durmg the emission of ova. | The female of Jxvodes, after having been fecundated by one or by several more males in succession, proceeds without any delay to perform this long operation. To this effect she commences by depressing upon the sternum all the palpi that compose the rostrum, when there is seen to be protruded with an easy gliding motion from beneath the dero-cephalic plate a turgid vesicle of a white colour, and which from its being terminated by two lobes of equal consistency and colour, having at their apex a most minute aperture, our author designates provisionally the vesica biloba. When this organ, which had been seen neither by Miiller nor Lucas, has been well dilated so as to project beyond the rostral palpi, the animal everts the pectoral canal and gives exit to the oviduct, which being protruded like the feeler of a snail, proceeds at once to disburden itself between the lobes of the vesica. This clasps, compresses, and appears as if sucking the oviduct for a few seconds ; but after this the oviduct is retracted, re-enters the sternum, leaving an egg between the lobes of the vesicle, which clasps it firmly, turning it to and fro in all direc- tions, and vibrating now and then in a spasmodic manner. Four or five minutes having elapsed, during which time the ovum re- mains between its lobes, the vesicle disappears by re-entering its internal situation ; the ovum is left upon the inferior labrum, and this being elevated along with all the palpi that compose the rostrum, thrusts the ovum upon the dero-cephalic plate or in front of the body. These acts are renewed for as many ova as the female may have to discharge. The Professor did not know what might be the office of this bilobed vesicle. He suspected at first that it might be the recep- tacle of the semen: that deposited by the male during coition in the oviduct was transferred thither, so as to accumulate, by means of some internal channel, but the existence of such a communi- cation the anatomy failed to reveal, added to which it would re- quire too long and improbable a transit. He imagined likewise that from this organ might issue the glutinous fluid with which the ova are besmeared, but this conjecture also had to be re- nounced, upon ascertaining that they were already viscid and adhesive at their immediate exit from the oviduct. In such a state of doubt recourse was had to an experiment, which pro- duced the following important result. Having punctured, with the point. of a fine needle, the vesica biloba of various pregnant females, so as to prevent its further distension, he then saw, that Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xvii. N 162 Mr.J.E. Gray on some Species of Cephalophus. while the ova in uninjured females, after passing through that organ, remained turgid and were hatched in due time, that they now, from undergoing no intermediate process, fell from the ovi- duct, shrivelled up readily and died. Whatever therefore might be the real use or action of the bilobed vesicle, its very primary importance was at all events determined by the death or life of the ova, depending upon its bemg injured by puncturation or not. The remainder of the paper was devoted to the prodigious fe- cundity of Jzodes, the females of which, according to their indi- vidual size, and the species whereunto they belong, give birth to more than a thousand ova, being so employed, without intermis- sion, from ten to thirty consecutive days. To deposit these ova, the female when in a mature state of pregnancy detaches herself from the animal upon whose blood she has lived as a parasite by suction and falls to the ground; the young, which are hatched sooner or later according to the heat of the season, remain for some time quietly congregated together, but at the first impulse arising from want of food, they part company, and ascend the stalks of herbs and shrubs to await the passing by of that animal upon which instinct bids them subsist. They have then only six legs ; but after the change has taken place, when the old rostrum and integuments are left adhering to the skin of the animal upon which they prey, they are then shown to be in an adult and perfect state, that is, furnished with eight legs. The whole paper, rich in facts, and of which the above is an abstract, was illustrated when read by a wax model of the female [zodes as seen, when largely magnified, in the act of depositing her ova. It is to be hoped that some such masterly observer and arachnologist as Mr. Black- wall among our own countrymen may furnish us with additional evidence relative to the singular facts here recorded. XIX.—Description of the Species of Cephalophus (H. Smith) zn the Collection of the British Museum. By J. H. Gray, Esq., F.R.S. &e. 7 TueE determination of the species of Antelopes has for a long time been considered one of the most difficult programs in z0o- logy, and the Tufted Antelopes have perhaps been the least stu- died of the group. Finding, when revising the nomenclatures of the species of this genus in the British Museum collection, that there were several which do not yet appear to have been de- scribed, and that they appeared to have more prominent cha- racters than have hitherto been given to them, I have ventured to send you for publication in the ‘ Annals’ the result of my re- vision of the group. * Mr. J. E. Gray on some Species of Cephalophus. 163 The genus may be divided into sections by the shape and esc of the ears. I. The ears elongate, nearly as long as the head, acute ; horns elongate, slender ; forehead flat. 1. C. mergens. 2. C. Campbelliz. II. Ears moderate, half as long as head, rather acute ; horns short. 3. C. coronatus. III. The ears short, not half as long as the head, rounded at the end ; horns short. + Black, white dorsal spot, no eye streak. 4, C. sylvicultrix. +t Fulvous, black dorsal streak, no eye streak. 5. C. Ogilbu. 6. C. dorsalis. ttt Fulvous or black, no eye streak. 7. C. niger. 8. C. natalensis. 9. C. rufilatus. tttt Gray brown, with a pale eye streak to base of the horns. * Fur one-coloured, hair uniform. 10. C. Maxwellii. ** Fur one-coloured, hair black and gray intermized. 11. C. monticola. 12. C. melanorheus. *KK Fur grisled, hair yellow rayed. 13. C. punctulatus. Professor Sundevall has in his specific characters laid some stress on the direction of the lacrymal streak, but I find on com- paring different specimens of the same species that little reliance can be placed on this character, in stuffed specimens at least ; for the direction of the streak is altered according as the skin of the face is more or less stretched. 1. The Duyker or Duyker Boc, Cephalophus mergens. Antelope mergens, Blainv. Bull. Soc. Phil. 1817; H. Smith, G. A. K. v. 264; Licht. Saugth. t. 11; Harris, W. A. Afr. t. 15. A. nic- titans, Thunb. Mem. Petersb. 11. 312. A. Burchellii, H. Smith, Griffith, A. K. v. 262. A. Ptoor, H. Smith, Griffith, A. K. v. 265? A. platous, H. Smith, G. A. K.v. 266. Moschus Grimmia, Linn. Yellowish brown, grayish in winter ; hair yellowish, with black- ish tip ; forehead yellowish bay ; chin, throat, abdomen, inside of ears and under side of face white ; feet, streak on the nose, up the legs, and upper part of tail black; ears elongate, nearly as 164 Mr. J.E.Gray on some Species of Cephalophus. long as head, acute ; horns black, elongate, slender, base rugose and subangular in front. Inhab. 8. Africa. | This species varies greatly in the intensity of the colours and in the extent of the black on the feet and nose. In one young specimen in the British Museum the black on the nose is quite deficient ; and a newly born specimen has the bright colouring of the breeding-season, and is bright bay on the crown. The specimen of A. platous in the London Missionary Society’s Museum appears to be only a pale specimen of C. mergens with- out the black nose streak. 2. The Black-faced Philantomba, Cephalophus Campbellia. An- telope Grimmia, Pallas, Spec. Zool. xu.18.t.1?? ~ C. Burchellia, var. (C. Campbellie), Gray, Cat. B. M. 162. , Gray and black, grisled; belly white ; cheeks, neck and chest yellowish ; forehead yellow, with a black streak on the nose widening on the forehead and ending in a tuft behind the horns ; feet and front of fore-legs reddish black ; fur soft ; hair gray, with black subterminal ring and tip; ears elongate, acute. Inhab. S. Africa. This species agrees in most respects with Pallas’s description of an animal from Guinea ; his name unfortunately cannot be re- tained, as there are three 4. Grimmia :— 1. The Capra sylvestris africana of N. Grimm. Mise. Cur. Norimb. 1705. 131. t. 13, the authority for Capra Grimmia, Ray, Syn. 80, and Linn. S. N. (ed. x.) 70. Moschus Grimmii, Linn. S.N. ed. 12. from the Cape, of a dull gray colour. Probably the Duyker, C. mergens. 2. Le Grimme of Buffon, H. N. xii. 307. 829. t. 41. f. 2. 38. from a head sent from Senegal by Adamson, the Antelope Grim- mia of Desmarest, F. Cuvier, and H. Smith, &c., the C. rufilatus. 8. The A. Grimmia of Pallas, like the above. « Fitomba” or “ Philantomba” appears to be the generic name of all the W. African Cephalophi or Bush Antelopes. The Cephalophus quadriscopa, H, Smith, Griffith, A. K. t. 188, the only well-described species which we do not possess, appears to belong to this section ; it is peculiar as being the only bush goat with knee tuft, and the only antelope with “tuft on the hind as well as the fore-leps. 3. Red-crowned Bush Buck, Cephalophus coronatus. C. coro- natus, Gray, Ann. N. Hist. x. 1842, 266. Ant. Madoqua, Rup- pell, Faun. Abys. t. 7. f. 2; Sundevall. Pale yellowish brown; middle of back, and part of fore legs varied with a few scattered black hairs ; crown bright bay ; crest Mr. J. E. Gray on some Species of Cephalophus, 165 blackish brown, bay in front ; feet and streak up the nose black- ish ; inside of ears, chin, throat, chest, belly and hinder legs whitish ; horns short, conical. Inhab. W. Africa. Mr. Whitfield called it Coquetoon. There is an adult female in the collection of the Earl of Derby ; a nearly adult male and two young females in the collection of the British Museum; the two latter brought by Mr. Whitfield with the female before mentioned. 4. White-backed Bush Buck, Cephalophus sylvicultrix. Ante- lope sylvicultriz, Afzelius, N. Act. Upsal. vii. 123; H. Smith, Griff. A. K. t. 187. 3 7 Blackish brown, minutely grisled ; hair brown, with whitish tip; back with a large yellowish white spot, narrow in front ; throat, chest and belly redder; crown, nape and legs darker. Inhab. Sierra Leone. Varies in the size of the dorsal spot. In the British Museum is a young male, Length 29 inches ; height 18; tarsus 6°9. 5. Black-striped Bush Buck, Cephalophus Ogilbii, Gray, Ann. N. Hist. 1842. Antelope Ogilbii, Waterh. P. Z. 8. 1838, 60. Pale bay brown, with a deep black dorsal streak, beneath pale ; crown and haunches brighter bay ; neck and withers, and sides of the dorsal line varied with deep brown hairs ; streak up the fore- leg, upper part of hock, feet (above the hoof) and end of tail blackish ; horns short, thick, conical, very rugose on the inner front edges of the base. Inhab. Fernando Po. J.Thompson, Esq. 6. Bay Bush Buck, Cephalophus dorsalis. Dark bay; shoulders and legs darker ; the crown and nape, broad streak along the back, hair brown, a few on the haunches white-tipped ; end of the tail black, darker near the tail; sides of the chin, front of chest, and inside of the thigh pale brown. Inhab. Sierra Leone. Called Bush Goat. In the British Museum a young male brought to this country by Mr. Whitfield, which died in the Surrey Zoological Gardens. 7. Black Bush Buck, Cephalophus niger. Antelope niger, Mus. Leyden. } Sooty-black, grayer in the front half of the body ; chin, throat, abdomen and inside of thighs gray ; forehead, crown, dark bay and black mixed ; cheeks pale brown and black varied ; tail end whitish. Inhab. Guinea. In the British Museum there is a male from the Leyden Mu- 166 Mr.J.E. Gray on some Species of Cephalophus. seum nearly as large as the former. There is at Knowsley a Bush Buck, which is now shining black with a reddish brown crest ; when young it was red on the sides; it is perhaps the same as the above. 8. Natal Bush Buck, Cephalophus natalensis. Antelope nata- lensis, A. Smith, S. Afr. Quart. Jour. 217; Ill. Z. 8. A. t. 32. Bright red bay ; nape, withers and feet varied with dark gray hairs; nose-streak short, blackish; lips, chin, upper part of throat and end of tail white ; lower part of cheek, throat and ab- domen pale yellowish; crown and tuft bright red; horns short, conical. . Inhab. 8. Africa. Port Natal. There are five specimens of different ages in the British Mu- seum : this species resembles C. Ogilbii in size and colouring, but wants the dorsal streak. 9. The Coquetoon, Cephalophus rufilatus. A. Grimmia, H. Smith, G. A. K. v. 266. Grimme, Buffon, H. N. xi. t. 41. f. 2,3; F. Cuv. Mam. Lithog. t.. . not good. Deep reddish bay ; the legs, nape, streak on the nose to the crown and broad streak on the back blackish gray ; ears blackish ; crest and upper part of tail black ; cheek rather paler; chin and abdomen pale yellowish ; inside of ears whitish, with a brown spot on the outer side ; horns conical, rather elongate, obscurely annulated, slightly recurved. Inhab. Sierra Leone. Village of Waterloo. Called Coquetoon. The hair is rather paler at the base, of the dorsal streak gray, with a blackish tip, There is a male and female in the museum of the Earl of Derby, and a young female in the collection of the British Museum, pre- sented by the Earl of Derby. The male is 27 inches high. Length 15; at the tarsus 5°6; the horns are nearly 3 inches long. M. F. Cuvier’s (Mam. Lithog. t. _) figure is evidently in- tended for this species, but it is much paler than any specimen I have seen, and the distribution of the colour of the separate head appears to have been taken for the Guevei ? 10. The Guevei, Cephalophus Maxwellit, H. Smith, G. A. K. v. 847. A. pygmea, Pallas, Spec. xu. 18. frohs The Guevei, Buffon, not Licht. A. pygmea (Guever), F. Cuv. Mam. Lithog. t. . good, H. N. xu. t. 43. f.2. horn? ? Antelope Frederic, Laur., Sundevall. A. Philantomba, Ogilby. | Gray brown or sooty brown; sides of head and body grayer ; chin, throat, chest and belly whitish gray ; abdomen and front of a Mr. J. E. Gray on some Species of Cephalophus. 167 thigh white ; broad streak over each. eye to the base of the horns yellowish white ; feet and end of nose rather darker ; fur rather rigid ; hair uniform. Inhab. W. Africa. | This species is known from C, monticola by being larger, by the white of the eye streak and the white on the front of the thigh and chest and the rigidity of the hair. There is an adult male and female of this species in the British Museum ; the male is bright sooty brown, darker near the rump ; the female is nearly uniform pale gray brown. It is well-figured by M. F. Cuvier. 3 11. The Blau. Boe or Cape Guevei, Cephalophus monticola. A. monticola, Thumb. Stockh. N. H. xxxii. t. 5. Antelope ca- rulea, H. Smith, Griffith, A. K. v. 855 ; Daniell’s Afr. Scenery, t. . A. perpusilla, H. Smith, Griffith, A. K. v. 854. A. pyg- mea, Licht. S. t. 16, Desm., Sund. Gray brown; streak over the eyes, legs and outer part of thighs rufous; feet gray brown; chin, chest, abdomen, and under side of tail and inside of ears white; fur soft gray with intermixed rather rigid black hairs. Inhab. South Africa. The colours vary in intensity in a female in the British Mu- seum ; the rufous colour of the thigh and the white of the breast are more distinct than in the male, but this depends on the sea- son when they were killed. | A very young fawn, which was brought home from the Cape by M. Verreaux, is darker, and the reddish tint extends over the head and the whole body. 12. The Black-rumped Guevei, Cephalophus melanorheus. Ce- phalophus Philantomba, Gray, Cat. Mam. B. N. 163. Gray brown; throat and sides paler; rump and upper part of tail black; chin, chest, abdomen, back and front edge of thighs and under part of tail white ; narrow streak over the eyes whitish ; feet like the back; fur soft, pale gray, with intermixed rather rigid black hairs. Inhab. Fernando Po. J. Thompson, Esq. There are two specimens of this species in the British Mu- seum ; they are easily known by the black mark on the rump ; they are coloured like the Guevei from W. Africa, but smaller, and have the soft fur and interspersed black hair of the Cape Guevei, C. monticola. . 13. The Grisled Guevei, Cephalophus punctulatus. A. Philan- tomba, H. Smith, G. A. K. ? Dark fulvous brown ; sides and legs rather paler ; narrow streak 168 . M.Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. over the eyes and inside of ears pale brown, chin, throat, chest, belly and front of thighs and under part of tail white; hair gray at the base, with a brown and yellow subterminal ring ; crown and upper part of tail darker ; feet pale, varied. ~ Inhab. Sierra Leone. We have a young specimen of this species in the British Mu- seum, presented by Col. Sabine, R. E. It is at once known from the other Gueveis by the fulvous 608% which is produced by the yellow subterminal rings of the airs. Professor Sundevall in his Monograph recognises six and cites four doubtful species (Vet. Acad. Hand. 1844, 190). XX.—The Birds of Calcutta, collected and described by | ~ Cart J. SunpEVALL*. , [Continued from p. 110.] 7. Pica rufa, Vieill., Wagler, Isis, 1829, p. 751. Rufa, capite colloque nigro-fuscis; vitta alarum caudaque canis; remigibus ple- risque totis, rectricibus omnibus apice nigris. Longit. 15} poll., cauda 94; ala 148 millim., tarsus 29. Iris rufo-fuscescens. (fet ? sinmles. rae In Bengal the place of our common magpie is supplied by this bird, to which in form and marks it bears a close resem- blance, but the Indian bird is a little smaller and red-brown instead of white. Its common screaming sounds are like those of our magpies, but instead of that feeble indistinct sound which they make in spring and which is their only song, the Pica rufa sends forth clearer and stronger tones, which sound like koolee- ‘oh-koor | and at times hohlee-oh ! (c f,c, c, Da Capo, ce, d, ce). In this the Hindoos hear the word Halitshatsha, which is the name of the bird in the Bengal language. It is common and stationary in the neighbourhood of Calcutta. It is mostly seen in trees, and although a little shy like our magpie, it seemed not very willing to fly. In the stomachs of those I examined there were only insects, chiefly grasshoppers. It did not seem to despise meat, but I never saw this kind touch any remains of carrion. _ 8. Lanius phenicurus, Pallas+.—L. collurio var. Gloger. L. cris- tatus, Linn. sec. Edw. 54. UL. lucionensis, Briss., Linn. lL. super- ciliosus, Lath. sec. le Rousseau, Levaill. Ois. Afr. 66. 2. (e Bengalia ; nec L. superciliosus, Licht. Cat. et Gloger, ex Afr. = L. rufus var.) L. melanotis, Valenc. Dict. Sc. Nat. 40. p. 227. * Translated from the ‘ Physiographiska Sillskapets Tidskrift’ by R. Ber- tram, with Notes by H. E. Strickland, M.A. + This name is characteristic ; the two older names, cristatus and lucio- nensis are altogether unsuitable. M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 169 Rufus, subtus albidus, macula alarum alba nulla ; cauda unicolore, rufa. Remigum 4a sublongiore quam 3a; 5a longiore quam 2a, Rectrices extime circa 22 millim. breviores quam medie. Similli- mus collurioni sed eodem jure quo L. rufus distinguendus; melius forsan omnes conjungerentur. L. collurio differt, preter colorem maris, remigibus 4 et 5 brevioribus quam 3 et 2; cauda subbreviore, semper ex parte alba, penna extima circa 12 millim. breviore quam mediis ; ala paullo longiore, tarsoque paullo breviore. ref perfecte coloratus. Superne totus lete cinnamomeus, unicolor ; subtus albus, lateribus corporis dilute rufescenti-tinctis (nec roseis). Macula per oculos (ut collurionis) nigra, superne cum fronte latius albo limbata. Cauda unicolor, immaculata, colore dorsi. Ala colore simillima collurionis (macula obtecta definita, alba, &c.). Rostrum et pedes nigri. (Indiv. unicum Mus. Stockh. patriz incerte.) 3 (hiemalis?) Similis preecedenti sed colore rufo minus puro, et in dorso sordide infuscato. Tinctura rufescens latius in pectore crissoque extensa. Latera trunci ventrisque, interdum pectoris, striolis transversis, undulatis nigricantibus. Ale macula obtecta alba indefinita. Rectrices apice pallido limbate, carent autem striola fusca intramarginali junioris. Rostrum basi pallescens, pedesque nigro-fusci. Iris obscure rufescens. (Indiv. e Calcutta, Febr. Mus. Gyllenkr., Lund., Stockholm.) 2 Ut L. collurio 2 sed cauda vix albido limbata, nisi apice, nec transversim undata, dorsum postice et caput letius ferruginea. (Indiv. Calcutta, Martio ; Mus. Stockh.) Junior lo anno. Simillimus L. collurioni ejusdem eetatis, cauda magis rufescente ; pennis medio minus fuscis ; extima tantum paullo rufescenti albido limbata. (Indiv. e Bengalia in Mus. Lund. ; “ ex India,” Mus. Stockh.) Mensure adnotatz (millimetra) :— Var, L. Peseta saat Ze collurio. L. rufus. superc, 6a e ad Qa 6b Pulla b 2 ga b Cre Alz... 90. 87. 85. 85. 88. 88. 83. 83. 96. 95. 95. 93.100. 100. 100. 99.|98. 92. Tarsus 23. 24. 25. 24. 23. 23, 23. 23,122. 23.21. 24.| 23. 23. 23. 22.21. 29. Cauda ... 85. 86. 88. 92.... 77. ... |78. 78. 80. 76.| ... 80. 77.79. Lanius phenicurus 8 a est supra descriptus ‘‘ perfecte coloratus.” Pullus be Java? Mus. Stockh. differt colore pallidiore rostroque validiore, sed vix specie distinctus*. L. rufus b, ex insula Rhodo; ¢ et d, ex Aigypto, transitum ad va- rietatem ‘‘ superciliosum” (Licht. nec Lath.] preebent. L. collurio, omnes e Scania, adulti. The above-described bird I saw several times in the neigh- bourhood of Caleutta in February, March, and latest on the Ist of May; it is therefore stationary. According to Pallas and Gloger it is even found in Siberia, and according to Brisson in the Philippine islands ; but it is probably rare in Europe and * This is the variety termed ZL. magnirosiris in Bélanger’s Voyage, which our author is probably correct in referring to L. phoenicurus,—H. E.S 170 M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. Africa, and is there replaced by our common red-backed shrike (LZ. collurio), which extends from Sweden to the Cape, but which seems not to be met with in Asia. These two birds, which are not remarkably unlike in anything except the colour of the male, seem therefore to constitute an easterly and a westerly race of the same genus, each of which in its district goes through nearly all climates. As far as I could observe, the Asiatic species fol- lows the same mode of living as ours; has the same flight and mode of perching on the top of bushes, the same syllable ¢shack ! tshack! as well as restless but bold and powerful actions; and I doubt not that some remains of insects which I once found spitted on a thorny bush were a proof of its entomological habits. I could not learn anything about their propagation, and regret the shot which was fired at a male May Ist. Although the Benga- lese recognise the common kinds of birds pretty well, and have a certain name for most species, yet all of whom I inquired were in doubt as to the name of this bird. Still they gave me the same name as that given to Buchanan (according to Lath. ‘ Gen. Hist.’ under Lan. rufus), viz. Curcutea; but the same name is used for several other species, and according to the above-men- tioned authority is even used for little screaming children. Ed- wards (/. c.) says that in Bengal it is called “ Charah.” 9. Edolius balicassius, Cuyv.—Monedula philippensis, Briss. Cor- vus balicassius, Linn. et auct. Drongup, Levaill. Ois. Afr. 173 (ex India, plumis frontis nimis elevatis). Dicrurus lophorhinus, Vieil/. D. balicassius ? Vig. et Horsf. Linn. Trans. v.15. Rajah Shrike, Lath. Gen. Hist. (junior)*. Niger totus, dorso ceruleo nitente, fronte levi; cauda valde diva- ricata, corpore longiore ; rostro convexo, carina rotundata ; remige 4a reliquis longiore, 5a tertiam subexcedente. Long. 11—12 poll., cauda 6—7 ; ala 140—150 millim., tarsus 21. 6 nitidior, plumis frontis leviter curvatis. Iris obscure rubra. Rectrices mediz 105 millim., laterales 170. (Calcutta, 15 Febr. 1 Mai.) 2 paullo minor, fronte levi. Iris paullo fuscior. Rectrices medi 115 mill. extimee 160. Juv. opacus, fuliginoso tinctus in ala caudaque. (Calcutta Martio.) (Juv. prima etate forte = Lan. cerulescens, Linn.?) Rectrices late- rales longissime, valde arcuatze, apice latiusculz, rotundate. Lingua apice bifida lacera, similis Lanii collurionis. In aliis Edoliis (e. g. E. malabarico) rostrum acute carinatum, lateribus planatis, proportio remigum alia, &c. This is one of the most common birds in the neighbourhood * These synonyms are mostly erroneous. The bird in question is Edolius macrocercus, Vieill., and not E. balicassius. ‘The species EL. cerulescens, Edw. 56, is quite distinct.—H. E. 8. M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. ae of Caleutta, where it is seen all the year round. The Hindoos call it Pingja* ; the Musselmans Boojoonga, and the Europeans king of the crows. It is fond of the light of the sun, and is there- fore not met with in thickly grown groves, but much oftener in open spots. I saw them often sitting together in large numbers on a small solitary tree, where they made much noise and chat- tered, hopped and flew about, catching insects in their flight and attacking other birds that came near. They are often seen on a meadow and among grazing cattle, on whose back they like to sit, just like starlings and jays. Like the magpie they can both walk and hop at the same time, but they are not light on foot. Even their flight is heavy, not unlike that of the magpie. Their common tone is clear or chattering ; sometimes a higher srrr! srrr! is heard ; and in April they begin to sing charmingly, something like Sylvia trochilus. I found their stomachs always full of in- sects, principally Achete, which seem to be the common food for birds in Bengal. 10. Dicrurus eneus, Vieill.—Drongo bronze, Levaill. Ois. Afr. 176. Edolius metallicus, Cuv. . Ater, immaculatus, viridi-eneo nitens, plumis capitis oblongis, subsquameeformibus, nitidioribus ; temporibus, mento, ventreque nigro-opacis. Longit. 9 poll. Rectrices mediz 30 mill. breviores quam laterales. Rectrices laterales corpore longiores, leviter arcuato-divaricatz, apice rotundate, vix attenuate, in ¢ 115 millim., ala 120, tarsus 15. ? similis mari, sed paullulum minor. Kostro et vibrissis simillimus Muscicape paradisi. Nares setis paullo densius tecte. Remigum 4a reliquis longior. Iris et lingua omnino precedentis (LH. balicassii). Twelve or thirteen kinds of birds (which possess a remarkable external resemblance and are met with in the countries around the Indian sea) have been classified by ornithologists under one genus under the common name of Drongo, by which, accord- ing to Buffon, one of them is called in Madagascar (?). Cuvier calls them Hdolius, and Vieillot Dicrurus. They have a long tail of ten feathers very much forked, rounded wings, generally of a black colour ; the size of a thrush, and a great number of other resemblances. But notwithstanding these conformities, there are considerable grounds for dividing them into two generic groups, for which both the above-mentioned names can be employed. Those for which I have proposed to keep the Cuvierian name Edolius have their beak and feet formed as Lanius, and resemble * This name is generally written Fingah according to Edwards, pl. 56, Ed. cerulescens, which I have not seen in Bengal, but which seemed to me to be the young of the above species just leaving their nests: they differ in having a shorter tail and white colour under their body, on which are dark spots. 172 _M. Sundevall on the Birds of Caleutia. our magpies and jackdaws in their way of living ; the remaining ones, which may be named by the Vieillotian name Dicrurus, are, as far as I know, in these respects perfectly like Muscicape. By way of comparison one is reminded of almost corresponding re- semblances in colour between Turdus mindanensis, Bethylus leve- rianus and our magpie, also between Falco nisus and Sylvia ni- soria, &c., which yet indicate no near relationship, because im- portant differences of form forbid it. I saw Dicrurus eneus several times in the neighbourhood of Calcutta:in February and March. It remained lonely and gloomy in thick and shady groves between the branches of high trees. I never saw it on the plain. Like the Muscicape it sat at times quiet and watched an opportunity to catch insects in its flight, after which it returned to the same branch; sometimes it was seen restlessly hastening away between the thick branches. I never heard any sound from this species. In its stomach were found masses of insects, namely Achete, Coleoptera, &c., but no bees, which Levaillant considers to be the principal food of this bird. - 11. Muscicapa paradisi, Linn., Lath. no, 54.—Vardiole, Buff. Pl. Enl. 234. .Tchitrec-bé, Levaill. Ois. Afr. 144, 145, 146 (ex India). Var. a. Pyrrhocoraz, Mcehr. Musc. cristata alba,-Briss. Pica papuensis, id. sec. Seba. Icterus maderaspatanensis, id. sec. Ray. Todus paradiseus, Gm. - War. 6. Curruca? Moehr. Promerops indicus cristatus et Muscic. brasiliensis cristatus, Briss. sec. Seba. Muscic. cristaius capitis bone spei, id. Upupa paradisea, Linn., Gm., Lath. Muscicapa castanea, Temm. in Kuhlii Nom. Syst. Buff. Crista elongata, capite colloque toto nigro-zneis, limite coloris definito, recto ; cauda gradata. | a. Alba, alis caudaque nigro striatis. Palpebre coriacex, incras- sate, cerulee ( ¢ Calcutta, 12 Apr. testiculis parum elatis, cauda caret plumis longissimis). 6. Cinnamomea, subtus cinerea, abdomine crissoque albidis. Ala et cauda unicolores immaculate. (¢ prope Ceylon, 14 Dec.) Cauda simplex; palpebrze vix incrassate. Jugulum obscurius cinereum, plumis paucis nigro-ceruleis. Long. 8 poll., ala 96 mill. (in indiv. rufo 90); tarsus 18. Lingua plana, breviter triangularis, limbo membranaceo apice integro, sub- acuto. Cutis orbitz in indiv. albo, coriacea, nuda, ut annulus latus, elevatus oculum cingit. Rostrum obscure cerulescens; pedes ni- griores. Iris obscure rufescens. This beautiful bird is perhaps commonly to be met with in India, at least it is common in our collections, and has been often described before, which appears from its many synonyms. Bris- son in his ‘ Ornithology’ has treated of it in six places under four different generic names. The reason of this ariscs from remark- M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 173 able dissimilarities between individuals, some being white, others a deep red brown, and of both varieties there are to be found some with soft wavy feathers in their tail, which are often twice as long as the real feathers of the tail. As I have seen no live ones except the two males above-described, which had both lost their long feathers, I can throw no light on this peculiarity ; but that these individuals are of the same species might be proved by their perfect conformity in form and dimensions ; for the above- described dissimilarity in the length of their wings is not always constant; one often sees somewhat larger brown and somewhat smaller white specimens. But we cannot admit a difference in species without a certain difference in form. It seems most likely that the brown colour is the winter plumage ; that the white co- lour begins to appear about the commencement of the season of propagation through an organic chemical process in the feathers : the same process which so highly enhances the colour of our common birds, and causes the change in the ends of the feathers of a great number of them ; also that the long feathers of the tail come to perfection in the third year or later, whilst the colour of the bird is previously brown, after which they become white with the other feathers. Both those which I shot must therefore have been younger males, which in the following year would have propagated for the first time, and have acquired the two long feathers. The change of the colour has already been pretty well proved by Levaillant, from the remarkable information he has given about a number of specimens, which he received dried from India, and among which were found some which were in the transition state between white and red-brown. He was not how- ever aware of the fact of the existence of white males, which in spring-time lose the often-named ornament of the tail. Among the many nearly related species from Africa, there seem to be none which show similar changes of colour. The brown male came in an exhausted state on board our vessel as she was sailing by Ceylon, about ten [Swedish] miles from the coast, and therefore out of sight of land. It had been driven out to sea the day before by a storm of rain and fog, which brought a great many birds and insects into the sea, and of which I got | several. Notwithstanding its critical situation, its stomach was full of insects, and it was seen to catch several of them while flying. It sat a good hour in the rigging of the ship, after which it displayed a few times the common habit of the Muscicape, to fly and catch an insect and return to its former place. The white specimen was shot in the neighbourhood of Calcutta 14th April. I pursued it a long time while it actively hastened between the branches of some high thick groves in order to catch insects. It did not manifest the slightest desire to walk on the branches, or 174 M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta, whilst hanging thereto to search under them, but trusted prin- cipally to its wings. From none of them did I hear sound. Its flight was uneven and jerking when bent on a longer journey. This species also is called by the Hindoos Pinga. 12. Muscicapa cerulea, Gm., Lath. no. 36; Raffles in Lin. Trans. 13; Buff. Pl. Enl. 666. 1. L’Azur, &c., Levaill. Otis. Afr. 153. Cerulea, margine frontis anguloque menti nigris ; ventre crissoque albis. Ala nigra, plumis ceruleo marginatis antice gradata. Cauda rotundata et emarginata. 4 (Serampore 16 Febr.) lete coloratus, rostro pedibusque plumbeis, macula occipitis lineaque juguli trans- versis nigris. Magn. Sylvie. Ala 70 mill., tarsus 15, cauda 72. ? dorso infuscato, alis caudaque fuscis, plumis grisescente margi- natis ; occipite juguloque immaculatis. Jun. cinereus, ventre albido, capite margineque carpi cerulescentibus. Occiput et jugulum im- maculata. Mus. Stockh. This little beautiful bird, which is met with in the Philippine islands, Java, Sumatra, in all India and the south of Africa, I saw only once, without being able to observe it closer. It had its stomach full of all sorts of insects. ; 13. Muscicapa nitida (var. a) ? Lath. Gen. Hist. Olivaceo-viridis, subtus flava, capite colloque cum jugulo cinereis, vertice obscuriore. Remigibus rectricibusque nigris flavescenti marginatis. Long. 43 poll., ala 64 millim., tarsus 14, rostrum efronte 11. Statura, rostrum, cauda et pedes prioris. Vibrissee majores. Ala differt: remige la parva, 2 et 3 gradatis, 4 et 5 equalibus, longioribus quam reliquis (o*). Of this bird, of which I have seen only the specimen described, I know less than of the former*. 14. Muscicapa (gen. Rhipidura, Vig.t) Sannio,n. Broad-tailed Flycatcher, Lath. Gen. Hist. vi. p. 178. no. 34. Nigro-cinerascens capite nigriori, macula oblonga superciliari, fasciaque gulari albis. Cauda longa gradata, apicibus late albis, limite transverso. Longit. 74 poll., ala 80 millim. ; tarsus 18, digitus medius 10, cum ungue 15; cauda 97, rostrum e fronte 12; latit.5. Ala unicolor. Vitta ventralis parva, longitudinalis albida. Fascia gule lata, utrin- que attenuata, sub genas producta. (7 Febr. et 3 Mart.) (In utroque testiculi tumidissimi, hepar albidum. 9? Similis, sed indi- viduum deperditum. ) * This is the Cryptolopha ceylonensis of Swainson.—H. E. S. + Vig. et Horsf. Linn. Trans, xv. p. 246, Tres species: flabdellifera, Lath., rufifrons, Lath., motacillocdes, Vig. et Horsf. Huc porro: M. umbellata, n. nigro-fusca, gula, ventre, stria longiore superciliari, apicibusque rectricum albis. Ala unicolor, 77 millim., tarsus 19, rostrum e fronte 15. E Java, Mus. Gyllenkrokianum. Collum antice colore dorsi; uropygium subru- fescens. His forte affinis Gobemouche @ lunettes, Levaill. Ois. Afr. 152? M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 175 This little charming bird I saw solitary several times in Fe- bruary, skulking unobserved through thick bushes. In March and April it is met with oftener, several together, close to the ground, in places very shaded, mostly in low bamboo-groves. The male spread and raised its tail, jumped about the hen-bird with its wings hanging down along the horizontal branches or bamboo-roots, and they looked very active. One often sees the parabolic-shaped white-edged tail moving about without obser- ving the bird itself, until it announces its presence by a clear note, or turns to menace a rival in its vicinity. Its stomach is uncom- monly thin, almost like a skin ; it was always filled with soft in- sects—flies, Hymenoptera, and others. The Bengalese name given to me was Sa-boolbool, which in Lath. ‘Gen. Hist.’ is brought under Muse. paradisi, where the present bird is called Check-Dyal, a name which I have not heard*. 15. Muscicapa parva, Bechst., Temm. Man. ; Gloger, Eur. p. 401. Grisea, subtus sordide alba; cauda cum tectricibus nigris, rectri- cibus utrinque 4, basi ultra medium albis, limite irregulari subtrans- verso. 6 (Subestivalis ? testiculis parvis. Serampore 5 Apr.) colore sa- turatiore, capite fusciore, lateribus non canescente. Macula gule magna, fulva (paullo pallidior quam in Sylv. rubecula), undique albo- cincta, pectus non attingens. Ala 68 mill., tarsus 17. Junior ( ¢ 9 Febr.), caput superne colore dorsi, lateribus obsolete pallescenti maculatum. Collum antice album immaculatum. Ala 65—68 mill., tarsus 163. Rectrices laterales imo basi nigree, latius in interioribus. Remiges fusce, intus rufescenti albidz extus grisescenti marginate. Pedes et rostrum nigra. Iris obscure rufescens. Ale et rostri forma om- nino ut in Muscicapa atricapilla, sed ala brevior, tarsi longiores.* Vi- brissze parvee, nares membrana fornicata tect. Lingua brevis, inte- gerrima, sinuato-triangularis, apice angulisque posticis subrotundatis, non membranaceo-marginatis ! This bird, which is seldom seen in Europe, seems to belong to the south of Asia. It was very common in February and March in the vicinity of Calcutta, where they lived in the same way as our Regulus cristatus. They came forth in large scattered flocks, hopping and climbing about the branches of trees, where they industriously collected insects, and uttered almost the very same sounds as the Regulus. I saw none with a yellow throat among them ; they were all of the same colour. The above-described male with red yellow spots on its throat was quite alone (5th of April). For a long time I had seen none of this species, nor did I see any after that ; it is therefore likely that they go to the * This seems to be the Lthipidura fuscoventris, Blyth, and R. pectoralis, Jerdon.—H. E. S. 176 ~=Mr. A. White on some new genera of Crustacea. north during the summer. In the stomach I found the remains of winged insects (beetles), ants, &. I have only had opportu- nity to compare the specimens I brought home with a single young European one, but I found a perfect conformity. The white borders on the tail however were rather different on all the specimens I have seen. The Bengalese name is Tuntuni, or the more correct one Dhundhuni, which is also used for some other common birds. 16. Phenicornis peregrina, Boie.—Parus peregrinus, Linn. Syst. Nat. xii. 342 (?an?). @Mus.Carlss.,Gm., Lath. Parus malabaricus, Gm., Lath. ex itinere Sonnerati. Parus coccineus, Gm. Motacilla cinnamomea, Linn., Gm. Muscicapa flammea var. 6, Lath. L’Oranor, Levaill. Ois. Afr. 155 (e Ceylon). Saturate cinerea, ventre albo, remigibus apice immaculatis. ¢genis colloque antico nigris, pectore uropygioque fulvo-aureis, rectricibus utrinque 4 valde gradatis, extrorsum oblique luteis. Ale nigre, vitta angulata lutea, e basi pennarum cubitalium et fascia media in primariis 6 ultimis. Long. 6 poll., ala 68 millim., tarsus 15 (Cal- cutta 1 Maii). 4 ? seu ¢ jun.? pallidior collo antico cum regione rostri albidis, pectore flavescenti tincto. Uropygium, fascia alarum et latera caude ut in mare, sed dilutiora. (Mus. Stockh.) Rostrum validum, acute carinatum. Nares membrana parva fornicata tecte. Vibrisse parvee. Lingua crassa, late oblonga, planata, apice lacera, non bifida. Heec, ut fascia alarum, pictura uropygii et laterum caude toti generi com- munia sunt. This splendid little bird does not seem to be common about Calcutta ; I saw it only once. In its actions as well as colour it bears a great resemblance to Sylvia phanicurus, as was even vi- sible in the wagging of its tail. It had insects in its stomach ; I heard no sound from it. The Bengalese name given me was Pawi. [To be continued. ] XXI.— Notes on four new Genera of Crustacea. By Ava Wurst, M.E.S., Assistant in the Zoological Department of the British Museum. [ With a Plate.) Family PINNoTHERIDs. Xantuasia, White. This genus is distinguished from Pinno- theres by the extreme roughness and irregularity of the upper surface of the carapace, the extreme bulging of the tail in the female, which has a wide prominent rounded keel down the mid- dle; the legs are short and cylindrical ; the claws thick, hooked and sharp-pointed. The front of the carapace projects, and on a tara tk Cale pee: rety asst Rtn SP lly Fy pele E * ' . | aie \ 4 ‘ . oa " 9 ‘ ‘ x nN ? . pe ¢ rv] 4 j , , WiWing del Hullmandel & Walon Iithographers. 1. HALICARCINUS PLANATUS. (Fadr/: 4. DEINBBESUS WALCKENAERI. WAde 2, XENOPHTHALMUS PINNOTHEROIDES. Wave.5. DEINAGNATHA DANDRIDGII. White. - 3. XANTHASIA MURIGERA. White. 6. HOMALATHUS PUSTULATUS. Waite Mr. A. White on some new genera of Crustacea. 177 each side of it, outside the eyes, there is a knob which makes the anterior part of the carapace angular. Xanthasia murigera, White. Pl. IL. fig. 3. Of an ochraceous white. Carapace above, with the margin, excepting in front, raised into an elevated ridge, which is curled round behind the lateral knob on the front of the carapace: on the middle of the back of the carapace there is an elevated tubercle with the lateral edges sharp and the upper surface rough; between this and the front are two parallel elevated keels placed longitudinally. Hab. Philippine Islands. British Museum ; collected by Mr. Cuming. The figure is of the natural size. Pinnixa, White. At once distinguished from Pinnotheres by its carapace being much wider than long. First pair of legs with the hand more elongated ; second pair of legs slender, somewhat compressed ; third pair also compressed, somewhat stouter than the preceding; fourth pair very large, the third joint much thickened, behind somewhat dilated and deeply grooved near the posterior edge ; the fifth or tibial joint finely serrated on the in- side ; last pair of legs small and of the same form as the second. Tail of the female at the base narrowed, leaving a considerable space between its edge and the insertion of the three last pairs of hind-legs. Pinnixa cylindrica. Pinnotheres cylindricum, Say, Journal of the Academy of Sciences of Philadelphia, i. p. 452. : Hab. Georgia, U. 8. (on Jeykill Island). British Museum. Family ? XENOPHTHALMUS, White. Carapace wider than long ; the back regularly arched, rounded on the front edges; the front with a wide notch, in which are two slits, the bottom of each containing one of the eyes; eyes small, seen from above, separated from the antennee by a somewhat cylindrical tooth which runs across the slit; front blunt ; outer foot-jaws with the second joint deeply grooved on the outside, which groove extends to the basal joint ; carapace on the under side hollowed out above the branchial opening, which is long and very open, the two edges furnished with long stiff hairs meeting at the end, much as in Dorippe. Tail of the male 7-jointed, third joint widest, fifth joint nar- rowed near the base. 4 Tail of the female with the fourth and fifth joints of the same width ; a long ciliated process proceeding from each side of the third joint. First pair of legs of the male with the hands somewhat elon- gated and thickened ; second pair of legs with the different joints angled, the tarsus dilated at the base and somewhat serrated on the edge; third pair of legs with the tibial joint and that Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xviii. O 178 Mr. A. White on some new genera of Crustacea. which precedes it hollowed on the fore side, the edges of the hollowed part strongly ciliated, the tarsus widened at the base and ciliated ; fourth pair of legs the longest, the tarsus flattened, sides parallel and ciliated, tibial joint somewhat elongated, cylin- drical ; fifth pair of legs with the tarsus flattened and somewhat bent, the tibial joint short. First pair of legs of the female very small, hands linear, ciliated ; second pair much as in male, but not so robust, the tibial joint not so rough on the outside ; third pair simple ; ‘fourth and fifth pairs much as in male. Xenophthalmus pinnotheroides, White. PI. II. fig. 2. Side of carapace in front with the sharp edge ciliated; carapace punctured; two slight waved longitudinal grooves, one extending from each eye over the back of the carapace; most of the joints of the legs ciliated. Hab. Philippine Islands. British Museum. From the col- lection of Mr. Cuming. The figure is of the size of nature. Family Mycririp2. Haxicarcinvs, White. A subgenus distinguished from Hy- menosoma of authors (Leachium, Macleay) by the great size of the thickened fore-feet, by the carapace bemg generally wider than long, and having the edge of the strongly depressed upper surface with two teeth or angles on each side. The four last pairs of legs are cylindrical and free from hairs, while the claws are considerably curved and compressed. ‘The tail of the male.is 6- jointed and deeply notched on each side about the middle. The outer pedipalps, as in Hymenosoma, are covered on the outside with short hairs. This subgenus seems in its family a kind of representative of the Leucosiade : the type was regarded by Fabricius as a Leu- cosia. Halicarcinus planatus, P|. I. f.1. Leucosia planata, Fabr. Ent. Syst. Suppl. 350. Hymenosoma Leachii, Guérin, Icon. t. 10. f. 2; Voy. de la Coquille, 11. p. 22. Hymenosoma tridentatum, Hombr. and Jacq. Voyage au Pole Sud, t. 5. f.27. This species seems to be abundant in and about the Falkland Islands. In the British Museum are specimens obtained there by W. E. Wright, Esq., and the Antarctic Expedition under Capt. » Sir James Clarke Ross, R.N. Halicarcinus depressus. Hymenosoma depressum, Hombr. and Jacq. Voyage au Pole Sud, t. 5. f. 34. This species, of which there is a specimen in the collection of the British Museum from New Zealand, connects Halicarcinus and Hymenosoma, having most of the characters of the former. Mr. A. White on a new genus of Arachnida. 179 XXII.— Description of a new Genus of Arachnida, with Notes on two other species of Spiders. By Apam Wurtr, M.E.S., As- sistant in the Zoological Department of the British Museum. [With a Plate.] Family Arripz. Dernerxsvs, White. Cephalothorax ovato-rotundate, highly convex, especially in front. Hyes eight: four in front, the middle two very large and prominent ; the lateral eyes not half the size of the middle two, and projecting ; these eyes are separated by slight emarginations, the notch between the lateral and middle eyes being wider than between the two middle eyes; the fifth and sixth eyes distant from each other, very small, the space be- tween them and the lateral eyes shorter than between them and the posterior eyes; seventh and eighth eyes of the same size as the lateral front eyes, the cephalothorax bulges over them. Chelicera very large, swollen, attenuated at the end, with a sharpish ridge on the inside ending in a spine; hook nearly as long as the rest of the chelicere, much bent, the point also hooked with a strong tooth beneath it. Mazille thick, longer than wide, excavated on the outside, entire at the end, and strongly tufted with hairs ; the palpi with the second joint long and bent, the third joint slightly bent, scarcely half the length of the fourth, which is also bent, and has a spine at the end, the fifth jomt thick, short, blunt at the end and very hairy. First pair of legs the longest, femoral, genual, and tibial joints thickish ; the three hind pairs nearly equal in length ; the second and third with the femoral, genual, and tibial joints somewhat thickened. This remarkable spider belongs to the group Aftide, and in the matter of chelicera far surpasses even Toxeus mazillosus, Koch, Arachniden, xiii. 19. t. 436. f. 1090. I have only seen one specimen, which is a male. Deineresus Walckenaerti, White. Pl. II. fig. 4. Cephalothorax and legs of a deep shining brownish black; the eyes pale, the front eyes with hairs at the base. Abdomen small, subferruginous, with short silky hairs most visible on the sides, four depressed points on the back ; spinnerets prominent. Legs very hairy on the under side, a few spines among the hairs. Total length 10 lines. Length of first pair of legs rather more than 10 lines ; of second pair 8% lines; of third pair 8 lines ; of fourth pair 84 lines. Hab. Celebes. British Museum. Presented by Dr. Knapp of Edinburgh. ‘ 2 180 Mr. A. White on a new genus of Arachnida. Deinacnatua, White, Dieffenb. N. Zealand, ii. 271. This subgenus of Tetragnatha may be distinguished by the following characters :— Chelicera longer than the cephalothorax, narrowest at the base, with five spines at the end, the three on the upper side larger than the rest : inner edge with two rows of small teeth, the un- der row containing more than the upper ; the claw is very long and*curved at the base, the tip is slightly bent. Eyes eight, placed on two slightly lunated parallel lines, the two middle eyes of the anterior line nearer each other than they are to the side eyes ; they are Placed on the sides and the base of a slight projection. Mazille \ong, sinuated on the outer margin, dilated at the ends, which are abrupt and very slightly rounded on the angles ; palpi with the second joint very long, the third thickest at the end, and shorter than the fourth, which is hairy and consider- ably thickened at the end; the globular process in the male, near the base of the fifth joint, much as in Dolomedes mirabilis (Clerck, Ar. Suec. t. 5. f. 4), only much more complicated. Mentum rounded at the end, with an impressed line near the margin and extending round it ; there is a slight impressed line down the middle. Cephalothorax of a longish oval figure, narrowed in front, de- pressed, with two deep impressions about the middle. Legs long, first pair the longest, the fourth seemingly longer than the second, the third very short. Deinagnatha Daindridgei, White, l. c. Ann. and Mag. PIII. f.5. Brownish yellow, hooks of chelicera and ends of the legs darker. Hab. New Zealand. Mr. Joseph Daindridge or Dandridge lived about the begin- ning of the last century in Moorfields. Bradley, in his ‘ Philo- sophical Account of the Works of Nature,’ published in 1721, re- fers to his having “ observed and delineated a hundred and forty different kinds of spiders in England alone.” In the British Museum, among Sir Hans Sloane’s MSS., is a volume of Dain- dridge’s descriptions and figures; they are 119 in number, and are all copied by Eleazer Albin, with but little alteration and no acknowledgement, in his ‘ Natural History of Spiders,’ published in 1786. On Pl. II. fig. 6. is figured a spider of remarkable form sent by the Rev. D. F. Morgan from Sierra Leone ; it was described in the ‘ Annals and Magazine,’ vol. vii. p. 476, under the name of Homalatius pustulatus. Mr. J. D. Dana on some genera of Cyclopacea. 181 XXIII.—Notice of some Genera of Cyclopacea. By J.D. Dana. As a preface to the descriptions which follow, a classification of Crustacea is here given ; it is made out so as to exhibit to some extent the parallel relations of the several orders and subdivi- sions. CRUSTACEA. Subclassis I. Subclassis II. Subclassis III. PODOPHTHALMIA. EDRIOPHTHALMIA. MANDYATA |. Ordo 1. Decaropa. Ordo 1. CHORISTOPODA *. Tribus Tribus 1. Brachyura, 1. Isopoda. 2. Anomoura. 2. Leemipoda. 3. Macroura, 3. Amphipoda. Ordo2, Scui1zoPropa,. Ordo 2, ENTOMOSTRACA. Subord. 1. Subord. 2. Subord. 3. GNATHOSTOMATA }.|CORMOSTOMATA {.] MEROSTOMATA §,. Tribus 1. Branchipodacea. Tribus 2. Limnadiacea. Tribus — 1. Stomapoda. 3. Daphniacea. Tribus Tribus 1. Cirripeda, 2. Diplodpoda. 4, Cyclopacea. - 1, Caligacea. 1, Limulacea. or 5. Cypridacea. 2. Lerneeacea. Balanacea J. 3. Nymphonacea. Ordo 3. TriLoBiTa. Order ENTOMOSTRACA. Tribe CycLoPACcEA. To avoid explanations in the following descriptions, we here enumerate the prominent external characters of this tribe. Body jointed, the carapax not prolonged beyond the joint to which it belongs ; abdomen not inflexed. * From yepioros, separate, and rovs, foot, alluding to the fact that the pairs of feet belong each to a distinct segment of the body. + From yvd0os, jaw, and oréyua, mouth, alluding to the mouth being fur- nished with proper mandibles and maxille, t From xoppos, trunk, and oréua, mouth, the mouth having the form of a moveable trunk. § From pnpos, thigh, and oréya, mouth, the basal joints of the legs con- stituting the jaws. || From pavdin, a cloak, alluding to the covering in which the body of the animal is inclosed. : q The Cypris-like young of several dnatife were collected and figured by the writer, and the metamorphosis traced to the adult state. When first found swimming free in the ocean, they were taken for a new genus allied to Cypris, so similar are their forms. The fact that the body and legs of the Cirripeda shed their skin, is further evidence of the propriety of placing this group with Crustacea. The pedicel of the Anatife corresponds to a pair of antenne in the young; the animal attaches itself by the sucker-like disc terminating these organs before the metamorphosis commences, and in a group of Anatife all the dif- ferent stages may. be observed, from the pair of distinct antennz to the fixed simple pedicel. . 182 Mr. J.D. Dana on some genera of Cyclopacea. Eyes simple. Antenne, two pairs ; the second often pediform or subcheliform. Mandibles 4—5-spino-dentate, sometimes having a subnata- tory palpus. Mazille, one pair ; sometimes with a subnatatory sila Mazillipeds, one pair ; sometimes simple maxille ; at others prehensile, but never at all natatory. Feet, six pairs ; the first often prehensile and subcheliform, and either straight or geniculated ; next four pairs bifid and natatory ; the sixth or posterior (corresponding to another pair of natatories) rudimentary or obsolete, but in some genera large in the male, with the right one subcheliform. Abdomen 2- to 6-jointed ; two caudal appendages furnished with five setze, some of which may be obsolete ; occasionally short ap- pendages to one or both of the first and second joints. External ovaries, one or two, proceeding from the second joint of the abdomen, or what corresponds thereto. The genera of this tribe here described may be distributed as follows :— 1. Palpi of the mandibles and mazille obsolete or wanting ; eyes with simple spherical lenses. Family 1. Cycroripa. External ovaries two. Eyes two, on a single spot of pigment. Abdomen abruptly narrower than the cephalothorax. Genus 1. Cycxoprs, Miiller. The two anterior antenne sub- cheliform in the male. [Freshwater species. | Family 2. Arpactipa#. External ovary single. Eyes two, on a single spot of pigment. A short appendage near middle of an- terior antenne. Abdomen seldom abruptly narrower than the cephalothorax. [Marine species. ] Genus 1. Arpactus*, Milne Edwards. Anterior antennz short, and both, in the male, subcheliform ; posterior pair termi- nating in a number of moveable sete. Prehensile feet subcheli- form. Genus 2. Seretia, Dana. Anterior antenne moderately long, slender, and not subcheliform in the male ; posterior pair and pre- hensile feet nearly as in Arpactus ; short appendages to the first two joints of abdomen ; body slender, and two caudal setze much longer than the body. [Two moveable appendages under the beak. | * Milne Edwards has instituted the genus Cyclopsina for a group near Arpactus having the posterior maxillipeds not subcheliform. In the species examined by the writer the subcheliform character is constant, but the moveable finger is sometimes reduced to a very short hook. Mr. J. D. Dana on some genera of Cyclopacea. 183 The name Sef¢ella alludes to the seta-like form of the animal, and is from seta, a bristle. 2. Palpi of the mandibles and of the maxille prominent and subnatatory. Family 3. Catanip. External ovary single. Eyes two, the spherical lenses on the same or separate spots of pigment. An- terior antenne very long and slender, without an appendage. Abdomen abruptly narrower than the cephalothorax. [Marine . species. | a. Posterior thoracic legs rudimentary or obsolete, without ap- pendages. Anterior antenne alike in the two sexes, and never with a geniculating joint. Genus 1. Caxtanus, Leach. Cephalothorax 4-joimted. An- terior antenne multiarticulate, with the front margin neatly se- tiferous, and also the posterior apices of the three terminal joints; first pair of feet much larger than the maxillipeds, having out- ward lateral motion, but scarcely prehensile ; maxillipeds very short and straight, setigerous ; abdomen short, 2- to 4-jointed. Beak furcate. Genus 2. Scripe~ia, Dana. Cephalothorax 4-jointed. An- terior antenne long, 7-jointed ; setee long and pointing in differ- ent directions. Maxillipeds much larger than the first pair of legs, flexed forward, the three terminal joints as long as the basal and setigerous, the setz setulose. Abdomen very long (as long as the cephalothorax) ; two sete to the short basal joint (a plume or capillary appendage to the base of the eight natatory legs ex- tending outward at right angles with the body). Genus 3. Acartia, Dana. Anterior antenne few-jointed ; sete long and pointed in different directions ; maxillipeds much larger than the first pair of legs, not flexed, having the terminal joints very short and setigerous, nearly as in the genus Pontella ; the first pair of legs small and short, not prehensile ; the posterior thoracic legs, a single small joint bearing two divergent sete, one quite long and usually standing out from the body. The name Acartia is from axaprtos, unshorn, alluding to the long divaricate hairs of the antennz. b. Posterior thoracic legs very long and nearly equal ; antenne of the two sexes alike, without a geniculating joint. Genus 4. Evucurrus, Dana. Anterior antennz many-jointed, with several long sete at intervals; first pair of feet much larger than the maxillipeds, very long and doubly geniculate, the apex flexed downward and furnished below with a pencil of naked setee ; motion of these organs forward in the line of the body, and not 184. Mr. J..D. Dana on some genera of Cyclopacea. outward. Posterior thoracic legs in male very long, and the right one subcheliform. Beak pointed, in lateral view emargi- nate. c. Posterior thoracic legs in the male large, the two unequal, and the right subcheliform ; the right one of the anterior antenne in the same sex having a geniculating joint about one-third its length from the apex. Genus 5. Ponrerta*. Anterior antennze multiarticulate, the sete as in Calanus. Maxillipeds much larger than the first pair of legs, not flexed, and having the terminal jomts short and seti- gerous, the sete extending forward to the mouth and setulose, as in Acartia ; the first pair of legs small and short, not prehensile. The right posterior thoracic leg in the male large cheliform, the left smaller and often simple. Beak fureate. Caudal setze more or less spread. [There is a large glassy appendage under the head, with a rounded or reniform summit. | Genus 6. Canpacta, Dana. Anterior antenne and posterior thoracic legs nearly as in Pontella; the first pair of legs much larger than the maxillipeds, elongate and flexed forward, with the extremity inflexed and bearing a pencil of long naked sete, mo- tion in the line of the body. Front truncate ; caudal sete usually not spread. Colour often in part black or nearly so. 8. Palpi of the mandibles and mazille obsolete ; two simple eyes ? ; also two oblate lenses in the front, and two prolate lenses pos- terior to these within, which may constitute another pair of eyes. Family 4, Corycz1p&. Tentacles short, few-jointed ; external ovaries two. Genus 1. Corycaust, Dana. Body not depressed. Abdomen abruptly narrower than the body, 2- or 3-jointed ; second pair of antenne subcheliform, larger than the first pair of legs (nearly as in the genus Ergasilus). Genus 2. Antaria, Dana. Similar to Coryceus, but having the second pair of antenne terminating in a few moveable sete, * The name Pontia, applied to this group by Milne Edwards, was pre- viously applied to a genus of insects, and has therefore been changed as above. The genus Cetochilus of Roussel de Vauzéme does not differ essen- tially from Pontella. + See Proceed. of Acad. Nat. Sci. of Philad. for October 1845, p. 285, The two lenses in these animals are separated by an unobstructed space, and appear beyond doubt to serve for the transmission of light. In contact with the posterior lens behind is an oblong spot of dark pigment. The only other supposition with regard to their nature which I can suggest, is their pos- sible connection with phosphorescence. But such an arrangement for this end is not probable; and moreover I was never satisfied that the species were phosphorescent. Mr. J.D. Dana on some genera of Cyclopacea. 185 and smaller than the first pair of legs. [I am not satisfied that these specimens are not the female of the Corycezi. | Genus 8. Sappuirina, Thompson. Body much-depressed ; antenne as in Coryceus ; abdomen 5- or 6-jointed, the basal joint in the female abruptly narrower than the thorax, and having a pair of short appendages ; external ovaries two. Family 5. Miracip#. Antenne as in Setella ; external ovary single. Genus 1. Miracta, Dana. Body not depressed, nearly as in the Arpactide; the abdomen 5- or 6-jointed and not abruptly narrower than the thorax ; anterior antenne nearly as in Setella, with a short appendage near the middle ; second pair of antenne terminating in a few moveable sete; beak with two cultriform appendages ; first pair of legs subcheliform. The distinctions in the above genera rest to a considerable ex- tent upon the use of different organs for grasping in the union of the sexes. In Cyclops and Arpactus, both anterior antenne of the male are subcheliform for this purpose ; in Pontella and Candacia the right antenna and right posterior thoracic leg are thus modified in the male; in Huchirus both posterior thoracic legs are very much elongated; in Calanus the first pair of legs are long, and have an outward lateral motion for the purpose ; in Coryceus the second pair of antennz subserve this end, and in Antaria the first pair of legs are large and subcheliform ; in Setella the same end appears to be secured by the first pair of natatories. | The genera of Calanide differ also in the relative development of the maxillipeds and first pair of legs. In Pontella, Acartia and. Scribella the maxillipeds are largest. In Pontella and Acar- tia they are straight, with long setulose sete directed forward so as to form a kind of scoop-net. In Scribella they are flexed like the letter L. In Calanus, Euchirus and Candacia the first pair of legs are larger than the maxillipeds ; in Calanus they are long and spread outward laterally ; in Huchirus they are thrown for- ward in the line of the body, and are flexed like the letter |/| ; and in Candacia they have nearly a similar position, but have the extremity flexed towards the head mstead of away from it. The maxillipeds may always be distinguished from the first pair of legs by the sete, which are setu/ose in the former and naked in the latter*. * This article, for the communication of which we are indebted to the author, has also been published in Silliman’s American Journal for March 1846.—Ep. 186 Linnean Society. PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. LINNZAN SOCIETY. February 17, 1846.—E. Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. Mr. Ward exhibited specimens of the extreme states of Chondrus crispus, Lyngb., gathered by him at Linmouth, N. Devon, growing within a few feet of each other, but under different conditions; the broad variety being found in pools among the rocks, where it is always submersed ; the narrow on the outer ledge of rocks, where it is fully exposed to the action of the waves, which produce the same effect upon it as is frequently observed in freshwater aquatics, the submersed leaves of which become more or less finely divided, in proportion to the greater or less rapidity of the stream. It is worthy of remark, that the broad state, which is found in comparatively still water, is wholly free from zoophytes, while the narrow is entirely coated with them. Read some observations ‘‘ On the Axial and Ab-axial arrangement of Carpels.” By T.S. Ralph, Esq., A.L.S. &c. Mr. Ralph begins by referring to the differing position of the odd sepal pointed out by Mr. Brown as constituting a character of or- dinal value between Leguminose and Rosacee, and to the uniform position of the solitary carpellum in the former, and endeavours to determine, either hypothetically or from actual observation, the re- lation of carpella to axis in various families and genera of plants. He notices a specimen of Heracleum giganteum, in which three mericarps were developed, and states that in each case the additional mericarp was placed side by side with the ab-axial (or anterior) mericarp, from which circumstance he concludes the axial (or posterior) to be in this case the odd carpellum. In a specimen of an Ginothera with five instead of four carpella, he found the fifth carpellum apparently ab-axial. He conjectures from the position of the abortive stamen in Scrophularinee, that the odd carpellum is in that family ab-axial ; and in other cases, such as Lychnis for example, he endeavours to determine its position by means of the odd style. He refers the ar- rangement of carpella in relation to axis to four heads ; viz. definite, 1. axial or centripetal, 2. ab-axial or centrifugal ; indefinite, 3. an- terior and posterior, 4. right and left. In the two latter cases the position must be determined theoretically. He concludes by giving a list of genera examined by himself, and arranged under the heads of carpels “ axial,” and ‘‘ ab-axial.” Read also a continuation of Dr. Boott’s ‘‘ Caricis Species Nove v. minus cognite.” In this, the third part of his paper, Dr. Boott de- scribes seventeen species, the characters of which are as follows :— 1. C. nara, spicd simplici oblonga fuscd androgyna apice mascula, stig- matibus 3, perigyniis ovatis acuminatis rostratis ore emarginatis crebré et validé nervosis divergentibus squamé ovata obtusa v. acutiuscula fer- ruginea longioribus, Hab. in Mont. Khasiya Indiz Orientalis, Griffith in Herb. Lemann. Obs. C. polytrichoides, Muhl. affinis. Linnean Society. 187 2. C. Esenseckxu, spicA cylindricé dioich? v. androgyna apice masculA multiflora basi laxiflora foemineis paucioribus alternis instructa, stigma- tibus 2, perigyniis (floriferis) linearibus ore membranaceo truncato ob- liqué fisso ciliato-serratis squamé lanceolata hispido-mucronata angus- tioribus longioribusque. C. trinervis, Nees in Wight, Contr. Ind. Bot. (non Decand.) Hab. in India Orientali, Moura, Royle. In Monte Chir, ad alt. ped. 12,000, Edgeworth. 3. C. Gzyert, spicd simplici androgynd apice mascula basi flosculis foemi- neis 1 v. 2 alternis instructé, stigmatibus 3, perigyniis triquetro-ob- ovatis stipitatis rostratis ore integro glabris pallidis squama lata basi amplectente brevi-cuspidata dorso trinervi pallida ad latera ferruginea brevioribus angustioribusque. Hab. in declivitatibus aridis Montium Saxosorum, Americz Septentrio- nalis, C. 4. Geyer, no. 332 (Herb. Hook.). Obs. Affinis C. phyllostachys, Meyer, que flosculis feemineis sepé 3, squamis masculis brevioribus apice hyalinis, foemineis foliaceis longissimis, rachi flexuos4, differt. 4. C. coacta, spicé castaneé basi setaceo-bracteata e spiculis pluribus androgynis apice masculis parvis ovatis sessilibus ebracteatis in capi- tulum longiusculum arcté congestis composita, stigmatibus 2, perigyniis ovatis acuminato-brevi-rostratis bifidis stipitatis utrinque sub-9-nerviis superné ad margines bialatas serrato-scabris stramineis squama ovata hispido-mucronata brevioribus. Hab. in Affghanistan, Griff., no. 79 (Herb. Hooker). Obs. Affinis C. vulpine, L.; differt culmo obtusangulo, superné gracili, nec in axim angustiorem abrupté coarctato. A C, vulpinari, Nees, spicd longa cylindricé basi minds compositaé (nec ovata), perigyniis scabris, di- stincta. A C. glomeratd, Thunb. culmo. graciliori obtusangulo, perigyniis sub-9-nerviis, spica congesté (nec basi sublobata), bracted solim ad_ basin spice setaced, foliis angustioribus (nec glaucescentibus) differt. 5. C. sancurnea, spicd decomposité duplicato-racemosa; racemis termi- nalibus axillaribusque remotis solitariis geminatisque longé exserté pe- dunculatis vaginatis ; spiculis 3—8 ovatis sessilibus atro-purpureis an- drogynis apice masculis ad apicem pedunculorum spicatim v. duplicato- spicatim dispositis, stigmatibus 3, perigyniis trigono-ovatis rostratis bifidis nervosis stipitatis seabris subrecurvis squama lata ovata acuta v. mucronulaté purpurea longioribus. 8. magis composita (junior). | Hab. in Affghanistan, Griffith, no. 96. B, No. 91 (Herb. Hook.). Obs. Ad gregem C. polystachye, Willd. &c. pertinet. 6, C. Rarruesrana, spicd ferruginea concolori subsesquipedali paniculata e spiculis permultis congestis sessilibus oblongis androgynis apice mas-- culis supra-decomposita; paniculis terminalibus axillaribusque multi- floris: superioribus sessilibus approximatis simplicibus solitariis : infe- rioribus remotis longé pedunculatis decompositis geminatis vaginato- bracteatis, stigmatibus 3, perigyniis trigono-ellipticis acuminatis longé rostratis obliqué recurvis bidentatis nervosis superné plis minus sca- briusculis ad margines serrato-scaberrimis lineolis purpureis notatis squama ovata uninervi ferrugineé mucronata longioribus, Hab. in Ins. Java, Horsfield. Obs. Affinis C. raphidocarpe, Nees, que perigynio glabro subciliato, squama subulato-acuminatd, foliis subtis margineque hirtis, differt. A C. ramosd, Schk., C. filicind, Nees, C. meiogynd, Nees, inflorescentia densiore aliisque notis differt. 188 Linnean Society. 7. C. Prescortrana, spicis 6 elongatis cylindricis approximatis strami- neis concoloribus : terminali 1 v. 2 mascula: reliquis foemineis sessi- libus nutantibus evaginatis inferioribus longé foliaceo-bracteatis basi laxifloris, stigmatibus 2, perigyniis lato-ellipticis brevi-rostratis biden- tatis compressis nervosis divergentibus stramineis squama hispido- mucronata dorso trinervi pallida ad latera ferruginea latioribus longi- oribusque. Hab. in Napalia? Herb. Wallich., no. 3386. Obs. Affinis C. crinite, Lam. 8. C. suncga, spicis 2—4 gracilibus erectis ferrugineo-purpureis: termi- nali mascula filiformi: reliquis foemineis laxifloris subremotis intima pedunculata evaginata, stigmatibus 3, perigyniis triquetro-fusiformibus ore integro apice scabris squama ovata obtusa longioribus vel lanceo- latam mucronatam subzequantibus. C. juncea, Willd. Enum. Suppl. p.63; Kunth, Cyper. p. 468. C. miser, Buckley in Sillim. Journ. 45. p. 173. C. Rugeliana, Kunze in Herb. Hooker (ex parte). Hab. in Montibus Caroline Septentrionalis, Buckley, Rugel. Obs. Affinis C. brachystachys, Schk. que perigyniis foliis infimis vagi- nisque glabris, &c. differt. 9. C. ortvacgea, spicis 6—8 elongatis cylindricis alternis remotis : mas- culis ferrugineis 2 : foemineis 4 v. 5 rarils 6 apice masculis fusco-oliva- ceis longissimé bracteatis infim& remota rarids inclusé pedunculata, stigmatibus 3, perigyniis éllipticis acuminato-rostratis bidentatis ven- tricosis nervosis rugosis divaricatis squama lanceolata hispido-aristata brevioribus latioribusque. Hab. in Assam Indie Orientalis, Major Jenkins (Herb. Hooker). Obs. Habitus C. pendule, Huds. 10, C. Grirriruit, spicis 4 v. 5 purpureis: terminali masculé obovata : reliquis foemineis oblongo-cylindraceis inferioribus exserté pedunculatis basi attenuatis erectis, stigmatibus 3, perigyniis ovalibus tenuissimis abrupté brevi-cylindrico-rostratis ore integro v. emarginato membra- naceo enerviis margine superné scabriusculis purpureis basi albidis com- pressis squama lanceolata acuminata longé cuspidaté purpurea nervo albo angustioribus brevioribusque. Hab. in Affghanistan, Griffith, no. 78 (Herb. Hooker). Obs. Affinis C. lucida, Boott. 11. C. Suttivantil, spicis 4—6 cylindricis gracilibus: mascula 1 : foemi- neis 4 raritis 3—5 laxifloris erectis pedunculatis superioribus approxi- matis infima remota exserté pedunculata basi attenuatd seepé compo- ‘sita, stigmatibus 3, perigyniis ellipticis brevi-rostratis ore integro v. emarginato viridibus pellucidé punctatis pilosis enerviis squamA ovata ciliata hispido-mucronata albida nervo viridi paululim longioribus. C. Sullivanti, B. Bot. Exc. to the Mount. of N. Carol. Gray in Sillim. Journ. 42. p. 29. Hab. in sylvaticis prope Columbiam Ohionis, Americee Septentrionalis, W. S. Sullivant (1840). Obs. Affinis C. arctate, Boott, satis herba pilosa, spicis erectis, perigyniis enerviis distincta. 12. C. acutata, spicis 5 v. 6 erectis cylindraceis fuscis: mascula 1 v. 2 sessilibus : reliquis 4 foemineis seepé apice subulato-acutatis masculis densifloris sessilibus vel pedunculatis longé foliaceo-bracteatis alter- natim contiguis, stigmatibus 3, perigyniis elliptico-lanceolatis rostratis Linnean Society. 189 bifurcatis subinflatis nervosis glabris nitidis squam4 purpureo-ferru- gineA concolori v. apice hyalina ciliata hispido-aristata longioribus. ©. physocarpa, Nees (non Presl). Hab. in America Meridionali; in Ins. Chiloe, Cuming, no. 43 ; in Monte Pilylum Columbiz, ad alt. ped. 12,000, Jameson (Herb. Hooker). Obs. Affinis C. paludose@, Gooden. 13. C. ruecata, spicis 4—6 erectis pallidis v. castaneis : terminali mas- cula cylindracea: reliquis foemineis oblongis remotis inferioribus ex- serté pedunculatis longé bracteatis vaginatis, stigmatibus 3, perigyniis (floriferis) ovatis bidentatis utrinque nervosis ad margines denticulatis squama ovaté acuminata v. cuspidata dorso nervosa brevioribus. Hab. in arenosis Insulz Rottnest prope Prest, Preiss, 1839 (Herb. Ward.) ; ad fl. Cygnorum, Drummond, no. 921 (Herb. Hooker). . Obs. Affinis C. alveate, Boott; differt perigyniis bidentatis margine den- ticulatis. 14. C, Tuckermanl, spicis 5 v. 4 rariis 6: masculis 2 rarids 3 v. 1: foe- mineis 3 v. 2 oblongis cylindraceisque crassis subapproximatis pedun- culatis longissimé bracteatis infima sepé demim nutante, stigmatibus 3, perigyniis tenuibus pellucidis oblongo-ovatis acuminatis longé cylin- drico-rostratis bifurcatis glabris turgidé inflatis pallidis obliqué adscen- dentibus 10—14-nerviis squama ovata acuta v. hispido-mucronata mul- tim latioribus. longioribusque. C. bullata, Tuckerman, Enum. Method. Car. p. 20 (non Schkuhr). Hab. in America Septentrionaii, “ nondum in Nova Anglia visa,” Tucker- man. Obs. Affinis C. bullate, Schk. Differt perigyniis tenuioribus pellucidis majoribus obliqué adscendentibus, rostro glabro, squamis szepé mucronatis, spicis foemineis pluribus longioribus longits pedunculatis nutantibus, foliis latioribus, culmo scabriori, pedunculis scabris. 15. C. sprcunata, spicis 4 v. 5 cylindraceis pallidis erectis androgynis apice masculis superioribus approximatis sessilibus infima subremota exserté pedunculata, stigmatibus 3, perigyniis triquetro-ellipticis cylin- drico-rostratis bifidis stipitatis superné ad margines scabris nervosis squamé lanceolata acuminata v. hispido-cuspidata longioribus. Hab. in Montibus Khasiya Indiz Orientalis, Griffith (Herb. Lemann). Obs. Affinis C. setigera, Don (C. hymenolepis, Nees), que perigyniis scabris, squamis testaceis, spicis supremis masculis differt. 16. C. Moorcrortit, spicis 3 v. 4 ovalibus congestis : terminali mascula : reliquis foemineis v. apice masculis infima pedanculata lanceolato-brac- teata, stigmatibus 3, perigyniis ovali-globosis rostratis bifidis enerviis nitidis glabris v. superné ad margines hispidulis pellucidé punctulatis stramineis rostro purpurascente longé stipitatis squama lanceolata acuta fusco-purpured apice marginibusque albo-membranacea brevioribus. Hab. in India Orientali, ad ripas fl. Indi in planitie elata Tibetan4, ‘“ Tibet- Grass of Moorcroft,” Falconer in litt. ad Prof. Royle. Obs. Affines C. verna, Schk., C. conglobata, Kit. Differt spicis congestis nunc apice masculis evaginatis, bracted abbreviata, perigyniis enerviis bi- fidis pellucidé punctatis, foliis glauco-viridibus demum flavis. 17. C. renvuissima, spicis 2 v. 3 erectis pedunculatis: terminali mascula cylindricé: reliquis foemineis oblongis laxé paucifloris exserté pedun- culatis vaginatis remotis, stigmatibus 3, perigyniis trigono-obovatis bre- vissimé conico-rostratis rostro recto ore emarginato leviter nervosis squamam eequilatam mucronatam ferrugineam equantibus. C. panicea? Bunge in Herb. Fielding. Hab. in China Boreali, Bunge. 190 Linnean Society. Obs. Affinis C. panicea, L.., satis foliis filiformibus, squamis fcemineis mucronatis, perigynii rostro recto, distincta. March 3.—Edward Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. Read a paper ‘‘ On the Aqueous Vapour, and on the dark colour of the Wax, in Bee-hives.” By George Newport, Esq., F.R.S. &c. Communicated by the Secretary. The author directs attention in this paper to the transpiration of vapour from the interior of bee-hives at certain seasons of the year, an occurrence which, he remarks, has almost escaped the observation of naturalists. He also recalls to the notice of the bee-keeper that at the latter end of summer there is often a deposit of dark-coloured matter on the foot-stool, or on the alighting-board at the entrance- hole of the hive, extending a few inches from it. This deposit the author at first believed to be occasioned by shattered pollen or by rejected excrementa, but he was afterwards convinced that it does not arise from either of these causes. He believes it is occasioned by small quantities of wax, which, adhering to the feet of the bees when they leave the combs, become deposited on the floor at the en- trance as the bees leave the hive; and the darkened colour which this deposit acquires he thinks is due to the same cause as that which changes the appearance of the combs in the interior. This, he suggests, may depend on some chemical effect produced in the wax by the respired air of the hive. Part of the carbonic acid which necessarily results from the respiration of the bees on the combs may become chemically combined with the wax, composed, as it actually is, of nearly eight-tenths of its whole weight of carbon, and it may thus acquire the darkened colour from the surcharge of its chief con- stituent, the affinity being promoted by the elevated temperature of the hive. ; In the autumn, when a hive is examined early in the morning, after the bees have been in a state of activity during the preceding day, and more especially when the temperature of the preceding night has been low, there is often a quantity of fluid draining from the entrance-hole. The amount of this is dependent on the greater or less degree of activity of the bees, and consequently of their respi- ration and of the transpiration from their bodies. Huber stated that the interior of the hive is ventilated by the fanning of the bees with their wings. This observation the author has confirmed ; and he suggests the probability, that it is to the meet- ing of the two currents of introduced and expelled air, occasioned by this act of the bees, that the deposition of the vapour as fluid is due. In order to ascertain the quantity of vapour condensed and ex- pelled from a hive, he made experiments, which, as he remarks, al- though not free from objection, yet afford some indication of the amount. He cut off the bottom of a glass phial, and then accurately fitted the phial to the entrance-hole of a box-hive, in such a manner that both the expelled and the introduced air passed through it. During one night of nearly twelve hours, at the commencement of September, there was condensed within the phial nearly one drachm Linnean Society. 191 and a half of fluid. The temperature of the external atmosphere, when the hive was examined at seven o’clock in the morning, was 59° F., and that of the hive, at some distance within the entrance, 69° F. On another occasion, a few days afterwards, at about the same time in the morning, when the temperature of the atmosphere was - 61° F., that of the vapour within the phial as it issued from the hive, but at nearly four inches’ distance from it, was 71°°5 F., while the interior of the upper part of the hive, as ascertained by a thermo- meter inserted through the top and undisturbed for several days, was only 69° F. The bees were then quiet at the top of the hive, but were in activity at the lower part. The temperature of the hive and the quantity of fluid thus seemed to depend on the amount of respiration consequent on the greater or less activity of the bees, as the author has shown respecting temperature in the ‘ Philosophical Transactions’ for 1837. . On another occasion, when the bees were quiet and the tempe- rature of the external atmosphere was only 41°F., that of the top of the hive was 54° F., but that of the vapour from the entrance-hole was 59° F. The quantity of fluid then condensed in the phial, du- ring a night of twelve hours, was scarcely three minims. These experiments seemed to show that the vapour is in the greatest quantity when the bees are most active, and in the least quantity when they are inactive ; and the author believes that it is the carbonic acid, the result of respiration, and held in solution in this vapour, which occasions the darkened colour of the combs. March 17.—The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. Read a paper “‘ On the Siliceous Armour of Equisetum hyemale, L., with an account of its hitherto undescribed Stomatic Apparatus.” By Golding Bird, A.M., M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. | Dr. Bird commences his paper by referring to the observations of Mr. Sivright on the large amount of silica contained in Kquisetum hyemale, and those of Dr. Brewster on the general arrangement of the siliceous masses on its surface and their action on polarized light. He then proceeds to describe minutely the structure of this siliceous armour. The fourteen longitudinal ridges on each joint of the stem are each furnished with two parallel rows of siliceous tubercles, having the lustre and general appearance of glass beads ; and along the margins of each ridge are numerous longitudinal wavy lines, which fill up the intervals between the lateral aspects of the ridges and the centres of the contiguous furrows. In the depressions of these furrows is seen a double vertical series of oval projections, arranged in pairs, each furnished with an oval fissure, having its longer axis placed transversely ; these fissures lead to the complex stomatic apparatus. Dr. Bird details the manipulations, consisting of maceration in water, boiling in strong nitric acid, careful scraping away of the disorganized cellulo-vascular structure, washing, boiling again in nitric acid, and again washing in water, which he considers neces- 192 Linnean Society. sary for the perfect exhibition of the minute structure of the stomata. After a portion cf the stem has undergone these processes, the sili- ceous structures previously observed become much more obvious and distinctly marked. On reversing the preparation so as to obtain a view of its inner surface, the portions corresponding to the rows. of tubercles are found to be nearly opake, owing to a compact series of linear masses of siliceous matter combined with some still remaining organic structure. Equidistant from these linear masses are seen the posterior aspects of the stomatic apparatus, each presenting an ovate nipple-like prominence having its longer axis corresponding with that of the stem, and consequently opposed to that of the external fissure, into the base of the conical eminence surrounding which these ovate bodies are fitted. Further manipulation is necessary to carry this investigation into the more minute details; and Dr. Bird has recourse to heat, applied by holding the piece of Hquisetum prepared as already described in the flame of ‘a spirit-lamp, in order to get rid of the minute portion of organic matter still remaining in the preparation. After acquiring a red heat, the preparation finally assumes a snowy whiteness ; it is then placed between two slips of glass, which reduce it by breaking into fragments of a size sufficiently small to allow of careful exami- nation by high powers of the microscope. ‘The transverse fissure leading externally to the stomatic apparatus is found to have been widened and rendered irregular by the heat. On bringing this fissure within the focus, it is seen to be replaced by one having its longer axis in the opposite direction, which is derived from the oval figure of the apparatus at its base. Among the fragments may be seen numerous separated specimens of the stomatic apparatus. This is described by Dr. Bird as oval in outline, nearly flat, and measuring in its long diameter 51,th of an inch. It consists of a frame of silex formed of two pieces, thick at their convexities, thin at their con- cavities, nearly touching above and below, and grasping between them two long and flat structures, fissured (apparently ) in a pectinate manner, and tapering from their middle towards either end. In most specimens an opening exists between these structures; in others they are quite in contact. In some the thinner and laminated por- tions of the frame are perforated by three well-defined apertures, but this is by no means constant. The apparatus thus consists essen- tially of four pieces, viz. two curved frames with their lamine and two linear pectinated structures ; and these are placed at the base of a conical eminence opening by a transverse fissure.. By what means it is retained in its position Dr. Bird has not been able satisfactorily to ascertain. April 7.—Edward Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. Read a ‘‘ Note on the Generation of Aphides.” By George New- port, Esq., F.R.S., Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, &c. In this note the author states his object to have been the verifica- tion by his own observations of those made by Leeuwenhoek, Bonnet, Reaumur and others, preparatory to attempting hereafter to show Linnean Society. 193 the accordance of those observations with some universal law of re- production. ‘The points to which his attention was more particularly directed were, first, whether the Aphis is really viviparous at one season and oviparous at another; and secondly, whether the sup- posed ova are true eggs, or, as some have imagined, merely capsules designed for the protection of the already-formed embryos during the winter season. ay On the 30th of November Mr. Newport observed the deposition of the egg by the female Aphis, and found it to be a true egg, similar to that of other insects, composed of an orange-coloured yolk, formed of yellow nucleated cells, surrounded by a very small quantity of transparent vitelline fluid, and containing a very large germinal vesicle with a distinct macula or nucleus. On the 2nd of December the females were again seen to produce living young, and Mr. New- port describes the process of parturition which he then observed. These observations confirm the statements of former naturalists on both the points inquired into, and negative the presumption raised with reference to the capsular character of the egg by proving it to possess all the characters of a true ovum. April 21.—Edward Forster, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. Mr. Ward, F.L.S., exhibited specimens of the dried plant and fruit of Uncaria procumbens, Burchell, from South Africa; and also a por- tion of the stipes of a fern from New Plymouth, New Zealand, pro- bably belonging to Pteris esculenta, Sol., measuring several feet in length. Mr. Carrington, from whom the latter specimen was ob- tained, stated that the species of fern from which it was obtained grows, in the neighbourhood of the coast, to the height of five feet, in masses of from six to seven feet diameter, so strong and dense as to be capable, if a cover were thrown over it, of sustaining the weight of a man. On the margin of the bushland it attains a height of twenty-one feet, and Mr. Carrington has observed it on the banks of a river, when interlaced and matted together, to measure thirty feet. Read a paper ‘‘ On the Development of Starch and Chlorophylle.” By Edwin John Quekett, Esq., F.L.S. &c. Mr. Quekett commences by referring to the observations and opi- nions of Miiller, Miinter and Nageli on the subject of the formation of starch and chlorophylle in the cells of plants, and to his own ob- servations, recorded in the ‘Pharmaceutical Journal,’ vol. iii. 1843-44, on the growth of starch in the leaves of Vallisneria spiralis.. Miller, he states, has observed that in the cells of Chara crinita, the cyto-. blast becomes hollow, enlarges, and fills the cell-membrane in which it is contained, and ultimately becomes the reservoir for granules of starch ; while Nageli has observed that in Caulerpa prolifera, at the period of the formation of starch, the cells contain several smaller cells, in each of which are developed generally from three to four grains of starch. In order to observe the growth of starch and chlo- rophylle, Mr. Quekett examined in several plants the organs in which p Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xviii. 194 Linnean Society. those substances are generally situated, and found that their forma- tion took place, in the majority of instances, in the following manner. In the very young stem of Circea Lutetiana, or the young branch of the Grape-Vine, the different appearances presented by the grains of starch from their perfect state down to their first commencement may be readily observed by making numerous sections from the lowermost internode up to the terminal joint. The cells most re- cently formed are so filled with mucilage and granules as to be opake ; lower down the granules begin to disappear and the cytoblast is ap- parent; still lower the cytoblast appears to have lost its granular character without having much increased in size, and has become a minute cell with a distinct nucleus, instead of a congeries of gra- nules with a larger central one. On the outside of this nucleated cell, granules (varying in number from ten to twenty) make their appearance, at first very minute and of a green hue, and afterwards enlarging and becoming colourless ; and as they increase in size the nucleated cell is absorbed and the granules become free. At a later period a multiplication of the granules takes place by fission and pullulation, certain grains exhibiting marks of subdivision, and others having minute granules attached to them; and generally more grains of starch are found in a cell than the number of minute granules seen developing on the nucleus. Several of these stages are more readily seen in the tuber of the Potato. If a slice be removed from its exterior so thin as only to pass beneath the cuticle, and a very thin and perfectly transparent slice be then taken and examined under the microscope, the cells in the central portion are seen to contain only a few grains of starch, while in approaching the sides of the section the grains become smaller and pass gradually into the nature of chlorophylle. On di- recting attention to those parts of the section, in which the cell- contents pass gradually from the state of starch to that of chloro- phylle, many cells are seen to contain a distinct nucleated cell, ap- parently of a flattened or lenticular form, on the edge of which are arranged a number of minute granules; in others the appearances are more advanced, the granules gradually becoming larger and the nucleated cell becoming obliterated. From the disturbance that takes place in the position of the granules after detachment from the nucleated cell, it is difficult to determine by what part they were adherent to it; but Mr. Quekett believes that this adherence takes place at the end at which the point or hilum is observed. Subse- quent to this period the grains of starch enlarge, become laminated, and are multiplied in the manner already pointed out by various observers. Such are the results of Mr. Quekett’s observations on Exogenous plants; in Endogenous plants he states that the same process does not appear to be in all cases pursued, inasmuch as while the rhizoma of Iris germanica affords a favourable example for the exhibition of the process as above described, the young stem of Lilium bulbiferum offers the following differences. Sections taken from the base of a young stem within the bulb have their cells full of starch-grains ; at Linnean Society. 195 the height of an inch from the base of the stem, the cells are filled with fluid only, and each cell contains a cytoblast with its contents presenting a milky hue. Carrying on the sections from above down- wards within these limits, the cells are first found to become more transparent and to contain granules with well-defined outlines ; lower down they exhibit minute granules mixed with the fluid of the cell, leaving the cytoblast transparent, empty and angular; while at the base the granules have arrived at their perfect condition and the cytoblast is no longer visible. ‘Thus it appears, Mr. Quekett states, that there are two modes of formation of starch connected with the cytoblast ; in the one case the cytoblast becomes a nucleated cell and the grains originate on its exterior ; in the other it does not be- come a nucleated cell, but gives origin to the grains in its interior. As regards the origin of chlorophylle, Mr. Quekett states that in the plants which he has examined the same mode of development ap- pears to obtain as described in the formation of starch, viz. the gra- nules originating from a nucleated cell, and instances the cuticle of the very young frond of Scolopendrium vulgare, L., as an example ; but he adds that the first origin of chlorophylle is so mixed up with the formation of the cell, that it is impossible to arrive by dissection at the commencement of the process. May 5.—The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. Read a letter “ On the Migration of the Swallows,” addressed to the Secretary. By Thomas Forster, Esq., M.D., F.L.S, &c., dated Bruges, May 2nd, 1846. The object of this note is to show, not only that the four British species of Swallows migrate, but also that their migration is pro- gressive through Europe to Asia and Africa. The first table is stated ‘to have been compiled from the recorded observations of naturalists and others, copied on the spot during an extensive tour through Europe in the years 1833, 1834, 1835 and 1836. Dr. Forster states that he is satisfied that numerous flights of the several species an- nually arrive at the end of February and beginning of March in Sicily, Italy and the Islands of the Mediterranean, from Africa. Of these a portion proceed after a few days’ rest towards the north, leaving colonies in different places as they advance, until they reach their most northern destination in Europe. In autumn they retire in the same manner, and their numbers appear prodigiously increased in particular places where they halt and rest for days before the phalanx again takes wing. ‘This, Dr. Forster states, is also the case with Quails, with the Mountain-Finch, and with many of the Warblers. Particular places seem to be favourite resorts as resting-places to particular species, as Pisa for example to the Swift, the Campagna and Southern Italy to the Martin. When an early spring has oc- curred in the S. of Europe, these birds have made their appearance earlier, as if they had been capable of inferring an earlier season northwards. ; P2 196 Linnean Society. Taste I, Mean time of Arrival. Species. Naples.| Rome. | Pisa. | Vienna. | Bruges. | London. Hirundo rustica |Feb. 27|March 3)/March 5)March 25|April 5/April 15 HH. urbica sere April 10/April 15|April 16/April 20|May 1)May 1 H, riparia ...... April 3)April 5/April 8/April 12/April 25)/April 25 FAs DUS 03.5 cdows April 15/April 18|April 20/April 25)April 30|May 3 In their recession in autumn they observe nearly the same relative times, with the exception that the Swifts migrate much earlier in Flanders than they do in Kent and Sussex. They are often gone on the lst of August, and always about the 5th, whereas they remain in England until about the 15th. The second Table is copied from the Journal kept in succession by Dr. Forster’s late father, T. F. Forster, Esq., F.L.S., and himself ; and records the period of arrival of the Swallow (Hirundo rustica, L.) for nearly half acentury. Dr. Forster hopes on a future occasion to supply similar tables of the Martin, Swift, and other birds of passage. Tasue II. Showing the day of Arrival of the Swallow for forty-seven years. 1800, April 15 | 1812, April15 | 1824, April14 | 1836, April 6 TOOL eB PACTS ee ON PR ee OT ABSTS aes, 1302, Sa ee eee eee, a Pash ta 1903, 16. PAB DS SS PROF eee OS OT eR! 48 PROE FF a hg? 8 98 ado Le ag TBOG, G1 ABET, Se ee 4 geo one) 1641, S 4006, 4/2) PANS18, 20099. 2 18RG, Os i RAS) lg 18075: eee: 1B: 42818, oe AB OBL vier, 1c 4 OAS ey BI 1606.2 A Dg O 20s ye, AB iy BR oth. AO ek a es 6 1800, oe TS) VISOR ee Td pee os 7. 2 1885 ce. 8 1910, —., BO) e188 eT eae eg 1846, — 1 199), 0 830 as 2828, ee ee Read also a note ‘‘ On the Structure of Viola, in connection with its Impregnation.” By T.S. Ralph, Esq., A.L.S. &c. Mr. Ralph regards the following circumstances as more or less essential to the impregnation of the ovules of Viola: 1st, the pen- dent position of the flower, which brings the stigma into a position below the anthers; 2ndly, the spurred petal, which by the secretion of honey attracts insects, whose efforts to obtain a supply of nutri- ment disturbs the whole band of coherent anthers through the move- ments impressed on the two spurs of anthers which descend into the nectary, and thus cause a free discharge of pollen; 3rdly, the rostrate termination of the stigma in some species, in which the pollen is shed very freely and appears to have a ready access to the interior of the stigma ; 4thly, the remarkable bend in the style in those spe- cies which have a globose stigma, in which species Mr. Ralph has also found a set of singular hairs seated on the claw of the fifth or Zoological Society. 197 spurred petal, on which the pollen collects very abundantly, and thence probably finds its way into the interior of the stigma; the stigmatic head being readily capable of being pushed into the groove of the claw of the petal amid these hairs, a process which Mr. Ralph thinks is performed by the assistance of insects. In some species there are also a set of hairs placed at the throat of the corolla on the two middle petals, the use of which Mr. Ralph thinks to be to shut out the ingress of the proboscis of the insect in that direction. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. July 14, 1846.—Wm. Yarrell, Esq., Vice-President, in the Chair. Mr. Lovell Reeve read a paper containing ‘‘ Descriptions of forty new species of Haliotis, from the collection of H. Cuming, Esq.”:— The genus Haliotis affords an unusual abundance of novelty, from the circumstance of it never having been selected for the subject of an illustrated monograph; the species are, moreover, well-defined, and may be easily determined by a careful examination of the varia- tions of sculpture and arrangement of colours. The Haliotides are interesting in form as being the most evolved and depressed of spiral shells, and they have been arranged with the Chitons and Limpets as exhibiting the nearest apparent affinity with the non-spiral Gastropods. They present also a singularity of struc- ture in great measure analogous to the orifice in the shell of Fissu- rella or to the fissure in Hmarginula.. On the left side of the shell, in a direct curve parallel to the inflexed edge, is a row of equidistant perforations, made by the animal in its progress of growth for con- veying the water to the breathing organs; the mantle is slit in that direction to a certain extent, and the water passes into the respiratory cavity through a tubular filament protruding from each hole. The number of pallial filaments being alike in the same individual through- out its several-stages of growth, the shell mostly presents the same number of holes at all ages, filling up-the hindmost orifice as a new one becomes formed at the margin. The Siliquaria presents a similar modification of structure, and it has been also considered that the slit in Pleurotoma is in some measure analogous. The internal surface of the ‘Ear Shells’ is lined with a bright pearly nacre, which in most species is of remarkable iridescent bril- liancy, glowing with all the colours of the rainbow; the attention must, however, be directed to the outer coating of the shell, for the discrimination of species, and it is with this view that the figures in the foregoing monograph are devoted mainly to external sculpture. There is certainly a striking variation of character in the nacre of different species, but the pattern of the inner surface is merely an indentation of the outer. ‘The number of perforations varies in dif- ferent species, but may be said to correspond in different individuals of the same species; where an exception occurs, it is that there is sometimes one, or at most two, less in the adult than in the young state; that is, when the animal arrives at maturity it continues to stop up one or two of the perforations in advance of any new one. 198 Zoological Society. It is a curious circumstance in the geographical distribution of the Haliotides, that few, if any, are to be found where Chitons abound ; as if they exchanged places to a certain extent in the two hemi- spheres. There are a few species from California, but along the western coast of South America, where Chitons are most abundant, not any are found, and only one small species, the H. pulcherrima, at any of the islands of the Pacific. They inhabit the coasts of China, Japan, Ceylon, Mozambique, Cape of Good Hope, Borneo, and the Philippine Islands; but the greater number of species, and the most remarkable, are from New Zealand and the continent of New Holland, displaying all the peculiarity of design which invariably characterizes the fauna of those isolated regions. With the well- known Haliotis tuberculata of the Channel Islands, all are familiar. It is, however, a circumstance worth noting, that although such near neighbours, and comparatively abundant, especially at the island of Jersey, it is rarely collected on the coast of England. The Haliotides are found at low water, attached to the under sur- face of masses of stone, and they fix themselves with great force to the rocks, by suction, on the least alarm. ‘ Hauiotis sPLENDENS. Hal. testd ovatd, convexo-depressd, undique spiraliter liratd, liris crebris regularibus subobtusis, nonnullis aliis latioribus ; foraminibus quinis perviis, extus erugini-viridescente, articulis albicantibus prope spiram interdum notatd, epidermide fibroso fusco indutd, intus ceruleo viridique, nigricante nebulatd, pulcherrimé iridescente. Hab. California. Hauiotis sapontca. Hal. testd ovato-oblongd, subplanulato-con- verd, liris tenuibus @qualibus spiraliter funiculatd, concentriceé rugoso-plicatd, plicis conspicuis lamelleformibus irregularibus ; foraminibus quinis senisve perviis ; luteo olivaceo-fusco viridique undique pulcherrimé variegatd, Hab. Japan; Dr. Siebold. — Hauiotis coccinea. Hal. testd oblongo-ovatd, spiraliter liratd, liris creberrimis inequalibus interstitiis transversim minutissime striatis ; foraminibus confertiusculis, quinis senisve perviis ; extus coccineo-rufd, lutescente-albo maculatd et variegatd, intus argenteo- albicante. Hab. Cape de Verd Islands. Hauiotis ziczac. Hal. testd ovatd, planulato-convexd, spiraliter subtilissime sulcatd, foraminibus parviusculis, senis perviis ; oli- vaceo-viridi, luteo-viridescente oblique flammeo-undatd, apice luteo- aurantio tinctd, intus argented, iridescente. Hab. Calipan, island of Mindoro, Philippines (found on smooth stones); Cuming. Hauiotis muttipErForATA. Hal. testd oblongo-ovatd, subflexuosd, anfractuum parte spirali subelevatd; spiraliter lineari-sulcatd, sulcis subundatis irregularibus ; foraminibus parviusculis numero- Zoological Society. 199 sis, decenis perviis ; extus nigricante-fusco viridique variegatd, intus albicante. Hab. Hanioris pviscus. Hal. testd oblongo-ovatd, elevato-convexd, hic illic tumidd et rugosd, latere sinistro lato, peculiariter erecto; fora- minibus amplis, subdistantibus, tubiferis, quaternis tantum perviis ; castaneo-fuscd, viridi aut rufescente radiatim tinctd. Hab. Japan; Dr. Siebold. Haxtiotis Srzzotpiu, Hal. testd suboblique ovatd, subpectinatd, valde convexd, apice terminali, vix spirali; radiatim liratd, liris obtusis, subdistantibus ; foraminibus subamplis, quinis perviis ; extus aurantio-rubrd, intus albicante, iridescente. Hab. Japan; Dr. Siebold. Hatiotis squamaTa. Hal. testd oblongo-ovatd, convexd, spiraliter liratd, liris creberrimis, squamatis, alternis majoribus ; foraminibus octonis perviis ; fuscd et rubro-fuscd, flammulis lutescentibus un- datis ornatd, intus vivid iridescente. Hab. North-west coast of Australia; Dring, H.M.S. Beagle. Hauioris FuneBRIs. Hal. testd ovatd, subdepresso-convexd, spira- liter liratd, liris subsquamatis, hic illic majoribus, transversim peculiariter rugoso-plicatd ; Soraminibus octonis aut novenis per- viis ; rubido-castaned, interdum viridi tinctd, , amen perpaucis indistinctis circa spiram. Hab. New Holland. Hatiotis piversicotor. Hal. testd ovatd, subplanulatd, spiraliter liratd, liris obtusis irregularibus, transversim leviter plicatd ; foraminibus octonis. vel novenis perviis ; castaneo-fusco coccineo- rufo viridique radiatd, maculis undatis lutescentibus variegatd. Hab. New Holland. Hauiotis coccorapiata. Hal. testd suborbiculari, ovatd, plano- convexd, medio leviter depressd, spiraliter subtiliter liratd, liris striis minutis elevatis decussatis, foraminibus senis perviis; flavidd, strigis latis vivide coccineis radiatim pictd. Hab. Hauiotis viripis. Hal. testd ovatd, depresso-convexd, oblique undato-rugatd, spiraliter liratd, irarum interstitiis striatis, fora- minibus quinis perviis; extus albicante, viridi pulcherrime tinctd et marmoratd, intus argented. Hab. Hautiotis astricta. Hal. testd ovatd, convexd, spiraliter liratd, liris laminis striisque elevatis irregularibus radiatim decussatis ; foraminibus quaternis perviis; extus albidd, olivaceo viridique marmoratd, intus iridescente. Hab. Hauiotis Taytorrana. Lal, testd oblongo-ovatd, solidiusculd, converd, spird subterminali, spiraliter obtuse et irregulariter 200 Zoological Society. liratd ; foraminibus septenis ad novenis perviis ; extus coccineo- fusca, flavido, coccineo-fusco maculato, prope spiram, nebulatd ; intus albicante. Hab. Named in honour of my worthy friend Thomas Lombe Taylor, Esq., of Starston, Norfolk. Haxiotis ruBie1nosa. Hal. testd ovatd, subdepresso-converd, ra- diatim plicato-rugosd, spiraliter liratd, lris obtuse squamatis, foraminibus subapproximatis, senis perviis; extus rubiginoso- aurantid, spiraliter albi-strigatd, intus argented. Fab. Haurotis rucosA. Hal. testd ovatd, converd, medio leviter depressd, radiatim plicato-rugosd, spiraliter liratd, liris obtusis, hie illic majoribus ; foraminibus subamplis, quaternis perviis ; extus oli- vaceo-fusco viridique marmoratd. Hab. Hatiotis rosacea. Hal. testd ovatd, convero-depressd, spiraliter crebriliratd, liris striis exsculptis undique decussatis ; foraminibus peculiariter oblongo-ovatis, quaternis perviis ; extus corallo-rubro et roseo- oe marmoratd, rubro viridi pusctato. Hab. Hauiotis pertusa. Hal. testd oblongo-ovatd, spiraliter postice subtilissime sulcatd, sulcis pertusis, antic eziliter liratd, sulcis lirisque subirregularibus et undatis; foraminibus senis perviis ; extus rufo-fuscd, strigis perpaucis lutescentibus undatis prope spiram, intus vivide irtdescente. Hab. HALioTis PLANILIRATA. Hal. testd ovatd, plano-convexd, spiraliter liratd, liris planulatis irregularibus ; foraminibus quinis perviis ; olivaceo- et ceruleo-viridi. Hab. Haxiotis scututum. Hal. testd converd, spird depressd, suboccultd, . spiraliter exiliter liratd, liris planulatis, undulatis, hic illic ma- joribus ; foraminibus senis perviis ; olivaceo-fuscd, viridi pulcher- rime articulatd, punctatd et maculatd. Hab. Hauiotis zeaLtanpica. Hal. testd oblongo-ovatd, subdepressd, spiraliter irregulariter sulcatd, liris intermediis obtusis, nunc latis, nunc angustis, senis perviis ; rufo-castaned et albicante peculiariter marmoratd. Hab. New Zealand. Hautotis speciosa. Hal. testd oblongo-ovatd, plano-convexd, medio depressd, spiraliter elevato-striatd, striis confertis ; foraminibus senis perviis ; coccineo-rufd albo-nigricante marginatd, pulcherrime variegatd. Hab. Haxioris ReTicuLAtTA. Hal, testd oblongo-ovatd, anticé subattenu- Zoological Society. "201 atd, plano-convexd, medio depressd, latere sinistro latiusculo, erecto, spiraliter vix striatd ; foraminibus quaternis perviis ; sor- dide fuscd, maculis albidis reticulatis subtriangularibus ornatd. Hab, Hatiotis neBuLtaTa. Hal. testd oblongo-ovatd, convexd, spird sub- elevatd, spiraliter sulcatd, sulcis parvis, undatis; foraminibus subapproximatis, septenis perviis ; fusco roseoque undique nebulatd. Hab. Hauiotis sprcutata. Hal. testd ovatd, spiraliter peculiariter liratd, liris angustis, erectis, valde irregularibus, radiatim undato- plicatd ; foraminibus amplis, senis perviis; olivaceo-viridi, hic tllic albipunctatd. Hab. Hauioris semistriaTa. Hal. testd ovatd, spiraliter subtiliter li- rata, radiatim undato-plicatd et plus minusve tuberculosd ; forami- nibus subtubiferis, quinis perviis ; fuscd aut coccineo-rufd, albi- maculatd. Hab. Ceylon; Dr. Sibbald. Haurioris craturata. Hal. testd semicirculari-ovatd, spireliter crebriliratd, interstitiis striis subtilissimé clathratis, radiatim plicatd ; foraminibus subamplis, quinis perviis; viridi et vivide rufo variegatd, Hab. Baclayon, island of Bohol, Philippines; Cuming, Haurotis Stomati#rormis. Hal. testd oblongo-ovatd, valde con- vexd, spiraliter striatd, radiatim subtiliter plicatd, spird subter- minali, elevatd; foraminibus quinis perviis; olivaceo viridique marmoratd. Hab. New Zealand. Hatiotis ancite. Hal. testd ovatd, regulariter convexd, spiraliter exiliter noduloso- striata, nodulis interdum subobscuris interruptis ; Soraminibus numerosis, parvis, octonis perviis ; olivaceo-viridi, no- dulis et circa spiram cupreo-roseis. Hab. ? Hautotis Dainer. Hal. testd orbiculari-ovatd, spiraliter striata, radiatim plicatd et tuberculosd ; foraminibus subtubiferis, quater- nis perviis ; extus pallide viridescente-luted, medio conspicue cocci- neo tinctd, intus argented. Hab. North coast of Australia. Haxiotis concinna. Hal. testd suboblongo-ovatd, spiraliter stri- atd, medio leviter tuberculatd, oblique subobscure plicatd ; forami- nibus quaternis perviis ; carneo-albicante, coccineo-roseo profuse variegatd. Hab. Zamboanga, island of Mindanao, Philippines; Cuming. Hatiotis Gemma. Hal. testd suborbiculari-ovatd, plano-convezd, _ latere sinistro latiusculo, spiraliter subtuberculatd, radiatim pul- cherrimé minute plicato- squamatd ; Soraminibus subtubiferis, qua- ternis quinisve pervits ; flavescente, coccineo viridique tinctd. Hab. 202 Zoological Society. Hattotis rauta. Hal, testd ovatd, antice attenuatd, undato-tumidd, spiraliter liratd, liris subtilibus, confertis, strits minutis decussatis ; fSoraminibus subamplis, quinis perviis ; rubido et flavescente-albidd irregulariter marmoratd. Hab. Swan River Settlement, New Holland; Lieut. Preston. Hattiotis paputata. Hal. testd suborbiculari-ovatd, spiraliter ob- tuso-liratd, liris subdistantibus, conspicue tuberculatis ; foramini- bus subtubiferis, quaternis perviis ; corallo-rubrd, flavescente varid. Hab. North coast of Australia; Dring. Hatiotis sacnensis. Hal. testd oblongo-ovatd, spiraliter peculi- ariter rude liratd, liris valde irregularibus, subsquamosis, prope foramina sublevigatd ; foraminibus subtubiferis, distantibus ; ru- Ffescente-aurantid, intus argented. Hab. Jacna, island of Bohol, Philippines. Hauiotis pustunata. Hal. testd oblongo-ovatd, spiraliter obscure liratd, tuberculis parvis pustulatd, radiatim plicatd ; foraminibus senis perviis ; albidd viridique marmoratd, Hab. ? Hauiotts aquatinis. _ Hal. testd oblongo-ovatd, plano-convexd, medio depressd, levigatd, prope marginem peculiariter plicatd ; foraminibus senis perviis ; pallide viridi, albido aut flavescente undato-variegatd, intus albicante. Hab. Kurile Islands, south of Kamtschatka. Hatrotis Janus. Hal. testd oblongo-ovatd, spiraliter liratd, liris subtilibus angustis, interstitiis excavatis ; foraminibus senis per - viis ; luteo-aurantid, fascid latd albidd, fusco grandimaculatd, prope foramina ornatd, Hab. ? Hauiotis cruenta. Hal. testd ovatd, antice subattenuatd, spird elevatiusculd, spiraliter peculiariter undato- et corrugato-striatd ; foraminibus subapproximatis, octonis perviis, sanguineo albipunc- tato et albido sanguineo-punctato pulcherrimé variegatd. Hab. New Zealand. ‘ Hatrotis rnctsa. Hal. testé ovatd, medio subdepressd, spiraliter incisd, subtuberculiferd ; foraminibus amplis, quaternis perviis ; al- bidd et purpureo-viridi marmoratd, albido minutissimé rufo-punc- tatd. Hab. The next paper was also communicated by Mr. Lovell Reeve, and contained “ Descriptions of fifty-four new species of Mangelia, from the collection of H. Cuming, Esq.”’:— The Mangelie are nearest allied to those aberrant species of Pleu- rotoma in which the predominant character of that genus, the fissure in the upper extremity of the lip, becomes modified into a somewhat obscure sinus. Their general aspect is that of a more or less fusiform Marginella, without plaits or polished exterior; distinguished, on the other hand, by a row of faint wrinkle-like denticulations on the ? Zoological Society. 203 inner surface of the lip and columella, and a gutter-like sinus in the lip at its junction with the body-whorl. Maneeria sicuta. Mang. testd subfusiformi, spird acuminatd, anfractibus rotundatis, gibbosiuscults, concentric costatis, levibus ; aperturd brevi, ovatd, sinu subconspicuo ; intus extusque castaneo- Susca, labro flavicante, fusco-lineato. Hab. Sicily. Maneruia vexittum. Mang. testd oblongo-ovatd, anfractibus su- perne depressis, nodosis, costis e nodis descendentibus, superficie totd decussatim striatd, quasi subtilissimé decussatd ; aurantio-luted, fasciis albicantibus angustis undique cingulatd. Hab. Tlo Ilo, isle of Panhay, Philippines (found under stones) ; Cuming. Maneetia Lyra. Mang. testd trigono-fusiformi, anfractibus su- perne angulatis, longitudinaliter costatis, costis subobliquis, ad angulum incrassatis ; castaneo-fuscd, lineis albicantibus decussatis, labro albicante. Hab. Island of Ticao, Philippines (found on the sands) ; Cuming. MANGELIA ANTILLARUM. Mang. testd subpyriformi-ovatd, levigatd longitudinaliter concentrice costatd, costis fortibus, subobtusis distantibus ; cinereo-carned, costis fascid rubiddé tinctis, labro albicante, rubido fasciatim tincto. Hab. West Indies. Maneeia MarGinectorwes. Mang. testd pyriformi-ovatd, spird brevi, acuta ; anfractibus superné angulatis, longitudinaliter multi- costatis, costis- tenuibus, crebris, suturis descendentibus ; lacteo- ceruled aut cinereo-fuscd, lineis rubidis cingulatd, anfractds ultimi parte supra angulum maculd grandi nigricante conspicue tinctd. Hab. Island of Burias, Philippines (found in sandy mud at the depth of seven fathoms) ; Cuming. ManeGELIA FuNICULATA. Mang. testd trigono-fusiformi, subelongatd, anfractibus superné depressis, longitudinaliter tenuicostatis, levi- bus; cinereo-fused, costis labroque albicantibus. _ Hab, Islands of Ticao and Masbate, Philippines (found on the sands); Cuming. MANGELIA CAVERNOSA. Mang. testd oblongo-ovatd, spird angulato- turritd; anfractibus superneé angulatis, intra costis cavernosis, costis fortibus, obtusis, suturis descendentibus ; albd, aurantio-fusco hic illic sparsim maculatd. Hab. Island of 'Ticao, Philippines (found on the sands); Cuming. Maneetia cyztinpRrica. Mang. testd cylindraceo-fusiformi, apice acutd, longitudinaliter subtiliter costatd, transversim elevato-stri- atd ; pellucido-albd, fuscescente tinctd, aurantio-fusco infra suturas maculata. Hab. Cagayan, island of Mindanao, Philippines (found in sandy mud at the depth of twenty-five fathoms) ; Cuming. 204 Zoological Society. MANGELIA CAPILLACEA. Mang. testd ovato-fusiformi; spire su- turis profundis ; anfractibus superné depressis, transversim subti- lissimé et creberrimé elevato-striatis, longitudinaliter costatis, an- gustis, suberectis, superne leviter mucronatis ; fuscescente, lineis subtilibus fuscescentibus zonatd. Hab. Island of Burias, Philippimes (found among coarse sand at the depth of seven fathoms) ; Cuming. Manecetia eraciuis. Mang. testd gracili-fusiformi, transversim subtilissimé striatd, longitudinaliter costatd, costis angustis ; albd, castaneo-fusco indistincté zonatd et maculatd. Hab. Island of Ticao, Philippines (found under stones at low water); Cuming. MANGELIA LAMELLATA. Mang. testd fusiformi-ovatd, spire suturis profundis, subcavernosis, anfractibus transversim elevato-striatis, striis fortibus, subdistantibus, longitudinaliter costatis, costis an- gustis, erectis, lamelleformibus, superne leviter mucronatis ; al- bidd, fusco pallidissime zonatd. Hab. Isle of Burias, Philippines (found among coarse sand at the depth of seven fathoms) ; Cuming. Maneetia vittata. Mang. testd oblongo-ovatd, subconicd, spird brevi, obtusd ; anfractibus longitudinaliter costatis, costarum in- terstitiis striis fortibus clathratis ; albidd, olivaceo-fusco latifas- ciatd, costarum parte olivaceo-fuscd albipunctatd. Hab. Island of Ticao, Philippines (found on the sands) ; Cuming. Maneeia zonata. Mang. testd abbreviato-fusiformi, spird brevi- usculd, turritd suturis profundis ; anfractibus longitudinaliter cos- tatis, costis e suturis descendentibus ; levigatd ; albd, zond conspi- cud aurantio-fuscd cingulatd. Hab. Island of Ticao, Philippines (found on the sands); Cuming. MancGeEtia INTERRUPTA. Mang. testd oblongo-ovatd, spird brevi, anfractibus superné nodosis, costis e nodis descendentibus ; albd, lineis nigris subtilissimis transversis interruptis, creberrimeé dispo- sitis, inter costas ornatd. Hab. Island of Ticao, Philippines (found on the sands); Cuming. _Maneetia reticunata. Mang. testd fusiformi-ovatd, spird brevi- usculd, apice acuminatd; anfractibus superne perpendiculariter compressis, deinde tumidiusculis et longitudinaliter costatis, cos- tarum interstitiis exiliter fusco-punctatis. Hab. Island of Ticao, Philippines (found on the reefs) ; Cuming. MANGELIA PULCHELLA. Mang. testd fusiformi-ovatd, subcylin- draced, spird breviusculd, apice acuminata; anfractibus superné rotundatis, longitudinaliter multicostatis, costis tenuibus gracilibus, concentrice dispositis, anfractuum superficie totd exilissime reticu- latd ; luteo-albicante, maculis quadratis parvis rufis costarum in- terstitiis fasciatim cingulatd. Hab. Island of Ticao, Philippines (found on the sands) ; Cuming. Mancetia Fusirormis. Mung. testd fusiformi, anfractibus su- Zoological Society. 205 perne subangulatis, ad angulum nodosis, costis tenuibus subsuper- ficiariis e nodis descendentibus, transversim creberrimé striatis ; luteo-albicante, punctis perpaucis aurantio-fuscis tinctd. Hab. Island of Corrigidor, Philippines (found among coarse sand at the depth of ten fathoms) ; Cuming. Maneeria Lyrica. Mang. testd fusiformi, utrinque acuminatd, anfractibus longitudinaliter concentricé costatis, transversim ele- vato-striatis ; fuscescente, aurantio-fusco pallide et indistincte Fasciata. ) Hab. Island of Burias, Philippines (found among coarse sand at the depth of seven fathoms); Cuming. Maneetia Gipposa. Mang. testd ovato-conicd, spird brevissimd ; anfractibus superne gibbosis et nodulosis, longitudinaliter costatis, levigatis ; cinereo-albicante, linets aurantio-fuscis exilibus cingu- latdé, dorso superné nigricante tincto. Hab. Island of Ticao, Philippines (found on the reefs) ; Cuming. Maneerra macutatTa. Mang. testd subfusiformi, basi truncatd, longitudinaliter costatd, costis tenuibus subdistantibus, concentricé dispositis ; sinu latiusculo; albd, maculis subquadratis aurantio- Juscis inter costas. Hab. Island of Ticao, Philippines (found under stones at low water); Cuming. 7 Maneexia TurRIcuLA. Mang. testd fusiformi-turritd, suturis pro- fundis ; anfractibus plano-depressis, longitudinaliter concentricé costatis; albicante, lineis subtilissimis aurantio-fuscis obsolete cingulatd. Hab. Island of Ticao, Philippines (found on the sands); Cuming. Maneexia CotumsBettorpEs. Mang. testd ovatd, spird brevi, acutd ; anfractibus superné leviter rotundatis, transversim elevato- striatis, longitudinaliter tenuicostatis, labro medio tumido, intus fortiter denticulato ; nived, costis eximié aurantio.fusco punctatis. Hab. Baclayon, island of Bohol, Philippines (found on mud banks) ; Cuming. Manceuia Conoueticoipes. Mang. testd ovato-conicd, spird bre- vissimd, acutd ; anfractibus transversim elevato-striatis, longitu- dinaliter multiliratis, liris tenuibus, ante suturas evanidis ; luteo- albicante, dorso maculd grandi aurantio-fuscd interdum tincto. Hab. Daleguete, isle of Zebu, Philippines (found under stones) ; Cuming. | MAnGELIA TENEBROSA. Mang. testd subfusiformi, spird acuminato- turritd ; anfractibus superné plano-depressis, suturis profundis, transversim striatis, longitudinaliter costatis, costis distantibus ; intus extusque castaneo-fuscd. Hab. Cagayan, island of Mindanao (found in sandy mud at the depth of twenty-five fathoms) ; Cuming. Maneeria Nove Houtianpiaz. Mang. testd ovatd, inferne atte- nuatd, subconicd, spird brevi; anfractibus superné rotundatis, lon- 206 Zoological Society. gitudinaliter obliqu2 costatis ; livido-cinered, apice basique nigri- cantibus, labro albido, aperture fauce fused. Hab. Swan River. Maneeria tivipa. Mang. tesid subfusiformi-ovatd, apice acumi- natd ; anfractibus longitudinaliter concentrice costatis, costis tenu- ibus ; livido-carned. Hab. Island of Ticao, Philippines (found on the reefs) ; Cuming. MancGeuia AByssicota. Mang. testd oblongo-ovatd, utrinque con- spicue attenuatd, longitudinaliter costatd, lineis elevatis cingulatd ; albidd, fusco zonatd. Hab. Island of Mindanao, Philippines (found in sandy mud at the depth of twenty-five fathoms); Cuming. Maneetia Bicotor. Mang. testa oblongd, concentricé costatd, costarum interstitiis subtilissime striatis; supra albidd, infra plumbed. Hab. Island of Ticao, Philippines; Cuming. ' Maneeuia FuNEBRIs. Mang. testd oblongd, concentrice costatd, costarum interstitiis levibus ; albidd fasciatd plumbed latd cingu- latd. Hab. Island of Ticao (found under stones at low water) ; Cuming. Mancevia Srromporves. Mang. testd fusiformi-ovatd, spird subturritd ; anfractibus superné angulatis, longitudinaliter costatis, costis ad angulum nodosis, interstitiis subtilissimé striatis ; albidd. _ Hab. Island of Bohol, Philippines. Maneetia PALLIDA. Mang. testd ovatd, concentricé costatd, costis subobtusis ; albd. Hab. Island of Ticao, Philippines ; Cuming. Manceia pessutata. Mang. testd cylindraceo-oblongd, spird breviusculd, longitudinaliter eximié suboblique costatd, costarum interstitiis subtilissimé striatis ; nived. Hab. Philippine Islands ; Cuming. Maneexia gigipa. Mang. testd ovatd, longitudinaliter fortiter tuberculato-costatd, transversim subtilissime striatd ; fuscescente. Hab. AXgean Sea; Forbes. Maneeiia ELEGANS. Mang. testd oblongd, spird breviusculd, acu- minatd, anfractibus superné angulatis, longitudinaliter costatis, costis angustis, ad angulum mucronatis, costarum interstitiis pul- cherrime elevato-striatis ; lutescente-albd, exilissime fusco-zonatd. Hab. Island of Mindoro, Philippines; Cuming. ManGeEtia LINEATA. Mang. testd ovatd, spird acuminatd ; concen- trice obtuso-costatd, levigatd ; carneo-fuscescente, lineis saturati- oribus undique cingulatd. Hab. MANGELIA PLANILABRUM. Mang. tesid fusiformi, utrinque acu- minatd, levissimd, anfractibus superné depressis, longitudinaliter Zoological Society. 207 costatis ; labro planulato, supra subangulato ; cinereo-purpuras- cente, albizonato. Hab. Island of Ticao, Philippines; Cuming. Maneeuia Hornzpecxir. Mang. testd ovatd, spird breviusculd, acutd, suturis profundis, subcavernosis, longitudinaliter costatd, costis prominentibus, transversim subtilissimé striatd, albd. Hab. Island of St. Thomas, West Indies; Dr. Hornbeck. Manceria castanga. Mang. testd oblongd, spird acuminatd, con- centrice tenuicostatd, costarum. interstitiis striatis; castaneo- Fused. Hab. Island of Burias, Philippines ; Cuming. Maneeria pusitta. Mang. testd fusiformi-ovatd, levigatd, lon- gitudinaliter costatd, costis solidiusculis obtusis; albidd, castaneo copiose tinctd et lineatd. Hab. ? Mancet1a MARMOROSA. Mang. testd ovatd, solidiusculd, spird breviusculd ; longitudinaliter costatd, costis obesis, striis elevatis, decussatis ; sinu amplo ; albd, aurantio-fusco perparce maculatd. Hab. ? 7 | Maneetia casta. Mang. testd ovato-turritd, longitudinaliter cos- tatd, costis tenuibus subdistantibus, levigatd; aperturd brevi, basi truncatd ; carneo-fuscd, obscure fasciatd, costis albicantibus. Hab. ? Maneexia operiscus. Mang. testd subulatd, hexagond, basi trun- catd, striis pulcherrimis elevatis undique creberrimé cingulatd, longitudinaliter costatd, costis distantibus, sequentibus ; aperturd minutd, ovatd; sordidé albd, aperture fauce lutescente. Hab. Islands of Corrigidor, Philippines (found among coarse sand at the depth of ten fathoms); Cuming. Maneevia BALTEATA. Mang. testd elongatd, subfusiformi, longi- tudinaliter costatd costis angustis, distantibus ; albd, zond fuscd conspicud cingulatd. Hab. ? Manee ia astricta. Mang. testd subfusiformi-ovatd, spird bre- viusculd, suturis profundis ; longitudinaliter costatd, costis cre- briusculis ; albidd, zond fuscd angustd cingulatd. Hab. ? Maneceia BADIA. Mang. testd fusiformi-ovatd, concentric? plicato- costatd, transversim fortiter striatd ; castaneo-fuscd, Hab. ai ManGELIA PELLUCIDA. Mang. testd ovatd, utrinque attenuatd, levigatd, pellucidd, nitidd, longitudinaliter crebricostatd ; albidd, basi fuscd. Hab. i ManGELIA ANGULATA. Mang. testd fusiformi-ovatd, anfractibus medio peculiariter angulatis, suturis profundis, longitudinaliter cos- tatis, costis angulos super mucronatis ; albidd, fuscescente lineatd. 208 Miscellaneous. Hab, Bay of Manila (found in sandy mud at the depth of four fathoms); Cuming. : Manecenia pura. Mang. testd oblongo-ovatd, spird subturritd, suturis profundis ; anfractibus concentric costatis ; albidd, maculis perpaucis aurantio-fuscis. Hab. ? Maneeia soLipa. Mang. testd cylindraceo-ovatd, utringue atte- nuatd, solidd, undique creberrime granoso-clathratd ; aperturd longiusculd ; purpurascente. Hab. Island of Burias, Philippines (among sand at the depth of seven fathoms); Cuming. MAnGELIA DERELICTA. Mang. testd ovatd, longitudinaliter fortiter - concentrice costatd, transversim subobsoleté striatd ; fuscescente. Hab. ? MANGELIA ZEBUENSIS. Mang. testd ovato-oblongd, spird acumi- natd, basi subattenuatd, concentrice fortiter costatd, transversim creberrimé striatd ; fuscescente. Hab. Island of Zebu, Philippines (found in sandy mud at the depth of four fathoms); Cuming. , Maneexia cincta. Mang. testd subfusiformi-ovatd, spird turritd, suturis subprofundis ; anfractibus superneé angulatis, longitudina.- liter costatis, costis distantibus ; albidd, anfractibus fascid latd Suscescente supern? cinctis. Hab. Island of Bohol, Philippines (found under ‘stones at low water) ; Cuming. Maneeuia pieitauis. Mang. testd fusiformi-ovatd, solidd, undique creberrimé granoso-clathratd ; albicante, zonis duabus purpureis angustis cingulatd. Hab. : Manexxia nana. Mang. testd ovatd, spird brevi, turritd, apice acutd; anfractibus superne angulatis, longitudinaliter oblique cos- tatis, interstitiis cavis, subtiliter striatis. Hab. Island of Mindanao, Philippines (found in sandy mud at the depth of twenty-five fathoms) ; Cuming. MISCELLANEOUS. ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MEDUSA, Dr. Rerp directed the attention of the Society to some observations he had made on the young of the Medusz. He mentioned, that many of the members of the Society were probably not aware, that the re- searches of Sars and Siebold had shown that the young of the Me- dusze (the common sea-nettles and sea-blubber of our coasts) live for a time like polypes; and that, during their polype life, they ge- nerate other animals like themselves, all of which afterwards become Meduse, This very curious fact has of late naturally attracted a Miseallinesii. 209 good deal of attention. The specimens upon which these observa- tions were made, were found by Mrs. Macdonald on the 15th of Sep- tember last, adhering to the lower surface of a stone lying in a shal- low pool near low-water mark. When obtained, they were between thirty and forty in number; and the largest was between two and three lines in length. When examined under the microscope, they presented characters somewhat intermediate between a hydraform and actiniform polype, but still different from either ; and it was not until Dr. Reid had completed his examination of their structure, that he discovered that this animal had been described by Sars, first under the name of Scyphistoma, and afterwards as the young of one of cur common Medusze (Medusa aurita). After giving a description of the external characters of these ani- mals, and pointing out that this agreed in the main with that by Sars, Dr. Reid then proceeded to explain the results of a more mi- nute examination of their structure. The body of the animal is composed of two distinct layers—an in- ternal and an external. The internal contains numerous nuclei and nucleated cells, is thicker and more opake than the external, which, on the other hand, is chiefly composed of a structureless substance, having numerous oval cells (filiferous capsules) on its outer surface, measuring about 5,),,th part of an inch in their largest diameter, and having coiled up in their interior a long spiral thread, which was occasionally seen uncoiled, and projecting from one end of the cell, along with its lining membrane. Filiferous capsules are also found in smaller number upon the inner surface of the internal layer. The internal layer, which, as has been already stated, is so rich in nuclei and nucleated cells, is folded inwards, and forms the four projections seen on the internal surface of the stomach. Each of these projec- tions is a canal, as may be distinctly made out, on making a trans- verse section of the body and placing it under the microscope: and the four canals thus formed terminate at their upper end in a cir- cular canal, placed round the mouth, and near the margin of the disc. Into this circular canal the hollow tentacula open. The inner surface of this circular canal and of the tentacula is lined by a pro- longation of the internal layer. Between the mouth and margin of the disc are four round depressions, corresponding to the termina- tion of the four vertical in the circular canal, which at first sight appear to be four apertures opening into the circular canal; but a membrane is stretched across the bottom of each depression, suffi- ciently thin to permit the ready transmission of fluids through it. In certain positions of the extensible mouth, white lines presenting the appearance of vessels are seen passing from the position of the cir- cular canal to the margin of the mouth, and uniting with each other along this margin; but Dr. Reid has not yet been able to satisfy himself that these are vessels. In some of the numerous forms which the mouth assumes, these lines entirely disappear, and when pre- - sent they seem to be formed by narrow ridges on the external sur- face. The margin of the mouth presents some indications of the Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xvii. 210 Miscellaneous. presence of a canal, but he had not been able to satisfy himself that one actually exists there. The external surface of the tentacula, especially at their edges, is covered by a great number of the filife- rous cells or capsules, already described as being present in the ex- ternal layer of the body. The edges and inner surface of the mouth, and the whole of the surface of the internal cavity or stomach, are covered with cilia ; and minute cilia, not easily detected, are present on the outer surface of the tentacula, so that currents of water, un- less when the mouth is shut, are constantly passing in and out from the stomach and along the tentacula. These animals increased considerably in size, and began to pro- duce stolons and buds about the middle of January; and though at this period the original number had been considerably reduced, the whole lower surface of the stone is now almost covered with them, and at present they amount to between 200 and 300. Whenever a stolon or bud is formed, this commences by a thickening of the in- ternal layer at that part, which causes a bulging outwards of the ex- ternal layer. Some of the buds were detached, and cilia, in motion, were observed upon their external surface, though none have yet been detected upon the external surface of the body where buds were not forming. Some of these buds were found detached, probably by accident, and lying at the bottom of the vessel in which the stone is kept, and these passed through the same amount of development as those adhering to the body of the animal, and in due time attached themselves to the surface of the vessel in which they were kept. In several animals the upper half of the body was cut off transversely by Dr. Reid, and after three or four days the lower or cut end closed in, and by the sixth day they had attached themselves firmly to the imner surface of the vessel, and shortly assumed all the appearances of the entire animal, sending out stolons and forming buds; new tentacula and a new mouth were also, after several days, formed upon the upper end of the lower half of the divided animals. Several were cut longitudinally through their whole length, and when means were not taken to keep the cut edges apart, they again soon adhered, and no traces of the incisions remained. In one the two. halves were kept apart, and in each the cut edges approximated and ad- hered, and two separate animals.were thus produced. Several were separated from the stone to which they adhered, and, if not much disturbed, they attached themselves in the course of three or four days to the inner surface of the vessel. Several were found adhering to the inner surface of the vessel in which the stone is kept ; and two’ small specimens were observed upon the outer surface of a small mussel, which had been placed in the vessel containing them a few days before ; and when this mussel was removed to a separate vessel, they left the surface of the mussel, and attached themselves to the inner surface of the vessel. The greater number of them, however, appear to remain nearly stationary. ‘These animals did not divide into young Medusz in March and April, as was to be expected, but are at the present time still propagating themselves by stolons and Miscellaneous. 211 buds; and the young thus produced propagate after a certain time in the same manner. While they are adding to their number by pro- pagation, they are also suffering loss by death and other causes. These animals are voracious, and readily seize and swallow univalve or bi- valve mollusca, or a crustacean, as large or even larger than their own bodies, and after retaining them in the stomach, generally for more than twenty-four hours, they reject them. They also not un- frequently swallow one of their neighbours, and the retention in the stomach for some time terminates in the destruction and digestion of the inclosed animal. When they seize a molluscan too large to be swallowed, they retain it firmly embraced by the tentacula, and insert their elongated mouth into the interior of the shell; and in like manner they keep dead articulated animals, too large to be swallowed, in their tentacula for more than a day, and in all pro- bability extract nourishment, by acting upon them with their elon- gated mouth. The accidental delay in the publishing of the ‘Transactions’ of the Society for this month enables me to add, that up to this period (27th July) these animals have not yet divided into young Meduse —that they have only just ceased to propagate by buds and stolons— that they appear to be perfectly healthy—and that on the 11th in- stant a number of fresh specimens were obtained from the sea, ad- hering to the lower surface of two stones, near the place where the others were found last September.—From the Transactions of the Literary and Philosophical Society, St. Andrews. New species of Mammalia. By J. EK. Gray, F.R.S. Herpestes semitorquatus. Dark brown, yellow grisled; sides and beneath rufous; feet blacker; tail paler; lips thin; throat and lower part of the side of the neck rufous, separated from the colour of the upper part of the neck by a well-defined straight line ; fur rather rigid, with a fine brown undercoat ; longer hair of the back dark brown, with a broad reddish yellow subterminal band ; of the sides bright red-bay ; of tail pale yellow, with a broad dark band and yellowish tip. Length: head and body 18°6; tail 11 inches. Hab. Borneo. Sent to the British Museum by H. Lowe, Esq., in company with Herpestes brachyurus. Felis Charltonit. This species is very like Felis marmoratus, but brighter and the dark spots rather differently disposed. It comes from Darjeeling, in continental India, It is curious to have two species so nearly allied from such differ- ent parts of Asia. _ Pteromys punctatus. Bright bay; back ornamented with white ‘ spots, Hab. Malacca. This is the only species of the genus that has any white on its back. Its skull is much smaller than the other Asiatic Pteromys. Q 2 212 : Miscellaneous. ' The two latter animals were presented to the Museum collection by Andrew Charlton, Esq., of Liskard, Cheshire, with a series of spe- cimens of Felis marmoratus from Malacca. White-thighed Jacchus, Jacchus leucomerus. Pale brown; hair pale, with a broad dark terminal band ; hinder part of body and legs darker ; face and tail black ; throat and beneath paler ; front edge of thighs and sides of loins white; ears not tufted. Hab. Bolivia. Brought to England by Mr. Bridges, and in the collection of the British Museum. This may be J. melanura, Geoff. General Views on the Classification of Animals. By J. D. Dana*. In Cuvier’s classification of animals, the division Radiata includes all invertebrated animals not comprised in either of the subkingdoms Articulata and Mollusca. Consisting thus only of refuse species, and not limited by positive characters, as Owen states, we should not expect that the group could be a zatural assemblage. _ No line of subdivision, however, has yet been made out which has met with general favour; yet greater precision has been given to our views of the affinities that run through the animal kingdom, by appealing to the nerves, the seat of sensibility and sentiment, as a basis in clas- sification ; and in this manner the subdivisions have been character- ized as follows by Dr. Grant :— I. The Vertebrata, having a brain and a spinal cord, constitute the Sprni- VERTEBRATA. II. The Mollusca, having the nerves forming generally a trans- verse series of ganglia disposed around the cesophagus, the Crcio- GANGLIATA. III. The Articulata, having no proper brain, and the main cord which runs the length of the body, double, the DirpLo-nevura. IV. The Radiata, having a radiate structure in the body and the nervous ganglia arranged in a circle, CycLo-NEURA. An objection might be made to this system, on the ground of the apparent absence of nerves in some of the lower orders. But a real absence can hardly be concluded from our inability to distinguish them. Many of these animals show by their voluntary motions and sensibility that nervous influences traverse the body : moreover, ner- vous matter is secreted in lines. We can therefore only infer the indistinctness, and not the absence of nerves, from our ineffectual efforts to trace them out ; and we must consequently be guided by general structure, in determining the relations of groups, when the nerves fail of giving aid. _ The above arrangement fails, in some respects, of presenting a clear idea of the system in nature, although highly philosophical in its general features. A study of the animal kingdom, as has been lately shown, brings to light lines or general systems of development * Proceed. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. ii. p. 281, Oct. 1845. Miscellaneous. 213 branching up from the lowest Infusoria to the higher grades of life. It is not true that the forms among the /ower grades are actually copied in any of the imperfectly developed young of the superior ; yet there is some general analogy, sufficient to indicate that the former commence on the same system of development with some of the latter, although carried essentially out of the direct upward line by the peculiar vital forces of the species. ‘The Rotifera are de- cidedly crustacean in type. Their stout mandibles are precisely those of the Cyclopacea in position, and also in general form; and in their mode of reproduction the animals are closely similar ; yet no young crustacean is ever a Rotifer. The latter belongs to the same system of development with the former, but is a distinct branch, from the regular line, characterized by the peculiar natatory organs, which appear to be the analogues of the branchial or basal appendages to the feet in Crustacea. ‘The same reasoning applies to the Bryozoa or Flustroid polyps, which are as nearly allied to the Tunicata as the Rotifers to Crustacea*. It is a side-development from the ima- ginary line which connects the Infusoria with the tunicated mol- lusks. The Entozoa afford other examples, one branch of them passing into the Crustacea through the Lerneide and Caligide, and another into the Annelida. These remarks are intended to support no monad or Lamarckian theory, but only to elucidate the established principle, that there are in nature certain distinct systems or types of development. Each species is developed with some reference to one or the other of these systems, but through the agency of the vital forces peculiar to itself —forces which there is reason to believe only creative power can change. In accordance with these principles, the several orders of animals may be arranged as follows :— I. VERTEBRATA. III, Articunata. If. Mottusca, Insecta, Myriapoda, Cephalopoda, Pteropoda, Arachnida, Gastropoda, Conchifera, Crustacea, Annelida. Tunicata. = . IV. Rapiara, : Rotifera, Entozoa. Zeophvtn Tictinke. Bryozoa. V. Provrozoa or Infusoria. A radiated structure characterizes in general the simplest forms of animal life. Passing up from the monad globule, this structure has its highest development in the Echinoderms. Among Zoophytes, * The Bryozoa have been placed near the Rotifera; but the absence of mandibles, as well as their peculiar type of structure, separates them widely from these Crustaceoid species, and allies them as closely to the Tunicata, with which they were first associated by Thompson, under the name of Polyzoa. Lister has a finely illustrated article on this subject in the ‘ Phi- losophical Transactions’ for 1834, p. 365. 214 Miscellaneous. the Hydra forms the first step upward, in which the digestive cavity is a mere sac, which will work equally well inside-out, and the mode of reproduction is extremely simple. From this group we pass to the Actinia, in which there is a distinct stomach and a series of fleshy lamelle around the internal cavity—the first rudiments of an isolation of the functions of digestion and generation ; but the cir- culating fluid is only the elaborated chyle mingled with more or less water from without. A step further and we find separate organs for the functions of the liver and a circulating system in some Echi- noderms. Through the Bryozoa the Infusoria are connected with the Tunicata and the other mollusks ; and through the Rotifera and Entozoa they connect with the Articulata, thus passing by each way, out of the true Radiate type, into that which characterizes the higher subkingdoms. The Bryozoa, Rotifera and Entozoa may be ar- ranged in the subkingdom Radiata, or with the Mollusca and Arti- culata, whose types of structure they exhibit, though under a Radiate form. The Echinoderms, although so strikingly peculiar in some species, the Echini, yet, through the Holothuria, bear closely upon the Arti- culata ; while the Acalephs incline toward the Mollusca. In the above remarks, it is not attempted to trace out all the gra- dations in the groups referred to, but only the most prominent. The animal kingdom is throughout a network of affiliations, yet there are main trunks and larger branches, to which the smaller anastomosing ramifications are subordinate. Much study will be required before the system of nature from the Protozoa up can be correctly mapped out. On two new species of Antelopes in the British Museum Collection. By J. E. Gray, F.R.S. Senegal Gazelle. Gazella rufifrons.—Bay-brown (yellower in sum- mer), with a paler upper and oblique lower black streak; front of face yellow bay; face-streak, back of feet, chest, belly and vent white; tail black ; edge of anal disc dark; knees without any tuft, with a ridge of rather longer hairs nearly to the foot. Larger than G. Dorcas. Var. Nose black in front ; young paler. Hab. Senegal. Purchased in Paris. Easily known from G. Dorcas by the want of the knee-tuft. We have two males, two females andakid. The Corinne, F. Cuv. Mam. Lithog. t. , not of Buffon. Isabella Gazelle. Gazella Isabella.—Fur short, very soft; pale yellowish brown, with a broad, rather paler oblique streak on the upper part of the sides; knee-tufts, front of face and lower face- streak darker yellow-brown ; upper face-streak, chest, belly, vent and inside of the limb white ; tail black. Young paler, lower part of sides rather darker. Hab. N. Africa: Egypt, J. Burton, Esq. ; Cordofan, M. Sundevall. We have three males, one female and three young. Meteorological Observations. 215 _ This species is known from G. Dorcas by the softness of the fur, the absence of the dark streak on the side and on the edge of the anal disc ; both these species have the under sides of the feet and the back edge of the tarsus white, while in G. Dorcas there is a tuft of soft black hair under the feet, and the back of the tarsus is red. METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR JULY 1846. Chiswick.—July 1. Fine: cloudy. 2. Densely clouded. 3. Cloudy: clear and fine, 4. Sultry: hot and dry. 5. Excessively hot: showers: cloudy. 6. Fine: heavy showers. 7. Overcast and fine. 8. Overcast: rain. 9, Overcast: heavy rain. 10. Showery. 11. Overcast: light “~— and fine. 12. Clear and fine. 13. Cloudless and hot. 14. Hot breeze. Overcast: fine. 16. Rain: densely overcast. 17. Cloudy and fine. oe phir rain: cloudy and fine, 19. Showers. 20, Py fine. 21. Fine: cloudy. 22. Hot anddry. 23. Cloudy: clear and fine. . Overcast: rain. 25, 26. Very fine. 27—29. Cloudy and fine. 30, $1. Very hot. Mean temperature of the month .........ceecsseee eessesee 65°46 Mean temperature of July 1845 .......ccesecsscessersoeees 61 *43 Mean temperature of July for the last twenty years ... 62 °96 Average amount of rain in July ..........06 wks hash tachi 2°38 inches. Boston. —July 1. Fine: rainr.m. 2. Fine. 3. Cloudy: 3 o’clock p.m. ther- mometer 80°. 4, Fine: 40’clock p.m. thermometer 84°. 5. Fine: 10 0’clock a.m. thermometer 87°: 12 0’clock a.m. 90°; hail and rain, with thunder and lightning, accompanied with a tremendous wind p.m.* 6. Windy: rain p.m. 7. Windy. 8, Cloudy:raine.m. 9. Rain: raine.m. 10, Rain. 11. Cloudy. 12. Fine. 13. Cloudy. 14. Fine: 3 o’clock p.m. thermometer 81°. 15, Fine, 16. Fine: raine.M. 17. Fine. 18. Cloudy: raine.m. 19, Cloudy. 20. Fine. 21. Cloudy: rain p.m. 22, 23. Cloudy. 24. Cloudy : rainp.M. 25, 26. Fine. 27. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 28. Cloudy: 2 o’clock p.m. thermometer 81°. 29—31, Fine. — I cannot find so hot a month in all my journal except last month. Sandwick Manse, Orkney.—July 1. Cloudy. 2. Cloudy: rain: clear. 3. Rain: cloudy. 4. Drizzle: clear. 5. Cluudy: rain. 6. Cloudy: drizzle: showers, 7. Drizzle: showers. 8. Bright: clear. 9. Cloudy: clear. 10. Bright: cloudy. 11. Cloudy: rain. 12. Fog. 13. Fog: rain., 14. Cloudy. 15. Showers: clear. 16. Bright: clear. 17. Cloudy: showers, 18. Bright: drizzle. 19. Showers: clear. 20, 21. Bright: showers. 22. Fog: showers: clear, 23, Cloudy: drops: clear. 24. Cloudy: clear. 25. Bright: drops. 26. Clear: cloudy. 27. Bright: cloudy. 28. Showers: clear. 29. Clear: fine. 30. Bright: fine. 31. Fog: fine. Applegarth Manse, Dumfries-shire.—July 1. Showers all day. 2. Showers a.m. : fine p.m. 3. Wet morning: cleared. 4. Fair and fine. 5, Fine a.m. : thunder and rain p.m. 6. Tremendous rain. 7. Very fine. 8. Rain em. 9, Rain. 10, Fair and fine. 11. Fine: slight drizzle. 12. Wet morning: cleared. 13, Fair, but threatening. 14. Very fine. 15. Showersr.m. 16. Showery. 17. Fine: showers. 18. Slight showers. 19. One slight shower. 20. Fine: slight shower. 21, 22. Showery all day. 23, Wetall day. 24. Showers. 25. Fair and fine. 26. Rain r.m. 27. Drizzly. 28. Dropping day. 29—31.. Fine: fair, Mean temperature of the month —....ssseccesseseseveres - 59°2 Mean temperature of July 1845 ..........sseeee cccvcaneses DO 2 Mean temperature of July for 23 years ......... re -- 58 °1 Mean rain in July for 18 years ....... se s'geunes bekb onsets . 3°90 inches. Mean rain tn. July .i....ccccoceveveee Lavkheeas eee kn aee we: Oa * The hottest day since 31st July 1826, "“AANWUC) ‘asunpy yoinpungy 7v “uoysno[_ *- ‘aay ay7 4g pun SauIHs-sarusawag ‘asunyy yzuvSaddp yo 70 “89,4 “AI 49 Suopuory avau ‘MOIMSIHD Jo Ajar20g pounynaysopy a2 fo uapine) ay} yD uosdwoy J, id | ene arte ae 61-6 86-1 8L-1 8S-PS ZE-8S 1-75 0-S9 ‘ens 0ZL-62 |80L-6z |669-62; 104-62 608-62 |€£6-62 OSs teed eid Vas gs | £9 bL| od 60-0€ | g1-0€| F6-6z| Lo-.0€ 08-62 996-6 out seas clionias & "L\ DL 9Z-0€ | GZ-0€ | 80-0€ | 10-0€ L£6-62 |$L6-6% La, [ress] bosses] ones toe tee zo 57 91-0€ | 70.0€| 10-08 | 10-0¢ 186-62 |260-0£ Gi. eel Loe [renee ‘< ee 89| PL [6-62 | 06-62 | 86.62 | 86-62 QZ1-0€ |81Z-0€ Bo, (erssloateel ge. oe {te 2 9 €8-60 | GL-62| £6-62 £8-6% LS1-0€ |Z00-0€ sreseesaeenel op, [ereen oc $y Ta gee 8-62 | £6-6% | L6-6% | L6-6z ETL-O€ |ZS1-0€ sieeee seeeealeneees 20, ie i 5 9 LL-6% | 69.6% | 08-62 | 01-62 LS6-6z |L90.0€ PMG POR RNS ied 9 rah ; ee 9-62 | 97-6Z| 19-6% 89.62 CzP-6z |€6L-6% Dee FM bg oem : ie : re €£-6% | 96.6% | £7.64 SS.6z SZ8.6% |888-6% Go. *"Ie**) Po. soc | - 66 Ph 9 69-62 | $¢.6%| 89-6) 19-62% '€L8-6% £26-6% Seed lnge dal Fusus Turtont, Bean. This species and the preceding one are undoubtedly the most beautiful of the large shells inhabiting the British seas. Consi- dering this circumstance and their extreme rarity, it may be readily imagined that I feel some degree of pleasure in recording them as natives of our coasts. Fusus Turtoni may be readily distinguished from Fusus anti- quus and F. norvegicus by its more elongated spire, smaller aper- ture, thicker epidermis, and the more truncated form of its siphon. When young the colour of its aperture is reddish brown, which in full-grown specimens changes to a rich purple-brown, while the lip is of a pure glossy white. The epidermis is of a yellowish horn colour. The outer surface of the shell is light-coloured ; the whorls are marked with slightly elevated broadish spiral cords ; the apex is mammillated, but not so much as it is in F. norvegicus ; the outer lip in full-grown specimens is thickened and reflected, while the inner one is somewhat more expanded than 246 Mr. W. King on some Shells and other Invertebrate Forms that of F. antiquus; and the operculum is large and pyriform. My largest specimen measures 5 inches in length and 23ths in breadth, and has eight whorls. It is found at the same depth and in the same places as Fusus norvegicus. I am strongly inclined to think that the Uddevalla fossil figured in Hisinger’s ‘ Lethzea Suecica’ (tab. 87. 2nd Supplement) under the name of Buccinum anglicanum ?, if not avariety of Fusus Tur- toni, is a nearly allied species. If its spire were a little more elongated and the canal a trifle more produced, Hisinger’s shell would closely resemble the latter: for a certainty it is not a Buccinum, as it wants the well-developed siphonal ridge of this genus. In the form of the lower part of the columella, the Ud- devalla fossil offers a striking resemblance to Fusus Turtont. ; Fusus 1sLanpicus, Martini. There are two varieties of this shell on our coasts: one from shallow water and similar to the specimens represented in Capt. Brown’s ‘ British Conchology,’ 2nd edit. pl. 6. figs. 7 and 9, and Donovan’s ‘ British Shells,’ vol. i. pl. 88, being thick, long and narrow ; and the other, which is from deep water, is thinner, shorter, and more tumid. The spiral lines are stronger, and more apart from each other on the elongated than on the tumid variety, and the canal is generally more twisted on the latter. The tumid variety appears to be intermediate in many respects to the elon- gated form, and the Fusus ventricosus of Gray found on the banks of Newfoundland. The shell represented in Brown’s ‘ British Conchology,’ 2nd ed. pl. 6. figs. 11 and 12, appears to belong to the tumid variety, but none of my specimens are so short in the canal. My largest specimen of the tumid variety is 83 mches in length and 14 in breadth, and has nine whorls. , oe Fuss BERNICIENSIS, nobis*. Specific Character.—Length rather more than twice the breadth (the largest specimen I have got, and which appears to be a full-grown one, is. 34 inches long and 13 broad, and has eight whorls). Spire (measuring from the apex to the suture at its junction with the outer lip) nearly half the length of the shell. _ Aperture, including the canal, pyriform. Stphon evenly round- ed, slightly twisted, and tapering towards its termination ; its greatest breadth half that of the aperture, and its length five- thirds of its breadth: columellar side not much thicker than the opposite one. Outer lip rather thickened, somewhat re- flected and slightly sulcated,—the sulcations corresponding to * From Bernicia, the name of the kingdom founded: by Ida, and embra- cing the present counties of Northumberland, Durham, &c. found on the coast of Northumberland and of Durham. 247 the largest of the cords on the outside of the shell. Inner lip expanded over the ventral part of the body-whorl to nearly its median line. Wahorls ventricose, with numerous prominent spirally arranged cords, a large one (the thirty-second of an inch in size on the body-whorl) alternating with a smaller one (half the size of the other), and separated from each other by an interspace or furrow equal in width to one of the latter; oc- casionally a thread-like line runs along the interspaces: the cords are crossed by slightly elevated lies of growth at the distance of one of the spiral furrows from each other, which gives the surface of the shell rather a decussated appearance. Colour white. Epidermis thin and horn-coloured. [Animal and operculum unknown. | This shell is undoubtedly allied to a group of species repre-_ sented by F. islandicus, but it differs from all those that have been described in some of its characters, such as the prominent spiral cords, the wide expansion of the mner lip, the form of the siphon, &c. In the spiral cords it bears a resemblance to F. striatus, Sow. (particularly the specimens figured in the ‘ Mineral Conchology,’ pl. 22, if they were furnished with a smaller cord running between those that are represented): in the expansion of the inner lip it offers an approximation to F. norvegicus, and consequently differs from F. islandicus, which has the same part as little expanded as in F. antiquus ; and in the form of the si (that is, its tapering off towards the extremity) it resem antiquus, and thereby differs from F. tslandicus, the sipho sh preserves the same width throughout its entire length. aslandicus, though with- out a siphonal ridge, so prominent in Fusus antiquus, evidently displays a tendency to form one; but in F. berniciensis, owing to the evenly rounded form of the siphon and the thinness of its columellar side, there is no appearance of such a tendency. To the Fusus Sabinii of Gray* our shell appears to bear some resem- blance ; but it is much to be regretted, that the smallness of the specimen examined by Mr. Gray will not allow of a rigid compa- rison between it and those of F. berniciensis, the most perfect of which is four times as large. From the description of Fusus Sa- binii, I am led to believe that F. berniciensis is more strongly ribbed, that its aperture is of a different form, that its siphon is longer, and that its lines of growth are not sv prominent. The deep water on the Northumberland coast has yielded me two specimens of this interesting species. Should I ever be so fortunate as to procure a live one, [ will endeavour to complete its specific character. - ® Vide Supplement to Capt. Parry’s Arctic Voyage in the years 1819-20, p- eexl-cexli. 248 Mr.W. King on some Shells and other Invertebrate Forms Buccinum unpatvum, Linn. The coasts of Northumberland and Durham yield four di- stinctly marked varieties of this shell, three of which it is my in- tention to consider separately, and under the following names: Buccinum magnum, B. littoralis and B. pelagica*. Variety Buccinum magnum.—tThe nearest representation I can find of this variety are the figures in the ‘ Encyclopédie Métho- dique,’ (pl. 899. fig. la—10). My largest specimen measures 43 inches in length and 23ths in breadth, and has nine whorls. The spirally corded character of this variety is very striking (though none of my specimens are quite so strongly corded as the figure just referred to): on the body-whorl the cords are ge- nerally an eighth of an inch apart, but in some specimens they are separated from each other to the extent of a quarter of an inch: the intermediate furrows are occupied with from three to six threads. The canal is short and wide, and both sides are of equal length, and its terminal margin is strongly reflected. ‘The waves are rounded ; and it is rare to see them becoming obsolete even on the body-whorl of the largest specimens. The outside of the shell is generally yellowish or reddish white, and the inside is of a milk-white colour. The epidermis is thick, clothy, and of a dirty brown. This variety lives at depths varying from fifteen to forty fathoms, and from its epidermis being generally dirty, there * There are now so many names given to shells generally considered to be merely varieties of Buccinum undatum, that I was in hopes of using some of them for those described in the text. I find however that this is im- practicable: for example, Buccinum striatum is generally considered to re- present the thin or deep-water form, but the shell which Pennant describes under this name (vide British Zoology, vol. iv. pl. 74. fig. 91), as remarked long ago by Dr. Turton (vide British Fauna, p.171), is “ without the undulate ribs ;”’ in short, it does not possess the specific characteristic of Buccinum undatum—the waves; it is simply longitudinally plicated. As this is not general (exceptions occasionally occur) to any of the varieties on our coasts, I am consequently prevented using the name “striatum.” With reference to the name Buccinum Donovani, Gray, this has been given to a shell which I am disposed to think is merely an elongated form of my B. pelagica, and which occurs only rarely on our coasts ; in other localities it may be a more general form; if so, the name may therefore be advantageously retained for » it. As to the name Buccinum anglicanum, | confess my inability to decide as to what shell it was originally given. On the whole then it seems pre- ferable to make use of new names when there are so many difficulties in the way of adopting the old ones. [ am not certain that my names can be ap- plied to varieties found in other localities: the Buccinum undatum sold in London is different from the varieties that I have described: [have a beautiful specimen from some part of Ireland very different from any on our coasts ; it has the waves, but it is decidedly without the spiral cords, being simply striated. I have seen specimens from other localities that cannot be iden- tified with our varieties. found on the coast of Northumberland and of Durham. 249 ean be little doubt that it lives on a muddy bottom : the largest and thickest specimens are from the shallowest water. The New- castle museum possesses an aberrant form of this variety without the least trace of waves, and resembling the Buccinum carinatum of Turton. Variety Buccinum pelagica.—In speaking of the last variety it was stated, that the thickest specimens were from the shallowest water, that is from fifteen to twenty-five fathoms, and, as implied, that the thinner kinds were from a greater depth, say from twenty- five to forty fathoms : the same variation is observable in the va- riety under consideration ; the thickest specimens are to be found in from forty to fifty-five fathoms, while the thinnest live in from fifty-five to eighty fathoms. In short, there is an unbroken gra- dation of character from the very thick shell found in fifteen fathoms water to the excessively thin one which has its habitat in eighty fathoms: but how different is their appearance when they are contrasted ! take for example a full-grown specimen of each variety from the extremes of depth. Buccinum magnum vay. Buccinum pelagica var. 42 inches long, 2% inches broad. 43 inches long, 2 inches broad. Nine whorls. Ten whorls. ~. zsths of an inch in thickness. zsth of an inch in thickness. Spiral cords and threads prominent Spiral cords and threads small and and persistent. becoming obsolete on the large whorls. : Epidermis thick and clothy. Epidermis thin and ciliated. Waves large and on all the whorls. | Waves small and only on the first six whorls. Both sides of the siphon of the same ‘The columellar side of the siphon length. much shorter than the opposite one. Weight 33 ounces. Weight 4 an ounce. I have not yet procured any specimens of Buccinum pelagica without the waves and simply threaded, as appears to be the case with the Buccinum ciliatum of Fabricius, but I have some closely approximating to this species in these respects: in a few of my specimens the waves lose their peculiarity, and become simple longitudinal plications, not in the least undated. If Buccinum ciliatum occurred on our coast, I should be strongly inclined to regard it as another variety. Buccinum pelagica has a strong tendency to become elongated : I have specimens closely resembling the shell figured by Donovan as the Buccinum glaciale * (the same shell has been named Buc- cinum Donovani by Mr. J. E. Gray). Its colour is extremely va- riable, being externally white, variously shaded with brown, yel- lowish, and often marked with two or more reddish brown or purple bands: owing to its thinness, the outside colours are often * British Shells, pl. cliv. Ann. & Mag.\N. Hist, Vol. xviu. T 250 Mr.W. King on some Shells and other Invertebrate Forms. displayed on the inside of the aperture; occasionally there is so little caleareous matter in the shell that it is almost horny. Variety Buccinum littoralis is so called in consequence of only being found close in shore on pebbly bottoms and rocks laid bare at low tide. From being on such rough and exposed grounds, it is extremely liable to become broken and abraded, which will account for so few being found in a perfect state: at one locality near Sunderland, it is however often found in beautiful condi- tion ; here the specimens are always white externally with a yel- low aperture: in various other localities on the coast of North- umberland, it is brown externally, and of a variously shaded purple colour within. This variety, at least as it occurs near Sunderland, has the waves rounded, regular, and not very promi- nent: the cords and threads are closer to each other than in B. magnum, from which it differs in being a shorter and a smaller shell, in having a shorter spire, the whorls standing less boldly out from the sutures, and the terminal margin of the canal less reflected. The epidermis is thinnish and of a light brown colour. My largest specimen measures 2% inches in length and 1% in breadth, and has eight whorls; it is very seldom that specimens are found exceeding this size. Besides the foregoing, another strongly marked variety occurs on our coasts; but as it is probable it will be described elsewhere by others who have paid more attention to it than I have, I shall merely state, that one of the principal differences between it and Buccinum magnum, as first pointed out to me by Mr. A. Han- cock, is in the general absence of an epidermis; the fishermen say that it lives on hard or rocky ground. The figure in Pen- nant’s ‘ British Zoology,’ pl. 73, appears to represent the same shell. I have seen two aberrant forms of this variety ; one is thin, waveless and subulate, somewhat resembling the Buccinum acuminatum of Broderip; and the other is of the normal form, but without any waves. To the conchologist who is interested in the modifications to which a species is subject from a variation of habitat, depth, or from other causes, nothing can be more pleasing than to see the various permanent forms of Buccinum undatum belonging to our coasts ; but how much more interesting would a collection be of all the varieties that are known to live under every shade of cli- matal influence! Deshayes says that Buccinum undatum is found ranging “from the North Cape to Senegal, modifying itself ac- cording to the temperature as it advances* :” it is well known to occur on the shores of North America; and the paleontologist is certain that it lived as far back as the meiocene period. I have * Charlesworth’s Magazine of Natural History, vol. i. p. 10. M. Sundeyall on the Birds of Calcutta. 251 endeavoured to describe some of the modifications of this species as they occur at the present point of time on the coasts of Northumberland and Durham; let us hope that others will be induced to describe more of its modifications as prevailing on these coasts and elsewhere during either the present or an earlier period. If this should be done to a proper extent, it is not too much to anticipate that sufficient materials will be accumulated to necessitate the publication of an illustrated monograph of the species Buccinum undatum. XXVII.—The Birds of Calcutta, collected and described by Cari J. SUNDEVALL*. { Continued from p. 176. ] 17. Phenicornis flammea, Boie.—Musc. flammea, Forster, Lath. Temm. Pl. Col. 263. Alarum tectricibus quibusdam pennisque posticis apice flavo-lim- batis. Rostri carina paullo obtusa. 2 (Calcutta 22 Febr.) cinerea, uropygio concolori; subtus pal- lide flava, gula albida; linea per oculos fusca, supercilia albida. Ala nigra, vitta flava e fascia remigum 5, et sequentium. Tectrices in- feriores et margo carpi flava. Cauda prioris. Rostrum et pedes nigri. Long. 74 poll., ala 87 millim., tarsus 14, rostrum e fronte 12; altitudo 5, latitudo 7. Iris fuscescens. (Alia simillima, rectricibus utrinque 5 apice flavis, e Calcutta, Mus. Stockh.) ¢G junior (e Calcutta, Mus. Stockh.), ut ? sed subtus sordide coloratus, collo antico parum flavo tincto. Uropygium leviter flavo- tinctum. Flavedo caude splendidior. Ala 88 mill. 6 adultus e Java, superne cum gula et jugulo niger, czruleo ni- tens; subtus uropygio, vitta alarum caudaque lateribus splendide luteo-fulvis. Rectrices utrinque 5 extrorsum lutez. Mensure ut ?. I saw only the described hen-bird without being able to ex- amine its actions, &c. closer. It had insects in the stomach, and in its cellular texture under the belly-skin lay two pretty large intestinal worms (Ascarides). The ovary was quite visible, but small. 17 b. Phenicura miniata? Temm. P]. Col. 156. ¢ Junior ? e Calcutta, Mus. Stockh. Cinereus, subtus cineras- centi-roseus, gula alba. Ala nigra, fascia remigum, apicibus tec- tricum majorum pennarumque posticarum, et parte exteriore rectri- cum 5 lateralium lete rubris (roseis). Uropygium rubro (nec flaves- centi) tinctum. Ala 87 millim., tarsus 14. Simillimus mari juniori prioris, colore flavescente in rubrum mutatoft. * Translated from the ‘ Physiographiska Sallskapets Tidskrift’ by R. Ber- tram, with Notes by H. E. Strickland, M.A. + This bird is the Pericrocotus roseus of Vieill., and not the miniatus of Temminck.—H. E. S. T 2 Wve 252 M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 18. Acanthiza trochiloides, n. Olivaceo-viridis, subtus alba, an- tice flavo tincta. Cauda integra penna extima breviore, apice intus alba. Linea per oculos fusca. 6 15 Febr. Caput paullulum fusco tinctum ; supercilia elongata pallide flava. Ala subtus alba; tectrices superiores apice pallescentes. Cauda fuscescens, obsolete transversim undato-micans. Rostrum subtus album, superne et pedes pallide fusci. Long. 5 poll.; ala 47 millim., tarsus 19, cauda 45, rostrum e fronte 9. Rostrum apice leviter compressum. Remiges 3 antice gradate : 22=10*; 4 et 5 reliquis longiores. Pennz cubiti ad % alee flexze extense. This little bird has a greater interest for us on account of its remarkable resemblance to our Sylvia trochilus. I have only seen the above-described specimen, and can say nothing else about its way of living than that even in its actions it has an extraordinary resemblance to Sylvia trochilus, so that I fully believed I had found that species until an examination of its flattened, much broader beak, and the somewhat different-formed wings proved my mistake. These are the only points in which the genus Acanthiza (Vig. et Horsf.) differs from our Sylvia ; the beak is even unlike that of our S. hippolais. In New Holland there are several species to be found. I heard no note from the bird described. This is most likely the kind to which those authors allude who speak about the Indian Sylvia trochilus (for example, Edwards in the text to plate 278). 19. Acanthiza arrogans,n. Superne olivaceo-viridis, subtus tota flava ; vertice vittis 2 longitudinalibus nigris e rostro ad nucham. 6 Calcutta, 9 Febr. Corporis latera flava. Al fusce, plumis virescenti-marginatis ; pennis intus albidis. Rectrices utrinque 2, pogonio interno e medio ad apicem albo, omnes rectz, apice angu- late, unde cauda emarginata. Rostrum superne fuscum et pedes albidi. Magnitudo et statura Reguli. Longit. 4 poll.; ala 57 mill., tarsus 17, rostrum e fronte 10; altit. 2, latit.4. Rostrum apice non compressum, maxillis equalibus, superioris apice non deflexo. Re- migum 1? paullo brevior quam in precedente ; 5* reliquis sublongior. Lingua sat magna, apice rotundata, integra. This bird bears a considerable resemblance to our Regulus. I have met with it only twice, amongst bushes, in which it hopped about without bemg shy. The specimen described hopped ac- tively about in a low tree without concealing itself, and screamed a rough tshack! tshack! as if it intended to drive me away. I could not find out how far it had begun to build its nest. In its stomach I found only small] hard beetles. This bird also is called by the natives Tuntuni. 20. Malurus longicauda, Temm. Man. ed. 2. Anal. p. 48.—Mota- cilla longicauda, Gm., Lath. no. 144. Sylvia guzurata, Lath. 173 (ex it. Sonnerati). M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 253 - Olivaceo-viridis, subtus cum gula albus, capite anterius tibiisque fulvescentibus. 6 rectricibus 2 mediis elongatis, linearibus dimidio longioribus quam proximis. 9 rectricibus simpliciter gradatis, 6 mediis sub- zqualibus, coloreque paullo obsoletiore. Magnit. Troglodytis; ala 46 mill., tarsus 20; rectrices mediz maris 65, proxime sequentes 44, foemine 39. Iris flavescenti-alba, rostrum supra fuscum, subtus et pedes pallide. Capitis latera et supercilia griseo-albida, occiput fuscum. Rectrices fuscescentes, lateribus virides, margine apicis albido. ( ¢ ? Febr., Apr., Maio. Tes- ticulis Apr. Maio tumidissimis. ) Lingua apice truncata, lacero-setosa ut Pari. Just as the two before-described birds seem to represent our Sylvia trochilus and Regulus, so it seems that this bird supplies the place of our Troglodytes in India, to which it bears, the co- lour excepted, a close resemblance. Its much larger feet and smaller wings give it a strange appearance. Like Troglodytes it hops restlessly and boldly about, often, but not at all times, with its tail spread out, and is seldom quiet. It also seems often to make signs as if it would attack the person who approaches it ; but it hops only in trees, generally in the lower ones, and not among stones, &c., as Troglodytes. Its note is a loud whistling tshuti! tshuti! I did not hear any clear sounds. According to a description in Lath. ‘Gen. Hist.’ it builds its nest between two leaves of the mango-tree. I found in its stomach only the re- mains of finely-chewed insects. In the entrails of both the males were found a great many intestinal worms as fine as threads in the neighbourhood of the kidneys, and it seemed as if the liver of one had been gnawed by them, yet the bird appeared to be quite lively and gay. Three of the males I examined were with- out those worms. The liver in all of them was of a whitish colour, which was quite common among the Bengal birds. This kind is common in the neighbourhood of Calcutta. It is met with all over India and China. In Java (and Sumatra ?) there is a kind which is very much like this, and ought perhaps only to be consi- dered asa variety*. Dr. Mellerborg, who visited Java in 1827, likewise through Baron Gyllenkrok’s patronage, has brought se- veral specimens of them, but only on his second visit. 21. Iéra tiphia. Supra viridis (vel nigra) subtus flava, fasciis alarum 2 albis ; rostro valido nigricante, tomiis late albis.—a. superne nigra: Motacilla zeylonica, Gm. = Sylv. zeyl. gf Lath. 91. Le Quadricolor, LeVaill. Afr. 141 (e Ceylon).—6. superne viridis: Motac. * Malurus sepium; Motacilla sepium? Raffl. Sumatr. Linn. Tr. xiii. Fusco-olivaceus, subtus flavescenti-albidus, capite anterius cum lateribus gulaque tibiisque rufis. Rectricibus apice albis fascia ante apicem nigri- cante. Mensur, et differentia sexus ut 7. longicauda, sed rostrum for- tius, ¢ jugulo fusco-olivaceo. 254 M. Sundevall on the Birds of Caleutta. tiphia, Linn. S. N. (ex icone Edw. 79=Ficed. bengalensis, Briss. iii. p. 484. e Bengal.). Figuier vert et jaune, Buff. Sylvia zeylonica ?, Lath. Yéra scapularis, Horsf. Jav. Linn. Trans. xiii. p.151. Turdus scapularis, Rafl. Sumatr. ib. p. 311. Descr.—Var. viridis $ (Calcutta 28 Febr. testic. parvis) superne e fronte ad caudam flavescenti-viridis, opacus, uropygio fronteque paullo magis flavo tinctis. Plumee dorsi basi cinereze medio obsolete albe. Capitis latera cum orbitis, totumque gastreum flava, hypo- chondriis olivaceo tinctis. Ale nigra, tectricibus majoribus apice pure albis, unde fascie 2 albee; carpi margo flavus. Remiges cubi- tales latius flavo, primariz tenuissime albo marginate. Cauda pure nigra, pennis 2 mediis totis, reliquis margine apicis virescentibus. Pedes nigricantes. Iris fusca. Long. 53 poll. Extensio alarum ~ 7 poll. Ala 60 mill., cauda 51, tarsus 18, rostrum e fronte 15.— ¢ (Calcutta 28 Febr.) similis mari, sed differt coloribus minus di- stinctis. Cauda tota olivacea, viridi marginata, transversim undato- micans, pennis utrinque 2 margine interiori tenui, virescenti, definito. _ Venter sordide flavus ; alz fusco-nigre fasciis albis flavo inquinatis. nt ut maris. (Foemina 7 Febr. et in medio Martii huic simil- ima. Var. superne nigra e Java Mus. Gyll., ex “ Ind. Or.” Mus. Stockh. (veris $'). Superne atra, nitida, plumis obtecta albis et flavis. Uro- pygium olivaceum. Capitis latera cum orbitis, collum antice totum- que pectus flavissima, abdomen album. Ale et cauda ut f supra descr. Ala 68—66 mill. Generica.—Rostrum rectum validum crasse subulatum, subteres, - longit. 2 capitis, apice superiore inciso, vix deflexo, vixque longiori. Vibrissee fere nulle. Nares nude, membrana angusta, fornicata. Alex breves, rotundate, remigibus 4—6 zqualibus, cubitales parum Superantibus. Cauda mediocris, eequalis, integra. Pedes mediocres, scutati, pollice fere longit. dig. medii. All the specimens I saw were of a green colour, and I am not aware that individuals of a black colour from Bengal have been described. The black specimens of Java which I have seen have not shown any dissimilarity that would warrant their separation into two species. Common as this bird was, I did not shoot any after the middle of March, nor have I noted down whether I saw any after that time. In February they seemed already paired, and when I shot the above-described male without killing it im- mediately, it remained hanging on a branch, and the hen-bird came directly and tried to help it up with its beak. As a matter both of feeling and of science, I was now induced to make their fidelity eternal by another shot. From the above-described ana- tomical proportion one is led to believe that this male was young, and that it was its mother which intended to assist it; but in that neighbourhood I found none but these two, which I had ob- served for more than an hour. In attitude and actions this bird resembles more a Fringilla, for example the Bulfinch. It hops M. Sundevall on the Birds of Caleutta. 255 steadily about in the tree without the restless or prying actions which commonly belong to the insect-eating birds; but the formation of the beak is sufficient to distinguish it from the Sparrow-kind ; the edges of the under mandible being rather high, and towards the end very much bent in. In its stomach I found small and hard beetles, and eggs of butterflies. The com- mon decoy-note was a quickly repeated high and clear pipipi- pipi! or tuj tuj tuy...! From the male I often heard a very charming but soft singing which was greatly varied. The Ben- galese name is unknown to me. 22. Timalia grisea.—Turdus griseus, Gm., Lath. no. 91 = Merle gris de Gingi, Sonn. Voy. (Huc etiam : Baniahbou de Bengale, Ald. 3.8. pl. 9 (mala) = Merula bengalensis, Briss. 2. 260, Hdw. t. 184 (colore nimis obscuro, pedibus debito minoribus et iride rubra) ; cit. sub Turdo canoro Auct.*) _Pallide grisea, subtus pallidior, leviter fulvescenti tincta ; macula nuda pone oculos, rostro, pedibusque flavescenti-albis, remigibus intus fuscis. Magnit. et statura Turdi, pedibus multo majoribus, alisque mino- ribus 9+ poll., ala 102 mill., tarsus 35, cauda 100. Iris nivea. Plume laceree, decomposite, rachides in dorso obtecte albide; pectus et varie partes, certo luminis situ obsolete fusco-micante maculata. Linea superciliaris nulla distincta. Vibrisse minime, subreflexe. Rostri et pedum forma similis Gracule. Cauda valde rotundata, transversim undato-micans. This kind is common near Calcutta, where in February and March I saw them in families of five or six together hopping about on the ground among small trees and bushes. When startled they flew into the lower trees. Their flight is quick with a noisy action of the wings, but it is feeble and never continued for any length of time. Like the Thrush-kind they hide them- selves very cleverly behind the branches and leaves. They never remain quiet, and make a great disturbance with their chattering noise, which is somewhat like that heard from young starlings. From these sounds this species has received its Bengalese name tshattaria (with the accent on the first syllable), which is not at all a bad name for it. In Lath. ‘Gen. History’ (under Turdus canorus) the name of Chatareea is mentioned, according to the ac- count of Buchanan. I did not hear any song. Its food consists of insects, small snails, grains of rice, &c., which I always found in its stomach. In the beginning of February I got a young * Relique citationes 7. canori referende sunt ad 7’. sinensem, Briss. et L. (L’Hoamis de la Chine, Buff.) sc. Turd. chinensis, Osb. It. 309. Corvus faustus, Linn. Am. Ac. iv. Lan. faustus et Turd. canorus, Linn. S. N. x. . xii. Sic 7. canorus = T’ sinensis, nobis, Timalia fausta, e div. Garrulax, esson. 256 M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. male, which had in the cavity of the chest, under the skin, be- tween the branches of the furcula, a globular formation, larger than its head, hard, of a whitish gray colour, and only slightly attached by the cellular tissue. This specimen had a sickly ap- pearance, ruffled feathers, and the point of its beak was a little injured as well as very much grown out of its proper form. A ereat number of species of this genus (Timalia, Horsf. L. Tr. xii.) are found in the countries around the Indian Sea. They supply on the old continent the place of the American Myothere, to which they have a great resemblance. They are remarkable for their plain gray or brownish colour, large feet, small wings, &c. None of the birds of our climate are so deficient in that gaiety of plumage which distinguishes the feathered tribe ; but the tropical countries excel in both splendour and simplicity in great as well as small things. The species of the old continent, which in Tem- minck’s P]. Col. are called Myothera, belong (most likely all) to Timalia*. 23. Cinnyris ceylonica, Cuv.—Certhia zeylonica, Linn. et Auct. 6 Castaneus ventre flavo, pileo ularumque carpo purpurascente-viri- dibus, gula uropygioque violaceis, nitidissimis cauda zequali. Magnit. Sylvie, 44 poll., ala 55 mill., tarsus 17, rostrum 17. Rostrum capite paullo longius, in arcum 1 circuli curvatum. 3 7 Febr. Iris fulvescens (subgrisea), colore viridi capitis ante- rioris carpique minus extensis. ‘Testiculi magnit. pisi, dexter albus, sinister nigro-cinereus, albido reticulatus. 6 27 Apr. Iris coccinea, color perfectus, tectricibus ale parvis omnibus, capillitioque toto viridi-zneis, etiam jugulum violaceum. Testiculi maxime tumidi albi. 6 2 Mai. (Junior prioris anni?) Iris obscure rubra. Vertex et gula plumis immixtis cinereis. Uropygium olivaceo-cinerascens, plumis violaceis immixtis. Color metallicus capitis, gule alarumque parum extensus. Caude alarumque plume latius pallescenti margi- nate. ‘Testiculi parvi, fere obsoleti. I did not succeed in getting a female, although this species was quite common in the neighbourhood of Calcutta. They hopped quickly about between the branches of the trees, like our sinall Sylvia, i. e. curruca, trochilus and others, which they even resemble in flight. Sometimes I saw them hanging under the branches, like Regulus, in order to gather insects out of the buds. It has already been remarked by others, that the food of this bird does not consist entirely of honey, as was supposed from its long, divided and tubular tongue, but they use it to catch in- sects with. The stomach was always full of little husks, larve, * These remarks on the genus 7imalia are generally correct, although the species above-described is not a 7imalia, but a Malacocercus.—il. KE. S. M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. hee and other insects, and in the one which I shot in February I found the seed of some plant. This bird, as well as many other small species, however, must be very fond of sweet things, because the Hindoos maintain that they live upon sugar, and the Ben- galese name Sokkor-kurra signifies sugar-eater. In Madagascar some other kinds of Cinnyris are named Soui-manga, which it is said means the same. In the month of March, when the large cotton-tree (Bombax malabaricus) was in blossom, its tulip-hke flowers were very much visited by these as well as some other birds, 2. e. the Indian magpie and starling, but they look for in- sects and not for honey. The stomach is small and very thin, almost like skin ; the liver is large and whitish ; the tongue is long, divided into two narrow flat strips, and entire, with the margins near the root turned in, almost forming atube. I only heard a short whistling sound from them occasionally. 24. Motacilla alba var., tectricibus alarum majoribus intermediis totis, reliquis pogonio externo albis.— 9 22 Martii; ala 81 mill., tarsus 20, rectrices mediz 82. Plaga juguli lunata, verticeque usque in nucham, nigris. _ Only one specimen of this species was obtained, but several were seen in the same place near Sucsagor, in the vicinity of the river, also one near Calcutta, February 9. They were all gray above as with us, but in the female brought home, the dorsal feathers have towards their sides and tips a slight though con- spicuous streak of black which cannot be seen at a distance in the living specimens. Possibly the older individuals become black in summer, as in many places in southern Europe and central Asia. I saw no more wagtails after the 22nd of March; they probably then migrate to the north. With the exception of the above-mentioned distinctions, the specimen brought home is altogether like the same bird in winter-clothing (March, April) with us, except that the black and white colouring of the head is somewhat purer than is usually the case here with the females. Notes, habits, &c. not thoroughly known. 25. Motacilla flava.—Our well-known Yellow Wagtail was seen several times (first on February 9), and was shot once, on March 12, on a grassy plain near the river, where it occurred abundantly along with Charadrius minor. As I on that day had collected more birds than I could preserve, the specimen was not brought home; I trusted to shoot a wagtail another time, but did not succeed. As far as I could see, it showed no difference from our common species of South Sweden; and among many which I saw alive at a short distance, I perceived none with a black head, as is common with the adult males in summer plu- mage in Dalmatia, Lapland and central Asia. 258 M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. | Motacilla boarula?—Several times in February and March there were seen near Calcutta and Serampore, wagtails which could scarcely be other than M. boarula; but as I happened to miss them, and had not before seen any living specimen of the specie mentioned, I will assert nothing, but merely record what I saw. | 26. Anthus arboreus is also one of the commonest birds of Bengal. Two males brought home show no other difference from a Swedish specimen killed near here, than that the dark streak through the eye is somewhat broader, and the spots on the back are somewhat less evident than in Swedish specimens. Their mode of life appeared to me unusual, as I had not before seen them in their winter abodes ; they flew about in flocks of five or six together during the month of February, on the ground near bushes and in places overgrown with trees. When alarmed they flew up into the trees. Only seeds were found in the stomach. I do not remember to have seen them after the month of March, but I presume that they then remove to thei native abodes in the north. The Bengal name is Zjorta or Tjah. 27. Anthus pallescens, Vig. et Horsf. Linn. Trans. xv. p. 229.— Griseus, fusco- maculatus, subtus albus: pectore antico lineolis crebris oblongis nigro-fuscis ; pedibus validis, tarso longit. 1 ale; ungue postico leviter arcuato, valido, longiore quam digito. Calcutta initio Maii. Magnitudo corporis fere A. pratensis ; longit. 53 poll. Ala 74 mill., cauda 51, tarsus 25. Affinis A. cam- pestri, sed pedes majores, caudaque brevior. Supercilia lata, albida, elongata. Linea per oculos et altera ordinaria sub oculis distincte, fusce. Lineola ordinaria ad latera gule tenuis, nigro-maculata. Macule pectorales parvee, longit. 2-3 millim., fasciam pectoralem formant ; juguli ventrisque nulle. Hypochondria fulvescentia. Rec- trices utrinque 2 albex, basi oblique fusce ; 3° margine externo tenui albo. Rostrum et pedes albo-pallidi. Iris fuscescens. Rostrum paullo longius, sed non minus validum quam in 4. arboreo. Color superne griseo-pallescens, plumis angulatim detritis ; superne non rufescens ut in descriptione citata. Alarum fasciz nullz. {Aliud individuum, non conservatum, 23 Martii, differt rectrice 2* pogonio externo toto fusco ; 3* immaculata.] This Titlark is only found in open fields, especially on arable Jand, and never perches on trees. It is consequently not seen near Calcutta, but is common on the more open fields some miles therefrom. The elevated tarsi give them a peculiar, easily recog- nised aspect, and they are often seen to raise themselves with the body straight up, while the other species of the genus always carry the body horizontal. One may also sometimes see them hop with both feet together, but the most usual action 1s spring- ing like that of the other birds of the Lark kind. On one occa- M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 259 sion I heard one singing some notes, and quavering like a lark, but only for a moment. The food consists of insects, such as Achete, together with rice and other seeds. Both kinds of food were found together in the stomach. In the beginning of May they were seen in pairs; they had previously been solitary. It seems that the same species isalso found at Ulimaroa, for I have no doubt that it is identical with the species above quoted. 28, Alauda (A. arvensis, Sonn. Voy. ?).—On the great plains about Sucsagor, north from Calcutta, two species of Alauda were decidedly seen, which were analogous to A. arvensis and arborea. One was killed at the first shot, but as I was wearied that evening, and delayed preparing the specimen, I had the misfortune next day to find this, as well as a large portion of my other specimens, destroyed by ants. My intention of shooting another failed, nor did I keep what the ants had left. It was somewhat smaller than A. arvensis, had rather stronger markings on the sides of the head, much as in A. arborea, and a difference of colour in the tail-feathers. [Rectrice extima alba, 2 intus ob-- lique fusca, pogonio externo quoque fusco, relicta plaga magna alba trigona.| The song was (in March) not so lively as our lark’s, but more tedious and monotonous, such as we sometimes hear it in August. The feathers were worn into an angular form, and the shape of the beak was as in A. arvensis. The other spe- cies was not obtained. 29. Alauda gingica, Lath. no. 14.—Petit Alouette grise de Gingi, Sonn. Voy. Fringilla cruciger, Temm. Pl. Col. 269.1. Duree Finch, Lath. Gen. Hist. vi. 115. Genus Megalotis, Swains. Grisea, gastrei vitta longitudinali, lata, in jugulo cruciata, cum superciliis lorisque nigris. Rostrum crassissimum. ¢& 22 Mart. Iris fusco-rufescens. Rectrix lateralis extus oblique albo-dimidiata. Alarum tectrices infericres nigree. Dorsum obso- letissimze fusco-maculatum. Frons et capitis latera sordide alba. Long. 4} poll; ala 72 mill., tarsus 17, cauda40. Lingua apice trun- cata, setoso-lacera. This elegant little Lark was seen several times in the open fields. In its flight and motions on the ground it completely resembled a lark, not a Fringilla. The specimen described was shot just as it settled on the ground after singing for some mo- ments with expanded wings. Only seeds were found in the stomach. According to Buchanan (in Latham’s Gen. Hist.), it lays its eggs in May, and is called Duree in Bengal. Of this and some allied species a separate genus, Megalotis, Sw., has been made, which from its thick beak has been included among the Finches ; but the form of the lower mandible, as well as the mode of life, distinguish it sufficiently therefrom, and it is in order the better to draw attention hereto that I have retained 260 M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. the generic name Alauda. They differ however from the Larks m the thickness of their beaks, the form of the tongue, their unspotted plumage, and the decidedly short and curved hind- toe. Here also belongs Fringilla otoleucos, Temm. Pl. Col. 269. 2, but not F. simplex and githaginea from Africa, which are true Fringille, Linn. (Pyrgite, Cuv.). 30. Fringilla domestica was found at Calcutta just as in Swe- den. On two occasions I had an opportunity to observe spar- rows at three to five yards’ distance on board ship, and I saw them also in the town, but not in the country, so that I had no opportunity of shooting any. All the males (at least ten or twelve), which I could observe accurately m the manner men- tioned, had the head gray above and brown on the sides, as with us. [t is remarkable that the hot climate did not make the head of the male brown, as in Italy, Spain and Egypt. Possibly I did not see any old male. Fringilla montana was not seen. 31. Fringilla bengalensis (non F. bengalus, auct.).—Loxia benga- lensis, Briss., Linn., Lath. no. 36; Edw. 189; Buff. Pl. Enl. 3938. 2. ( 3 fig. mala). Genus Ploceus, Cuv. Grisea, subtus rufescenti-albida, dorso fusco-maculato; capite superne flavo, lateribus pallide fusco. Rostrum altitudine duplo longius. Paulo major quam F. domestica; rostrum presertim majus. Ala 74 mill., tarsus 20. Remiges 10; 1* spuria.. Gula albida. Gadulta, Mart., Apr., Maio, capillitio toto flavissimo. ¢ jun. (Aprili) fronte ad medium verticem flava. (9? Apr. Ovario? ictu leso. Similis f juniori, sed colore paullo sordidior. | In attitude and habit this bird resembles our common sparrow, and, the yellow crown excepted, its colour is much the same. The species was quite common about Calcutta after April, when - they began to build their nests ; before April they were not seen. The nests are skilfully suspended under the enormous leaves of the common palm-tree (Borassus flabelliformis). The best are of compact coarse hay, and have the appearance of a purse ; they are 13 or 14 inches long, 7 inches broad in the lower part, growing smaller upwards to the breadth of 2 inches, and exter- nally smooth; but they are in great part solid, so that only the lowest extremity has a small spherical cavity of 5 mches diame- ter, with a pendent cylindrical entrance at the side. The nest is built from above, so that the cavity is made the last. When it is half-made, so that the bottom is wanting, a transverse wall is made, and the structure has consequently two holes in the lower part, one for the nest, the other for the entrance. These are afterwards completed, each by themselves. The males were supposed to be chiefly occupied in collecting materials, and this M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. 261 seemed the most probable. Although I shot many in order to procure a female, I only succeeded in getting the one above-no- ticed, which however I cannot with certainty pronounce to be one. It was shot down from a half-finished nest at more than twenty yards high. Two or three nests are often attached to the same leaf, and twenty or thirty in the same palm. In the be- ginning of May the newly-hatched young were obtained from a nest, and three quite white eggs from another, although many nests were scarcely half- built. The notes near the nests were like the warbling and call-notes of the linnet. No song was heard. In the stomach only rice- grains were found, which they were seen to pluck while hopping about the cottages, like sparrows with us. The Bengalese name is Bawee (the w sounded as in English). [To be continued. } XXVIII.—On the Growth of Cell-Membrane. By Hueco v. Mou.*. [Continued from p. 155.] WHEN we compare the conclusions necessarily resulting from these calculations with Harting’s theory, we see that they are decidedly opposed to it. We have good grounds for the assump- tion that the mean number, derived from the measurement of ten rows of cells, indicates with tolerable accuracy the course of the normal development of the wood-cells of Hoya carnosa, since the mean numbers already derived from the measurement of five rows of cells differ but very slightly from those above men- tioned. If we assume this, it follows that the nearer the inter- mediate (mittlere) wood-cell (if I may so express myself) of this plant approaches the margin of the wood in consequence of the progressive conversion of the inner cambium-cells into wood- cells, the more it enlarges in the radial direction, so that its dia- meter is dz of a millimetre when it lies in the second row of cambium-cells (counted from the wood), and when it has advanced to the inner row, bordering the wood, the diameter is increased to z'z of a millimetre. According to Harting’s view, the cavity of the cell will continue of this size, since in his opinion the con- * From the ‘ Botanische Zeitung,’ May 29th and June 5th, 1846. Trans- lated by Arthur Henfrey, F.L.S. &c. + I here take the diameter of the cavity of the cell as equalling the dia- meter of the whole cell, which is not altogether right, but deviates little from the truth, since the cambium-cells of Hoya carnosa have very thin walls, and as these walls are double, only half this thickness shou'd be reckoned. This is so small a size and one so difficult to give accurately that I thought it might be disregarded; in a measurement which however cannot claim strict ac- 262 M.Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. version of the cambium-cell into a wood-cell depends on the de- position. of secondary layers upon the outside of the cell; or rather, as was shown above, the cavity of the cell must enlarge in the radial direction in consequence of this external addition of secondary membranes. If we compare with this the size of our intermediate wood-cell, the hypothesis cannot be brought into agreement with its dimensions, for the cavity of the cell lymg m the outermost circle of wood diminishes from ); to +, of a mil- limetre, while the total diameter of the cell increases to 7,. These calculations prove beyond a doubt, that in the conversion of a cambium-cell into a wood-cell the cavity is far from remaining of the same size or enlarging ; on the contrary, it becomes very ma- nifestly smaller : this can only be accounted for by a deposition of secondary layers on the inside of the primary membrane, or by the assumption of the occurrence of an external compression of the cell-membrane on every side, causing it to occupy a smaller space, for which process no analogy is to be found throughout all vegetable anatomy. That the total diameter of the cell distinctly increases (from z/, to’7+; millim.), while at the same time the ca- vity becomes smaller, is not in the least an objection to the hy- pothesis that a deposition of secondary layers takes place in the interior of the cell, because there is no reason to prevent our as- suming that an elementary organ may increase in breadth, by the intus-susception of new organic matter between the molecules of which its membranes consist, during the deposition of secondary membranes. That such a growth is possible and actually does take place, convincing proof is offered by the spiral vessels situated in the interior of the vascular bundle, the spiral fibre of which every one certainly considers as a secondary deposit. This en- largement of the whole cell does not yet attain its maximum while it lies in the most external row of the wood-cells ; the above measurements show that in the wood-cells of the second circle the total diameter had increased from ~'; to 71, the cavity from ;+; to zi,5 of a millimetre. As seen by these numbers, the total diameter of the cell has increased in a greater proportion than the diameter of the cavity, whence the inference, that simulta- neously with the enlargement of the cell, a thickening of its walls takes place, which however is not quite sufficient to hinder the enlargement of the cavity of the cell, by the expansion of the cell-wall. If from this refutation of the reasons adduced by Harting in favour of the external addition of the secondary layers, founded on micrometrical measurements, we pass to an anatomical exa- curacy, the thickness of the walls parallel with the wood of the cambium- cells of Hoya amounted to at all events not more than s59 of a millimetre, if anything less. M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. 263 mination of the wood-cells themselves, their structure affords decided proof, that secondary layers are deposited ypon the inside of the primary membrane. The analogy between the structure of the wood-cells and that of parenchymatous cells, as for instance the cells of horny albumen, the dotted, thick- walled medulla- and bark-cells of Hoya carnosa, in which Hart- ing himself does not deny an internal growth, at once offer rea- sons not to be disregarded, for the assumption of an analogous process of development in the two kinds of cells. Where the anatomical relations of the individual layers are so perfectly analogous, it would require very clearly-ascertained facts to in- duce us to assume that nature follows a different law of formation in the wood-cells from that which obtains in the parenchymatous cells, and of such facts I have no knowledge. On the other hand, the history of the development of prosenchymatous cells affords in my opinion very certain evidence of the contrary. In relation to this perhaps there is nothing so instructive as the examination of the cells of the Conifere, and I believe that a conclusion deduced from these elementary organs will hold good in reference to the wood-cells of Dicotyledons, since spiral fibres on the inner sur- face of the cell, together with a bordered dot, resembling those occurring in Taxus, are also found in many wood-cells, as for in- stance in Viburnum Lantana. Now the examination of young shoots of Pinus sylvestris (and exactly im a similar manner also, the examination of young dotted vessels of dicotyledonous wood) affords evidence that the cavity which subsequently forms the border of the dot, and which is situated between the outer closed membranes of two contiguous cells, appears very early, while the cell-membrane is yet very thin, and is in every case already per- fectly formed at a period when no trace can be seen of the dot, leading to the cavity, situated in the inner layer of the cell. Tt does not admit of the slightest doubt therefore, that the outer closed membrane of the cell is the primary, and that the inner layers which are perforated by the canals of the dots are subse- ens deposited upon the inner surface of the primary mem- rane. It is not here meant to be denied that deposits do occur upon the outer side of the primary membrane in many cases, for in- stance in this very wood of Pinus sylvestris. This takes place in the mtercellular passages which are found between the cells while their walls are still thin, in which an intercellular substance is deposited ; but this has nothing to do with ‘the thickening or growth of the cell-membrane. Although in the foregoing remarks, I have been forced, in the defence of my theory, to repel many of the objections advanced by Harting and Mulder on anatomical grounds, because I cannot 264 M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. acknowledge as accurate the observations upon which they are founded, it is otherwise with the objections which those ob- servers have brought forward in a chemical point of view, since I do not indeed differ from them as to the facts they mention, but cannot agree with the conclusions they have thence drawn. Although Harting and Mulder are not themselves always of the same opinion in reference to the chemical constitution of the compounds found in the cell-wall, yet in regard to the history of development of the cell-wall they draw similar conclusions from their joint investigations, so that I can here take their objections together. The most important points coming under consideration are the following :— ‘The wall of young cells consists in general of cellulose alone, it being coloured blue by iodine and sulphuric acid ; in older cells on the contrary, which possess thickened walls, distinct layers may usually be distinguished, differing chemically. In the wood-cells, bark-cells and milk-vessels, the outermost layer (external wood- membrane of Mulder ; cuticle of the wood-cell of Harting) consists of a substance wholly insoluble in sulphuric acid. That this membrane is produced after that which is composed of cellulose, is evident from the circumstance that the young wood-cells ac- quire the blue colour in every part ; the outer membrane is there- fore considered by Harting and Mulder as a layer deposited on the outside of the membrane composed of cellulose. From the relation of this outer membrane to the first-formed pores, Hart- ing derives the variations of the canals of the dots: when the outer membrane is produced in proportionately more abundant quantity and spreads itself between two cells, over their whole surface, the pores become closed ; if, on the contrary, this mem- brane be only deposited in the same proportion as the cells in- crease in breadth, the pores remain open ; if, lastly, its develop- ment do not keep pace with the expansion of the cell, a cavity is produced between the dots. From the circumstance that in the full-grown cell the layer of cell-membrane surrounded by this outer membrane is usually no longer coloured blue by iodine and sulphuric acid, but this colour, even when it appears at all, is only to be found in the inmost layer bordering the ca- vity of the cell, while the remaining portion is coloured either yellow or green, it is further deduced, that these intermediate layers of the cell (Mulder’s intermediate ligneous substance), which take a yellow colour with the reagents mentioned and are soluble in stronger sulphuric acid, have been deposited, at the same time as the outermost layer, in the direction from within outwards. Mulder’s and Harting’s views however do not wholly agree in reference to the formation of this layer. The former assumes, that either the cellulose is wholly absorbed and becomes replaced M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. 265 by this intermediate ligneous substance, or that the intermediate ligneous substance is deposited on the outside of the oldest and innermost layer (the cellulose); while Harting assumes that this encrusting matter does not replace the cellulose, but permeates the cell-wall composed of cellulose from within outwards and accumu- lates in preference in its outer layers. This intermediate ligneous substance is always combined with proteme. As analogous to this deposition of intermediate ligneous substance, as the inter- mediate layers of wood- and bark-cells and as the outer layer of medulla-cells (in which latter Mulder did not find the outer ligneous layer), other encrusting matters occur in the cells of particular organs, for instance pectose in the so-called Collen- chyma, and in the milk-vessels a substance partly isomerous with vegetable mucilage, partly with cellulose, in the cells of the horny albumen of Alstrwmeria, Iris, Phytelephas, &e. The conclusion which Harting and Mulder draw from the che- mical facts here mentioned, with regard to the development of cell-membrane, goes to establish the opimion, that those layers, which in the membrane of a full-grown cell are characterized by a peculiar chemical reaction, not yet presented by the membrane of young cells, have been formed subsequently to the membrane, consisting of cellulose, of the young cell, and that since these layers occur on the outside of the full-grown cell (the inmost layer of which is composed of cellulose, and therefore corresponds to the membrane of the young cell), the cell-membrane has in- creased in thickness in consequence of the subsequent deposition of layers, differing chemically, from within outwards. Let us examine whether these conclusions be not too hasty. It does not admit of the slightest doubt, that the chemical com- pounds which are coloured yellow by iodine and sulphuric acid, and which characterize the outer and intermediate layers of most full-grown cells, are of later origin than the cellulose which forms the membrane of the young cell. From this fact however it is a great leap to the assumption, that these layers, which are com- posed of a substance differing from cellulose, are in reference to their situation also newly-formed layers, which are wanting in young cells. This is quite possible; but it is also possible, that the fact as shown by anatomy is altogether otherwise. If we first of all disregard totally the above distinct anatomical facts, we may, with quite equal right to that by which an ex- ternal formation of a new layer is inferred, guess, that in a layer of the cell originally consisting of true cellulose, subsequently, and without any alteration of its relations of position, the cel- lulose is absorbed and replaced by an essentially different che- mical compound ; or that the cellulose remains and a new com- pound is deposited between its molecules, and prevents more or Ann. & Mag. N. Hist, Vol. xvii. 266 M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. less completely the reaction of cellulose, which this in its normal condition exhibits towards iodine and sulphuric acid. Such an infiltration might perhaps occur without visible thickening of the layer, either if it were not in very great abundance, or if the growth of the membrane in a lateral direction connected with development of the cell were to afford space for the deposit of a considerable quantity of a foreign compound. In these cases, the possibility of which in the first place certainly no one will call in question, a layer would indeed be formed altogether new in a chemical aspect, but no alteration in anatomical relations would appear ; and from this subsequently-resulting chemical transfor- mation no conclusion should be drawn as to the order in which the different layers of the cell-membrane originate, since these metamorphoses may take place quite as readily in the last as in the first formed layer*. If we admit the possibility of such a meta- morphosis in particular layers, it must also be admitted that the chemical reaction of a certain layer affords no sure means by which it may be recognised as a peculiar anatomical layer, since it may easily be imagined, that in different cells, the layers cor- responding to each other in an anatomical point of view may ex- hibit a great distinction in regard to their chemical transforma- tions. Until well-grounded experience has taught us which of the cases, which have here been mentioned as possible, really occurs in nature, we can only allow ourselves to be guided in the recognition of the different layers and the determination of the order in which they make their appearance by their anato- mical relations ; and although in very many cases the influence of chemical reagents affords an excellent means by which we are enabled to distinguish the individual layers of cell-membrane, which without this assistance it would be difficult or impossible to recognise, yet in availing ourselves of this assistance we must keep the anatomical relations constantly in view. The consideration of these relations leads one, I believe, to a result diametrically opposed to that maintained by Mulder and Harting. In the next place will come conveniently the question, whether the outer wood-membrane is produced out of a cellulose mem- brane, or is deposited on the outside of an already formed cell. This membrane exhibits the most striking contrast to the mem- brane composed of cellulose ; if it can be proved to owe its origin to the transformation of a cellulose membrane, the much slighter * This is no mere guess, as in the parenchyma-cells of some Fern stems, especially of Polypodium incanum, P. nitidum, the inmost layer of the cell, an analogue of their primary membrane, is far richer in a substance coloured yellow by iodine than the intermediate layer, and requires a much stronger action of sulphuric acid for the production of a blue colour, M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. 267 differences which distinguish the secondary cell-membranes from true cellulose will appear to us of less consequence. This proof however, in my opinion, the outer wood-membrane furnishes the most clearly of all. I have already, reasoning on the exami- nation of the wood of Pinus sylvestris, on anatomical grounds, shown the outer membrane to be the primary ; chemical exami- nation of young cells does not contradict this, since at the time when the borders of the dots are already perfectly formed, but neither the dots themselves nor the inner layers in which they are situated yet exist, the membrane of these cells is coloured by iodine and sulphuric acid, not yellow, but blue. The relation of the membrane to the borders of the dots leaves no doubt that we have here to do with the same membrane which subsequently appears as the outer layer of wood with wholly altered chemical properties. We must therefore assume, that the cellulose of which this membrane originally consists is either absorbed and replaced by the substance of the outer ligneous layer, or that the latter penetrates into the cellulose and prevents its reaction towards iodine and sulphuric acid. Which of these cases occurs, cannot be decided until some solvent for the substance of this membrane shall be found which will not at the same time dis- solve the cellulose, yet remaining in it, or at least will give some evidence of its presence. Since such a solvent is not yet known, the question must for the present remain open ; perhaps the fol- lowing observations may afford a hint. : I tried next whether the action of stronger sulphuric acid on the outermost layer of membrane of the wood-cell, especially in the Conifere, would produce a blue colour, but did not in this way attain my object. The formation of the blue colour de- pends therefore on the simultaneous reaction of sulphuric acid, iodine, water and cellulose. If concentrated sulphuric acid be applied, the cell-membranes do not become blue so long as the necessary water is wanting; or if they be already coloured blue, this colour is soon lost again, and the secondary layers become dissolved. This solution however affords no convenient means by which to obtain the outer membrane isolated, and to examine the colour which, after the action of a stronger acid, it assumes with iodine and weak acid, since so soon as water and tincture of iodine are added to the fluid in which the preparation lies, the dissolved cellulose is precipitated again of a very dark blue co- lour, and envelopes the outer membranes in such a manner, that no certain conclusions can be drawn as to its colour. I sought therefore to separate the outer membrane from the secondary layers before I applied the sulphuric acid to it. This may always be done in the fibres of the liber of the black fibrous wood of the Palm which is imported from Brazil for the manufacture of sticks, U2 268 M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. &e., as the liber-cells may easily be detached from each other if the vascular bundles have been kept for some time in dilute ni- tric acid, by which means the outer membranes of the contiguous cells are not separated from each other, but from the secondary membranes, and may be obtained isolated in large pieces. With iodine and sulphuric acid of a degree of concentration which does not dissolve the secondary membranes, but colours them bright blue, this outer membrane behaves exactly like the outer membrane of the wood-cells of dicotyledons, that is, it does not swell up, but acquires a dark yellow colour. If we apply stronger sulphuric acid, capable of completely dissolving the secondary layers, the outer membrane, without any perceptible expansion, acquires either an intense greenish or tolerably pure blue colour. This contains cellulose also, but in what I may call a much more strongly combined condition than is the case in the secondary layers, so that not only is a far stronger acid necessary to bring out the blue colour, but the cellulose present in this membrane is also protected from solution. This greater resistance to the action of sulphuric acid clearly can only depend upon the pre- sence of the substance which acquires the yellow colour with iodine and sulphuric acid. This resistance however has a certain limit, since this membrane is soluble in more concentrated sul- phuric acid. It differs therefore in reference to this last circum- stance from the outer membrane of the wood-cells of dicotyledons, which resists the action even of the more concentrated sul- phuric acid. To try therefore whether cellulose might not be discovered in the latter by the action of a stronger acid, I sub- mitted the wood-cells of various Conifere, particularly of Pinus sylvestris, to a similar treatment with nitric acid, &c. The ex- periment succeeded but imperfectly. After the action of a strong acid, the outer membrane exhibited throughout a greenish co- lour, but the development of the blue colour was so weak, that I remained in doubt whether it was actually situated in the outer membrane itself, or whether possibly it was not to be ascribed to a thin layer of adhering cellulose. I place no weight therefore on this experiment, and mention it here chiefly to invite others to direct their attention also to this point. The following observations made on Ferns appear to me to bear more importantly upon the theory of the development of cell-membrane :—The brown cells which in Ferns form the layer by which the vascular bundles are surrounded, withstand the ac- tion of sulphuric acid as obstinately as perhaps any other vege- table tissue. In many Ferns all the walls of these cells do not possess a brown colour, but merely those portions of the walls lying upon the vascular bundle, or these and the side walls, while the side turned away from the vascular bundle is unco- M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. 269 loured, and reacts like cellulose with iodine and sulphuric acid. The brown-coloured walls are usually much thicker than those consisting of cellulose. Leaving the brown colour ont of view, these cells correspond exactly, in respect to form and their be- haviour toward iodine and sulphuric acid, with the epidermis- cells of many leaves. Similar cells occur in the parenchyma of the stem of Polypodium nitidum, Kaulf, some isolated, some in groups of three or four, scattered among the parenchyma-cells, which are usually composed of cellulose ; in these cells also one wall is generally thinner and formed of cellulose, while the re- maining walls are very thick and brown, and withstand sulphuric acid. All sides of these cells are finely dotted, as is also the case in the cells of the brown coat inclosing the vascular bun- dle ; the dots penetrate as well in the thickened brown as in the thin walls, from within outward to the thin outer and imperfo- rate membrane, which membrane possesses the same chemical peculiarities as the secondary layers lying behind it ; that is to say, it consists sometimes of cellulose, at others of a substance with- standing sulphuric acid. Now I found, both among the cells scattered in the parenchyma and in the brown layer inclosing the vascular bundle, particular cells, which certainly, in reference to their form, though not in regard to their chemical characters, wholly agreed with neighbouring brown cells, in which therefore one wall was also thin and the rest considerably thickened. In some parts all the walls of these cells, both thick and thin, con- sisted of cellulose ; in other parts the thickened walls were only composed of the brown substance in one point, while the remain- ing portion, transversely through the whole thickness of the cell- wall, consisted of cellulose ; the line of demarcation between the brown and the uncoloured portions was riot distinctly defined. From the piecemeal composition of the cell-walls of tracts formed of cellulose, and others consisting of brown substance, it clearly results that the greater thickness which the brown walls of these cells usually possess, compared with the walls consisting of cel- lulose, is neither to be ascribed to the deposition of membranes upon the outside of the young cellulose membrane, nor to the interposition of a considerable mass of brown substance between the molecules of the cellulose, since if the formation of the thick- ened brown walls depended on these causes, the portions con- sisting of cellulose could not have exhibited the same thickness and form as the coloured portions in the only partially brown- coloured cell-walls. The reason of the brown colour therefore, and of the altered chemical behaviour, must be looked for in a transformation of the whole substance leaving the form and or- ganization of the cell-wall unchanged, or in the infiltration of a 270 M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. foreign matter m a quantity very small in proportion to the cel- lulose. I thought it necessary to enter more minutely into the de- scription of these cells, because they offer the clearest evidence that the presence of a compound differing chemically from cel- lulose in a thickened cell-wall, even when traces of cellulose can no longer be detected in the membrane by iodine and sulphuric acid, affords no sufficient ground for the assumption that the thickening of the wall depends on the deposition of an incrust- ing substance, and that we have to regard those portions of the cell-wall formed of this substance as produced subsequently to the portions which are composed of cellulose. Were the in- crusting substance, situated at particular points, to penetrate through the whole cell-wall (primary and secondary membrane) in these cells, the extent to which it spread would include the outer layer of the cells, so that this layer would possess all the peculiarities of the outer wood-membrane, and it would thus ex- actly fit all the conclusions respecting this membrane which Mulder and Harting have drawn; on the other hand, it is not necessary to indicate more minutely how false would be the as- sumption of its originating subsequently. The organization of the above-described cells of Polypodium nitidum appears to me to be of importance in so far as it is capable of warranting our conclusions as to the structure of epidermis-cells and cuticle, which corresponds with it exactly in an anatomical point of view, Some years since* I stated the anatomical grounds which prevented my regarding the cuticle as a layer secreted upon the outside of the epidermis-cells, and which testified that it con- sists of the thickened outer walls, and partly also of the side walls of the epidermis-cells, the substance of which has become capable of resisting sulphuric acid in consequence of a peculiar metamor- phosis. This explanation does not appear to have met with a fa- vourable reception, but renewed researches have caused me to per- severe in ny view, and it appears to me to be especially proved by such cases as where the cuticle of canals of dots is continued out from the cavity of the epidermis-cell (as in the leaves of Hakea gibbosa), or where the side walls of the epidermis-cells are dotted and possess the same chemical peculiarities as the cuticle (e. g. in Hakea gibbosa, H. pachyphylla, Hoya carnosa), where also un- doubted primary and secondary membranes in a similar manner exhibit the chemical characters of the outer wood-membrane ; lastly, such cases as where the primary membrane of the side wall in that half which is directed toward the upper surface of the leaf * Linnea, t. 16, Verm. Schriften, 260. M. Mohl on the Growth of Cell-Membrane. 271 possesses the chemical peculiarities of cuticle, and that half, on the other hand, which is contiguous to the parenchyma of the leaf, the characters of cellulose (e.g. in Hoya carnosa, Aloe obliqua, margaritifera). In all these eases cells present themselves to us, the walls of which, either in certain situations or throughout their whole extent, withstand sulphuric acid, and in which no cellulose is to be discovered. The analogy which exists between these cells and the above-described cells of Polypodium nitidum appears to me to be of importance to the explanation of these latter circum- ‘stances. If it be certain in these last, that their membranes, not- withstanding that no cellulose is any longer to be demonstrated in them, nevertheless have their origin from a cellulose layer which exhibits exactly the same organization and thickness as the incrusting membrane, and in many cases still forms particular parts of the membrane, not even then must the conclusion be drawn in respect to the cuticle from its chemical constitution, that it is a layer secreted upon the upper surface of the epidermis-cells, until it can be demonstrated that this theory is in accordance with the anatomical phenomena, and that the instances I have given of a composition of cuticle from cell-membranes, and of the occurrence of epidermis-cells with side walls, partly consisting of cellulose and partly of the substance of cuticle, are founded upon false observations. Whether now in these cases the cellulose is partly or wholly absorbed and replaced by the incrusting matter, or whether its reaction to iodine and sulphuric acid is merely prevented by the latter, is uncertain. It appears however to me not Seno bbtte that the latter is the true view, since the assumption that in- crusting substance coloured yellow by iodine and sulphuric acid at least to a certain degree interferes with the known reaction of cel- lulose, supported not only by the above-mentioned behaviour of the outer layer of the liber fibres of a Palm and of the wood-cells of Pinus sylvestris, but also by the behaviour of the secondary layers in almost all full-grown wood- and parenchyma-cells. Young cells, for instance the pith of a young shoot of Sambucus nigra, the cambium-cells of dicotyledons, &c., become coloured bright blue by the application of a very dilute acid, while the medulla-cells of a full-grown branch of Sambucus and the perfect wood-cells, treated with the same acid, only develope a yellow colour and require it much more concentrated, and then as deep a blue colour is not produced, on account of the yellow colour of the incrusting matter mixing with and rendering it green. A bright and intense blue colour can usually only be obtained in the secondary layers of full-grown wood-cells when so strong an acid is employed that they do not merely swell up but are par- 272 Bibliographical Notices. tially dissolved ; in this case the dissolved portion is precipitated in combination with iodine, if the acid be diluted with water, of a splendid and intense blue colour, while the portion of the mem- brane, the organic structure of which has not been destroyed, although it has undergone a considerable breaking up, exhibits the blue colour but weakly in proportion, and frequently appears green on account of the preponderating intensity of the yellow colour. Since in this manner a perfect destruction of the orga- nization of the secondary incrusting layers renders it possible for the reaction of cellulose toward iodine and sulphuric acid to ma- nifest itself, it is certainly conceivable that in cases where the sul- phurie acid is not in a condition to affect a membrane, cellulose may be present in it, but be protected from the action of the acid. by the incrusting matter, and thus rendered imperceptible. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. Paleontographica : Beitriige zur Naturgeschichte der Vorwelt, Heraus- gegeben von Dr.W. Dunxer und Herm. von Meyer. 1 Band, 1 Lieferung.—Paleontographica: Contributions to the Natural His- tory of the Antediluvian dira. Edited by Dr. Witi1am DunKer and Hermann von Merver. Vol.1. part 1. 4to. 44 pp. and six plates. Under this title the editors intend giving full descriptions of re- markable fossils hitherto unpublished, illustrated by accurate and highly finished plates. The first part contains: 1. A description of a new species of Pierodactylus, Pt. Gemmingii, by Hermann von Meyer, followed by a synoptical table of all the sixteen species hitherto known of that highly interesting genus of flying Saurians. 2. Adescription of Aspidura Ludenii, by Friedrich von Hagenow,—a very curious species of Ophiuride found in the ‘‘ Muschelkalk ” near Jena. 3. A description of a superb palate of Myliobatis Teste, new species, from Sicily; of Tornatella abbreviata, new species from the Gosau formation; and two teeth of Sgualide, found near Cassel. 4. Adescription of Omphalomela scabra, a fossil trunk of a plant found in the limestone banks of the Keuper formation near Kolleda in Thu- ringia, by Professor Germar. 5. Description of several new plants from the copper-slate formation of Richelsdorf, by J. Althaus, with a synopsis of all the plants hitherto met with in that formation. 6. Descriptions of several new species of shells, partly marine, partly fluviatile, recently discovered near Halberstadt in a sandstone be- longing to the lias formation, and highly remarkable from their per- fect preservation, which allows in many cases of their colours being recognised. 7. Enumeration of the fossil shells occurring in the ter- tiary formation of Magdeburg, by Dr. Philippi. Bibliographical Notices. 273 Symbole ad Historiam Heliceorum; auctoreL. Preirrer. Sect. prima 1841, altera 1842, tertia 1846. In the two former parts of this work the author has given an ac- count of his views on the systematical distribution of the great fa- mily of Helicea, the synonymy of all the genera and species known to him at that time, and descriptions of 280 species, most of which were new, and the remaining ones incompletely described, or only known by figures and names. The third part contains: 1. An account of the method of distributing the immense number of spe- cies of Helix (including Nanina and Sienopus) by a system merely artificial, but suitable, in the author’s opinion, for assigning to every species the place where it may be sought, without comparing the total number of nearly 1100 species. 2. A systematical enumeration of all known living Helices, in which the author has marked the species (about 630) which he pos- sesses in his collection, those which he has studied in other col- lections, and of which he has made accurate descriptions for his ‘Monograph,’ and those which he knows only from descriptions or figures. Under every species is quoted the work where it is first published, or some good figure. 3. An alphabetical enumeration of all fossil Helices. 4. Additions to the synonymy of all the genera of Helicea, con- taining many corrections of names, in accordance with the law of priority. : 5. Descriptions of 145 species (Helix, 77; Helicophanta,1; Vi- trina, 3; Tomogeres (Anostoma), 1; Bulimus, 31; Achatinella, 3; Achatina, 13; Pupa, 1; Clausilia, 15 species). 6. A continued enumeration of the works which are quoted in the three parts of the ‘ Symbole.’ Puiuipri’s Figures and Descriptions of new or incompletely known | Shells. Vol. i. 1842-45 ; vol. ii. No. 9-11, 1845-46. This work, which contains contributions by Anton, V. D. Busch, Dunker, Jonas, Koch, Pfeiffer and Troschel, is destined to give, like Guérin’s ‘ Magazin,’ figures of new and interesting shells, with de- scriptions and critical remarks. The figures are drawn on stone and coloured. The first volume contains, on 48 plates, figures of 4 species of Arca, 5 Artemis, 22 Bulimus, 4 Cyclostoma, 19 Cylindrella, 10 Cy- therea, 12 Fusus, 13 Glandina and Achatina, 6 Haliotis, 50 Helix, 4 Macira, 40 Melania, 2 Murex, 12 Natica, 11 Nerita, 15 Neritina, 15 Paludina, 11 Pecten, 8 Psammobia, 4 Pyrula, 9 Sigaretus, 6 So- len, 2 Steganotoma, 1 Streptaxis, 1 Strombus, 12 Tellina, 43 Trochus (Turbo and Monodonta), 4 Unio, 16 Venus. . The three parts of the second volume, which are already pub- lished, contain figures of 6 species of Arca, 10 Astarte, 7 Bulimus, 16 Cylindrella, 9 Cyrena, 8 Fissurella, 6 Fusus, 3 Haliotis, 25 Helix, 3 babi 13 Natica, 1 Ostrea, 2 Streptaxis, 10 Tellina, 18 Trochus, 5 Venus. 274 Bibliographical Notices. Journal of Malacozoology, edited by K,'Tu, Menxz, Vols. i. and ii. 1844-45, Hanover, Vol. iii, edited by Mrnxz and Preirrer, Jan. —June 1846. The ‘ Zeitschrift fiir Malakozoologie’ has been founded by Dr. - Menke for publishing original treatises on single families, genera or species of living or fossil shells, descriptions of new species, notices respecting the geographical distribution of mollusca, critical analyses of new malacological works, biographical and necrological notices, &e. The third volume begins (Jan, 1846) with a review of the geo- graphical distribution of the family of Helicea, continued in the numbers for May and June, by Dr. Pfeiffer,—Dr. Jonas publishes his views on the genus Proserpina, Guild., to which he refers his Helicina linguifera, and descriptions of some new land-shells from Guinea, and marine shells from Singapore and the Red Sea.—Dr. Philippi describes new species of Corbula, Tellina, Diplodonta, Lu- cina, Patella, Acmea, Siphonaria, Trochus, Buccinum, Terebra, Co- lumbella and Dentalium, most of which are from Mazatlan.—Dr. Dunker continues his descriptions of shells collected by Dr. Tams on the west coast of Africa, from Benguela and Zoanda.—Dr. Pfeiffer gives a critical review of the genus Cyclostoma, enumerating the species figured in Sowerby’s ‘ Thesaurus,’ with remarks on the fre- quent priority of the names published by Grateloup, Anton, Jay, Lea, &c. He describes as hitherto unpublished species: C. stenom- phalum, P., Ottonis, P., limbiferum, Mke, Largillierti, P., costatum, Mke, Gruneri, P., plicatulum, P., alutaceum, Mke, dubium, P., hieroglyphicum (Hel.), Fér, Some other species, C. lima, Bronai, Binneyanum, Adams, were already described in the ‘ Proceedings of the Boston Society, 1845,’ and C. strangulatum, probably by Benson. —Dr. Jonas has examined some species figured in the ‘ Déscription de l Egypte,’ and describes them together with some other new shells from the same locality.—Dr. Menke gives some short necrological notices. Indicis Generum Malacozoorum Primordia. By A. N. HERRMANNSEN, Fase. I. 1846. Since the date of the Linnean nomenclature, an immense number of creatures formerly unknown have been discovered; and, conse- quently, the quantity of names and systematical designations in every part of natural science has increased in an almost overwhelming man- ner, Comparatively few authors have regarded the justice due to those who have preceded them in their labours; many of them have imposed and changed names, without knowing whether the objects were al- ready named and described or not. From this and other causes there exists in every branch of zoology such a quantity of synonyms of ge- nera and families, that with regard to some genera it is nearly impos- sible to ascertain which name was first used, and in what sense it was employed by different writers, For this purpose our author has elaborated an alphabetical index of all systematical names occurring Bibliographical Notices. 275 in Malacozoology, together with the indication of the writer who gave them, and the time at which he did so, the work in which each was first described, the various senses in which the same name is used by various writers, and the synonyms or names desig- nating the same object in the works of other writers; in short, an historical account of every genus, containing all notices of import- ance with regard to it. It is impossible, as the author himself de- clares, that a first essay of this sort should be absolutely complete ; but from the whole of the works which he was able to peruse, and these include all the more important ones for his purpose, the above particulars are extracted with the utmost accuracy, and all names and corrections which may subsequently come to the author’s know- ledge are to be published in a supplement at the end of the work. The first part of the ‘ Primordia’ has just been published, in which, after a short preface, the author has thought it necessary to direct the reader’s attention to those excellent laws of nomenclature proposed by Linneus in his ‘ Philosophia Botanica,’ adapted and illustrated according to their use in Malacozoology (pages vii.-xiv.). Then follow the complete titles of 170 works, perused and quoted by the author, in chronological order ; and the remaining sheets of this part contain the letter A. of the alphabetical index itself, The index comprises all names of classes, orders, tribes, families, genera and subgenera of living and fossil Mollusca, excluding the Cirripeda, Tunicata and Rhizopoda, which do not belong to the Mol- lusca, although still referred to this class by some naturalists. Figures of Flowering Cactee, edited by Preirrzer and Orro; with German and French descriptions. Vol. i. 1843; Vol. ii. Nos. 81 & 32, 1846. This work gives coloured figures of flowering Cactee, the greater part of which had not yet been figured. The first volume contains in six parts (from 1838-1843) natural-sized figures of Mammillaria bicolor, cirrhifera, Seitziana, uberiformis, uncinata, eriacantha and pycnacantha ; Echinocactus Sellowianus, centeterius, phyllacanthus, leucacanthus, acutissimus and hybocentrus; Echinopsis multiplex ; Ce- reus flagriformis, Curtisii, coccineus, setaceus, eriophorus, undatus, Schrankii ; Phyllocactus Hookeri, Phyllanthus and latifrons ; Epiphyl- lum Altensteinii; Rhipsalis platycarpa and pentaptera; Opuntia Sal- miana, curassavica, foliosa, coccinellifera, brasiliensis, and Pereskia Bleo.—Vol. ii. No. 1: Discocacius insignis; Echinocactus in a turbiniformis ; LEchinopsis oxygona; Cereus peruvianus.—Vol. ii, No. 2: Hehinocactus tetracanthus ; Echinopsis turbinata and pectinata ; Mammillaria zephyranthoides, and Pfeiffera cereiformis, a new genus of Rhipsalidee described by the Prince of Salm-Dyck, 276 Zoological Society. PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. July 14, 1846.—Wm. Yarrell, Esq., Vice-President, in the Chair. Prof. Owen communicated, as an ‘ Appendix to his Memoir on the Dinornis,’ some observations on the skull and on the osteology of the foot of the Dodo (Didus ineptus). After a brief summary of the history of this remarkable extinct brevipennate Bird, in which the reduced highly finished figure by Savery, in his famous painting of ‘ Orpheus charming the Beasts,’ now in the collection at the Hague, was particularly noticed; and the recent discovery of the skull of the Dodo amongst some old spe- cimens in the Museum of Natural History at Copenhagen was men- tioned, he proceeded to demonstrate the peculiarities of the Dodo’s skull, by a comparison of the cast of the head of the bird in the Ash- molean Museum at Oxford with those of other recent and extinct species of Birds. The Dodo’s skull differs from that of any species of Vulturide, or any Raptorial Bird, in the greater elevation of the frontal bones above the cerebral hemispheres, and in the sudden sinking of the inter- orbital and nasal region of the forehead; in the rapid compression of the beak anterior to the orbits ; in the elongation of the compressed mandibles, and in the depth and direction of the sloping symphysis of the lower jaw. ‘The eyes of the Dodo are very small compared with those of the Vulturide or other Raptores. ‘The nostrils, it is true, pierce the cere, but are more advanced in position; this how- ever seems essentially to depend upon the excessive elongation of the basal part of the upper mandible before the commencement of the uncinated extremity; the nostrils are pierced near the commence- ment of this uncinated part as in the Vulturide, but are nearer the lower border of the mandible in the Dodo. The resemblance between the skull of the Dodo and that of the Albatros is chiefly in the compression and prolongation of the curved mandibles: there are no traces in the Dodo of the hexagonal space on the upper surface of the cranium of the Albatros, so well defined there by the two supra-occipital ridges behind, the two temporal ridges at the sides, and the two converging posterior boundaries of the supra~ orbital glandular fossz in front. There is no sudden depression of the frontal region in the skull of the Albatros; the nostrils are near the upper surface of the basal third of the beak in the Albatros; and the Dodo’s cranium is thrice as broad in proportion to the breadth of the mid-part of the mandible as in that of the Albatros. More satisfactory evidence of the affinities of the Dodo was ob- tained from a comparison of the bones of the foot, which have recently been very skilfully and judiciously exposed by the able Curator of the Ashmolean Museum. The tarso-metatarsal bone most resembles in its thickness and general proportions that of the Eagles, especially the great Sea- Eagles (Haliaétus) ; it is much stronger than the tarso-metatarsus of Zoological Society. 277 any of the Vulturide, or than that of the Cock, the Craz, or any of the Galline or existing Struthionide; the stronger-footed species of Dinornis most resemble it in the general proportions of the tarso- metatarsus, but greatly differ in the particular configuration of the bone, and in the absence, or feebler indication, as in the subgenus Palapteryx, of the articulation for the metatarsal bone of the back- toe. The relative size of this bone is greater in the Dodo than in any other known bird. The Eagles make the nearest approach to it in this respect; as also in the shape of the hinder supplemental metatarsal, the breadth of its distal end, and its peculiar twist back- wards and outwards, so as to form a bridge or pulley against which the flexor tendon of the hind-toe plays. ‘This half-twist of the rudi- mental hind-metatarsus is feebly repeated in the Galline, but the bone is much less expanded at its lower articular end, especially in the Crar; whilst the more typical Galline are further distinguisked from the Dodo by their spur. The Apteryx is the sole existing Struthious bird which possesses the hind-toe; but it is very much smaller than in the Dodo, and the supporting metatarsal bone is devoid of the distal twist and expanded trochlea. ‘The upper end of the tarso-metatarsus of the Dodo is re- markable for the great development of its calcaneal process, from which a strong ridge descends, gradually subsiding, half-way down the bone. The posterior surface of the calcaneal process is broad, tri- angular, vertically grooved and perforated at its base. In the Eagle the corresponding calcaneal process is a compressed, subquadrate ridge, whose base of attachment is not much longer than the obtuse end, and this is neither grooved nor perforated. In the Cathartes Cali- fornianus the calcaneal process is thicker than in the Eagle, shaped more like that of the Dodo, with a ridge descending upon the meta- tarsus, but it has a double groove behind. In the Common Cock the calcaneal process more resembles that in the Dodo than the Vulture’s does, but it is not so broad. With regard to the first or proximal phalanx of the hind-toe, that of the Haliaétus is larger and broader, especially at its base, stronger in proportion to its length, but longer in proportion to the sustaining metatarsus. é In the Vultures the proximal phalanx is not only longer in pro- portion to the metatarsus, but is more slender than in the Dodo. The same bone is also longer and more slender in proportion to the small supporting metatarsal bone in the Cock, the Craz, and all other Galline ; in fact, the Dodo is peculiar among Birds for the equality of length of the metatarsus and proximal phalanx of the hind-toe. With regard to the three trochlear extremities of the principal coalesced metatarsals, the middle one in all Galline is longer in pro- portion than in the Dodo, in which the inner one is nearly as long as the middle one, the outer one being the shortest. In the Eagle the inner division is of quite equal length with, or is longer than the middle trochlea; the proportions of the three trochlee in the Vul- tures corresponding best with those in the Dodo. Another character by which the Dodo resembles the Vulture more than the Eagle is 278 Zoological Society. manifested by the proportions of the proximal phalanx of the second toe (innermost of the three anterior ones); this is very short, and is often anchylosed to the second phalanx in the Eagles: it is almost as long in the Vultures as in the Dodo. Upon the whole, then, the Raptorial character prevails most in the structure of the foot, as in the general form of the beak, of the Dodo, compared with Birds generally ; and the present limited amount of our anatomical knowledge of the extinct terrestrial Bird of the Mauritius would lead to support the conclusion that it is an extremely modified form of the Raptorial Order. Devoid of the power of flight, it could have had small chance of obtaining food by preying upon the members of its own class ; and if it did not exclusively subsist on dead and decaying organized matter, it most probably restricted its attacks to the class of Reptiles, and to ~ the littoral fishes, Crustacea, &c. The author concluded by recommending search to be made for bones of the Dodo in the superficial deposits, the alluvium of rivers, and the caves in the islands of Mauritius and Rodriguez; little doubting that an active exploration would be as richly rewarded as similar investigations have been in the islands of New Zealand, by the recovery of the remains of the great extinct species of terrestrial birds which formerly inhabited them. August 25,—R. C. Griffith, Esq., in the Chair. The following communication was read :—‘‘ On the Relation of the Edentata to the Reptiles, especially of the Armadillos to the Tortoises.” By Edward Fry. The dissections of two specimens of Tortoise, of which I have been unable to recognise the species with certainty, induced me to believe that those animals are allied to the Armadillos. Continuing this in- vestigation, and extending it to the Edentata in general, I arrived at the conclusion that they are allied to the Reptiles. As some points of affinity have occurred to me which I have not seen noticed as such, I believe that a short sketch of the subject may not be devoid of interest; and as Professor Owen has intimated his belief that the Edentata are allied to Birds rather than to any other class, I shall conclude my paper with a consideration of the arguments adduced by him hereon. Such subjects as the one I shall attempt to investigate are of so high an interest to the zoologist, that any one contributing in the least degree to elucidate them may hope for indulgence. I regret not being able to ascertain the names of the species of Tortoise which came under my notice, but trust that this omission will not materially deduct from the interest of the subject. Sect. 1. Of the Relation of the Genera Dasypus and Testudo. 1. In the Tortoise the cesophagus is large and muscular, admitting bodies of great size in proportion to the mouth. From the structure of the mouth it is incapable of masticating the food, whence arises the necessity of a large and muscular esophagus. Professor Owen has remarked a similar structure, and adduced the same final cause Zoological Society. 279 in the Armadillo, Dasypus peba. In his paper in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society, i. 144, he says: ‘‘ The muscular parietes of the pharynx and cesophagus are very thick, for from the nature of the teeth, small, conical and wide apart, the food can undergo but little comminution in the mouth, and hence the necessity of additional power for propelling imperfectly divided substances into the stomach.” 2. In concordance with the structure of the mouth, the stomach of the Tortoise is strong and muscular: in the larger of the two in- dividuals I dissected so remarkably so, as would forcibly have re- minded a casual observer of the gizzard of birds. ‘The stomach of the Armadillos, though of a globular form, is similar in structure ; so much so, that Prof. Owen speaks of it as ‘‘a structure analogous to the gizzard of birds,” bid. As in the Dasypode (Zool. Proc. i. 142 & 154), so in the larger specimen of the Tortoise, the coats of the stomach, generally thick, are especially so at the pylorus. 3. In the smaller species of Tortoise I observed that the colon is prolonged beyond the insertion of the ileum, so as to form a short ceecum, as described by Martin in his account of the Testudo greca (Zool. Proc. i. 63 & 74). In my larger species there was no cecum; such is also the case with the Testudo indica (Zool. Proc. i.47). In the Testudo tabulata ‘‘ there is no trace of appendix czeci’”’ (Holberton in Zool. Journal, iv. 325). On the other hand, Prof. Owen has ascertained the presence of a cecum in another species of Tortoise, Himys concentrica, Leconte (Zool. Proc. i. 74). From these accu- mulated observations, it becomes evident that the presence of a cecum is a varying character in the Tortoises. A similar variable- ness in this structure has been remarked by Prof. Owen in the genus Dasypus (Zool. Proc. i. 156). 4. A great tendency to anchylose parts usually distinct, and to ossify others generally cartilaginous, is observable in the Tortoise in the ribs, in the dorsal vertebra, in the scapule and clavicles, in the component parts of the pelvis, in the sternal cartilages, and in the parts forming the plastron. In the Armadillos it may be remarked in the cervical vertebree, in the sternal portions of the ribs, and in the manubrium and clavicular processes (Owen in Zool. Proc. ii. 134), In the Sloths also it is especially evident in the anchylosis of the bones of the hand. 5. Hence results a similarity of locomotion in the Tortoises and Armadillos ; so that the following extract from Prof. Owen, referring to the motion of the latter animals, will apply almost equally well to that of the former: ‘‘ Every one who has seen the living Armadillo running about the open plot of ground in the Society’s Gardens must have been struck with the machine-like manner in which the body is carried along. The short legs are almost concealed, and their motions are not accompanied by any corresponding inflections of the spine, the two extremities of the trunk not being alternately raised and des pressed as in the quadrupeds which move by bounds” (Zool. Proc, ii. 135). , 6. The anterior articular processes of the vertebre of the Arma- dillo, especially of the hinder dorsal and the lumbar regions, assist ag 280 Zoological Society. ‘« strutts or braces” in the support of its heavy shell; whilst in the Tortoise a similar object is effected by the small osseous supports which proceed from its anchylosed spine. 7. Both in the Armadilio and Tortoise the ossa ilia appear to serve as additional supports to the shell. Sect. II. Of the Relation of the Edentatous Mammalia to the Reptiles. 1. In the Two-toed Anteater the ribs are so broad as to overlap each other like tiles (Cuvier, Lectures on Comparative Anatomy, translated by Ross, 1802, vol. i. p. 209). This is, I believe, the nearest resemblance amongst other Vertebrata to the bony case of the Tor- toises. In the Armadillo the first pair of ribs are broader than they are long (Owen, Zool. Proc. ii. p. 135). 2. In the large number of the ribs of the Unau, we have what Prof. Owen has termed a lacertine character (on Mylodon, p. 166). 3. Like the Tortoises, &c. amongst Reptiles, the Anteaters and Pangolins are deprived of teeth; whilst those Edentata which are furnished with them approximate to the dentition of some of the Reptilia in the uniform character of the series; and in the subgenus Priodontes of Fred. Cuvier in the extremely large number, namely eighty-eight or ninety-six in all. 4. The Edentata, like the Reptiles, are remarkable for the pro- pensity to develope coats of mail of various kinds; sometimes conti- nuous; in other instances, of detached and separate scales; some- times, to continue the simile, like plate-armour; sometimes like scale-armour. ‘The Armadillos, the Chlamyphorus, the Pangolins, and some of the extinct Megatheroids, exhibit this amongst the Edentates ; whilst almost all the Reptiles partake in measure of this character. 5. The Anteater and Manis are destitute of the power of emitting sounds (Blumenbach’s Anatomy, translation by Lawrence, 1807; p- 278). This incapacity approximates them to the Reptiles, and par- ticularly distinguishes them from Birds and most of the Mammalia, In this character however most of the Marsupiata partake. 6. Waterton, in his ‘ Wanderings,’ furnishes us with a_ highly graphic description of the habits of the Myrmecophaga jubata. From the extracts I shall make, the similarity of this animal to the Reptiles will be manifest in three important points, viz. the slowness of its movements, the tenacity with which it retains any object which it has seized, the length of time which it can pass uninjured without food ; and probably a fourth—the tenacity of life and muscular power. The Tortoises exhibit these phenomena of muscular irritability perhaps as ‘well as any genus amongst the Reptiles. . * He (Myrmecophaga jubata) cannot travel fast, for man is superior to him in speed..... Whenever he seizes an animal with these for- midable weapons (his claws), he hugs it close to his body and keeps it there till it dies through pressure or through want of food. Nor does the Antbear in the meantime suffer much from want of aliment, for it is a well-known fact that he can go longer without food than Zovloyical Society. 281 any other animal, excepting perhaps the Land Tortoise...... The Indians have a great dread of coming in contact with this animal, and after disabling him in the chase, never think of approaching him till he is quite dead.” (Waterton’s Wanderings in South America, 171.) That muscular irritability exists to a similar extent in the Sloths will be proved by the following extract :— *‘Cor motum suum valdissime retinebat postquam exemptum erat a corpore, per semihorium; exempto corde, ceterisque visceribus multo Post se movebat et pedes lente contrahebat sicut dormituriens solet.”’ (Pison. Hist. Bras. p. 322, quoted by Buffon; translation by Smellie, 1791, vol. vii. p. 161.) 7. In the Sloths and Weasel-headed Armadillo the absence of the os tincz, and the consequent formation of a single tube by the uterus and vagina, approximate these organs very nearly to the oviduct of the Reptilia (see Owen, Zool. Proc. ii. 131, and on the Generation of Marsupial Animals in Phil. Trans. 1854, p. 365). In the genera Bradypus, Dasypus, Manis and Myrmecophaga, “the utero-sexual canal,” to use the words of the last-quoted me- moir, “‘is formed, as in the Tortoises, by a continuation of the urethra or urinary bladder, into which the genital tube opens by a small orifice.” 8. There is yet another highly important character, one indeed which has probably a relation to the preceding, which displays the intimate relationship of the Edentata and Reptiles, namely the ex- treme simplicity of the brain. In the Armadillos, Manises and Ant- eaters, the cerebral hemispheres are devoid of convolutions, whilst in the Sloth they present a few anfractuosities (Owen, Phil. Trans. 1834, p. 361). 9. Professor Owen says, in his elaborate memoir on the Mylodon robustus, that the presence of a persistent formative organ of the teeth of the Megatheroids indicates a property in which they resembled the Reptiles, viz. longevity (p. 166). And again, the intimate structure of the soft dentine of the teeth of the Izuanodon resembles that of the extinct Megatherium and of the recent Sloths (Owen’s Odontography, p- 251). Is it not an idea which forcibly impresses on us the unity of the great plan of nature, that had a comparative anatomist existed in the days of the Megatherium and Iguanodon, he might have dis- covered from an examination of their teeth two common characters, and might thence perhaps have inferred those very relations which in the present paper I have been seeking to enforce with regard to their congeners of another age—almost another world? 10. It is well known that the blood-corpuscles of the Reptiles are remarkably large; the Sloths are the largest yet known amongst the Mammalia, with the single exception of the Elephant. Perhaps however this may be a character of little importance in elucidating the natural affinities of groups, as we find the corpuscles of the Ar- madillo rather smaller than Man’s, and those of the Monotremata of about the same size as the human (Gulliver on Blood-corpuscles, Zool. Soc., October 14, 1845). Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xvii. xX 282 Zoological Society. Sect. III. Of the Arguments adduced by Professor Owen for believing the Edentata to be allied to Birds. I propose first to enumerate these arguments, and then to consider them more particularly. They are to be found in Professor Owen’s interesting papers on the anatomy of the Six-banded and Weasel- headed Armadillos in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, so often referred to and quoted in this paper, and are as follows :—1. The presence of two czeca in the Dasypus 6-cinctus and Myrmecophaga didactyla. 2. ‘‘ The gizzard-like structure exhibited in the tendinous external appearance and thickened muscular coat of the stomach of the Dasypode,” and a still nearer approach in the stomach of the Manis. 3. The presence of a similar structure in the Myrmecophage, accompanied by the habit of swallowing small peb- bles for the purpose of destroying the vitality of the insects which form their food. 4. The similarity of the mucous glands about the os hyoides of the Anteaters to those follicles in the Woodpeckers, which represent amongst Birds the conglomerate salivary glands of the Mammalians; and the lubrication of the extensile tongue. 5. The abnormal number of cervical vertebree in the Three-toed Sloth. 6. Prof. Owen concludes this line of argument in the fol- lowing words: ‘‘ The transition is indeed nearly completed by the Monotremata, for of the two genera contained in this order, Echidna presents us with the quills, and Ornithorhynchus with the beak of a bird; and it is far from being proved that the mode of generation is not the same.” 7. The form of the pubis of the Armadillo indicates ‘that only a small portion of what usually constitutes the symphysis is here joined to its fellow, viz. the anterior angle ;” and in Chlamy- phorus and Myrmecophaga didactyla the ossa pubis remain entirely separate, as is the case in Birds. ‘The pelvis likewise resembles theirs ‘‘in the great breadth of the posterior part of the sacrum, the angles of which are anchylosed to the spines of the ischia, and convert the great ischiatic notches into complete foramina.” 1. The occurrence of double ceca is a rabathaiie point of affinity to Birds; but we have previously shown that the presence of ceca is a variable character in the Tortoises, as in both Dasypus and Myr- mecophaga, so that the characters furnished us by this organ seem to approximate them equally to Birds and Reptiles. 2. We have shown the structure of the stomach in the Tortoises to be gizzard-like. This is also the case in Crocodilus acutus (Owen in Zool. Proc. 1830, p. 139). Hence the stomach of the Edentata presents us with an equal analogy to Reptiles and Birds. 3. The habit of the Myrmecophaga of swallowing small pebbles to increase the trituration of the gizzard, is certainly analogous to that of the Gallinaceous Birds. But the same has been remarked in the Egyptian Crocodile by Professor Geoffroy St. Hilaire, and in the sharp-nosed species by Prof. Owen (ubi supra). As the gizzard-like structure and pebbles of the Myrmecophaga are adapted to the diges- tion of animal food, as in the Reptilia, and not of vegetable, as in the Gallinaceous Birds, I consider the resemblance of the Edentata in these respects to be greater to the former than the latter animals. Zoological Society. 283 4. The salivary glands of the Chameleon, if not: formed on exactly the same type as those of the Anteaters, are at least similar in the office they perform. | 5. The abnormal number of cervical vertebra in the Ai approxi- mates the Edentata equally to Reptiles and Birds. 6. The Monotremata, which Professor Owen in the passage I have quoted seems to look uponas the terminal link between the Edentata and Birds, are certainly more nearly allied to Reptiles than to Birds, and have indeed been considered so by himself, as will be manifest from the following extract from a letter of that gentleman quoted in | Kirby’s Bridgewater Treatise, vol. ii. p. 432 :—‘‘ Dissections of most of the genera of Marsupians have tended to confirm in my mind the propriety of establishing them as a distinct and parallel group, be- ginning with the Monotremes, which I believe to lead from Reptiles, not Birds.” Again, in his paper ‘On the Young of the Ornitho- rhynchus paradoxus,’ Zool. Trans. vol.i. p. 221, he very distinctly states the weight of evidence to be in favour of the relation of the Monotremates to the Reptiles rather than Birds; so that in all pro- bability he has altered his views on this subject since 18380. The evidence produced above is conclusive for my purpose, and precludes the necessity of discussing the analogies of the Monotre- mata. But as Prof. Owen has alluded to the beak of the Ornitho- rhynchus as that “ of a bird,” it may not be irrelevant to show in how many important particulars the two structures differ. ‘‘ This struc- ture,” says Sir Everard Home, speaking of the organ in question, ‘* differs materially from the bill of a Duck, and indeed from the bill of all birds, since in them the cavities of the nostrils do not extend beyond the root of the bill; and in their lower portions, which cor- respond to the under jaw of quadrupeds, the edges are hard, to answer the purpose of teeth, and the middle space is hollow, to re- ceive the tongue” (Home on Head of Ornithorhynchus, Phil. Trans. 1800). When to this diversity of structure we add the difference of use, we shall see that however strong may be the resemblance at first sight, it is perhaps more imaginary than real. From the de- scription above-quoted,we learn that the beak of the Ornithorhynchus is incapable, from the general flexibility of its structure, of taking firm hold of any object; but that the marginal lips being brought together, the prey is sucked into the mouth. Perhaps too the similarity of the spines of the Echidna to the quills of a bird is not very close. 7. The pelvis of some Edentata certainly resembles that of Birds in a remarkable degree. I have thus endeavoured to show that many of the structures in the Edentata, adduced by Prof. Owen as offering relations to Birds, are equally so to Reptiles; whilst those that lead us to the former class are not of equal number or importance to those that conduct us to the latter. I am fully aware that the scope and conduct of my investigations have been defective; but so far as they extend they appear to me to 284. Miscellaneous. prove simply this, viz. that the Edentata are allied to the Reptiles, and that more nearly than to Birds. It would have been absurd to expect any other result from this investigation than such as the present: a group is never related to one other group only: “The true affinities of organic structures branch out irregularly in all directions.” I cannot conclude without observing, that it is highly remarkable and interesting that affinities should be found to prevail amongst creatures often remotely situated one from the other in the Animal Kingdom ; that these relations often appear subtle and irrespective of functional similarity ; and that whilst their final cause will pro- bably ever remain unknown to man, we cannot consider them with- out deeply appreciating the order, the unity and dependence which prevail throughout all parts of nature. Epw. Fry. MISCELLANEOUS. A new genus of Sea-Snake from Port Essington. By J. E. Gray, F.R.S. Tz snake here described formed part of the extensive collection brought home by Mr. Jukes, the naturalist to H.M.S. Fly. It is re- markable as having the compressed shape, the short blunt head, the peculiar lunate valvular nostrils on the upper surface of the nose, the small superior eyes, the head-shields and the compressed tail of Hydrus, but differs from it in having large polished smooth keélless scales, and the broad band-like’ ventral oeeids of the vermiform ter- restrial snakes (Elaphina). Tn this ¥ 5 € Aipisurus, but it is at once disting i! from. that genus by the ventral shields being broader in proportion and acutely keeled along the middle line, and by having the head-shields of Hydrus ; in fact it is exactly intermediate between the genus Hydrus of Hydride and Aipisurus of Elaphina in Colubride. tt may be called Hyrorrorts. Scales large, smooth, six-sided; head short, truncated in front ; nasal large, with the lunate nostrils in the middle of their hinder part; crown shields small, superciliary numerous, labial shield high, loreal none ; throat scaly; ventral shields broad, band-like, folded together and keeled in the middle, notched behind at the keel; tait compressed, covered with large broad six-sided smooth scales. Hypotropis Jukesiz. Olive, yellowish below. Hab. Sea, near Darnley Islands. “ Merad sand-bank, while at anchor, May 1845.” On the Pulmograde Medusa of the British Seas. By Prof. E. Forses *. At the Birmingham Meeting in 1839, the author, in conjunction with Prof. Goodsir, brought forward a first essay towards an inves- tigation of the British Acalephe, selecting the ciliograde species for illustration. Since that time he has yearly availed himself of every opportunity of pursuing the inquiry, but has abstained from publish- * Read at the Southampton Meeting of the British Association. Miscellaneous. 285 ing, hoping to gain more complete knowledge of a difficult and much- confused branch of zoology. Having now however examined more than twice the recorded number of British Meduse, and become ac- quainted with numerous new specific and several new generic forms of great interest to the naturalist, he ventures to lay before the Sec- tion an outline of the data in his possession. These data are in great part due to the opportunities afforded him by his voyages round the coasts of Britain with his friend Mr.M‘Andrew. After pointing out the difficulties attending the study of these animals, and giving a brief view of the present state of the subject generally, Prof. Forbes insisted on the necessity in future of naturalists abstaining from pub- lishing imperfect observations respecting them, and urged the adop- tion of the descriptions of Milne Edwards, Sars and Will as models for those who were ready seriously to engage in the study. He called attention to the important observations on their development lately made by his friend Prof. Reid of St. Andrews, and expressed a hope that ere long the return of the Arctic expedition would bring a great mass of new materials of the most accurate description through the observations of Mr. H. Goodsir. In grouping the British species, Prof. Forbes calls attention to the mutual correspondence of certain characters; viz. of the condition of the reproductive, digestive and sensitive systems. He proposes to group all the British Medusz under such as have hooded and such as have naked ocelli. The first character is combined with a conspicuous and comparatively com- plicated reproductive system, and. a ramified gastro-vascular appa- ratus. All the Pulmograda with naked ocelli have simple vessels, with one exception,—a new and most beautiful. generic form, the type of a subsection by itself. The remainder form three natural groups, as will be seen in the following general table, exhibiting the arrangement of the British Pulmograde Meduse :— Ist Section.—Hooded-eyed ; ramified gastro-vascular system. Ist Genus.—Rhizostoma (Cuvier). 1 species, R. Aldrovandi. 2nd Genus.—Cassiopea (Peron). 1 sp. C. lunulata. 3 3rd Genus.—Pelagia (Peron). 1 sp. P. cyanella, one of the most phosphorescent and beautiful of European Meduse, now first announced as British, having been taken during the past month by Mr. M‘Andrew and Prof. Forbes off the coast of Cornwall. 4th Genus.—Chrysaora (Peron). 1 sp. C. hysoscella. 5th Genus.—Cyanea (Peron). 2 sp. C. capillata and C, Lamar ckit, both common ; very large, stinging Medusze. . 6th Genus.— Medusa (Linneus, Escholtz; Aurelia,Peron). 2sp. M. aurita and M. cruciata (the latter is the Medusa so abundant in Southampton Harbour). It has white ocelli. Many more spurious species of Cyanea, Medusa and other genera are recorded by Peron, Lesson and others, and enumerated as inha- bitants of the British Channel. After careful consideration, they have been rejected as mere varieties from this arrangement. Certain forms belonging to this section recorded by Pennant and Templeton are also rejected as too imperfectly observed to be of any service to science, 286 Miscellaneous: 2nd Section.—Pulmograda with naked ocelli. lst Family.—Vessels branched. 7th Genus.— Willsia (new sp. W. stellata, founded on a beautiful little Medusa with six starlike ovaries and branched vessels). It is abundant in the British Channel and on the west coast of Scotland. | 2nd Family.—Vessels simple; ovaries convoluted and lining the pedunculated stomach. 8th Genus.—Turris (Lesson ; Hirene, Escholtz), 2 sp. T. digitale of O. Fabricius (Zetland) and 7. neglecta, Lesson, the Cyanea coccinea of Davis; British Channel. Very highly organized Medusz, closely approaching Actinie. ) 9th Genus.—Saphenia (Escholtz). 1 sp. S. dinema, Peron. Devon. Zetland. : 10th Genus.——-Oceania (Peron—Tiara, Lesson). 4 sp., one being the ‘‘ Geryonia octona’’ of Fleming ; the other three are new. 3rd Family.—Vessels simple ; ovaries in the course of the vessels, on the subumbrella. a.—With eight vessels. 11th Genus.—A/quorea (Peron), or perhaps deserving of a distinct appellation. 1 sp., common on the Scotch coast; it is the ‘* Melicertum campanulatum”’ of Ehrenberg (not of Escholtz), “ Oceania octocostata”’ of Sars, and ‘‘ Thaumantias Milleri” of Mr. Landsborough, and ‘‘ 4’quorea octocostata”’ of Lesson. It has long yellow ovaries. 12th Genus.—Circe (Mertens). Ovaries 8, minute. 1 sp. C. rosea. Zetland, new. : b.—With four vessels. 13th Genus.— Thaumantias (Escholtz); ovaries four, ovate, clavate or linear, stomach short; 19 British species, of which 12 are new and undescribed. All very distinct from each other. 14th Genus.—Slabberia (new), founded for a singular little Me- dusa remarkable for its extremely linear ovaries, long proboscis, and the development of an ocellated bulb at the end as well as at the base of each tentacle: S. halterata; coast of Cornwall. 15th Genus.—Geryonia (Peron). 1 sp., new, G. appendiculata. British Channel. ; 16th Genus.—TZima? (Escholtz) 7.? Bairdiit of Johnston; common on the east coast of Scotland. oe 4th Family.—Vessels simple ; ovary in substance of peduncle. Gem- miparous. A.—Peduncle with lateral lobes; tentacula fasciculated. 17th Genus.—Bougainvillia (Lesson—Hippocrene, Brandt), with 4 fascicles of tentacles. 3 sp., 2 new. 18th Genus.—Lizzia (new, with 8 fascicles of tentacles and un- equal lobes to peduncle), founded for the Cyteis octopunctata of Sars, which, with two other undescribed species, inhabits the Zetland seas. B.—Peduncles inflated ; tentacula not fasciculated. 19th Genus.—Modeeria (new). 1 sp. from the Hebrides. C.—Peduncle elongate; tentacula not fasciculated, Meteorological Observations. 287 a. With four tentacles. | _ 20st Genus.—Sarsia (Lesson). 4 British sp. b. With one tentacle only developed. 21nd Genus.—Steenstrupia (new). 3 sp. In all there are fifty species of British Pulmograda known to Prof. Forbes, excluding doubtful forms and varieties. Of these nine only had been previously recorded as British, and of the remainder, all but five are undescribed. METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR AUG. 1846. Chiswick.— August 1. Uniformly overcast: hot and dry: 2 p.m. almost von- tinued thunder: at 3 p.m. rain in torrents: at 42 40™ vivid lightning and rain, mixed with large hail: overcast at night 2. Sultry: thunder and rain: clear. 3. Rain: showery. 4. Cloudy and fine, 5. Heavy rain. 6. Cloudy and fine. 7. Overcast. 8,9. Cloudy and fine. 10,11. Very fine. 12, Rain: cloudy. 13. Cloudy: heavyrain. 14. Veryfine. 15. Clear: fine: rain. 16,17. Cloudy : fine. 18, Fine: rain. 19, Fine: drizzly. 20. Overcast: rain. 21. Densely clouded: rain. 22—25. Cloudy and fine. 26. Overcast. 27. Fine. 28—31. Very fine. Mean temperature of the month ......... epasrenes ee eadegr ene vee 64°°16 Mean temperature of Aug. 1845 .......csccsscscecsececesecececes 59 *30 Average mean temperature of Aug. for the last twenty years 62 °23 Average amount of rain in Aug. .......... eeaceseu sons tee vtoceooe 2°41 inches. Boston.— Aug. 1. Cloudy: rain p.m., with thunder and lightning. 2. Fine: rain P.M. 3. Fine: rain, with thunder and lightning a.m. 4. Fine: rain and lightning v.m. 5. Cloudy: raine.m. 6,7. Cloudy. 8, Fine. 9. Cloudy: rain A.M. 10, Fine; raine.m. 11,12, Fine. 13. Cloudy: whirlwind, with rain a.M. 14. Fine. 15. Fine: rain a.m. 16, Fine. 17. Fine: rain early a.m. 18, Fine. 19. Rain. 20. Fine: rain a.m.and p.m. 21. Rain. 22. Cloudy. 23. Cloudy: rainr.m, 24—27. Cloudy. 28. Fine. 29. Cloudy. 30,31. Fine. —The past month has been extraordinary warm. Sandwick Manse, Orkney.— Aug. 1. Cloudy: fine. 2. Fog: hot: fine. 3. Bright : hot: fog. 4. Clear: hot: fog, 5. Bright: cloudy. 6. Fog: cloudy. 7. Cloudy. 8. Bright: fog. 9. Fog: rain, 10. Bright: rain: clear, 11. Showers: clear. 12. Showers: cloudy. 13. Rain. 14. Bright: clear. 15. Rain. 16. Showers: small rain, 17. Cloudy: fine. 18. Cloudy. 19. Bright: hot: fog. 20. Cloudy: rain. 21, Cloudy: damp. 22. Damp: drizzle. 23. Cloudy. 24. Bright: cloudy. 25. Clear: aurora: fine. 26. Clear: fine. 27. Clear: aurora: fine. 28. Clear: fog. 29. Cloudy. 30. Bright: rain. 31. Rain: clear. Mean temperature of the month — ...........scceseeceeseesesseesceecs 58°82 Mean temperature of Aug. for nineteen preceding years ...... 54 *76 Mean temperature Of Aug. 1845 ...cccccsssssssevescscsccscnssevcses 53 +16 Applegarth Manse, Dumfries-shire — Aug. 1. Remarkably warm. 2. Very fine. 3. Very fine: thunder. 4, Fine: one shower. 5. Heavy shower: fine. 6. Fair and fine. 7. Rain, heavy: thunder. 8. Wet: thunder. 9. Wet p.m. : fair a.m. 10. Showers. 11, 12. Slightshowers. 13. Very heavy rain: flood. 14. Fine: one shower. 15, Showers p.m. 16, Wet a.m.: cleared. 17. Very fine harvest day. 18. Rain nearly all day. 19, Fineharvest day. 20. Fine harvest day : thunder. 21—23. Fine harvest days. 24, 25, Fine harvest days: threatening. 26, 27. Fine harvest days: clear. 28, 29. Fine harvest days: threatening. 30, Fine harvest day. 31. Rain: cleared r.m. Mean temperature of the month .,.......+06: b ddnvdiee'g vinvesee GOSS Mean temperature of Aug. 1845 ........sseseesereees cesepeges 56 '4 Mean temperature of Aug. for twenty-three years ......... 57 °0 Mean rain in Aug. for eighteen years .....sccccccsssssseeeeee 3°61 inches, : oping seagate, ieee Panta) | 16-3 ¢g.F 'g0-£ CPP L1-LS §¥-09 ¥.7S 2-89 a £0-FS 6.0L 916-62 |%16-6% fae ZZ8-6% | ZE-62 8986 o£6.62 ies i | | "2 eaagad eaten eee eT Ee uyeo} ‘a | PS | Lo) 69/4€9| €9| 9S | 6L | LO-0€ | g0-0€| gI-0€ | 00-08 75-66 ZE1-08 SLI-0€! “IE "GEO irre) sas | ems | ueo] rau | ¥49 | 19 | zS/¥g9| S9| sh | o£ | 00-0€| 00.0€ | z0.0€ | 00-0€ | SF-6z $60.08 ZL1-0&| “of vvcsecleeseccleccce,|0O",] ‘28 [trou] ufwa| sau | GS} 09 | OS|f0L) $9} Bh | ZL | 90-08 | SI-0€| 96-62} £0.08 | FE-6z '6z6-6z |n10-0€| “62 © | ba ake a lee ee LS} 09 |{6V| ZL! 69] OF | BL | 81-0€| E1-0€| S0.0€ | Go.0€ | 9&-62 '126-62 96-62! “9% ‘as | ‘as | ‘aua | ‘a | GG | 09 |f9v; 69 S-79| LG | OL | 60-0} VI-0€| 00.0€ | $0.0€ | gh-6% 066-62 966-62! *L% ‘as | vas jue; tou | LS |} 19 | Sh) OL) 29} OF | PL | S1-0€| 02-0€ | gv.0€ | LI-0€ | 09-62 |1S0-0€ \gh1-08) *9z ayes) ss | tau | mea] cou | PS | 449 | oF] $89 $09) ZF | 69 | 9%-0€| TE-0f| 12-08 | Fz-08 04-62 P61-0€ 01Z-0€| “Sz ereeemeeee FOe "| emu | cam | cu | cau] 9G | F4G |) HS/¥19' €9] OF | gO | 18-08] 9B-6F| 02-0€ | 91-0€ Z9-62 SEI-0F 012-08) “Fz VO. SPO | ew | cana | pea | cu 9S | f8¢ | 6$| £9 $-S9, 69 | IL | €%-0€! 61-0€| 11.0€! go.0€ 0S-6% Z80-0€ LZ1-0€! *€% nseeee seeree! 1. freee] om | cass | wea] cu | $249 | Zo | gp {$9 | zo. 8b | LO | 90-08) £0.08 | 66.62! 96-62 | 67-62 766-62 SS0-0€| “Zo 11. "| Lh. 0. | tm | cas juyeo| au | 9G | LG | 9S) g9: 19 FS | OL | 00-08) 68-66] £6-62! 92-62 | £2-6% FHL-6z ¥S6-62) 126 ree TPs | €€- | casi} “a | maj} ems | gS | 8S | SS} zo, So) 6S | ¥9 | 60-62} L9-6%) 19.6% | 19-62 | £2-6% 021-62 628-62) *0@ Ot. "| TO. | yea} uj wea} *m | gS | ¥09 | 19] OL 09: ZS | OL | £162) 3L-68| £9.6z| LS-6%| 00-62 915-62 8V9-62) “61 rereeesaseeeiseerer! 2. | @ | ta | ems | tms | LG} «09 | 99] 99! £0: PS | aL | E462! HL-65| PP-6z| 6E.62 66-8% 6£6-6% OLS-62) *gI ct Peet ee Tee eee eereseicoseses 90. """""" PS. | Lo. | "a | ‘ms | uywa} ms | 9S} 19 | LG} 99 9; €S | OL | OL-6%| L9.6z| £9.62) 79-62 | 63-60 GPL-6z |SS8-6z| “LI TG °°" BO "| tw | cms | tupeo} sm | FSG 1 go | €¢| So! Lo 6h | ZL | 99-62! 09-62] $0.62) 9S-6z 61-6% 26L-6% £98-62| “91 1Gl- GOP LO. | vas | ts | umyea! -s 9S | f¥S | GS} €9' Lo, OF | 6L | £9-6%! 02-62} £5.62! SS-6z | zz-6% 912-62 OVL-6%! °S1 Ole "BS rere] ts itmss | mu | cms | 49 | $0 | gh) F9S-09 6h | LL | 29-60! 7-60! SL-6z| SL-6z 8£-6% 618-62 216-60! ‘PI OP. errerineeres ZB. | cm smmms! cms | ms | F1G | FPS | HS) ¥19! Soi Ph | 99 | 99.62! 19-62: 69-62! EF-62| 91-62 %89-6% 'Z6L-6Z| “Ei D EL. verre") TO. | tmsm) ms | ues} ‘ma | Co) §LG | S$G| #9! 99] 19 | SZ | Lg.6z| 28-62) £8-6z| 26-62 | 6P-62 9f0-08 ‘990-0£| “aI LG. \***"°"| ZO. | QB. | ‘a | ms | wpea) *m | Go| gS |FPS| £9: 99) LS | EL | OL.6) 69-62, 28-62 | 92-621 LE-6z 6£0-0€ €L0.08| “11 OF |"°") ZO. [rrrret| cas | cms | cm | sms | OG | F£9| 9G} 1Z2| OL! SS | 14 | SL-6z| S262! LL-60| 92-62 8£-6Z L00-0€ %20.0£| ‘ol GG» |rrreeeyreeeesinereee| cas | “Mm | urea] *ms | O09 | $19 | 6S! L9|} gO} 8S | IL | 99-60! L9-62) SL.6%| 9-62! 61-62 V78-6% 696-62) *6 “00-1 /°°*"""| TO. | *9 | “MS | cms | sms | 19 | PO} 19) 14] IL] SS | DL | £2.62! 786%) 99-62] 99-62 | Lo-6z 104-62 831-62} *g Te ttaslereeeeiseeeceireers’) "8 |9S—9 uw] ‘ms | OO | ZO | BS #69 9-90! o9 | €8 | 16-6%| 96-62! 19-62| 92-62 | Pz-6z 269-62 LPL.6%| *L O *eeegaieceoes! DQlnissorer! ued | Se ‘uj au | €9 | 19 | 2G; 9L%-99| Fo | €8 | L6-6%| 96-62 | 79-62! 06-62! 92-62 GE8-6% 906-62) °9 Seen eM eemeeet JOS 1 OB) og 1 ae Fag zr) 09 | $9 | 99) ZL) 89| 29 | 08 | 96.62] 00-08 | 68-62} 68-62 | 62-62 Lz9.6o 076-62) *¢ errs ORs tage | “Oe | *s | ‘88 | 09 | 99 | 99/4€L) Of} 9S | 64 | 00-0€| €0.0£ | 93.6%} £8-6%| PE-6z €26-6z h6.62| ‘V mensysee") £0. | VO. | °289 | "9 | wes} “m | ZO | OL | €9/¥gl| EL} 19 | LL | 96.62] 96-62| 08-62} gl-6z| Fz-6% 208-62 666-67 3 “esseyreres" EL. | GQ. | *@ | ‘ua | wpe! *s | ZO] 99 | ZO} OLIG-EL} 9S | Ig | 66-62) 66-62) SL-6z| PL-62| S0.6z 'zr9.6z \0€8-6z %G “reseeyroseseyeeser’) €GT] “Sa | “aus | upea} ‘a | 69 | ¥£9 | ¥gS| FLL] OL} 09 | 26 | 66-62] 20.08) 62-62} $g-6z 81-62 (049-62 ZSL-6z [ ES PS 2 2 cara 1 cure “wd — : : “ony Pelee] 9 |2| fel e¥| ¢ |-2| be lfe| F)Flee| FL El el wie] So ji [ere aq3ia2|s-|}2 1 98 | 33/5 | 32i- ; 2 : iat Rt" e |)? | & pa | Pe] 1 Tata” | sapling | 2 |: mao uo | 2atus-sorzuma 35 wen |e “Urey “PULA *JIJIULOULIOY JF, *19JMIOIV = 2 *AANYUQC) ‘asunyy yonpung yw ‘u0ysno[D “OD "Ady 947 AQ pup {auHs-salusMacy ‘asunpy yzuvSajddp yo ‘sequng *AA *Aaqy 247 49 {NoLsog 70 ‘|[BaA “aA 49 SuopuoT svau ‘MOIMSIHD yo Aja10g poanynoysopy ayz fo uapsvgy ayz yo uosdwoyy, “ay 49 apo suorwasasgy jungoposoaja yyy Ann. & Mag: Not: Hest Vol 18. PLIV. A: Hancock del. ; J. De C.Sowerbylith: Hullmandel & Walton Juthoéraphers. THE ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. No. 120. NOVEMBER 1846. - — XXIX.—Notices of some new and rare British species of Naked Mollusca. By Josuua ALpER and AtBany Hancock *. [ With a Plate.] 1. Description of a small Mollusk belonging to the order Infero- branchiata (Pl. IV. figs. 1, 2, 3). In the month of May 1845 we found on the shores of Torbay a very minute molluscous animal of a peculiar appearance, which we had not before met with. It was feeding upon a small green conferva in pools near high-water mark, and was only discernible to the naked eye as a small black spot. On taking a piece of the conferva home, and placing it in a glass of sea-water, two or three of these little creatures crept out of their ambush, and were found on the sides of the glass, or swimming inverted upon the top of the water. On applying a lens we were immediately struck with the similarity of their appearance to the animals figured by M. de Quatrefages in the ‘ Annales des Sciences Naturelles,’ under the generic names of Pelta and Chalidis, and placed as the lowest forms of his new order Phlebenterata. As these were the genera upon which that naturalist founded his theory of extreme degra- dation from the typical form in the Mollusca, we immediately saw that our little animal must prove interesting in that point of view, and deserving of a careful examination. A slight inspec- tion of its external characters, however, was sufficient to show that our captive at least did not partake of that degradation from the Molluscan type which M. de Quatrefages describes in his species, and that, tentacles excepted, it possessed all the external organs usually found in the class Gasteropoda. The branchie formed three small plumes, placed under the posterior part of the cloak a little to the right of a central tubular anus; thus bringing the species within the order Jnferobranchiata of Cuvier. Its characters are as follows :— Body l\imaciform, elongated, smooth, about two lines long. * Read at the Meeting of the British Association, Sept. 14, 1846; and communicated by the authors. Ann. & Mag. N. Hist.. Vol. xviii. - 290 Messrs. Alder and Hancock on some new and rare Cloak a little indented in front, nearly straight at the sides, and slightly rounded behind: the general colour is black, sprinkled with minute points of brown, but the front part of the cloak cor- responding to the head is buffish fawn-coloured towards the sides, and black in the centre only. On this part are placed two largish eyes, surrounded by a pale ring. Behind the eyes and at the termination of the fawn-coloured part, a curved line of small white spots crosses the cloak, giving the animal the appearance of having the head detached from the back; but this is in ap- pearance only, the surface of the cloak being continuous. A suboval fawn-coloured patch, also bordered with white spots, terminates the cloak behind. Under the posterior margin of the cloak in the medial line is situated the anus, and close to it on the right side are three small, slightly pinnate branchial plumes, generally projecting a little beyond the cloak. The tail extends about one-fourth the length of the body beyond this, and termi- nates in an obtuse point. Foot yellowish, tinged with brown or black, and with a few opake white spots. It.is rounded in front and does not extend so far forward as the cloak: its sides are nearly parallel, broader than the cloak and usually folded up to- wards it. Organs of generation on the right side. The head and shoulders are clothed with large vibratile cilia, the action of which could be observed with a powerful pocket- lens: the sides of the foot are also ciliated as well as the back. A regular pulsation was observed through the cloak, confined to a small portion of the back a little in advance of the branchial plumes,—the usual position of the heart,—from which we in- ferred the presence of that organ. The pulsations were fifty to sixty in a minute. As we had the opportunity of examining only one specimen microscopically, we were not able to make out the whole of the internal anatomy. ‘The nervous ganglions had much the general appearance of those of the Nudibranchs; the eyes hada lens, and were regularly formed ; the auditory capsules were closely attached to the ganglions, and contained one large otolithe each. The tongue was strap-shaped and covered with spines; and a little behind it was a curious dental apparatus, similar to what is described by M. de Quatrefages in the stomach of his genus Pelta, and apparently constituting a kind of gizzard. It consisted of four portions, each bearing six denticulated teeth. We cannot speak with certainty respecting the biliary organ, though from the manner the creature slipped when pressed between the plates of the compressor, we have little doubt that it possessed a firm and bulky liver. The other viscera were not made out. On comparing otr animal with the genus Pelta, we find the resemblance of external form so great as almost to amount to identity. ‘The head in that genus, however, is described to have British species of Naked Mollusca. f Fat two lobes, which meet in the medial line behind. This is not ex- actly the case with ours, but the front is very variable in outline, according to the will or position of the animal; and as it is a little sinuated in the centre, it frequently assumes a bilobed appear- ance, and the line of white spots mentioned above gives an appa- rent continuation of the outline of the head across the medial line, similar to what is represented in M. de Quatrefages’ figure. The form of the cloak and the dark line passing from it to the tail are the same in each. On turning to the imternal charac- ters we find the same peculiar gizzard, or dental armature of the stomach, as described in the French species, and some of the other parts are not very dissimilar. But M. de Quatrefages states that his genus Pe/ta has neither branchiz, heart nor anus, thus reducing it to a level with the inferior zoophytes. We must confess that we have always looked upon this extreme degradation of the Molluscan type with great suspicion, and the discovery of this species has tended not a little to strengthen our conviction that M. de Quatrefages’ views are founded upon imperfect ob- servations. We cannot indeed prove that our mollusk belongs to the same genus as the Pelta ornata, but sufficient has been stated to raise a presumption that it does so; and considering the great difficulty of examining these minute objects anatomically, the inability to detect an obscure organ must not be hastily taken as a proof of its non-existence. Indeed in one or two of the smaller specimens of our mollusk, we were ourselves unable to detect either branchial plumes or anal aperture. The latter we have no doubt existed ; but with regard to the former, we think it probable that these animals in a young state undergo a progress sive development, and that it is not until they have arrived at maturity that the branchial organs are fully developed, respira- tion in the meantime being carried on chiefly through the ciliated surface of the body. Be 807 There is yet another mollusk to which our species bears avery strong resemblance,—the Limapontia nigra of Dr. Johnston, de- scribed in Loudon’s Magazine of Natural History, vol. ix. p. 79. The figure there given is a pretty fair representation of our ani- mal, and the colour appears to be the same. Dr. Johnston was unable to detect any branchie, and the cloak, though mentioned as distinct from the foot, is not so represented in the figure. It is possible, however, that the species may turn out to be identical. Were we inclined to construe generic characters rigorously, we should be quite justified in establishing a new genus for an animal so differently organized as we have shown this to be; but believing as we do that we see in our little mollusk the repre- sentative of two genera already described by naturalists, though, camelion-like, when again produced it turns out to be something different from what either party had supposed, we shall leave it Y2 292 Messrs. Alder and Hancock on some new and rare for the present to the decision of other umpires, only premising, that should our suspicions prove correct, the genus Limapontia of Johnston will take precedence of the Pelta of Quatrefages. 2. Descriptions of some new species of Nudibranchiata. Nearly the whole of the species here described were obtained on an excursion to the Isle of Arran in May and June last. Among them is a second species of our new genus Humenis, which, having been founded on a single individual, may by some have been considered to be imperfectly established. It is satis- factory therefore to have obtamed another species, sufficiently distinct from that found in Torbay last year, yet at the same time confirming the characters we had previously given to the genus. Unfortunately in this instance again we only procured a single specimen. Besides the Nudibranchs described below, we met with some other rare species, particularly the gires punctilucens, hitherto only claiming a place in the British fauna from a specimen found on the south coast of Ireland by Professor Allman. Seve- ral specimens of this curious and beautiful mollusk were found among the rocks at Ardrossan on the Ayrshire coast, and on the shores of the Isle of Arran. It would thus appear to be diffused over the estuary of the Clyde, and this circumstance, together with some occasional variation in its colour, induces us to think that the Doris Maura, found by Professor HE. Forbes on Devar Island, near Campbeltown, will prove to be a variety of this species. One of the most plentiful species of Holis on the west- ern coast of Scotland is the HE. Drummond of Mr. Thompson, first discovered by Dr. Drummond in Belfast Lough. Holis alba, hitherto considered a rare species, was not uncommon in the same localities. Some curious varieties occurred, especially one with the branchial papille of a brown colour and a few brown mark- ings on the body, which, had we not found intermediate varie- ties, might almost have induced us to think it distinct. Some fine specimens of Goniodoris castanea, not the least interesting of our recent acquisitions, were procured at Saltcoats by Mr. David Landsborough, jun., to whose kind assistance we are also indebted for two of the new species of Holis described below. Two specimens of Doris flammea and several of D. Johnstoni _ were found in Lamlash Bay. Doris planata.—Body elliptical, much-depressed. Cloak ex- tending much beyond the foot, thickly covered with obtuse warty tubercles, mostly minute, but of very unequal sizes, the largest ones being arranged at irregular intervals along each side of the back. Colour reddish brown, interspersed with dull lemon- yellow and purple-brown ; the whole sprinkled with minute dark brown spots, A few irregular patches of dull yellow run down British species of Naked Mollusca. 293 each side. Dorsal tentacles stout, subclavate, yellowish, mottled with dark brown; laminz twelve or thirteen. Branchie very small, retractile within a-cavity; they consist of seven imper- fectly bipinnate plumes pointed at the top and strongly blotched with opake yellowish white and dark brown. Head indistinct, with long linear oral tentacles. Foot deep lemon-coloured, grooved and rounded in front, with the upper lamina notched in the centre. Length nearly an inch. We found one specimen of this new Doris inside an old shell of Pecten opercularis dredged in Lamlash Bay. It is very unlike any of the other British species. Fr Doris sparsa.— Body ovate, much-depressed, Cloak of an ob- / scure pale yellow, with a few reddish brown freckles and distant spiculose tubercles. Dorsal tentacles slightly conical, with eight or nine broad distant lamine, blotched with olive-brown; the mar- gins of the cavities furnished with three or four tubercular points. Branchie very small, colourless, consisting of nine pinnate plumes arranged in the shape of a horse-shoe. Head with a large semi- circular veil. Foot nearly as broad as the cloak, colourless ; the front slightly bilobed. Length half an inch. Found on Cellepora pumicosa from deep water, Cullercoats. It is allied to D. depressa and D. pusilla. Eumenis flavida.—Body quadrilateral, pale lemon-yellow above, white beneath. Dorsal tentacles clavate and laminated; the sheaths set round the top with about six tubercles, the outside ones largest, each having a ring of fawn-colour. Vez very small, with about four tubercular points. Branchie papillose, mostly short, set in a waved line on the sides of the back, three on each side being larger than the rest and nearly linear; they are all ringed with fawn-colour. The branchiz approach very near to the tail. Sides of the body with a few pale yellow markings. Foot nearly linear, transparent white, slightly tinged with purple brown at the margin ; it is slit along the front and produced into tentacular points at the sides. Length about a quarter of an inch. Dredged on a small coralline in Lamlash Bay. Eolis Glotensis.—Body pale greenish-yellow. Dorsal tentacles of the same colour as the body, rather long, linear, smooth and thickened towards the top. Oral tentacles about two-thirds the length of the dorsal pair, and of a similar form and colour, set on the upper side of the lips: outline of the head semicircular. Branchie rather short and thick; their central vessel of a dark bottle-green, approaching to black, the apices deep orange-yel- low. ‘They are set in eight or nine transverse rows, three to five in each row; the first three rows are close together. Foot trans- parent white, the front notched in the middle and the angles slightly produced and rounded. Length four-tenths of an inch. Dredged in Lamlash Bay upon Pecten opercularis. 294 Capt. Portlock on the Natural History of Eolis lineata—Body slender, transparent white, with three opake white lines running from head to tail; viz. one on the back bifurcating into the oral tentacles, and one on each side of the body below the papillee. Dorsal tentacles rather long, linear, transparent white, with an opake white line down the back of each. Oral tentacles about the same length as the dorsal ones, linear, and swelling a little at the base. Branchie rose-coloured, with a line of opake white in front of each, terminating in a ring at the top. They are nearly linear, tapering a little above, and set in about four ill-defined clusters on each side of the back ; the first clusters contain twelve to fourteen papille each, the rest fewer. Foot slender, with the front angles produced into short tentacular processes. Length upwards of a quarter of an inch. Discovered by Mr. D. Landsborough, jun., among the rocks at Saltcoats, Ayrshire. . Kolis Landsbergiit.— Body very slender, of a beautiful violet or amethyst colour. Dorsal tentacles slender, linear, violet tipped with white. Oral tentacles a little longer than the dorsal pair, and of the same colour. Branchie orange-red, the sheaths vio- let, with a ring of white at the apices ; elliptical, short and rather stout, arranged in five or six clumps; the first containing eight to twelve papillz, the second six to nine, the others not so many. Foot very narrow, finely pointed behind, arched in front, and with the lateral angles not much produced. Length rather more than a quarter of an inch. Also found by Mr. D. Landsborough at Saltcoats. EXPLANATION OF PLATE Iv. Figs. 1, 2, 3. Different views of the Limapontia taken at Torbay. Fig. 4. Enlarged view of the anus. Fig. 5. Enlarged view of branchia, Fig. 6. A portion of the gizzard exhibiting the teeth. Fig. 7. Auditory capsule and otolithe. XXX.—Notices in connexion with the Natural History of Corfu and its vicinity. By Captain Porriocx, Royal Engineers, F.R.S. * AN insular position must in most cases render it difficult to de- termine the fauna or the flora of a country in respect to their actual limits, and especially the fauna, as the slightest variation in the periodical directions of the currents, whether aérial or ma- rine, may lead to the appearance of new objects both of the vege- table and animal kingdoms. — In the 12th volume of ‘ Annals of Natural History’ is printed avaluable paper by Capt. Drummond, 42nd R.H. regiment, with * Read at the Meeting of the British Association, Sept. 14th, 1846. Corfu and its vicinity. 295 Notes by Mr. Strickland, on the Birds of Corfu, a paper origi- nally read before the Zoological Section at Cork. In that paper, which contains the result of the labours of a gentleman at once an able naturalist and an active sportsman, continued for a con- siderable time, the following summary is given :— Common to Ionian Islands and Britain ............. 157 Doubtful if same as British species ...scsceeeereeeee 8 European, but not British .,.cccscccssessesecsceesersees 8D Peculiar to Ionian Islands ......,cccsseresseversecssese Total number of birds of the Ionian Islands... 200 From Capt. Drummond I have lately received a memorandum containing some important additions and a few corrections of his list. The additions are— 1. Turdus pilaris. British. 2. T. iliacus. Ditto. eae 4 r a iomcian la \ of Bonaparte’s ‘ Fauna Italica.’ These birds were confounded with Motacilla flava in the Corfu list : the first is stated to be common in Italy, and the second to be found in Dalmatia, in Egypt and on the Caucasus, but to be rare in Italy. 5. Emberiza cia, 6. Picus leuconotus, confounded with P. major. 7. Numenius tenuirostris. 'Temminck gives Egypt as the country of this bird, but states it to be sometimes common on its passage in the southern parts of Italy, to be found near Rome, Venice and Pisa, and he adds that it is said to visit also Dalmatia and Greece. This latter statement is therefore now confirmed by Capt. Drummond, 8. Ardea egrettoides. This connects it with the Sicilian and Turkish localities recorded by Temminck. 9. Corvus collaris (Drummond). A new species distinguished from the common jackdaw by having a large crescented patch of pure white on each side of the neck. The ringed jackdaw was found by Capt. Drummond at Sajdi in Albania, and he expects that it will be found in Corfu. The corrections are—Alauda brachydactyla instead of A. isabellina ; Sylvia leucopogon instead of S. conspicillata ; and the summary there- fore will be, as stated by Capt. Drummond,— ; Species Common to Ionian Islands and Great Britain ....sesesseesesereverees 159 Doubtful if same as British species...,....scressseesseerssevees oda ents 2 First stated as doubtful ; but as two species are said to have been confounded with it, I presume that the British species is =f 1 posed also to exist, viz. Motacilla flavd.....scscerecsveevcereeeees European, but not British ....ccccssscceersseseeeeeee sbssbvesssedees ccoves 45 Peculiar to Ionian Islands ..........sseccsccssscccccccceapeoscess bbesdbues New species established by Capt. Drummond, and as yet ee 1 found in Albania ,,..,.++ peepaerbeberie spendeede sdeevenss bo snpeerdes Total number ...... Oo pecesopooponvonpceese Opepdaveepeccasocgs 209 The additions I have now to record on my own part are of a more 296 On the Natural History of Corfu and its vicinity. inglorious kind, as they have not resulted from the exertions of my own arm or the shots of my own gun, but in great measure have quietly dropped in to the lure of a silver whistle. Had Capt. Drummond confined his list to Corfu alone, I should have hesitated to record them, as the exact localities might be doubtful; but as it takes in the coast of Albania, the birds I have now to mention can without hesi- tation be added to it, as they were certainly all killed either on the island or on the opposite Albanian coast. 1. Falco nevius.. In the plumage of an immature bird or as F. maculatus, the Spotted Eagle. Killed by my friend Dr. Mountain, R.A., at Butrinto, in December 1845, and presented to me. ‘Tem- minck mentions it as inhabiting the woody and mountainous regions of Germany, as being very rare in France, more abundant in Russia and the eastern parts of Europe, and common in the south, as also in Africa, especially Egypt. Several of the gentlemen of the coun- try say that they have seen the mature bird. 2. Merops Savignii (Vieill.). This beautiful and well-marked species, the Meropa Egiziano of Bonap., is stated to be abundant in Persia, Egypt, Tripoli, and as far as Senegal. The species was founded on specimens obtained at Genoa; another specimen was pro- cured by Sig. Gangadi, and it is thus fairly incorporated amongst the birds of Corfu. 3. Himantopus nigricollis. From the marked character of one of the specimens before me, I am obliged to class it with the American species; and I shall state therefore my reasons for so doing, and then point out the peculiarities of a second ‘specimen, which lead me to think that the natural history of these birds is yet imperfect. Wilson says, ‘“‘ back, rump and tail-coverts also white, but so con- cealed by the scapulars as to appear black ;” and such is the case: again, ‘‘ line before the eye, auriculars, back part of the neck, scapu- lars and whole wings deep black, richly glossed with green ;” and ‘‘in some the white from the breast extends quite round the neck, separating the black of the hind neck from that of the body.” Now in these remarkable and striking particulars my bird is identical with that of Wilson. Wilson says, tail ‘‘ of a dingy white,’ whereas in my specimens the shade is beyond a dingy white, and approaches to a light slaty tinge ; this however neither removes it further from the European species, in which the tail is also more or less white or ashy, nor ap- proximates it to it. In my second specimen, which is probably a female, a young bird, the plumage is not so deep a black, but rather approaching to brown; and the neck, instead of exhibiting the com- plete black or brown-black, is blotched with those hues, showing distinctly an approach to the definite marking, but proving either immaturity of plumage or a state of seasonal change. I cannot find any record of such changes, and as Wilson states the arrival of the birds to be in April, and their departure in September, it is evident he describes the summer plumage. By Yarrell one is recorded as seen by Mr. Ball at Youghall in the winter of 1823; but the greater number of specimens described by him appear to have been procured in summer, so that the plumage as described must be Mr. J. Blackwall on some species of Araneidea. 297 also that of the summer bird. The winter plumage of the American species has yet to be determined ; and from the appearance of change in my specimen, may it not prove that the’ two species are at this season closely approximated to each other ? First specimen obtained April 9, 1846, the second a few days afterwards. ° 4. Limosa melanura (B.). In his Supplement Temminck states this bird to occur at Japan ; its range is therefore very wide both to the north and south. : 5. Ardea comata (B.). It is surprising that this beautiful species should not have occurred before in the island. 6. Sterna Boysii (B.), Sandwich Tern. As this has been recorded as an African bird, its appearance here only adds to its already very wide range. 7. S. leucoptera. As this bird is recorded by Temminck in his Supplement as common in Dalmatia, its appearance here is natural. 8. Fuligula rufina (B.), the Red-crested Pochard. As this species is already recorded amongst the birds of Italy, its appearance at Corfu was to be expected. Incorporating therefore these birds into Capt. Drummond’s list, the summary may be thus stated :— Species Birds common to Ionian Islands and Great Britain ......... soeeseuse 163 Doubtful if same as British species .........scsecessscvsccscscccseceece 2 Presumed to be British, though at first confounded with other 1 species, and therefore rendered doubtful ........cceessseesseeees European, but not British ...... dsoceyserensorss Guseuss bceofenpuendsansens 48 POCURRL Uo TONEAM ISDAMOS ses ii; sei senssccscccesss thbobaean cep tepacesece aS New species founded by Capt. Drummond, and as yet only found l TA Toari: :yiieded cede gumevedshs eveehlbe cus [sd egieisee edo eatecbobease American species now first recorded as European ...........000+ ae 217 In respect to the dates, as some were probably several days in the stuffer’s hands before he brought them to me, whilst others were brought fresh, I may observe generally, that where the date is not given, it is to be understood that they were all obtained in the spring of the present year, prior to the month of May. XXXI.—Descriptions of some newly discovered species of Araneidea. By Joun Brackwa tt, F.L.S. Tribe OCTONOCULINA. Family Tuomis1p2&. Genus THomisus, Walck. 1. Thomisus incertus. Length of the male 4th of an inch; length of the cephalo- thorax ;1,; breadth +4, ; breadth of the abdomen +4, ; length of a leg of the first pair 4; length of a leg of the third pair 4. Kyes disposed on the anterior part of the cephalo-thorax in 298 Mr. J. Blackwall on some species of Araneidea. two transverse, curved rows, forming a crescent whose convex side is in front ; the lateral eyes, which are seated on a protube- rance, are much larger than the intermediate ones, those of the anterior row being the largest of the eight. Cephalo-thorax convex, compressed before, truncated in front, abruptly sloping behind, without any indentation in the medial line ; it is of a red- brown colour along the middle, with a broad brownish black band on each side comprising several irregular red-brown marks. - Mandibles short, strong, subconical, vertical, dark brown tinged with red, Maxille convex near the base, enlarged where the palpi are inserted, pointed at the extremity, and inclined towards the lip, which is triangular: these parts are red-brown, the base of the lip being much the darkest. Sternum heart-shaped, with three dark brown spots on each side, and a streak of the same hue extending from its posterior extremity to the middle. Legs provided with hairs and sessile spines ; the femora of the anterior pair are black, obscurely tinged with red on the sides and under part; the rest of these limbs is pale reddish brown, with the ex- ception of a few dark spots on the sides of the genual joint and the base of the tibia; the second pair of legs resembles the first, except. that the base of the femora is pale reddish brown; the third and fourth pairs are pale reddish brown with a few annuli of brownish black. First and second pairs of legs equal in length, the latter extending a little wider in consequence of being arti- culated to a broader part of the cephalo-thorax ; third pair rather shorter than the fourth. Each tarsus is terminated by two curved, pectinated claws. Palpi short; the humeral joint is brownish black, palest at the base; the cubital and radial joints are reddish brown, obscurely marked with dark brown ; the latter projects a long, brownish black, curved apophysis, which is re- curved at the point, from its anterior extremity, on the outer side, and a reddish brown, crescent-shaped one on the under side ; the digital joint is oval, dark brown, convex and hairy ex- ternally, concave within, comprising the palpal organs, which are highly developed, complicated in structure, with a black spine curved round their extremity, and are of a reddish brown colour. Abdomen depressed, corrugated, particularly on the sides, thinly covered with short strong hairs, broader at the posterior than at the anterior extremity, the latter, which appears as if cut ina straight line across, projecting over the base of the cephalo-tho- ‘vax; its colour is dark brown, obscurely tinged with reddish brown ; the sides are mottled with yellowish white, and the plates of the spiracles are dark reddish brown; on the upper part are five circular depressions ; the three anterior ones are disposed m a triangle whose vertex is directed forwards, and the other two are situated parallel to its base. Mr. J. Blackwall on some species of Arancidea. 299 My son, John Blackwall, discovered this spider in an outbuild- ing at Oakland in June 1845. 2. Thomisus pallidus. Length of the female 41ths of an inch ; length of the cephalo- thorax ;'; ; breadth ;'; ; breadth of the abdomen +; length of a leg of the second pair } ; length of a leg of the third pair 4. Mandibles short, strong, subconical, vertical, furnished with some erect bristles in front, towards the inner side: maxille slender, convex near the base, pointed at the extremity, and in- clined towards the lip, which is triangular : sternum heart-shaped : legs provided with short hairs and strong spines; the first and second pairs are very decidedly longer and more robust than the third and fourth pairs, the second pair being rather the longest and the third pair the shortest: palpi short, provided with hairs and spines: these parts are of a pale yellowish brown colour, the lip being somewhat the darkest. Each tarsus is terminated by two curved, pectinated claws, and the palpi have a small, curved, pectinated claw at their extremity. Cephalo-thorax convex, compressed before, broadly rounded in front, depressed on the sides and at the posterior extremity, without any indentation in the medial line ; there is a row of strong bristles directed for- wards on the frontal margin, and its colour is yellowish brown, palest on the lateral margins, with an obscure, longitudinal, red- dish brown band directed backwards from each lateral pair of eyes. yes disposed on the anterior part of the cephalo-thorax in two curved rows, forming a crescent whose convex side is in front ; the lateral eyes, which are seated on a protuberance, are much larger than the intermediate ones, those of the anterior row being the largest of the eight. Abdomen depressed, corru- gated, much broader at the posterior than at the anterior extre- mity, the latter, which appears as if cut in a straight line across, projecting over the base of the cephalo-thorax; it is sparingly supplied with short strong hairs, and 1s of a pale yellowish brown colour ; on the upper part are five conspicuous circular depres- sions; the three anterior ones form a triangle whose vertex is directed forwards, and the other two are situated parallel to its base. Sexual organs red-brown. Plates of the spiracles pale ellow. : Found among grass in a pasture at Oakland in September 1845. This species, like Zhomisus eristatus, Thomisus bifasciatus, and some others, has the power of changing the colour of the anterior intermediate pair of eyes from dark red-brown to pale golden yellow by a very perceptible internal motion. No such 800 _ Mr. J. Blackwall on some species of Araneidea. motion appears to occur in the other eyes, which are always black. 3. Thomisus trux. Length of the male 4th of an inch; length of the cephalo- thorax ;, ; breadth ;1, ; breadth of the abdomen ;1, ; length of a leg of the second pair 3; length of a leg of the third pair 4. Mandibles short, strong, subconical, vertical, of a dark brown colour with a red-brown spot in front. Maxille convex near the base, enlarged where the palpi are inserted, pointed at the extre- mity, and inclined towards the lip, which is triangular: these parts are brown. Sternum heart-shaped and yellowish brown. Legs robust, provided with hairs and spines ; they are yellowish brown, with the exception of the femora, those of the first pair, the anterior half of those of the second pair, and the anterior extremity of those of the third and fourth pairs being brownish black faintly tinged with red; the first and second pairs are considerably longer than the third and fourth, the second pair being slightly the longest, and the third pair is the shortest of all. Each tarsus is terminated by two curved, pectinated claws. Palpi short ; the humeral and digital joints are dark brown, the cubital joint is yellowish brown, and the radial reddish brown ; the radial joint is much stronger than the cubital, and projects a slender, slightly curved, pointed apophysis from its outer side, which is very prominent, and an obtuse one on the under side, which has a process at its base, on the outer side; the digital joint is oval, convex and hairy externally, concave within, com- prising the palpal organs; they are highly developed, compli- cated in structure, with a strong prominent point near the mid- dle, a filiform spime curved from the outer side round the extre- mity and along the imner side, and are of a dark brown colour tinged with red. Cephalo-thorax convex, compressed before, truncated in front, abruptly sloping behind, with a very slight indentation in the medial line; the sides are black, comprising a longitudinal band of a clear red-brown colour, and a broad band of the latter hue extends along the middle. Eyes disposed on the anterior part of the cephalo-thorax, which is provided with a few strong black hairs directed forwards, in two transverse curved rows, forming a crescent whose convex side is in front ; the lateral eyes, which are seated on a protuberance, are much larger than the intermediate ones, those of the anterior row being the largest of the eight. Abdomen depressed, corrugated, par- ticularly on the sides, thinly covered with short strong hairs, broader at the posterior than at the anterior extremity, the latter, which appears as if cut in a straight line across, projecting over the base of the cephalo-thorax ; it is yellowish brown above, en- circled by a band of yellowish white ; on each side of the medial Mr. J. Blackwall on some species of Araneidea. 301 line is a broad, irregular, longitudinal band of a dark brown co- lour extending nearly to the spinners, immediately above which organs are several transverse yellowish white streaks; in the middle of the space comprised between the dark brown bands are two dark brown lines forming a very acute angle whose ver- tex is directed backwards, and in its anterior part are five circular yellowish brown depressions ; three are disposed in a triangle whose vertex is directed forwards, and the other two are situated parallel to its base; the sides and under part are dark brown mottled with yellowish brown. Spinners and plates of the spi- racles yellowish brown. . Captured in June 1846 among grass in a pasture at Oakland. The males of several species of Thomisi so nearly resemble each ’ other in size, general form and colour, that a careful inspection of the structure of their palpi and palpal organs is essential to their accurate discrimination. Family LinyPHps. Genus Linyruia, Lair. 4, Linyphia pulchella. Length of the male ;4,th of an inch; length of the cephalo- thorax z,; breadth ,1,; breadth of the abdomen ;4,; length of an anterior leg ,, ; length of a leg of the third pair 4. Cephalo-thorax oval, slightly compressed before, prominent in — front where the eyes are seated, convex, glossy, with an inden- tation in the medial line of the posterior region ; it is of a yel- lowish brown colour. Eyes disposed on black spots in two trans- verse rows; the four intermediate ones form a trapezoid whose anterior side is the shortest, the posterior pair being the largest, and the anterior pair the smallest of the eight ; the eyes of each lateral pair are almost contiguous. Mandibles powerful, conical, armed with teeth on the inner surface, and inclined towards the sternum, which is broad and heart-shaped: maxille enlarged where the palpi are inserted; the exterior angle at their extre- mity is curvilinear, and they are inclined a little towards the lip, which is semicircular and prominent at the apex : these parts are reddish brown, the lip being the darkest. Legs moderately long, provided with hairs and slender spines; they are of a yellowish brown colour ; first pair the longest, then the second, third pair the shortest. Each tarsus is terminated by three claws; the two superior ones are curved and pectinated, and the inferior one is inflected near its base. Palpi yellowish brown ; the cubital and radial joints are short, the latter being much the stronger ; the digital joint is oval, with a lobe on the outer side; it 1s convex aud hairy externally, concave within, comprising the palpal or- 802 Mr.J. Blackwall on some species of Araneidea. gans, which are very highly developed, very complicated in struc- ture, and of a red-brown colour, Abdomen glossy, sparingly supplied with hairs, oviform, convex above, projecting over the base of the cephalo-thorax; upper part yellowish white, with a series of obscure, dark, angular lines, whose vertices are directed forward, extending along the middle, but least conspicuous on its anterior half; sides and under part pale yellowish brown. The plates of the spiracles are dark yellowish brown, and the trans- verse fold between them is prominent. | A male of this species was discovered among the grass of a pasture at Oakland in September 1845, Family THErrp11pZ. Genus Tueripion, Walck. 5. Theridion versutum. Length of the male 13ths of an inch; length of the cephalo- thorax 4; breadth ;4,; breadth of the abdomen ;/, ; length of an anterior leg 3; length of a leg of the third pair 75. Cephalo-thorax oval, slightly compressed before, convex, glossy, having an indentation in the medial lme: mandibles powerful, conical, vertical: both parts are brown faintly tinged with red. Maxille convex at the base, pointed at the extremity, and greatly inclined towards the lip, which is semicircular: sternum heart- shaped : these parts are brown tinged with yellow, the extremi- ties of the maxille being yellowish white. Legs long and slender ; they are provided with hairs and are of a pale yellowish brown colour ; first pair the longest, then the fourth, third pair the shortest. Hach tarsus is terminated by three claws; the two superior ones are curved and pectinated, and the inferior one is inflected near its base. The four intermediate eyes form a square, the two anterior ones, which are the darkest and rather the smallest of the eight, being placed on a prominence; the other four are disposed in pairs on the sides of the square, the eyes constituting each pair being contiguous and seated on a tubercle. Palpi pale yellowish brown ; the radial is larger than the cubital joint and elongated on the outer side ; this elongation is rounded at the extremity and applies very closely to the digital joint, which is oval, convex and hairy externally, concave within, com- prising the palpal organs; they are moderately developed, com- plicated in structure, with a prominent process on the inner side, and a strong curved spine at the extremity, whose slender point is in contact with a delicate white membrane; their colour is reddish brown. Abdomen oviform, thinly covered with hairs, convex above, projecting over the base of the cephalo-thorax ; the upper part is black with a large, white, crescent-shaped mark at M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 803 its anterior extremity, and three longitudinal rows of white spots, one on each side and the other extending along the middle, which diminish in size as they approach the spinners; the under part is yellowish white freckled with black, and the plates of the spi- racles are pale yellow. | The spider described above was captured in the neighbourhood of Winchester in July 1846 by James Franklin Preston, Esq., of Plas Madoc, near Llanrwst, Denbighshire ; and was comprised among specimens of Araneidea which that gentleman was so obliging as to collect for me in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. XXXII.—The Birds of Calcutta, collected and described by Cari J. SUNDEVALL*. [Continued from p. 261.] 32. Gracula tristis, Lath., Cuv.—Pastor tristis, Temm., Wagl. Rufo-grisea, capite levi colloque nigris; ventre postico cum crisso, apicibus rectricum basique remigum late albis. 3 2 similes. Sturno paullo major; ala 142 mill., tarsus 38, cauda 92; rostrum ab angulo oris 30. Lingua apice bifida, non lacera. Iris obscure rubra, circulo albo-punctato, circa pupillam. Vitta lata nuda, lutea e rostro per oculos. Rostrum et pedes tota lutea. Plume capitis longe, acute, paullo erectiles. Ale et cauda nigra. Alarum tectrices primariz tote, remiges posteriores longe ultra medium, albe+. (Testiculi mense Martii parvi.) This is one of the most numerous birds about Calcutta, and is stationary there. They live in great noisy crowds, which however do not form regular close flocks, but are continually assembled and dispersed or interchanged with others. In their mode of life they resemble both starlings and jackdaws ; indeed they are quite like the latter when they walk upon the ground, nodding their heads at every step. The nests are always seen near grazing cattle. The flight is heavy, with a strong motion of the wings; but when they wish to stop, the wings are held still and ex- panded. ‘The male is often seen to raise its tuft. In the morn- ing and evening they sit in flocks on the trees, and make a fearful noise with their chattering voices, which sound like ¢jati, (ati, or tjo-t. No song was ever heard from them. They are not shy, and often come into the town. They eat chiefly rice, but often * Translated from the ‘ Physiographiska Siallskapets Tidskrift’ by H. E. Strickland, M.A. t Gracula fusca e Java (Pastor fuscus, Wagl,) differt colore corporis ob- scure fusco; ala minus alba; vitia capitis nuda paullo minore, cauda bre- viore (75 mill.), rostroque paullo majore. De ceeteris similis etiam dimen- sione, 304 M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. insects, especially crickets. They will by no means live on meat. The Bengal name is Salik (the 7 short and accented), Their pro- pagation is unknown to me. : 33. Gracula cristatella, Linn.—Pastor cristatellus, Wagl. Cinereo- fusca, fronte cristata; macula parva nuda pone oculos, rostro basi nigro, pedibusque luteis ; remigibus basi, rectricibus apice, crissoque albis. g crista densiore, tectricibus primariis totis albis. Ala 120 mill., tarsus 35, cauda 77.— ? tectricibus primariis basi nigris; ala 115, tarsus 33, cauda 70. Priori angustior, rostro paullo longiore. Lin- gua prioris, sed apice paullulum lacera. Iris flavissima, lata. Plume capitis erectiles; antic antrorsum spectantes, rectz, non reflexiles, longit. 10 millim. cristam compressam in basi rostri formantes. Margo carpi et tectrices inferiores cinereze, in priori albe. Abdomen fulvescenti albidum. Occurs less abundantly than the preceding, and frequents trees more. I only found this species solitary, not in flocks, from February to May. The note was less chattering, and the males were heard to sing agreeably enough, most like our Magpie or Starling. The feathers of the head in the males are raised and depressed almost constantly. While walking, the head is carried less high than that of the former species. In the stomach were found seeds and remains of fruit. By the natives this spe- cies was called indifferently Majna and Sallik, which name how- ever applies also to Gracula tristis and religiosa. 34. Gracula rosea, Cuv.; Nillson, Skand. Faun.; Gloger, Eur. . 169.—Pastor roseus, Temm., Wag. Pallide rubicunda; capite lateribus vix nudo, collo pectoreque an- tico, alis caudaque totis nigris. Adulta rosea et nigra; capitis plume longze, curvate, lacere, at- tenuate. ) ? juv. (e Ceylon, Dec.). Superne fuscescens, subtus albida, ru- bicundo tincta, crisso nigro-maculato. Partes nigre impure colorate. Plume capitis mediocres, rotundate, appressee. Alarum plume tenue griseo-marginate. Rostrum superne nigrum, subtus flavescens. Pedes pallide fuscescentes. Iris obscura. Long. 84 poll.; ala 127 mill., cauda 72. While sailing in the Indian sea, two young individuals came on board; one near the southern point of Ceylon, Dec. 14; the other alighted on the ship halfway between Ceylon and the north point of Sumatra, at least 100 geographic miles from each, and 80 or 90 miles from the Andaman isles. The wind had been north-west, so that it probably came from the Indian coast. Both these birds soon became so tame as to eat out of the hand, and we fed them abundantly on cockroaches (Blatta germanica) which swarmed during the voyage. In Bengal I never saw this M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 305 species, but I consider it certain that it is found there, as it makes its migrations on the scale above-mentioned, and is found in Ceylon, the Indian peninsula and Persia. Oss. Gracula religiosa, Linn. (Eulabes, Cuy.) var. minor, was often seen in cages at Calcutta on sale for one or two rupees. It was said to be captured in the country, but I could not get any certain information that it is found wild in Bengal, and I soon learned that the assertions of the natives in such cases are not to be relied on. It is very possible that they come in the ships from Java. The Indian name is Majna, which in the English orthography is written mino or myana, by which name it is called in the oldest accounts of the species. Edwards writes it Minor, and the French have thence made the name Mainate. In Java the bird is called (according to Horsfield) Beo or Mencho. 35. Sturnus contra, Linn.—Pastor, Wagl. Rostro elongato, recto, apice depresso. Niger, capitis lateribus, ventre, vitta alarum uropygioque albis. Vitta per oculos maxima, nuda flava *. Longit. 8 poll. Ala 120 mill., tarsus 33, cauda 73, rostrum e fronte 25. Lingua bifido-lacera. Iris alba. Pedes flavi. Rostrum basi luteum, apice album. Nucha paullo albido- seu griseo-varia. ? non differt nisi colore paullo fusciore, juvenes et hiemales ventre sordido. The Indian Starling is very common near Calcutta, where it is called Kalickia. Iam not informed whence the name contra, which according to the older authors is its Indian name, is de- rived. In the form of the body, the actions, voice, &c. it has the nearest resemblance to our Starling. Like that bird, it is first seen in spring in small flocks, which late in March are broken up for pairing. It is chiefly found near houses, and lives principally on insects. In March it is also seen diligently pluck- ing the flowers of the cotton-tree (Bombax malabaricus). It isa stationary species. 36. Upupa epops, Linn., was twice seen (once on April 20, near Serampore), but was not obtained. The flight, motions, and, as far as I could see, the colour also were identical with those of our northern Hoopoe. It is said not to be rare, according to the Danish merchant Berg, in Serampore, who in this bird recognised the Hoopoe of his own country, and said that he had heard its voice the same as in Denmark. 37. Corvus splendens, Vieill., Wagler. Obscure griseus, capite supra, collo antico, alis caudaque nigris, violaceo-nitidis. Juguli plumis lanceolatis, virescenti-nitidis. * Pastor ialla, Horsf., Wagl., e Java, differt colore superne rufescente- nigro, et albedine capitis minore ; sed non nuditate capitis ut dicit Wagl. (Syst. Av.). An dist. sp. ? Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xviii. Z 306 M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. Long. 16} poll. Ala 260 mill., tarsus 43, rostrum e fronte 44, altit. 18, cauda 178. Iris nigrofusca. Rostrum magnum, ut Coracis, sed compressius; dorso elevato, carinato, compresso, valde arcuato. Sete narium vix ad medium rostri extensze. Plume corporis basi albe. Cauda leviter rotundata, alas longe superans. @ paullo major et nitidior quam ?. In most respects this species forms a connecting link between the Grey Crow and the Jackdaw. The colours resemble both: the form of the body, of the neck and head, are those of the Crow ; the activity of the movements comes nearer those of the Jackdaw ; but the beak is much larger and more compressed than in either, most like the Rayen’s. Corvus splendens is very common about Calcutta during the whole year. Evening and morning it is seen in flocks, which roost at night in trees, commonly in company with Gracula tristis. They have their common abode on the road between Calcutta and Fort William, and make a terrible noise. The note is a short, guttural, but not rough, grah, grah, quite unlike that of our species. The usual food consists of various refuse, also fish, crabs, &c., which are left dry by the ebb-tibe, but especially of the innumerable dead bodies which daily float in the river and are cast upon its banks. They share this booty with the Vultures and Ciconia Argala. When these more mighty rivals are pre- sent, the crow is often obliged to quit his place; but one may often see him, when driven off by some vulture, hop up with the true naiveté of a jackdaw on to the back of the mighty bird, and from this elevation look around for some other place where he can get a share in the feast undisturbed. One often sees a crow sailing by upon a corpse floating in the river, on which it is feed- ing voraciously. The nests are built of twigs in trees, both near the trunk and among the smaller branches. They are without roofs, and resemble those of the raven. In the month of March I saw a pair build in the mainmast of a dismantled ship. There were five eggs in the nest which I discovered in the beginning of May, in colour, spots, and size like those of the jackdaw (their mean length was 37 millim.), but they show rather greater mu- tual differences in form and intensity of colour, as is common among the crows.- They appeared mostly to lay their eggs in April and May, but already on the 4th of April there was seen a nearly full-feathered young one which had just left the nest. The Bengal name is Ahaa (both a’s pronounced separately). The Musselmans call it Gawa (the w as in English). 38. Corvus enca? Horsf., Wagler. Totus niger plumis basi cine- reis; cauda subequali, alas longe superante. Plume juguli medii lanceolate nitide, apice bifide. Rostrum maximum, compressum, M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 507 culmine elevato, arcuato. Macula parva nuda pone oculos, nulla sub eis. & Long. 17 poll. Ala circa 270 mill., tarsus.51, cauda 170, (4 ultra alas); rostrum e fauce 59, altit. 23, cum cranio 98. Totus niger, dorso, scapulis tectricibusque violaceo-nitentibus. Rostrum fere coracis, sed magis compressum et longius extensum ; forma ex- acte ut prioris; sete narium non ad medium rostrum extense, cul- minis basin haud tegentes. Remex 2* brevior quam 6°, longior quam 7*, Crederem hunc esse C. encam que autem a Wagler, quoad formas, cum C. frugilego comparatur; dimensiones etiam omnes C. ence majores, ie This species is less common than the last; I never saw it in flocks, but only solitary, or paired in spring. The note consists of a tolerably clear, rough krah, krah, which is much hoarser and shorter than in our crow, and more like the rook’s voice. The food consists of insects; in the stomach were found only larve and butterflies. I never saw this species near corpses, which however are to be obtained everywhere. This is the species which the Europeans in Bengal call Raven. The Bengalese name is Kaak or Dohm Kaak. 39. Hirundo rustica, Linn.—Some individuals were seen March 23, near Sucsagor, some miles N. of Calcutta. I could easily have shot the first which offered, for it sat on a post at some yards distance, where I was once resting ; but my surprise at meeting here with the Swallow, which in my own country I had cherished with especial affection from childhood, prevented the shot. I am however fully satisfied that this specimen was altogether like those which occur with us; the white spots on the tail, the white under-parts, red throat, surrounded with black, &c. were seen clearly and recognised instantly. I never saw this bird in other places. Oxzs. Another species of Swallow with a slightly forked tail was also seen near Sucsagor, but not obtained. Probably several species are found in the country, as I thought I saw considerable variety among the Swallows which flew about, though they do not occur so commonly as the two following Cypselt. II. Gressores. 40. Cypselus affinis, Gray, Illustr. of Ind. Zool. ii. t. 6. fig. 2. Niger, gula uropygioque late albis; cauda brevi, xquali ¢ (e Ceylon Dec.). Loree aterrime. Caput supra fuscescens, antice ci- nerascens, limite superciliari tenui, albido. Dorsum eneo-micans. Ala nigra, margine carpi cinerascente ; remiges 1 et 2 equales, cau- dam 40 millim. excedentes. Penne cubiti ad 4 ale exeunt. Rec- trices 10 equales. Longitudo ad ap. caudze 4§ poll. Ala 130 millim. Cauda 38.— 2 Similis mari, vix magis fusca. Rostri, pedum et tectricum alarum structura omnino ut in Cyps. 808 M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. apode. ‘Tarsi plumati. Nares.apertura lineari introrsum arcuata, et ad latus internum membrane sita. (In C. apode apertura per medium membrane ducta. ) The two specimens above-described came on board ship De- cember 6th, in the midst of the Indian ocean, near the equator, due S. from Ceylon, consequently ninety geographical miles from that island, and the same distance from the Maldives. They seemed fatigued, and settled upon the rigging, from which they were shot down. The wind had been somewhat variable, with storms of rain, but not strong enough to drive these powerfully-flying birds astray. They must have been on some excursion without a definite object, which at all events had been their last; and doubtless mnumerable multitudes of birds perish every year in the sea from a similar love of wandering. The same species was afterwards recognised in Bengal, where it appeared very common, though I did not obtain it there. A pair of these birds was seen in a house at Serampore, where they built in February and had young the beginning of April. The nest lay on a beam, about ten ells high ; it was composed of feathers, straw, &c. without mud. I omitted to observe whether this nest was smeared with a glutinous substance like that with which the nest of our Swift is cemented together, for this last circumstance was then unknown tome. During flight this species resembled the House-Swallow rather than the Swift, since the wings are not so pointed and curved as those of the latter. ‘These and other allied birds in India were seldom seen to fly in the middle of the day, but mostly in the morning and evening. The male above-described had many worms in the intestine. 41. Cypselus palmarum, Gray, Ill. ii. t. 6. fig. 1.—[Verisim. Hirundo indica, Gm., Lath. no. 16, et Hir. ambrosiaca var. 6, Lath. no. 9.] Griseus, subtus dilutior, cauda profunde furcata, alis parum bre- viore. Longit. fere 5 poll. &,@ (initio Maii). Immaculatus, supra fuscescens, capite vix ru- fescente tincto. Gula et gene albide. Remiges et rectrices paullo senescentes. Rostrum et pedes nigri. Long. ale plic. 112 millim., caude 65. Digiti prioris. Remigum 1* brevior quam 2%, narium apertura sublinearis, ad latus externum membrane. ‘Tarsi extus tantum plumati. Rectrices mediz duplo breviores quam extimee. The flight of this species also is much like that of the House- Swallow. The species is common in Bengal. In the beginning of May I saw a pair who were engaged in building their nest high up in a palm-tree (Borassus flabelliformis) among the lower portion of the leaf-stalks, which correspond to the branches in other trees. They had their mouths all slimy, and full of a kind of down like the pappus of some syngenesious plant, which they -appeared to catch during flight ; for I saw them fly round for a M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 809 while, and betake themselves at intervals to their destined habi- - tation, but never once settle on the ground or even approach the plants. The nest itself was not visible, nor would it have been easy to ascend to it up a perfectly smooth stem fifteen or sixteen ells in height. Gray, in the work above-quoted, represents such a nest resting upon the leaf itselfofapalm. In the stomach of this species were found small hard insects. 42. Picus bengalensis, L. et auct.—P. nuchalis, Wagl. Syst. no. 64. Crista coccinea, dorso luteo, corpore nigro alboque longitudinaliter vario ; alis antice nigricantibus, albo-maculatis ; cauda nuchaque ni- gris immaculatis; pollice minuto; naribus nudis. 6 capillitio toto rubro. @ fronte verticeque nigris, albo-guttatis (Febr.—Aprili). In ? adulta (Martio) plume dorsi anterioris apice rubro-auree. Ala 144 millim., tars. 21. Iris obscure rubra. Rostrum longit. capitis, angulis obsoletis. This handsome Woodpecker was the only one which occurred: commonly near Calcutta. It has most affinity with our Green Woodpecker, the mode of flight is exactly the same, and the note is merely a little more shrill, as the bird is considerably smaller. It was named khort-gutturie by a Hindoo whom I made to pro- nounce the word very distinctly; other persons called it com- monly ghulghutti or kolkotit. The Woodpeckers form the richest in species, the most uniform and the most widely extended group of all genera of birds. They are found in all the regions of the earth [except Australia] where trees grow, and they everywhere exhibit the same mode of life. The Pigeons are almost equally extended and numerous, but they show considerable diversities of form, which may justify the adoption of many distinct genera, 43. Picus macei, Vieill., Temm., Wagl. Syst. no. 26, Supra nigro alboque fasciatus, subtus sordide albus lateribus pec- toris nigro striolatis ; crisso definite rubro ; rectricibus nigris latera- libus fasciis integris albis. Rostrum longitudine cranii. Capillitium: ¢ rubrum; 2 nigrum. Longit. 7 poll. Ala 100 millim. (E subdiv. Pict majoris.) This species has so much resemblance to our Little Woodpecker (P. minor) that one might easily regard it as a variety of the latter, which in a warmer climate has attained a somewhat purer and more definite coloration. I only saw the bird twice, in the month of March. The Bengalese name was said to be ghot ghotta, which in fact is merely a slightly different pronunciation of the fore-mentioned name, or a diminutive of it. [To be continued. } 310 Mr. W.Thompson’s Additions to the Fauna of Ireland, XXXIII.— Additions to the Fauna of Ireland, including species new to that of Britain ;—with Notes on rare species. By W1LL1AM Tuompson, Esq., Pres. Nat. Hist. and Philos. Society of Bel- fast. MamMALIa,. High-finned Cachalot, Physeter tursio, Linn. I am happy to be enabled to join my friend Professor Bell (see British Mammalia, p. 512) in maintaining the existence of this spe- cies, which Cuvier, from the unsatisfactory nature of the data re- specting it, believed to be fictitious :—even yet no proper description or figure has been published. Professor Bell comes to his conclusion on information to which Cuvier had not access, and which was communicated to him by Mr. Barclay of Zetland. The occurrence of the species on the coast of Ireland was made known to me by Capt. Thomas Walker, who replied as follows to a letter requesting the fullest information on the subject :—‘‘ Kilmore, Bridgetown, Wexford, July 28, 1846 :—. As to the High-finned Cachalots, I saw them myself about seven years ago, and only know them to have been so from the descriptions in works of natural history which I consulted to find out what they were. There were either five or seven of them—lI now forget which number—but I think the latter, and two of them were much larger than the rest, apparently about twenty-five feet long, from comparing them with the length of the boat in which I was. When first I saw one, I thought it was a cot [small flat-bottomed boat] at anchor with her tarred sail made up to the mast ; more then rose, and they crossed in a long file the bows of my boat so close, that I put about the boat (though of seven tons burthen) fearing they would upset her. When I put about, they were not more than three or four yards from me ; the back fin appeared about ten or twelve feet high, and had either: before or behind it (I cannot now recollect which) a round white spot on the back; all the rest of the body that showed was black likea porpoise. I did not see the head or tail, nor more than a por- tion of the back: they went steadily, not rolling like a porpoise.” There certainly is no proof here that the species noticed was a Physeter, but, that it was what has been called the High-finned including species new to that of Britain. 311 Cachalot does not in my opinion admit of doubt. In Templeton’s ‘ Catalogue of the Vertebrate Animals of Ireland,’ the Physeter tursio is noticed, but merely in the following words :—‘“ Thrown ashore on the western coast occasionally.” Brrps. The White Wagtail, Motacilla alba, Linn., Gould; Yarrell, Brit. Birds, Supp. p. 22, is included on the following testimony of Mr. R. Ball. In a letter to me dated Dublin, June 19, 1846, it was stated, that a few days before, when at Roundwood, he had seen a specimen of the true Motacilla alba as distinguished from M. Yarrellit. It was remarked : —‘* We watched it for some time, though at a short distance from us, with a small telescope used for such purposes; its beautiful plu- mage was very distinct from that of the common species, and its habit much more sedate than is usual with Wagtails: it ‘ wagged’ but little, and walked about demurely.—I am quite sure that I have often seen the species before.” As the bird was not actually obtained, its occurrence would not be inserted here without my having perfect reliance on the knowledge and acute observation of my informant. Bonaparte’s Sandpiper ? Schinz’s Sandpiper, Eyton, Gould, Yarr. Tringa Bonapartei, Schlegel, Rev. Crit. Oiseaux Eur. p. 89*. Tringa Schinzii, Bonap. is believed on circumstantial evidence to have been once obtained in Ireland. In the Belfast museum there is a specimen of this bird, respecting which positive information cannot now be obtained, but it is consi- dered to have been shot in the bay here from the circumstance of its having been preserved in a manner peculiar to a taxidermist who set up a fresh “ sandpiper ” (as it is called in his book) for the collec- tion in the spring of 1836, which, all circumstances considered, was most probably this bird—he never set up any Tringa from dried skins. I have compared the specimen with the American one de- scribed and figured by Mr. Yarrell, and found it quite identical in species: this is the individual noticed in the second edition of this author’s ‘ British Birds,’ vol. iii. p. 74. Only one of these birds, recorded by Mr. Eyton as killed in Shrop- shire, has been obtained in Great Britain. Its occurrence on the continent of Europe is not noticed in the latest works that I have seen (Temminck, part 4; Keyserling and Blasius; Schlegel). North America is its native country. Purple Waterhen, Porphyrio hyacinthinus, Temm. A communication from Richard Chute, Esq. of Blennerville, county * This name is given to the species on account of Brehm having bestowed the same name on a different Z’ringa. 312 Mr. W. Thompson’s Additions to the Fauna of Ireland, of Kerry—a gentleman who has contributed much to our knowledge of the birds of that part of Ireland—written on the 17th of March 1846, mentioned his having that day received for examination a stuffed specimen of a bird which in a fresh state had been blown in upon the coast near Brandon :—that it was of a species unknown as British, and not described in any work to which he had access. A’ detailed description of it was therefore sent that the writer might be informed of its species. ‘The dimensions of the different parts, and the colour were so fully noted as to enable me at once to reply that the bird must be the Porphyrio hyacinthinus. When in London some time afterwards, I applied the description to a bird of this species in the British Museum, and found a perfect agreement. It is unnecessary to repeat the dimensions of the bird, which was of full adult size, but the description of the plumage may be given as denoting its age :—the sex was not looked to in the preparation of the specimen. ‘‘ Head, throat, neck, breast, all the under parts, the wing-feathers, and most of the wing-coverts are of a greenish purple, throwing out different shades in the sun; indeed, the wings and lower parts of the neck are more of a royal purple; the throat and about the eyes a greenish purple not unlike the colour of the tail of a Kingfisher, but brighter ;—the back, shoulders, upper wing-coverts and tail are of a bottle-green ; the under tail-coverts white. The parts of the feathers all over the bird that are not exposed are of a dark brown; the edges of the green feathers have avery slight tinge of purple, Bill, frontal plate and legs red.” This beautiful species inhabits the south of Europe and north of Africa: the most western locality noticed as inhabited by it in the works of Temminck (vol. ii. p. 699, and vol. iv. p. 443) and Schlegel (p. cli) is the island of Sardinia*. An isolated instance however of an individual being procured in a marsh in Dauphiny is recorded in the 4th part of Temminck’s work—published in 1840. The bird obtained in Ireland was found about the first week of November 1845, lying dead in a ditch near the village of Brandon, which is on the sea-coast. It came under the inspection of Dr. Wil- liams of Dingle in a recent state before being skinned for preser- vation. ‘The specimen was given to Capt. Clifford, Inspector of the Coast Guard there, preserved and stuffed by one of the men under his command, and subsequently presented to Mr. Chute. Fulmar Petrel, Procellaria glacialis, Linn. Among ornithological notes made by the Rev. Joseph Stopford— a gentleman well-acquainted with our native birds—and communi- cated to Dr. Harvey of Cork (by whom I have been favoured with them) is one of a Fulmar having been shot at Inchidoney Island, on the southern coast, in 1832 by Capt. Hungerford. It was sent to the writer, by whom it was presented to Sir Charles Paget, then forming a collection of birds at Cove. In January 1846, Mr. T. W. Warren * Information on the species is given in the ‘ Magazine of Zoology and Botany,’ vol. ii. p. 358, including species new to that of Britain. 313 of Dublin kindly communicated to me a detailed description of a bird shot on the North Strand, Dublin Bay, on the 1st of that month, mentioning at the same time that it was a species which had never before come under his notice, nor that of Mr. Glennon, bird-pre- server, through whose hands so many rare birds have passed within the last thirty years. The description marked it as a Fulmar in adult plumage, and on my calling Mr. R, Ball’s attention to the circum- stance, he saw the bird and confirmed the fact of its being so, Note.—Belted Kingfisher, Alcedo alcyon, Linn. When noticing in the ‘ Annals’ for the month of December last (vol. xvi. p.430*) that a specimen of this bird shot in the county of Meath had been sent to Dublin to be preserved, it was remarked that a second individual had about the same time been seen in the county of Wicklow. Although I had nota doubt that the bird ob- served in the latter locality was really of this species, it is desirable to embrace this opportunity of stating further that it was subse- quently shot, and proved to be so. It is now in the collection of T. W. Warren, Esq. ‘The first-killed bird was purchased for the museum of Trinity College, Dublin. FIsHEs. Black Sea Bream, Cantharus lineatus, Mont. (sp.). Cantharus gri- seus, Cuv. & Val. To Dr, J. L. Drummond we are indebted for the addition of this species to our fauna. On the 18th of May 1846 he obtained a fine specimen, which was taken ona hand-line with lug-worm (Arenicola piscatorum, Lam.) as bait, on “ foul ground” at Cultra Point, Belfast Bay. My friend drew up an ample description (zoological and ana- tomical) of the specimen, which he carefully preserved and kindly sent tome. I make the following selection from his notes :— “ Length from snout to middle of caudal fin 16 inches; breadth at shoulder 6} inches ; weight 3 lbs. “D.10+11; P.10 (the fifth longest); V.1+5; A.1+11; C.17. Branch. 5. «D,-fin, almost black in colour, rises from a deep groove in the back. «Whole fish of a dark leaden hue; lateral line very conspicuous, black, broad, and of similar breadth throughout—less than one-third the depth of the fish from the back ; upper lobe of C.-fin longer than the lower; eyes large, yellowish, irides dark brown; scales large, firmly imbedded in the skin, transparent: the colour of the black lines is in the skin itself and is seen through the transparent scale. “Ceca wide, about 14 inch long, their walis very thin, as were those of the stomach: both nearly transparent; swimming-bladder large and silvery. ** Intestine except at lower end very thin, rather long, very wide, * See additional note in the January Number (vol. xvii. p. 69). 314 Mr. W.Thompson’s Additions to the Fauna of Ireland. and containing large masses of vegetable matter, which in the micro- scope seemed to be chiefly Ceramium rubrum and Rhodomela subfusca deprived of their parenchyma, but their walls remaining entire and transparent. In the lower part of the intestine was the operculum apparently of a whelk (Buccinum undatum), with the firm muscular white part of the animal firmly attached to it and unaffected by the digestive process, showing probably that vegetable food is that na- tural to the fish. The specimen was a male, the milt very solid ; presenting no appearance of spermatozoa when broken down and magnified.” Mr. Couch says of this species that—*‘ it takes the common baits which fishermen employ for other fish, but feeds much on marine vegetables, upon which it becomes exceedingly fat,”’ Yarr. B. F. vol. i. p.- 131. This single specimen, as will be seen from the preceding notes, attests the correctness of the remarks respecting both bait and food. All the British localities for this species named in the work just cited are on the extreme southern line of the English coast. Sword-fish, Xtphias gladius, Linn. ? Mr. R. Ball has supplied me with an extract from a book in which donations to the museum of Trinity College, Dublin, were entered. It announces the receipt of the ‘‘ Sword-bone of the Monoceros or Sword-fish, together with the socket of the eye and remains of an animal taken out of its maw. This fish was taken in a net on the coast of Wexford, but is very seldom known to visit that coast. Presented by Mr. Carey (Carew ?), 1786?” Mr. Ball is of opinion that this note applies to the weapon, &c. of a Xiphias in the museum, and not to the Sea Unicorn, Monodon mo- noceros, Linn., which might also possibly occur on the Irish coast. I have been told, but not with sufficient certainty to announce it, of the occurrence of the Xiphias upon another occasion on the south- ern coast. Remora, Echeneis remora, Linn. A letter from Mr. R. Ball, dated Dublin, July 29, 1846, informed me that Mr. N. A. Nicholson had that morning brought him a fresh specimen of this fish, which he found adhering to the gills of a large shark, which with the aid of a fisherman he captured at Clontarf, Dublin Bay, on the preceding night: it was observed in shallow water and driven ashore. A second Remora was adherent to the gills at the opposite side, but when disturbed, it made its way in- wards by the branchial orifices, and was not seen again. Mr. Ball afterwards saw the fish on which the Remora was found; it was a Blue Shark (Carcharias glaucus) of a beautifully blue colour, and 10 feet 1 inch in length. Lancelet, Amphioxus lanceolatus, Pallas (sp.); Yarr. Brit. Fishes. Three specimens of this extraordinary fish with which I have been favoured, were dredged on sand from a depth of forty-five fathoms off Ann: & Mag Nak Host. Vol: 18 Ft HI. 7) AT. 1 4 Lh Wie, 4 - Y Wing Lith Printed by Hiullrnandel & Walton Mr. F.J.S. Parry on the male of Cheirotonus MacLeaii. 815 Cape Clear, in the month of May last, by Mr. MacAndrew, whose successful dredging exploits are so well known. This gentleman, writing from Liverpool in August 1846, gave me the following in- teresting particulars of the Lancelet :—‘ The first time I obtained this species was early in Sept. 1843 in Kilbrannan Sound, West Clyde—forty to fifty fathoms; muddy sand: the specimens were of large size, about double that described by Yarrell, and appeared to possess some peculiarities*—one was placed in the hands of Mr. Goodsir, and the other deposited in the museum of the Royal Insti- tution, Liverpool. At the end of April 1845 specimens were pro- cured off Mount’s Bay, Cornwall, in about thirty fathoms ; and west of Scilly, forty-five fathoms in clean sand. It is by no means rare on the Cornish coast, as on two or three occasions I found as many as five in my dredge at once.” Note.—Mackerel Midge, Motella glauca, Couch (sp.). A specimen of this minute fish was on the 22nd June 1844 taken in company with a few others of allied species at the Kyles of Bute, on the western coast of Scotland, by Mr. Hyndman :—they were at the surface of the water. [To be continued.] XXXIV.—Brief description of the male of Cheirotonus MacLeaii, Hope. By ¥. J. 8. Parry, Esq., F.L.S. &e. [With a Plate.] EucHEIRIDA. Currrotonus MacLgart (Hope) 3. Plate ITI. /ENEO-Viridis, thorace lateribus externe serrulatis, varioloseque punc- tatis ; sulco longitudinali in medio dorsi fortiter impresso ; elytris fusco-zeneis, maculis croceis, marginibus elevatis, corpore infra cro- ceis pilis tecto. Pedes antici, longissimi, coxis armatis, femoribus elongatis, si- nuatis, in medio dente singulo armatis, quatuor postici, femoribus sub- compressis, muticis, tibiis basi multispinosis. Long. unc. 24; lat. unc. 14. The above is a short description of this singular and rare in- sect, I believe the only one yet seen in Europe ; it was received by Henry George Harrington, Esq., from the northern parts of the Himalaya range, and to that gentleman I am indebted for its possession, as also for the accompanying Plate, so faithfully exe- cuted by Mr. Wm. Wing. There is little doubt that it is the male of Cheirotonus MacLeaii described and figured by the Rev, T. Hope in vol. xviii. of the ‘ Linn. Transactions.’ * I have since learned that these were not of specific value.—W. T, 316 M. Rathke on the Development of the Chelonians. XXXV.—On the Development of the Chelonians. By H. Raruxe*, I nave for nine years been engaged in collecting materials for a history of the development of the Chelonians, and I think of soon publishing the result of my researches. I have had an oppor- tunity of examiming the embryo in a considerable number of fresh eggs of Emys europea, from its first appearance to the pe- riod when the toes of the feet would soon have appeared. For the knowledge of the succeeding periods of development, I had at my disposal two almost mature embryos of Chelonia and Tes- tudo and ten very young Chelonians of different species (Chelonia Mydas, Sphargis coriacea, Trionyx gangeticus, Tr. ocellatus, Emys europea, Em. mauritanica, Cinosternum scorpioides, Cin. pensyl- vanicum, Platemys Spit, Pentonyzx....). The development of the embryos remains some time quite in accordance with the general type of the development of the most perfect vertebrated animal. It is especially the respective posi- tion of the ventral and dorsal laminz and of the spmal marrow which does not differ in the least, either at the commencement or at a later period, from what we observe in the higher verte- brated animals. The remark of M. de Baér, “that, in the young embryos of Emys europea, the ventral laminz are attached to the dorsal lamine, at the point where the latter are united above to close the dorsal furrow, and that the back itself is thus somewhat depressed,” is a very pardonable error, as the embryo is at- tached very strongly to the yolk, which is very tenacious in that species. Nor can the assumption of my scientific friend be proved, “that, in the Chelonians, the extremities are not detached from the upper (or external) surface of the ventral and dorsal lamine, as in the other vertebrated animals, but from their lower (or in- ternal) surface.” Ihave found, on the contrary, in the youngest embryos of mys europea, the extremities situated externally, in the same parts of the body, and in the same manner as in the embryos of the mammals, birds and Saurians. The embryos of Emys europea, the extremities of wliich are so developed that the digits must soon have appeared, but the ribs of which were not yet visible, resemble excessively the very young embryos of the Saurians and mammals. Their body in particular is neither flattened above or below, nor too wide for its length, and its dorsal part is insensibly continued (without interruption, without elongated margin, as in the adult Chelonians) with the neck, with the lateral parts and with the tail, Starting from the examination of these young embryos and from the observations * Translated from the Annales des Sciences Naturelles for March 1846, M. Rathke on the Development of the Chelonians. 817 made in other Chelonians which were not entirely developed, I shall endeavour to give a sketch of the manner in which the de- velopment of the Chelonians takes place in general. After a somewhat advanced development of the extremities in the embryos, the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the body are gra- dually flattened, more or less, according to the different species, and two lateral apophyses begin to shoot from all the twelve or thirteen vertebrz of the trunk. Most of these apophyses, being developed like the eight intermediate pairs of ribs, acquire in a short time a very considerable length. As they are in general but slightly curved, their extremities are turned more outwards than downwards. Thus, by the very rapid and considerable elon- gation of these ribs, the sides of the body, containing their ex- tremities turned outward, are pushed much forward on each side, and the trunk becomes very wide between the anterior and pos- terior feet, situated at its commencement and termination. It is a fact as singular as characteristic of the Chelonians, that their last two ribs, remarkable for their longitudinal growth, that is to say, in general the eighth and ninth pairs, are turned directly backward, whereas the second pair (but not in all the Chelonians) have a somewhat anterior direction. The chorion then forms a fold on each side, at the spot where the extremities of the ve prolonged ribs (second or eighth pair) are situated. This fold stretching out, projects anteriorly beyond the anterior foot to reach the neck, and posteriorly beyond the hindermost foot to reach the tail ; lastly, it meets, on the neck and on the root of the tail, the similar fold of the opposite side, and the two unite to form a single circular fold, which then separates the back of the sides of the body. In some Chelonians, especially the marine, this fold expands slightly during the development ; in others, principally in the Trionyz, it becomes extremely broad, especially the part situated above the tail. Much later, that is to say after the hatching of the embryos, the ribs, before remarkable for their length, but up to that time, all or nearly all of a cylindrical form, become also much wider. This increase in width begins from the spot where the neck unites with the body, and advances thence more or less toward the extremities ; it becomes so con- siderable, that the bodies on all the ribs, from the complete absence of intercostal muscles, are on each side in contact and adhere, either perfectly, that is to say in their whole length, as in the genera Kmys, Terapene, Testudo, Trionyx, or almost per- fectly, that is to say for the greater part of their length, as in the Chelonia. The intercostal nerves and some vessels situated at first between the ribs, then pass beneath them. In return, the first and the last rib become much shorter than the others, and always continue very narrow and thin. Their relations also 318 M.Rathke on the Development of the Chelonians. with the neighbouring ribs differ much from those of the inter- mediate ribs; for, as the latter increase greatly in width, the se- cond exceeds the first, and the last but one surpasses the last so much that it covers it more or less entirely. Soon after the eight pairs of intermediate ribs have begun to widen, a branch protrudes superiorly from each rib, near the vertebral column. This branch continually increasing passes beyond the rare and thin dorsal muscles ; the two sacro-spinal muscles (situated on the summit of the ribs, throughout the length of the body) unite with the spinal apophysis of the vertebrae of the same rib, and become quite as wide as the body itself of the rib. The spinal apophyses make their appearance, even before the hatching upon the second vertebra up to the eighth. They remain very short; but, contrary to the general laws of development of vertebrated animals, they increase so much in width, after their ossification, that they form at last a series of horizontal plates of the average size. | I cannot adopt the opinion which supposes these plates to be formed in the subcutaneous cellular tissue, independently of the vertebral column, in the chorion itself or below it; that they unite afterwards with the vertebre, and that the remarkable width of the eight pairs of intermediate ribs is also the result of contact, and subsequently of an adhesion with the osseous plates formed above these ribs. On the contrary, these assumptions are refuted by my observations. After the successive expansion of the bodies of the eight pairs of intermediate ribs, of their superior branch, exclusively peculiar to the Chelonians and of the spiny apophyses of the same ver- tebree, an osseous plate is finally forméd by the contact and ad- hesion of the corresponding margins of all these parts, composed of numerous pieces, which extends to form the carapace above and covers the viscera. To increase and complete this shell, already very considerable, we observe other osseous plates unite with it. They are formed on the back, wholly independent of the vertebral column and of the ribs, in a very thick and solid layer of the subcutaneous cellular tissue, and must be considered as the external skeleton (cutaneous skeleton) of the animals *, Their number varies in the different species of Chelonians. In the genus Trionye# only one disc is found; it is situated on the neck immediately in front of the dorsal vertebrae. There are also some discs in the posterior margin of the carapace in some spe- cies of Trionyx; but they remain cartilaginous. Besides this nuchal plate, which is always very large, several small subcuta- neous plates are also developed in most of the Chelonians. Among these, a small number only originate above the last * These terms are borrowed from the nomenclature of M. Carus. M. Rathke on the Development of the Chelonians. 319 dorsal and the sacral vertebra, all the rest are developed in the posterior and lateral parts of the circular cutancous fold (limbus), the anterior portion of which is in great part filled by the ante- rior half of the nuchal disc, which enters progressively into that portion of the circular fold. After the flattening of the ventral ribs, there is also, between the teguments and the muscles, in the layer of a thick and solid cellular tissue which joins these different parts, a development of some cartilaginous pieces, of which the plastron is subsequently formed. I have not been able to determine the moment at which their formation commences. ‘The inconsiderable development of the plastron in the oldest embryos, and in the individuals scarcely hatched, leads me to conjecture that it is hardly formed before the middle of the embryonic life, and at all events relatively later than the sternum of birds and mammals. The cartilaginous pieces themselves, appearing as the foundation of the plastron, are at first, for the most part, simple bands, very narrow and thin, forming two pairs, situated one before and the other behind the umbilical aperture. Between these two pairs a very consi- derable space still exists at the period of hatching. Moreover, there is generally formed, or at least in most of the Chelonians (excepting the Sphargis ?), between the anterior extremities of the two even front pieces, a small odd or fifth cartilaginous plate. Subsequently other numerous osseous pieces are developed in these different cartilages, commonly or perhaps always nine in number. Their respective size is very variable, according to the different species of Chelonians; for, either they grow so much one before another that they meet at their corresponding margins, through- out their length, so as to form a perfectly united plastron, or their growth continues more limited, and then they form a plastron open in the centre, or merely a narrow ring, as is probably the case with the Sphargis. Moreover, the development of the plas- tron differs also in the fact, that its circumference, and especially its length, become relatively greater m some species of Chelo- nians than in others. It then passes beyond the neck and the tail below forming an elongation clothed by the chorion alone, whilst this elongation is wanting in other species. This difference probably depends on the previous existence or not on the ventral side of the body, below and before the anterior feet, and below and behind the posterior feet, of a transversal fold of the chorion, into which the growing plastron might enter. Thus it is pro- bable that the species which exhibit the elongation just described are those in which such a fold already existed. This fact is ren- dered very probable by the examination of the Chelonians of the genus Trionyz, in which this fold is in fact found; but it is 820 M.Rathke on the Development of the Chelonians. scarcely filled by the parts of the plastron, little developed in this genus. A specific and very remarkable feature in the Chelonians is subsequently the relation of their bones of the trunk with the very solid subcutaneous cellular tissue, forming a layer of little thickness and commonly considered cartilaginous. All the os- seous pieces contiguous to this layer, namely, the spiny apophyses of the vertebre from the second up to the eighth, the eight pairs of intermediate ribs, the supplementary plates of the shell, and often also all the pieces of the plastron, after having lost by re- absorption on their external surface the periosteum, come in con- tact with the subcutaneous cellular tissue. This happens after the hatching of the embryo and principally on the ribs, so that the periosteum disappears gradually, from the upper extremity (nearer to the vertebrae) toward the lower extremity. In the marine Chelonians it does not disappear wholly on the lower extremity, but only as far as the part of the ribs which never expand to any extent. As soon as the osseous substance of this part comes in immediate contact with the subcutaneous cellular tissue, numerous medullary cellules appear in the direction of this tissue, which, at least in the commencement, are externally open. By degrees their number increases considerably, and the bones which I have just named become at the same time stronger and. very porous, although there may be, according to the spe- cies, a marked difference in their porosity. The cellules are not principally filled with fat, as is the case in more perfect verte- brated animals, and even in the Chelonians, in the bones further removed from the chorion; they are filled by the subcutaneous cellular tissue. This tissue enters gradually by the apertures of the cellules as by a radiation of numerous small roots, and col- lects there always in proportion to their growth. Nevertheless the layer of this tissue situated between the bones and the chorion constantly diminishes, not only relatively, but also in part abso- lutely, so that it seems wholly to be wanting on the carapace and the plastron in some Chelonians, especially in the Emys europea. If we consider, as usual, the plastron of the Chelonians as a portion of the nervous skeleton and as the homologue of the ster- num of the other vertebrated animals, we must also admit that the bones composing the scapular and the pelvic arches are situated in a wholly contrary manner to the general disposition of these parts (when they exist) in the other vertebrated animals. They would be situated so as to remain wholly inexplicable, according to our present knowledge of the development of the animals. But, from some facts, I believe I can prove evidently that the plastron is nothing else than a part of the cutaneous skeleton, and that, in M. Rathke on the Development of the Chelonians. 321 an anatomical point of view, it has nothing in common with the sternum of other animals. This supposition once admitted, we may refer the situation of the bones of the shoulder and the basin of adult Chelonians to the relations existing in other animals. There is then no longer anything extraordinary in the arrange- ment of these parts, but only something specific produced by the curious development of the dorsal parts of the body. With re- spect to the position of the scapulz, they are situated before the ribs in older embryos and in young Chelonians, and it is more than probable that they occupied this position even before the development of the ribs had made any sensible progress, and that they were not merely protruded by the ribs in consequence of the rapid growth of the body in width. In fact, the first pair of ribs, near and a little in advance of which they are situated in older embryos and young individuals, is scarcely remarkable either for its very great length or its width ; it is on the contrary extremely short and thin, so that a displacement of the scapuls becomes impossible. Moreover, we see in some fishes, some Saurians (Titigna sincoides), and even in a mammal (Ornitho- rhynchus), the scapule occupying a similar position in front of the ribs. In the Didelphis virginiana, the whole scapula, or at least the lower part with the scapular articulation, is situated an- terior to the ribs, and it thus becomes probable that in these ani- mals also, at least in a period previous to their development, the entire scapula, before it acquires its oblique position and its considerable width, is situated in front of the ribs. In other mammals the scapule (although they are never so protruded as in the Chelonians and the Ornithorhynchi) meet in the first period of their development much further in advance than in the subsequent periods. In the hog, for imstance, the scapula, a little after the formation of the anterior foot, covers the two an- terior ribs of the corresponding side. When it is not perceptible as a separate part, it does not at the commencement go beyond the first rib, whilst it extends from the first up to the seventh in adult hogs. Lastly, the direction of the scapule in the Chelonians does not differ much from that which is observed in the Ornithorhynchi and several Saurians, in which they also occur perpendicular. Their situation below the osseous parts of the back in the adult Chelonians is produced subsequently by the successive develop- ment, for even in the oldest embryos they are in immediate con- tact, by their upper extremities, with the layer of the subcuta- neous cellular tissue. The metamorphosis which I have just described results from the considerable expansion of the second pair of ribs, extending Ann. & Mag. N. Hist, Vol. xviii. 2A 822 M.Rathke on the Development of the Chelonians. beyond the adjoming parts of the skeleton, the first pair of ribs and the scapule, in the form of a dome. The position and articulation of the pelvis of the Chelonians differ absolutely in nothing from the normal type which verte- brated animals present as regard the relations of position of the pelvian bones ; for the coxal bones of the Chelonians are joined to the os sacrum as in the mammals and in the Saurians in general. Thus they offer nothing in particular, except that they are covered by other osseous parts. This covering, which we find over the whole pelvis of the Chelonians, results in a small part from an enlargement of the penultimate pair of the ribs, but principally from the development of the cutaneous skeleton, for almost the whole posterior part of the shield, formimg in most of the Chelonians a roof above and behind the pelvis, is composed of osseous pieces, developed near the chorion and independent of the vertebral column and the ribs. With respect to the fact that we find both the humeri and the femora of the Chelonians covered above, and in some species also more or less underneath, this is generally in consequence of the longer or shorter lateral folds of the chorion, in which peculiar osseous pieces belonging to the cutaneous skeleton are developed. It is likewise owimg to this, that of the eight pairs of intermediate ribs very much elongated and directed outwards, the last two are moreover turned greatly backwards, and in several Chelonians, butenot in all, the two anterior ones forwards ; the former extend beyond the coxal articulation, the latter beyond the scapular articulation. These facts appear to me to demonstrate the error of the com- mon assertion, that in the Chelonians the bones composing the shoulder and the pelvis are within the body. The arrangement of the peritoneum in the Chelonians proves it even in a positive manner, for it does not envelope on the two sides any of the os- seous parts of the shoulder nor of the pelvis with their muscles : it clothes them only on a single side, that turned towards the in- testines. Behind, it enters, as in the mammals, at a distance in the cavity of the upper pelvis, clothes in part its internal sur- face and the muscles which are fixed there, and passes thence -over the viscera placed in this pelvis. Finally, it proceeds beneath the dorsal part of the body up to the scapule (situated, as I have said, far anteriorly), enveloping the lower surface of the kidneys, the internal genital parts, the inferior surface, and the external margin of the lungs, with almost their whole upper surface adhering to the ribs, and the portion of the ribs extending late- rally beyond the lungs and the urinary organs. After having passed the lungs, which reach in front the scapule, over the A Hancock del! JD C.S ath. Mr. A. Hancock on some new species of Shells. 328 scapule and the posterior surface of some of their muscles, it goes along them in descending, and turns backwards to envelope in part the upper surface of the pericardium, and above all, on each side and behind the pericardium, the upper surface of the two pairs of clavicles with their muscles. From thence it passes lastly on to the abdominal muscles. A very large fold of the pe- ritoneum, proceeding from the dorsal side and the anterior side of the body, envelopes the intestine, causing it to form a very large mesentery, then the stomach, the liver, the viscera and the pancreas. XXXVI.—A List of Shells dredged on the West Coast of Davis’s Strait ; with Notes and Descriptions of eight new species. By AtBany Hancock. [ With a Plate.] In 1841 I received the shells comprised in the following list; they were collected by my friends Messrs. Warham and Harrison, masters of whaling vessels belonging to the port of Newcastle. These gentlemen took with them dredges for the purpose of gathering marine productions during their Arctic voyage ; and so effectually did they use these implements, that in one fortnight’s dredging, the only opportunity that occurred, they procured, be- sides a considerable collection of Crustacea, thirty-four species of Testaceous Mollusca,—as many as were obtained by Captains Parry and Ross during their various northern expeditions. The collection contains many of the novelties discovered by our Arctic navigators, and also eight species which appear to be undescribed. The whole, with the exception of one, a littoral species, which was obtained from the rocks in the same locality, were dredged in a small bay or harbour, in a deep inlet on the west coast of Davis’s Strait (lat. 66° 30’, long. 68°), on a bottom composed chiefly of a stiffish blue clay. At low tide there are from twelve to fifteen fathoms water in the bay ; but during spring tides the rise is five fathoms, an unusual height for those lati- tudes. The prevailing rocks in the neighbourhood are trap and granite. ; Though I might have confined myself to describing merely the new species, it seems preferable to give the list entire ; as such lists are useful in forwarding our information on the geogra- phical distribution of species ; and besides, many of those already described are very little known. At present, too, the Arctic shells possess a peculiar interest derived from the recent theories re- specting the early glacial period of Europe, to the full apprecia- tion of which a critical knowledge of species is necessary. There are four or five species in the list related to Buccinum 2A2 324 Mr. A. Hancock on Shells dredged on undatum, about which a few remarks may be desirable. The allies of this species appear to be little known, and it is, therefore, with some hesitation that I have ventured to describe what I con- ceive to be three or four new species of them: this I should scarcely have done, had they been from different localities and from various depths of water. The three principal varieties of B. undatum are never found mingled together ; so far as I know, they belong to distinct loca- lities ; and their difference of appearance is probably owing to this cause. The variety with a coloured mouth, flattish whorls, and short conical spire is always procured between tide-marks ; the heavy, coarse and much-waved shell, without an epidermis, belongs to a hard gravelly bottom, in about twenty fathoms water ; and the variety with a thin delicate shell and soft velvety epi- dermis is procured at the depth of forty fathoms or more, on a soft bottom. The new species here described are all, however, from the same locality, and from the same depth of water. The peculiarities, then, of these species can scarcely be the effect of external circumstances, and it would therefore seem probable that they are specifically distinct ; but whether so or not, it is proper that forms apparently so permanent and so strongly marked should be known ; and with this view I have sunk other considerations, feeling assured that a knowledge of varieties is essential to a correct discrimination of species. Littorina tenebrosa, Montagu sp. Turbo tenebrosus, Mont. Brit. Shells, p. 303. — A few specimens ofa Littorina closely resembling this species were gathered on the rocks surrounding the bay where the col- lection was made ; they are chiefly of a dark hue, tessellated with yellowish brown, and with the whorls much rounded. Margarita umbilicalis, Brod. and Sowerby. Margarita umbilicalis, Brod. and Sow., Zool. Journ. vol. iv. p. 371. _ This fine species occurred in great abundance and of a large size, Some measuring upwards of an inch in diameter. They vary from a pale yellowish horn-colour to a dark purplish flesh-tint, and some have the spiral striz nearly obsolete : these are always strongest on the spire. Several of the shells are covered with an exceedingly thin, glossy, horn-like, transparent epidermis ; operculum horny. Margarita sordida, mihi. : Margarita striata, Brod. and Sow., Zool. Journ, vol. iv. p. 371; Sowerby, Zool. Beechey’s Voy. p. 143. pl. 37. fig. 11. Not by any means so abundant as the former species. Oper- the West Coast of Davis’s Strait. 325 culum horny: the largest shells are three-quarters of an mch in diameter. Dr.Gould, in his ‘ Repoit on the Invertebrata of Massachusetts,’ describes a species under the name of Margarita cinerea which comes very near to this; but he considers them distinct, and states that he has compared the two, which I have not had the opportunity of doing. : Many of the specimens brought by Messrs. Warham and Har- rison show, however, that some of the characters which he con- siders peculiar are not so. The spiral lines frequently cover the whole base, and the whorls of several are angulated by them ; and a few have a slight projecting angle at the aperture. The name given to this species in the ‘ Zoological Journal ? was pre-occupied by a shell described by Dr. Leach in the Ap- pendix to Ross’s Voyage, and which has been shown by Mr. J. K. Gray (Zool. Journ. vol. ii. p. 567) to be the same as the Turbo carneus of Lowe, who described from specimens got at Oban four or five years after the publication of the Appendix. I have there- fore ventured to substitute the name proposed above, which is somewhat expressive of the peculiar, dull, soiled appearance of this species. Margarita Harrisoni, n. s. PI. V. figs. 4, 5. Shell conical, smooth, thin, white, dull, with the spire consi- derably produced, the apex slightly depressed, and the sides some- what bulged; whorls five or six, much rounded; sutures deep, with numerous minute, close, depressed, spiral striz, crossed by very minute longitudinal lines of growth ; body-whorl nearly half the length of the shell, well rounded beneath; mouth round, outer lip thin, entire ; pillar-lip slightly reflected over the umbi- licus, which is not very large ; interior of a most brilliant nacreous green. J)iameter sths of an inch ; height $ths of an inch. The surface of this pretty and very distinct species has a soft, smooth, waxy appearance ; it is occasionally of a livid hue, and is generally more or less tinged with greenish yellow, having a subdued pearly lustre. The spiral striz are very regular, close, and so minute that they cannot be seen without the aid of a lens ; and the lines of growth are still finer. The umbilicus is much smaller in proportion than in either of the preceding species. Several specimens occurred. This species is named after Mr. Harrison, one of the gentle- men who collected the shells comprised in this list. Buccinum hydrophanum, n.s. PI. V. fig. 7. Shell oblong-ovate, very thin, smooth, somewhat glossy, of a soiled purplish or livid white, with fine longitudinal lines of v7 326 Mr. A. Hancock on Shells dredged on growth ; spire considerably produced, conical ; whorls seven or eight, ventricose, the last one about half as long as the shell, oc- casionally with a few distant obsolete spiral keels or ridges ; mouth roundish ovate, shorter than the spire, with the interior of a deep rich glossy chocolate-brown, extending for a consider- able way over the columella, which is smooth and regularly arched ; outer lip thin and strongly lobed in front; canal very short and wide ; epidermis pale yellow, thin, horny, smooth and shining. Length 23 inches ; breadth 13 inch. This fine species resembles in general habit the delicate, elon- gated varieties of B. undatum, but is entirely destitute of longi- tudinal plaits and is quite smooth. But were other characters wanting, it might at once be distinguished from that, and from all the other species with which I am acquainted, by the wide spread of the enamel over the columella and body-whorl. It would therefore appear that the mantle on the right side of the animal of B. hydrophanum is considerably more expanded than in any of the allied species. The mouth, too, is broader than in B. undatum, particularly in front ; the canal is shorter and much wider, and the columella smoother and more regularly arched. It also seems nearly related to B. Humphreysianum and B. fusi- forme of Kiener ; but differs from both in the character of the columella and in the more rounded mouth ; also in the absence of strize. - The outer layer of shell in B. hydrophanum is very opake, white and chalky, and is liable to be eroded: it is quite distinct. from the layer beneath, which is vitreous and of a vinous colour. The keels or ridges on the body-whorl are irregular, and frequently interrupted ; they vary in number from one to nine, and are oc- easionally arranged in pairs: they are, however, frequently obli- terated, and are never conspicuous, even in full-grown individuals. The epidermis is confined to the body-whorl and readily peels off The most striking feature however of this species is the extra- ordinary change in colour and appearance which take place on the shell being immersed in water, when in a short time it loses its opacity and becomes of a deep rich vinous hue. This ensues immediately on the outer coat becoming saturated, which in this, as in many of the Arctic shells, is very porous. In young specimens the outer covering of shell is very thin, and the colour of the under layer is always more or less appa- rent: in this state they have a bluish bloom, and are very deli- cate and glossy. They are sometimes covered with minute spiral striee ; and as the lines of growth are then very distinct, the whole surface is sharply and finely decussated. As the shell increases in size this appearance diminishes, and in half-grown individuals the West Coast of Davis’s Strait. 327 no traces of it remain, for at an early stage the outer layer to- wards the apex becomes eroded, and the strize consequently com- pletely destroyed. This well-marked species occurred in great abundance ; nearly forty specimens were brought, Buecinum undulatum, Moller. Buccinum undulatum, Méller, Index Mollus, Greenl. p. 11. There are two specimens of a Buccinum in the collection, one much injured, the other immature, which I think must be re- ferred to this species. They agree very well with the description in the ‘Index Molluscorum Greenlandiz,’ excepting that they want the waved ribs: the whorls are very much rounded, and have strong, raised spifal lines of a reddish brown colour inter- rupted with white. The larger shell is upwards of an inch and three-quarters in length. This appears to be a very distinct species, * Buccinum tenebrosum, n. 8s. Pi. V. figs. 1, 2. ferr Shell ovate, ventricose, very thin, glossy, of a dark obscure violet, clouded and spotted with grayish white and tawny, parti- cularly at the sutures, where the spots are usually well-defined ; whorls six or seven, much rounded, and covered with fine waved lines of growth, and afew minute, depressed spiral lines obsolete on the body-whorl ; body-whorl one-third longer than the spire, with eight or nine strong, distant spiral ridges or keels, three or four of which are continued on to the third whorl ; mouth as long as the spire, broadish oval, with the interior of a dark chocolate« brown extending over the columella ; outer lip thin, entire; colu- mella very dark, glossy, rather straight, with an obsolete plait or fold, which gives to it the appearance of being twice bent; the inner margin is well raised and considerably reflected ; the canal short and rather wide ; epidermis very strong, of a greenish horn- colour, glossy, with fine distant longitudinal lamin, bearing minute widely separated cilia, Length 13 inch; breadth nearly 1 inch. The dark colour, the fragile, horn-like texture, the short, thick form, much rounded whorls, and spiral ridges give to this species a very characteristic appearance. The ridges vary a little in number, but are nevertheless pretty regular, and seem constant. The lines of growth have a smooth, polished appearance, and are much more conspicuous than the depressed spiral lines, especially on the body-whorl, where in many specimens they are scarcely to be traced. It would appear that this, like many of the allied species, is occasionally plaited at the sutures of the whorls, for out of eight 328 Mr. A. Hancock on Shells dredged on that were brought one was so plaited in a slight degree. The outer coat of the shell is generally eroded towards the apex. This species is probably related to the B. boreale of Leach, but is undoubtedly distinct, for Mr. Gray states in the ‘ Appendix to Beechey’s Voyage,’ that that species has much the habit of the waved varieties of B. undatum, which is not the case with this shell. The B. cyaneum of Beck appears to come much nearer, though it also is probably distinct ; the B. wndatum of Fabricius _ being given as a synonym, and the description of it in the ‘ Fauna Greenlandica’ differmg widely from the specimens brought by Messrs. Warham and Harrison: be this, however, as it may, Beck’s name cannot be retained, for it was pre-occupied by a very different shell described by Chemnitz. x Buccinum sericatum, n. 8s. PI. V. fig. 6. Shell ovate, ventricose, very thin, of a pale chestnut-colour, irregularly varied with paler longitudinal belts ; spire not much produced; whorls six, ventricose, somewhat abruptly rounded behind, with fine spiral strie, and afew distant stronger ones crossed by minute lines of growth, giving the surface a wrinkled or shagreened appearance, visible only by the aid of a lens; body- whorl one-third longer than the spire; mouth roundish ovate, one-half longer than the spire; outer lip thin, sublobed in front ; interior of a pale chestnut or fawn-colour ; columella smooth, pel- lucid, short, glossy, much and regularly arched, the bend more forward than usual; epidermis of a greenish horn-colour with a delicate silky gloss when held to the light, caused by the minute cilia that clothe it, which through a lens are perceived to rise from fine longitudinal laminee ; the cilia are regular and not much crowded. Length 1 inch ; breadth +4 inch. This is shorter and more ventricose than any of the preceding species, and is very delicate and horn-hke. It differs from B. te- nebrosum as well in size and colour as in having the mouth much longer in proportion to the spire: the whorls are also somewhat abruptly rounded above, which is not the case in that species ; and the columella has the gloss spread further over, is quite smooth, and in some specimens is so transparent that the pillar can be seen through it; the bend also is simple and rather lower down ; the surface of the shell is more strongly marked by the strie, and the strong spiral ridges or keels are wanting. Buccinum cyaneum, Chemnitz. Buccinum cyaneum, Chemn, Conch. vol. x. p. 182. tab. 152. f. 1448. A single specimen was dredged ; it is quite young (measuring seven-eighths of an inch in length), but agrees pretty well in ge- the West Coast of Davis’s Strait. 329 neral habit with the figure in Chemnitz: it is however of a pale greenish horn-colour, except towards the apex, where it is of a dingy bluish gray, and the spiral strize appear to be more crowded. The columella in front is straight, and has a decided plait or fold. The epidermis is ciliated. This is closely related to B. Humphreysianum, but may be di- stinguished from that species by its more ovate form, by the de- cided plait on the columella, and by the character of the surface, which is much more irregularly and strongly marked with the lines of growth, causing it to be slightly wrinkled longitudinally, as represented in Chemnitz’s figure. » Buccinum Grenlandicum, n.s. PI. V. figs. 8, 9. Shell ovate, thin, dull, of a pale reddish fawn-colour ; spire well produced, conical; whorls six or seven, ventricose, some- what angulated in the centre, with indistinct longitudinal plaits, and two strong distant noduliferous spiral ridges or keels on the centre of the body-whorl, one of which passes up the spire: the whole surface is divided by depressed spiral lines into broad. flattened strive, which are crowded with finer spiral striz of a similar character crossed by minute lines of growth, giving the surface a shagreened appearance ; mouth roundish oval, partaking of the colour of the shell ; outer lip thin, slightly reflected ; interior with two grooves corresponding to the spiral ridges ; canal longer than usual, and rather broad; columella with an indistinct plait, well bent im the centre, straight in front, with the anterior extremity slopimg to the left, pale, very thin - and pellucid; epidermis inconspicuous, very delicate, smooth, greenish yellow and horn-lke. Length 13 inch; breadth 3 inch. The surface of this shell is peculiar: it is smooth and entirely without gloss, and to the naked eye the broad flat striz only are visible ; a lens is required to show the minute shagreened appear- ance caused by the fine decussations. The longitudinal plaits are strongest on the spire, and are most conspicuous on the centre of the whorl ; the nodules on the spiral ridges are at the points where they are crossed by the plaits. This species has considerable resemblance in general form to the B. glaciale of Lamarck, but is much smaller and very much thinner, judging from Kiener’s figure and from the figure in Chemnitz. It differs from that shell also in the greater length of the canal, in the shape of the columella, and in the character of the surface of the shell. It probably likewise resembles B. polaris of Gray, but the characters that distinguish it from B. glaciale will also distinguish it from this species. Two specimens were procured ; one appears to be adult. 330 Mr, A. Hancock on Shells dredged on Cancellaria costellifera, Sowerby sp. Murex costellifer, Sowerby, Min. Conch. vol. ii. p,225. tab.199, f, 3, Cancellaria buccinoides, Couthouy, Bost. Journ, Nat, Hist. yol. ii. p. 105. pl. 3. f. 3. Cancellaria Couthouyi, Gould, Report on the Inverteb. of Mas- sachusetts, p. 283. f. 190. Two specimens were brought ; one is three-fourths of an inch long and nearly half an inch broad. They differ from the general appearance of the shell by having no longitudinal folds, and by having the whorls rounded, and not flattened above; the colu- mella too has only a single obsolete plait. There can be little doubt, however, that they belong to this species, which is stated to be very variable in form. Fusus Sabini, Gray sp. PI, V. fig. 10, Buccinum Sabinii, Gray, Append. Parry’s Ist Voy, p. 211. A single specimen of a Fusus resembling F. Islandicus was procured ; it is undoubtedly distinct from that species, but is probably the Buccinum Sabinii of Gray. It differs from it how- ever in some respects, particularly in the canal, which in B. Sa- binii is stated to be shorter than that of F. Islandicus, whilst in the shell brought by Messrs. Warham and Harrison, it is longer. It is much thinner than any of the varieties of that species with which I am acquainted ; and the whorls, which are covered with rather strong, raised spiral lines, are more ventricose, and are de- cidedly flattened above at the sutures : the canal is not only longer but is more contracted at its commencement, and widens a little towards the front or apex; the mouth is therefore better defined, and is much more rounded; including the canal, it is consider- ably longer than the spire. The columella is pellucid, and the epidermis very pale, horn-coloured and delicate. Length upwards of 14 inch ; breadth 44 inch. Fusus pellucidus, n. s. Pl. V. fig. 3, Shell fusiform, elongated, thin, glossy, of a yellowish horn- colour, pellucid; spire much produced; whorls seven, well rounded ; sutures deep, with rather distant, strong, but very slightly raised spiral striz, and strong, smooth, longitudinal close-set ribs or plaits, most conspicuous on the second, third and fourth whorls, and becoming obsolete on the body-whorl and apex ; mouth con- siderably shorter than the spire, elliptical, terminating in a short, wide canal, slightly recurved; columella smooth ; outer lip thin, with the interior crenulated in conformity with the exterior stric, Length 3 inch; breadth 3, inch. This species, of which only one individual was procured, is very the West Coast of Davis’s Strait. 331 thin and of a horny appearance; and small as it is has much the general habit of Fusus Islandicus, though very much shorter in the canal. Perhaps it is still a better miniature representation of F, Koninckii of Nyst, a tertiary fossil from Baesele, Fusus Fabricii, Beck sp, Trophon Fabricii, Beck, in M@ller’s Index Mollus. Greenl. p, 14, Tritonium craticulatum, O. Fabr. p. 400. Murew borealis, Reeve, Conch. Icon., Murex, pl. 30. f. 145. A single specimen of this delicate and beautiful species oc- curred, It agrees very accurately with the description in the ‘Fauna Greenlandica’ excepting that it is considerably larger, measuring three-fourths of an inch in length; it is stated, how- ever, in the ‘ Index Molluscorum Groenlandiz’ to be fifteen lines long. The Murex borealis of Reeve, as represented in the ‘ Concho- logia Iconica,’ is a very good portrait of the shell brought by Messrs. Warham and Harrison ; if therefore I am right in placing it with the F. Fabricii, the Murex borealis must sink into a synonym, Fusus turricula, Montagu sp. Murex turricula, Mont. Test. Brit. p. 262. t. 9. f. 1. The collection contains a single, dead, much eroded specimen of this species. Pleurotoma decussata, Couthouy. Pleurotoma decussata, Couth., Bost. Journ. Nat. Hist. vol, ii. p. 183. pl. 4. £. 8. A single specimen was procured : it is three-eighths of an inch long and two-tenths of an inch broad. It agrees pretty accurately in general form with the Pleur. decussata of Couthouy, as figured and. described in Gould’s ‘ Report on the Invertebrata of Massa- chusetts’; but it is represented more turreted than the specimen from Davis’s Strait, and also more reticulated. I think it pro- bable, as suggested by Dr. Gould, that the Pleur. reticulata of Brown belongs to the same species. Velutina zonata, Gould. Velutina zonata, Gould, Report on the Inverteb. of Massachu- setts, p. 242. A fine large individual of this shell was obtained ; it is five- eighths of an inch long and the same broad, It wants the zones spoken of by Dr. Gould, and differs slightly in other particulars from his description. This is nearly related to the V. undata of Smith, a fossil spe- cies procured from the glacial beds of the Clyde, but is, I am in- clined to believe, distinct, The shell from Dayis’s Strait is thinner, 382 Mr. A. Hancock on Shells dredged on much larger, and has the outer lip not so broadly reflected on the columella; the groove also on the pillar-hp is not by any means so broad, and it is gradually lost, revolving into the shell ; whilst in the V. undata it commences behind with comparative abruptness ; the inner edge of the columella of the former is therefore twisted as it runs up the pillar, but is nearly straight in the latter. | It is right, however, to observe that the surface of the two species is much more alike than would appear from the descrip- tion in the ‘ Wernerian Transactions,’ which is undoubtedly from worn specimens. In the Newcastle museum there are three or four shells from the Clyde district, which, I believe, were received from Mr. Smith. These specimens agree pretty accurately with the description given by that gentleman, but when closely ex- amined with a glass small portions of the true surface are found adhering, and they are minutely spirally striated in the same manner as in V. zonata. Natica Grenlandica, Beck. | Natica Grenlandica, Beck, in MOller’s Index Mollus. Greenl. p.7. Only one specimen occurred: it is small, measuring no more than seven-sixteenths of an inch in length; and it is rather doubtful whether it belongs to this species or not ; from which it differs likewise in being thinner, and in having the sutures of the whorls more deeply impressed. In this respect it agrees better with the N. borealis of Gray, to which, indeed, it seems closely related. Patella rubella, Fabr. Patella rubella, O. Fabr. p. 386. A single specimen was taken adhering to a large Psolus, re- sembling the Holothuria squamata of Miller : the Patella agrees very accurately with the description given by Fabricius, though instead of being entirely red it has only the apex of that colour ; the rest is of a tawny horn-colour. Pecten Islandicus, Miller sp. Ostrea Islandica, Miller, Zool. Dan. Prod. no. 2990. Three or four specimens occurred: they have the valves more distinctly ribbed than in those brought from the coast of New- foundland. Pecten Grenlandicus, Sowerby. . Pecten Grenlandicus, Sow. Thesaur. Conchyl. vol.i. p. 56. pl.13. f. 40. Pecten vitreus, Gray, App. Parry’s 1st Voy. p. 214. There are three specimens of this delicate, diaphanous species in the collection: they agree pretty accurately with Mr. Gray’s > . the West Coast of Davis’s Strait. 333 description of Pecten vitreus, and I think are undoubtedly his spe- cies. The specimens brought by Parry, however, seem to have wanted the fine, numerous, slightly depressed radiating striz on the right or lower valve; but these striz are not by any means conspicuous ; it is therefore possible that Mr. Gray may have overlooked them. They have also escaped the notice of Mr, G. B. Sowerby, jun., who figured and described from the specimens brought by Messrs. Warham and Harrison. It is probable like- wise that this character may occasionally be wanting, for in one of the three specimens they are almost obliterated; and the right valve is always more or less eroded, having a thin, opake chalky outer layer that readily falls off. The left valve has a few distant, broad, rounded, almost obsolete rays, which are only discernible with a side light. Mr. Sowerby’s name must have precedence, as the one given to this species by Mr. Gray was pre-occupied. Nucula inflata, n,s. Pl. V, figs. 13, 14. Shell subtriangular, a little oblique, ventricose, thin, smooth, covered with a shining greenish yellow epidermis, slightly con- centrically wrinkled ; umbones small, eroded, placed much to one side; posterior slope long, somewhat flattened, slightly convex ; anterior slope rather short, straight, and with a shallow cordate depression ; basal margin regularly rounded, entire, forming rather abrupt angles at its junction with the sides, particularly in front ; hinge with twenty teeth on one side and twelve on the other. Length ;% inch ; breadth +2 inch ; depth ;, inch. This species is not unlike Nucula tenuis; the greater size and more angulated form however of N. inflata will readily distinguish it; it is also much longer in proportion to its breadth, is very much more ventricose and less oblique; its teeth are also more numerous. A single individual occurred ; it was dead, but quite perfect. Leda rostrata, Lamarck sp. Nucula rostrata, Lam. 2nd ed. vol. vi. p. 504. Leda buccata, Stp. in Moller’s Index Mollus, Greenl. p, 17. This species differs considerably from the Arca rostrata of Montagu: it is larger and appears to be much more ventricose ; the rostrated end is more abruptly truncated, and is scarcely at all bent. Only one specimen was procured: it is 13 inch broad and nearly 3% inch long. Leda minuta, Fabricius sp. Arca minuta, O. Fabr. Fauna Greenl. p. 414; Chemn. Conch. vol. x. p. 351. t. 170. f. 1657, 1658. This nearly resembles the Nucula minuta of British authors, 334 Mr, A. Hancock on Shells dredged on but is I think distinct ; it is about the same size and has the like strong, transverse ribs ; the rostrated end, however, is not so long, is less arcuated, is more abruptly truncated, and the umbones are nearer the centre. Breadth 5%, inch; length +4 inch. Two specimens were dredged. ! Modiola nigra, Gray. : Modiola nigra, Gray, App. Parry’s 1st Voy. p.244. - Mytilus discrepans, Mont. Brit. Shells, Supp. p. 65. t. 26. f. 4 (not of the body of the work). 3 A fine series of specimens were brought, some of which are totally black, others are varied with olive-brown ; and the young are of a pale greenish olive: the strie are considerably coarser in some than in others, and the dorsal margin is occasionally more arched than usual. Some of the largest are -1 inch long and 4 inch broad. Modiola levigata, Gray. : Modiola levigata, Gray, App. Parry’s Ist Voy. p. 244. . Mytilus discors, O. Fabr. Fauna Greenl. p. 418? An extensive suite of this fine Modiola was procured ; many of them are much larger than those from which Mr. Gray described ; some are 14 inch long and 12 inch broad. There is, however, no doubt that they belong to this species : the surface being almost devoid of radiating strise gives to it a very characteristic appearance. ; Dr. Gould, in his ‘ Report on the Invertebrata of Massachu- setts,’ includes this species amongst the aynony is of his Modiola discrepans, which is quite distinct from the shell so named by British conchologists*. The Modiola discrepans of Gould is probably the M. levigata, but there are several points of difference. The latter is less winged on the dorsal margin, and is more abruptly rounded at the posterior end ; the radiating ribs on the anterior portion are not straight as in that species, but are regularly waved and are more numerous, there being sometimes as many as fifteen ; but even on this portion of the shell, the ribs are generally more or less obliterated, and consequently it is difficult to ascertain their number. The posterior compartment is almost always smooth, but occasionally traces of very fine radiating striee may be ob- served at the margin. The middle compartment has rarely a few distant, fine, depressed radiating lines; the whole surface is a good deal wrinkled concentrically, and the epidermis is very * The Modiola discors of Gould appears to be the true M. discrepans of Montagu (not of the Supplement), differing only by having a few ribs more, on the anterior compartment: and the M. nexa of the same author is the M. nigra—the discrepans of Montagu’s Supplement. the West Coast of Davis’s Strait. 335 glossy except on the posterior portion, where the brightness is considerably subdued. Old specimens are almost entirely black ; the young are varied with rich brown, black and pale yellowish green, or are wholly of the latter colour. There can be no doubt that the variety 8. substriata, which Mr. Gray thought might prove distinct, belongs to this species. I think it probable that the Mytilus discors of Fabricius in- cludes this species, though under that name he appears to have described more than one kind; for he states that whilst the young are striated at both ends, the old are smooth on the front portion. This is not the case with the suite brought by Messrs. Warham and Harrison ; the young, and some of them are very small, are quite smooth on the posterior compartment. Tellina calcarea, Gmelin. Tellina calcarea, Gmelin, p. 3236. no. 38. Tellina proxima, Brown, Wern. Mem. vol. viii. t. 1. f. 21; Sow- erby, App. Beechey’s Voy. p.154. t. 44. f. 4. This did not occur abundantly ; only six or seven specimens were dredged. The epidermis occasionally covers almost the whole shell, and is generally more entire than in the specimens from which Mr. Sowerby described. Astarte semisuleata, Leach sp. Crassina semisulcata, Leach, App. Ross’s 1st Voy. 8vo ed. _ Astarte lactea, Brod. and Sow., Zool. Journ. vol. iv. p. 366; Sowerby, Zool. Beechey’s Voy. p. 152. pl. 44. f. 12. Crassina corrugata, Brown, Conch. of Great Brit. 2nd ed. p.96. pl. 40. f, 24. Crassina Withami, Smith, Wern. Mem. vol. viii. pl. 1. f.24, 25. This is rather a variable species, but may always be distin- guished from A. boreale, with which some conchologists have confounded it. It is sometimes nearly smooth, or only obso- letely suleated at the umbones ; in this state it is Brown’s Cras- sina corrugata ; others are sulcated at least half-way down, and the young, as might be expected, are furrowed over the whole surface. Individuals occur nearly black, not much compressed, and of a roundish oval, but by far the greater number are of a ellowish brown colour, with the valves very flat and much pro- Sood transversely. This species is frequently distorted, and is generally. much eroded at the beaks. It is found fossil at Bridlington ; I have seen very characteristic specimens from thence in the collection of Mr. Loftus of Newcastle, who received them from Mr. Bean under his manuscript name of Astarte lata. The description of Crassina Withami of Smith agrees very accurately with the smooth varieties of A. semisulcata, and the figures in the ‘ Wernerian Memoirs’ put it beyond a doubt ; the straight ventral margin and ae 336 Mr. A. Hancock on Shells dredged on deep visceral depression in the centre of the shell being sufficient to determine the species. This shell was taken in great profusion. Astarte Warhami,n.s. Pl. V. fig. 15, 16. Shell thin, elliptical, ventricose, with about sixty fine, close, sharp, regular, concentric ribs; ends equally rounded ; umbones rather prominent, nearly central; anterior end well-produced, with the slope concave; lunule not very deep, oblong-ovate ; posterior end slightly convex with the depression lanceolate ; basal margin entire, well and regularly arched ; epidermis glossy, pale greenish yellow; inside bluish white. Length % inch; breadth nearly 1 inch; depth 54 mch. It would appear that this, one of the prettiest and most deli- cate of the genus, is not at all common ; only six specimens were obtained. Itis paler and brighter than is usual with the Astartes, and is generally marked with a few irregular dark blotches or spots, probably caused by injuries sustained by the shell. In old specimens the ribs blend at the basal margin, where the epi- dermis is rather coarse and wrinkled. This species is not likely to be confounded with any other, though it has some general resemblance to Astarte elliptica ; it is however more regularly oval and more ventricose, the colour is brighter, and the surface more glossy. It is perhaps more closely allied to the 4. Laurentiana of Lyell, a fossil species ob- tained from the glacial beds of Canada, but differs from it in having the ends more equally rounded, and in the position of the beaks, which in that species are placed considerably towards the anterior end; the prominent lateral teeth are also wanting in A, Warhami. This species is named in honour of Mr. Warham, the gentle- man to whom I am principally indebted for this interesting col- lection of Arctic shells. Cardium Grenlandicum, Chemnitz. Cardium Grenlandicum, Chemn. Conch. vol. vi. t. 19. f. 198. Venus Islandica, O. Fabr. Fauna Greenl, p. 411. Cardium edentulum, Montagu, Brit. Shells, Supp. p. 29. Two or three fine fresh specimens were brought, and several single valves occurred, some of which measure nearly three inches in breadth. A young individual was also procured ; it is very delicate, is more distinctly ribbed than the mature shell, and is prettily marked with zigzag lines of a pale fawn-colour. Cardium Islandicum, Chemnitz. Cardium Islandicum, Chemn. vol. vi. p. 200. t. 19. f. 195, 196, Cardium ciliatum, O, Fabr. Fauna Greenl. p, 410, Two specimens were dredged ; one is in fine condition: it is a the West Coast of Davis’s Strait. 337 little larger than the measurement given by Fabricius, but in all other respects agrees exactly with his very admirable description. The other is a single valve, and is nearly twice the size of those from which that naturalist described; it measures upwards of two inches and a half in breadth. This species has somewhat the habit of C. echinatum, from which it may be readily distinguished by the absence of the tes- taceous spines of that species, and by having in their place the epidermis raised into a fringe of fine close cilia; the ribs are also more numerous. Mya Uddevallensis, Forbes. Mya Uddevallensis, Forbes, Mem. of the Geol. Survey, vol. i. p- 407. | Shell elliptical, with the posterior end much truncated ob- liquely towards the basal margin ; ventricose, thickish, dirty white, calcareous, irregularly wrinkled concentrically, and co- vered with a strong rugged olivaceous epidermis; tooth of the hinge squarely truncated, entire; siphonal impression rather short, about one-third the length of the shell, not much arched forward. Length 2 inches; breadth 23 inches. This species was first noticed by Mr. Smith of Jordanhill, in his paper on “ The last Changes in the Levels of Land and Sea in the British Islands,” Wernerian Memoirs, vol. viii., as occurring fossil in the newer pliocene deposits at the mouth of the Clyde. It has since been observed at Uddevalla in Sweden by Mr. Lyell ; and Capt. Bayfield has also found it both fossil and alive in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Some of our best naturalists consider this form a mere variety of Mya truncata; I am inclined, however, to dissent from this opinion, which I do with some hesitation. Half a dozen specimens were brought in all stages of growth, and in all of them the siphonal impression is much shorter than in Mya truncata, in which it is full half the length of the shell ; it is likewise not so much arched forward. The shell is also always much more truncated, and the posterior margin slopes towards the base of the shell, whereas in Mya truncata it inclines in the,contrary direction; the form of the tooth also slightly differs. is \ ; ° Saxicava pholadis, Chemnitz sp. Mytilus pholadis, Chemn. Conch. vol, viii. p. 154. t. 82. f. 735. Mya byssifera, O. Fabr. Fauna Greenl. p. 408. Two specimens occurred: one is $ inch long and 1% inch broad ; the other is much smaller, and differs in no respect from Saxicava rugosa. Ann. & Mag. N. Hist, Vol. xviii. 2B 338 Mr. A. Hancock on some new species of Shells. Lyonsia gibbosa, mihi. PI. V. fig. 11, 12. Anatina striata, Gray, App. Ross’s Voy. Shell ventricose, oblong-ovate, thin, dull, opake white, slightly wrinkled concentrically and striated longitudinally, with a deli- cate olivaceous epidermis; umbones large, tumid, placed a little towards the anterior end, which has the dorsal margin concave, with a rather deep ovate depression immediately under the beaks ; the posterior dorsal margin straight, with the end a little twisted, slightly gaping and obliquely truncated ; from thence the ventral margin is arched pretty regularly to the anterior end, which is well rounded ; interior white, approaching to a pearly lustre ; os- siculum triangular, with the posterior end concave. Length up- wards of 1 inch; breadth $ inch; depth 2 inch. Mr. Gray informs me that this is his Anatina striata, but I have not been able to find the original description. The Mya striata of Montagu, to which probably Mr. Gray re- ferred his shell, is certainly distinct from the specimens brought by Messrs. Warham and Harrison. The dull opake white colour devoid of nacreous lustre, the tumid beaks and the concavity of the margin in front of them, with the ovate depression, are suffi- cient to distinguish it. The Mya striata of Montagu, however, is most likely a variety of L. norvegica, as considered by Turton ; but whether so or not, Mr. Gray’s name having been used cannot be retained. This species differs from L. norvegica by its whiteness, opacity and want of nacreous lustre ; it is not so broad, is more gibbous, and has the beaks larger and more tumid; the posterior end is not so much produced, is less squarely truncated, and the lon- gitudinal striz are stronger and further apart. EXPLANATION OF PLATE YV. Figs. 1, 2. Different views of Buccinum tenebrosum. Fig, 3. Fusus pellucidus. Figs. 4, 5. Different views of Margarita Harrisoni. Fig. 6. Buccinum sericatum. fig. 7. Buccinum hydrophanum. figs. 8, 9. Different views of Buceinum Greenlandicum. Fig. 10. Pusus Sabini. Figs, 11, 12. Different views of Lyonsia gibbosa. Figs. 13, 14, Different views of Nucula inflata. Figs. 15, 16. Different views of Astarte Warhami. Excursion of an Insect Hunter in the Carinthian Highlands. 389 XXXVII.—Ezcursion of an Insect Hunter in the Carinthian Highlands. By Dr. Nicxer1i of Prague*. Communicated by A. H. Harrpay, Esq. I arRivep at Gastein on the 30th of July, and from this, having crossed the fellst of Nassfeld and Mallnitz, I took the road up Moell-dale to Heiligenblut. This village lies on the eastern slope of the fell of the same name, scarcely an hour’s walk from the source of the Moell, at an elevation of 4000 feet above the level of the sea, and in its poverty and loneliness presents anything but a cheering picture. The river Moell, which takes its rise from beneath the glacier that lies on the eastern side of the Grossglockner, five hours’ distance from Heiligenblut, receives im its course many little mountain-torrents, and waters the valley which bears its name, and which, running in a direction from the north towards the south-west, opens a succession of romantic scenery. The banks of the stream, for the space of a league from its souree, are overgrown with alder bushes, through which the path to Heiligenblut leads. Ridges of rock, of the most grotesque forms, from 7000 to 8000 feet in height, hound the valley on the west. These, imaccessible to the foot of man on their eastern face towards the valley, are wooded here and there with fir-trees, beech and larches; and a charming waterfall, named from an. old legend, of which it was the scene, the ‘‘ Maiden’s-leap,” arrests the gaze of the visitor. On the mountain slopes to the east of the valley, tillage and grass-fields alternate with insulated tracts of woodland, and the homely cottages of the mountaineers scattered in the intervals. The head of the valley is barely a quarter of a league across, but gradually it widens, and eultiva- tion appears more and more, as the mountains which inclose it diminish im eleyation. The most interesting of all the excursions in the environs is to the Pasterze, and, by way of this, to the Gems-grube, which hes above Heiligenblut, five leagues to the northward. This spot, to the botanist a classical locality, where the rarest alpine plants are found in the greatest variety, is not less attractive to the ento- mologist, as the extent of the annexed list testifies. The path to it leads over the first (or lower) Sattel, and winds upwards athwart the face of the mountain. After an easy ascent for an hour among fir-trees, larches, and fragments of rock completely clothed with the most elegant mosses, the terrace of the first mountain-range is attained, on which a number of the dairymen’s huts are seated between woods and cattle-walks.. Here Doritis Apollo was not * From the Journal of the Entomological Society of Stettin, 1845, + “ Tauern,” provincial term, subalpine ranges on which the snow melts, 2B2 840 Excursion of an Insect Hunter in uncommon, flitting about the face of the precipice ; solitary spe- cimens of Hipparchia Nerine too occurred. Magnificent ferns were growing luxuriantly in crevices of the rocks, and Campanula pusilla with its pretty bells had taken root everywhere on the crumbled surface of the blocks of stone. For another short hour the path continues at this elevation over several little hills, where woodland, moist meadow and debris of rock alternate, past St. Bridget’s chapel, from which there is a distant view westward of the Leiterbach, as it rushes thundering down its alpine dike to mingle with the waters of the Moell. Here, not far from its source, the river finds its way through a deep ravine, inaccessible all the way from the plain of ice to the lower Sattel, where the valley properly speaking begins. Along the brow of the moun- tains which hem in the ravine on the eastern side, the path ascends, by successive stations, among stunted pines interspersed with magnificent lawns, where the crimson blossoms of the Rho- dodendron blend with tall-stemmed Monkshood and the intense azure of the Gentianella. About the perpendicular cliffs, Argynnis pales and various species of Hipparchia were on the wing. The lovely Lycena eurybia, eros, orbitulus, pheretes, and delicate kinds of Psodos, here give full occupation to the collector, and make the choice embarrassing among the superabundance of riches. The path now turns abruptly round a jutting angle of the mountain, bringing at once into sight the sea-green pinnacles of the glacier by which the ravine is terminated, and from the heart of which the Moell gushes forth. They form a contrast truly grand with the rich vegetation of so vernal a character that is spread all around. From this the Platte (a scarpment of rock through which a rather precipitous path is cut) has to be ascended, in order to reach the Brettboden, which overlooks a great portion of the plain of ice. A countless multitude of Saxifrages with the most exquisite blossoms curtain the walls of rock, and the White Everlasting of the Alps (Gnaphalium leontopodium) has its lowest limit here. Rare species of Carabus and Nebria there are to de- light the entomologist; and the black salamander (S. atra) is found in plenty by turning over the massive slabs which rest on the damp turf. The last stunted pine now disappears, and the path continues among the finest mountain meadows, descending a little through the Pfandlscharte, a narrow dell at the foot of the upper Sattel, lying eastward from, and rather below the level of, the plain of ice. Having crossed the Schartenbach, which pours itself into the fissures of the ice, the southern slope of the higher Sattel is reached. The mountain rises 9000 feet above the sea level, and at its foot lie flowery meadows, the haunts of the finest kinds of Lepidoptera. While I recommend this spot to the entomologist’s the Carinthian Highlands. 341 attention, in respect to the numerous rarities it affords, I must not forget to warn him of the danger which attends collecting here. The fall of great stones and blocks from the heights, de- tached either by the progressive decay of the rock, or from the melted snow in sunny weather insinuating itself among the cre- vices, is an every-day occurrence. I myself saw a falling stone strip the scalp off a herd-boy to the brows, from the effect of which he tumbled down stunned from the spot on which he was, and sustained some dangerous injuries. The partial ascent of the upper Sattel, which is next to be ac- complished, is rather more laborious ; for although the path is not very steep, the blocks which lie strewn all about and the loose stones make it arduous. The western angle of the mountain once attained, the pedestrian’s toil is amply recompensed by the sight of the gigantic pyramid of the Grossglockner with its two peaks of ice. In a short half-hour the descent is made to the plain of ice, over which a great sweep is taken to reach the pre- cipice on the east, called the Gems-grube. The plain of ice, the Pasterze* as it is called, lying 8000 feet above the level of the sea, is a league and a half long by three- quarters wide, and is traversed by a multitude of deep cracks, which generally originate at the middle, running towards the east and west, and which must be avoided by taking a circuit where they are too broad to be leaped. To the east it is inclosed by the upper Sattel and the Gems-grube ; to the west by the rocky ridges and ice-blocks of the Grossglockner, and northwards by the Johanns- berg covered with perpetual snow ; while southward it stretches away to the ravine in which the Moell has its outlet. After three- quarters of an hour of circuitous deviation and leaping over ice- cracks, the grand object, the Gems-grube, is reached. This lies, as was mentioned before, eastward of the plain of ice, and. pre- sents an abyss between the opposite precipices, in which the melted snow from the heights collects, and is drained off into the crevices of the ice. The chamois is often to be seen here, from which the spot derives its name, Gems-grube, the Chamois’-hole. Here and there the face of the rock is diversified with patches of green sward and with lichens of a pale grayish shade, and though the place at first sight seems to yield but a scanty herb- age, it is in truth rich in plants, and will still, in spite of diffi- culty, be sought by the ardent lover of nature for the sake of the unrivalled prospect of the Grossglockner. Breya alpina and the rare Zomatogonium carinthiacum reward the botanist,—the rare Melitea asteria, and many species of Lepidoptera besides, * From Passeriza, in Sclavonic a meadow; from the nature of the ground over which the road to it passes. 342 Excursion of an Insect Hunter in the entomologist,—for the toil of clambering among the steep and rugged acclivities. Although I have specified this spot as the richest mine of rare species, I was not able myself to visit it more than once during a stay of four weeks. On two other occasions I ascended as far as the upper Sattel, and when I had got a view, from its jut- ting shoulder, over the ice plain towards the Gems-grube, I was obliged to turn back disappointed, from the quantity of snow that had fallen there. And in truth this (1844) has been one of the most unfavourable seasons I could have fixed on for my excursion. Storm and snow often drove me back with my boxes empty, or kept me shut up in the house for days together ; the precious time passing away heavily without a determinate object, while re- piningly I turned over the leaves of the books I had brought along with me. Not more fortunate was an excursion to the Leiter, which is indeed rich in plants and probably in insects also, but that Cat’s- bridge, a pass of a league in length, where all one’s attention is incessantly required to avoid falling over the precipice, is not well- adapted for collecting insects. On the other hand, three excursions which I made to the Moharkopf and the Astner plains were very productive. There I found, to my not small delight,‘ Hepialus ganna, a species I had never seen before, on the wing in open day. An excursion to the Alp-horn of Zirknitz too procured me, in addition to the species of Salmo peculiar to that locality, an extremely imter- esting new Chiton, the first of the genus that has to my know- ledge been found in fresh water. On my return I stopped for eight days at Salzburg, where a eareful inspection of private collections, as well as of the exten- sive one belonging to the Prince Archbishop of Schwarzenberg, has enabled me to submit to the scientific public the annexed commencement of a ‘ Fauna Lepidopterorum’ of Salzburg. My desire is, that this, imperfect as it is, may serve as an introduc- tion to the riches of this nearly unexplored district, and may in- duce many of my entomological friends to frequent excursions in that direction. PAPILIONIDA. Meliteaa maturna*. M. cynthia, three specimens taken in the meadows of the Brettboden, elevation 7000 feet. Its season seems to be the month of July. Inhabits high mountain ranges. M. ar- temis*. M. merope, a few were found on the 9th of August about the precipices of the Gems-grube above the Mer de Glace; they were quite fresh. The insect is very wild and difficult to catch on account of its rapid flight and the nature of the ground. WM. cinzia, didyma, phebe, dictynna, athalia, parthenia*. M. asterie, a species ex- the Carinthian Highlands. 348 tremely rare and little known. Found on the most abrupt and ele- vated declivities, and where the vegetation was most scanty. In these desert spots they hover singly, with slow motion, over the scattered patches of turf overgrown with the common gray lichen. The Moharkopf near Dollach, and the precipices above the Pasterze at Heiligenblut, are its haunts. Its season the latter half of July. Argynnis selene*. A. euphrosyne, I found a specimen on the lower Sattel, at the height of 5000 feet. A.dia**. A. pales, common in Carinthia over all alpine meadows from 5000 to 8000 feet elevation, where it is found about the various species of Hieracium abundant there. On the highest alps the females have the wings darker-co- loured, sometimes with a steel-blue gloss, or entirely white shaded with black. Both these varieties pair with the common form. A. hecate, ino (amathusia), latona, niobe, adippe, aglaia, paphia*, var. valesina, found in Moell-dale, ? only, and paired with the com- mon A. paphia. ‘This new species therefore must be struck out of our lists. It is related to paphia as isis to pales. 0 9 Marked B.......cccseesececenceses seegeereess Length of fleshy process marked e .........4.. oe O 38 Length of fleshy process marked f ..........00++. 0 11 Although the peculiar form of the trachea, as well as the external characters, generally place this species next to the Velvet Scoter, yet in the form of the bill the two species differ very considerably. This difference has been admirably pointed out by Mr. Selby in the following words :—“ In this species [Oid. perspicillata] the bill has not that flatness and expansion in front of the nostrils that are so conspicuous in Oid. nigra and Oid. fusca, but assumes, in a great degree, the characters of the succeeding genus Somaterta (Eider), by the tip being suddenly contracted, and the nail (which is also more convex than in the other spe- cies) being brought to a narrow rounded point; the entering angle of the forehead also projects, as in the common Eider, as far as the nostrils. The lateral parts of the bill at the base are very tumid, and are particular from the marking there displayed, these swellings being entirely exposed, and not in part concealed Mr. E. Doubleday on some new Diurnal Lepidoptera. 371 by the feathers, as in the Velvet Scoter*.” The highly arched form of the bill above the nostrils requires however especial no- ticet. In the absence of a figure, some idea may perhaps be given by the following two notes of its depth :— in. lin. Depth of bill at base of ridge where plumage sissies; 0 103 FG: OCS SOUR CD «isan cdaunensnssnanvelbedorecs’ wenesnccccscces eee Depth of bill at 10 lines from tip........ ececccccsccescsccececccesers 0 3 Length of bill above (not following curve) ......... coscvcescocsccs Pits Length of bill to rictus ............. lebabecdseceece errerrrrriit ssoves 2 «6 Length of bill to base of lateral protuberances ........ tsceeecers 2.4 Breadth of bill between the lateral protuberances ..... sescveenee 1 4 The specimen which has furnished the subject of this commu- nication was in course of being preserved for Dr. Charles Cupples of Lisburn, who on being informed of its rarity most liberally pre- sented it to the Belfast Museum. The Surf Scoter is known only as a British species from its having been obtained at the Orkney and Shetland Islands, with the exception of one individual, recorded by Mr. Gould as ob- tained in the Firth of Forth, and “a recently shot one sent to Mr. Bartlett for preservation,” as noticed in Yarrell’s work, vol. il. p. 322, 2nd edit., but the locality where it was killed is not mentioned—the “Naturalist, vol.ii. p.420,” is referred to for the original notice of this specimen. | Wilson (briefly) and Audubon (very fully) give interesting de- scriptions of the habits, &c. of this species, which is common on the North American coast, increasing in numbers northward. XLI.— Descriptions of new or imperfectly described Diurnal Lepidoptera. By Knwarpv Dovsizpay, Esq., Assistant in the Zoological Department of the British Museum, F.L.S. &c. [Continued from vol. xvii. p. 26.] Fam. PAPILIONID/E. Genus PAPrILio. Pap. Anticrates. Pap. alis anticis trigonis, posticis caudatis, omnibus albis, marginibus externis nigris, anticarum linea transversa, inter- rupta alba, posticarum lunulis sex albis notatis, anticis fasciis quinque, posticis duabus nigris. Exp. alar. 3 unc. vel 75 mill. Hab. Silhet. Above, wings white, with a broad black border along the outer * Tllust. Brit. Orn. vol. ii. p. 335. + Yarrell’s figure of this species is admirable, with the single exception of the peculiar form of the bill not being represented. ‘The arched profile of the upper mandible in the specimen under consideration (probably from its being a very old male) is still more strongly marked than in Mr, Selby’s figure, representing a male bird of life size. 372 Mr. EH. Doubleday on some new Diurnal Lepidoptera. margin, this border divided on the anterior wings by a white line interrupted by the nervules, commencing below the second median nervule and extending nearly to the anal angle; on the posterior by a series of six lunules; anterior wings black at the base, crossed immediately beyond the base by a transverse band, followed by another directed rather more outwardly ; another broader band crosses the cell about its middle, sometimes ex- tending beyond the median nervule; a fourth band crosses the cell between this and its termination, where there is a‘ fifth; neither of these extends below the median nervule. Posterior wings tailed, with two transverse bands near the base, of which one is nearly continuous with the first band of the anterior wings ; the second, often almost macular, sometimes nearly wanting, commences a little within the second band of the anterior wing, its outer edge being nearly contimuous with the inner edge of the band of the anterior wings, traverses the wing outside the cell, and at its termination curves round so as to reach the end of the first fascia, and is here marked with two grayish lunules ; on the abdominal margin, near the anal angle, is a small pale spot, and the black border is here powdered with gray. Tails black, edged with white. Below, all the markings nearly as above, but of a pale brown ; the white lunules of the posterior wings are edged with black ;. the second band composed first of a brown fascia, then a series of seven or eight red spots, bordered with black. Head black, with two white lines in front ; antennz black. Thorax black above, with two pale lateral lines ; below gray. Abdomen black above, gray below, the sides with the margins of the segments pale. In the collections of the British Museum and W. W. Saun- ders, Esq. . 4 This species is closely allied to P. Nomius of Esper, but may be known by its smaller size, the line in the black border of the anterior wings instead of a series of dots, and some other cha- racters, Pap. Leosthenes. Pap. alis anticis trigonis, posticis caudatis, omni- bus albidis, marginibus externis nigris, anticarum linea, posticarum lunulis sex albidis notatis ; anticis fasciis transversis quatuor, pos- ticis duabus nigris. Exp. alar. 25 unc. vel 64 mill. Hab. Australia. Above, anterior wings whitish, slightly tinged at the base with greenish, the outer margin broadly fuscous black, divided by a whitish line extending from the second median nervule nearly to the anal angle; near the base are two transverse fuscous bands, continued across the posterior wings beyond the middle ; a third Mr. E. Doubleday on some new Diurnal Lepidoptera. 373 band crosses the middle of the cell, extending beyond the median nervure ; a fourth covers the end of the cell, nearly touching the “black border. Posterior wings tailed, with a broad fuscous black margin marked with a series of whitish lunules between the ner- vules, less defined towards the anal angle, where they are mar- gined with bluish, the abdominal margin black; the termina- tions of the two transverse bands marked by four yellowish lunules, bordered with black, of which two are placed outside the second band, two between these and the abdominal margin ; tails black, bordered with whitish. Below, all the wings with the markings nearly as ove but there is an indication of a second pale line in the dark margin of the anterior wings, and on the posterior wings two additional red lunules outside the second band near the costa. Head brown, white anteriorly ; antenne black. Thorax brown above, with two white lines anteriorly, below grayish white. Abdomen fuscous above, grayish white below. In the collections of the British Museum, H. G. Harrington, Esq. and W. W. Saunders, Esq. This species represents in Australia P. Nomius, P. Podalirius, and their allies. Pap. Branchus. Pap. antennis brevibus, alis omnibus nigris, anticis supra macula discoidali albida, posticis fascia rufa, subtus posticis maculis quatuor basalibus, lineaque marginis interni coccineis. ? Exp. alar. 3} unc. vel 85 mill. Hab. Honduras. Above, anterior wings black, the disc with a large whitish spot divided by the median nervure, below which is a spot com- posed of scattered whitish scales, outer edge with indistinct, whitish spots between the nervules. Posterior wings dentate, crossed beyond the cell by a broad band composed. of six spots of a dull crimson, externally paler and tinged with buff, the first roundish, the second, third, fourth and fifth somewhat wedge- shaped, the sixth nearly square; outer margin dentate, cilia between the teeth whitish. Below, anterior wings as above; the posterior wings with four spots at the base and a line along the abdominal margin bright crimson ; the transverse band paler than above. Head black, with two red spots behind ; antenne short, black. Thorax black, spotted with red below ; prothorax with two red spots above, Abdomen black, with two lateral red spots at the base. In the collection of the British Museum. This species is closely allied in form to P. I/us, but is at once 374 Mr. E. Doubleday on some new Diurnal Lepidoptera. known by the different position and form of the white spot on the anterior wings and the broader, differently coloured band. of the posterior. Its short antennz also are a good distinguishing © character, giving somewhat the appearance of a Parnassius. Pap. Harmodius. Pap. alis anticis subelongatis, posticis dentatis, caudatis ; omnibus supra nigro, olivaceo-nitentibus, macula magna marginis interni alba, posticis maculis quinque chermesinis. ? Exp. alar. 35 unc. vel 90 mill. Hab. Bolivia (Mr. Bridges). Above, anterior wings fuscous black, with bright olive-green reflections, marked with a large white spot below the cell, divided into two unequal parts by the first median nervule, and slightly crossing the radial nervure, not extending either to the cell or the inner margin. Cilia white, except at the apex and the ends of the nervules, where they are black. Posterior wings black, with olivaceous reflections, crossed considerably beyond the middle by a band composed of five crimson spots, the first rounded, the second smaller, somewhat oval; third oval, much larger, rather truncate externally ; fourth oval, rather smaller than the third; fifth quadrate ; between this band and the margin one or two small faint whitish clouds. Cilia white, except at the end of the teeth. } Below, all the wings paler than above, without any olive lustre ; the spots of the posterior wings pale, darker externally ; the base of the anterior wings marked on the costa with a brilliant car- mine spot, the cell with four black longitudinal vitte, the white spot as above; base of posterior wings with three crimson spots, one on the costa, one in the cell, the third below the~median nervure. Cell with three black longitudinal vitte. Head black, with two whitish lines in front and two spots of the same colour on the vertex. Thorax black, spotted with white above. Abdomen black, the sides spotted with white. In the cabinet of the British Museum. | Closely allied to P. I/us, but easily distinguished by the dif- ferent position and form of the white markings on the anterior wings, the want of the crimson in the discoidal cell below, and other less obvious characters. Pap. Pharnaces. Pap. alis omnibus nigris, purpureo-nitentibus, pos- ‘ticis dentatis, caudatis; serie duplici macularum rubrarum, mar- gine ipso albo notato. Exp. alar. 43 unc. vel 120 mill. Hab. America Merid. Above, anterior wings fuscous black, paler beyond the middle, with slight purple reflections, the outer margin sinuate, slightly edged with white in the sinuosities. Posterior wings dentate, Mr. E. Doubleday on some new Diurnal Lepidoptera. 375 with a short obtuse tail, black, with bright purple reflections, marked beyond the middle with three somewhat cuneiform ro- seate spots, one in face of the cell, two between the median ner- vules, between these and the margin four sub-lunulate spots ; anal angle with a spot of a more rufous hue, above which are three small groups of rosy atoms. Below, browner than above, the posterior wings with a series of rufous lunules beyond the middle, all resting on a black cloud, the one on the costa white externally, the next very faint ; a second series between these and the outer margin all edged with white, the white spots on the edge larger than above. Head and thorax black, spotted with red. Abdomen black, with a red spot at the base. In the collection of Conrad Loddiges, Esq. Pap. Isidorus. Pap. alis anticis elongatis nigris, posticis dentatis subcaudatis, maculis quatuor rufis, margine ipso albo maculato. Exp. alar. 33 unc. vel 95 mill. Hab. Bolivia (Mr. Bridges). Above, anterior fuscous black, inclining to brown, the cilia spotted with white; posterior wings dentate, subcaudate, darker than the anterior, marked with two large red spots between the median nervules, preceded and followed by a smaller one ; margin itself and cilia between the nervules white. Below, paler than above ; the anterior wings with a large white spot, divided by the median nervure and its nervules; posterior wings with two rather large pinkish white spots between the me- dian nervules, preceded by a series of four red smaller ones, sur- mounted each by a faint red-cloud and followed by two round spots on the abdominal margin ; margin and cilia as above. Head black, with two white lines in front and two white spots on the vertex. Thorax black, with four red spots above and six below. Abdomen brownish, with a red spot on each side at the base. In the collection of the British Museum. | Allied to P. Anchisiades, but the anterior wings are entirely of a black brown above, and below have the white spot placed much nearer the middle of the wing. The posterior wings have far less red than those of P. Anchisiades and Ideus, which they somewhat resemble, especially below; they are moreover much more acutely dentate. Pap. Madyes. Pap. alis omnibus supra cupred-virescentibus, anticis fascia maculari, posticis lunulis quinque pallidis, subtus anticis nigris, eneo-nitentibus, apice late flavido, posticis flavidis nervis nervulisque nigris ; fascia pone medium nigra, maculis argenteo- 376 Dr. Buchanan on the Wound of the Ferret. albis notata; serieque marginali lunularum argenteo-albarum. Exp. alar. 4 unc. vel 102 mill» Hab. Bolivia (Mr. Bridges). Above, all the wings coppery-green, inclining to olivaceous ; the anterior with a transverse curved macular yellowish band, commencing a little below the costa, beyond the cell, and ter- minating near the anal angle; between it and the apex three rounded spots of the same colour, and the faint indication of two similar spots within it, between the median nervules. Cilia spotted with white. Posterior wings with a series of greenish yellow lunules near the hinder margin. Cilia between the teeth white. Below, the anterior wings are black, with green reflection ; the apex and outer margin occupied by a broad band of a dull greenish yellow, narrower and macular towards the anal angle ; the outer margin very narrowly fuscous, except at the anal angle, where the margin is broader; the cell with two slender whitish lines towards the base. Posterior wings dull greenish yellow ; the nervules and a Y-shaped vitta in the cell black ; a black band traverses the wing beyond the cell, marked with a series of sil- very-white spots between the nervules, all of which are geminate except the first and last. On the margin itself a series of white lunules, bordered internally with black, shading to purplish and green, the black prolonged nearly to the transverse band. Cilia between the teeth white. Head black, spotted with white. Thorax bronzy black above; sides yellowish. Abdomen bronzy green above, yellow at the sides, black, spat ted with white below. In the collection of the British Museum. Allied to P. Archidamus, but easily distinguished by the cha- racter given above. XLIIT—On the Wound of the Ferret, with Observations on the Instincts of Animals. By ANDREW Bucuanan, M.D., Pro- fessor of the Institutes of Medicine, University of Glasgow *, Havine often heard of the remarkable way in which the Ferret destroys its victims, I willingly availed myself of an opportunity presented to me on the 26th of August last (1845), of seeing two rats killed by this animal. I found the common account quite correct, that the Ferret kills by means of a small wound in the neck ; but the explanation usually annexed [ found quite erro- neous, that the Ferret aims at the jugular vein, and destroys life * Read before the Philosophical Society of Glasgow, and communicated by the Author. Dr. Buchanan on the Wound of the Ferret. 377 by sucking the blood of its victim. The rapidity of the death was quite inconsistent with so tedious a process as blood-sucking, and the dissection showed the true cause to be totally different, and so very curious, that I have thought it not unworthy of the notice of the physiological section of the Society. The two rats being put into a large barrel, concealed them- selves under some hay in the bottom of it. On the Ferret being introduced, it seemed dazzled with the sunshine, for it took no notice of one of the rats placed right before it ; but soon finding the scent, it burrowed under the hay, taking the very track which the rat had just taken, and thus came round directly upon him. The rat, which was of large size, resisted stoutly, but the Ferret, instead of returning the bites it received, seemed entirely occu- pied with putting itself into a proper position, applying itself to the body of its antagonist, breast to breast, and using the fore paws and head, as if going to embrace it. No sooner had it as- sumed this position, than it inflicted a wound, which was so in- stantaneously fatal, that a physiologist might have guessed from that circumstance alone, what the nature of the wound must have been. The rat died without a struggle: and the Ferret imme- diately disengaged itself from the body, instead of remaining to suck the blood, and soon falling on the track of the other rat, destroyed it exactly in the same manner. _ I now proceeded to examine the dead animals. Neither of them exhibited any marks of injury inflicted by the Ferret, ex- cept a bloody patch on the side of the neck, under the ear. In the first one which I looked at, there was at the upper part of this bloody patch, or a little below and behind the ear, a very small punctured wound, and on dissecting it carefully to the bottom, I was surprised to find that the sharp dens caninus, by one of which the wound was obviously inflicted, had gone right down to the spinal cord, piercing it between the occiput and the upper- most cervical vertebra. The Ferret therefore destroys its victims by pithing, a process well-known to be the most immediately fatal, to the upper orders of vertebrated animals, of all modes of de- stroying life: and it employs for the purpose one of its long slender dagger-like tusks, a weapon singularly well adapted to inflict a wound which proves fatal, neither by laceration nor con- tusion, but by penetrating into the very centre of the nervous system, on which the most important functions of life imme- diately depend. The death of the other rat was obviously produced in the same way ; but there was no external wound visible on any part of the bloody patch on the neck, the tusk having been inserted into the external ear, and then penetrating the cartilaginous side of the auditory passage had been carried towards the vertebral canal, Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xviii. 2K 378 Dr. Buchanan on the Wound of the Ferret. which it entered under the occiput, more laterally than in the former case. It is certainly very remarkable, that instinct, or the promptings of bodily organization, should lead an irrational creature to use its weapons in the very way in which a profound knowledge of the functions of the nervous system teaches that they may be used with the most deadly and instantaneous effect. The cerebro- spinal axis, or great central nervous column, lodged in the elon- gated cavity of the head and spine, cannot be wounded at any point without interfering more or less with sensation and motion ; but the part of this nervous column, on the integrity of which the continuance of life immediately depends, is the medulla ob- longata, or part of the column lying intermediate between the head and spine. Wound an animal below this point, and you paralyse his limbs more or less, but life may be protracted for years after such injuries. Wound the animal above this point, and you not only produce palsy, but impair or destroy con- sciousness and the faculties of the mind. Still, however, just as we see in a man struck down by a fit of apoplexy, the action of the heart and the respiration may go on little or not at all affected. It is on the upper part of the cord that these import- ant functions immediately depend, and hence it is that to the higher vertebrata, a wound inflicted there is the most instanta- neously mortal of all wounds, at once destroying consciousness, sense and motion, and arresting the action of the heart and re- spiratory muscles. It is not a little remarkable that the Ferret should select this very part of the cord into which to thrust his tusk ; and serves to show how the promptings of instinct may anticipate the deductions of science. To those who love to speculate on the mental endowments of brutes, it may not be uninteresting to know how two young Fer- rets that had never before seen a rat killed, deported themselves on the occasion. Before putting the old Ferret into the barrel where the rats were, a trial was made with two young ones, her offspring. ‘The untutored creatures, instead of having for their single object to put themselves into the proper position to inflict the death-wound, enaged in conflict with the rats, returning bite for bite ; and, although one of the rats had its leg bitten through, they at length beat off their assailants. Still further, after the old Ferret had despatched the first rat, one of the young ones im- mediately threw itself upon the dead body, assuming the very po- sition and motions which the old one had assumed, and so far as could be judged from there being but one wound, thrusting its tusk into the very same aperture. Did then the young Ferret receive a lesson from the old one? The facts do not at all accord with this hypothesis, for the young one, instead of attending to Dr. Buchanan on the Wound of the Ferret. 379 the lesson given it, was all the while engaged in skirmishing with the other rat. Besides, the headlong fury with which the young animal threw itself upon the dead body had nothing in it of the caution of an experimental and intellectual act, but partook al- together of the character of a blind impulse—an intense feeling of bodily gratification, impelling the creature to the act which it performed. The acts which we name instinctive, appear to me to be best explained upon the hypothesis that they proceed from the promptings of bodily organization. The bodily organs of animals are formed in a certain way to adapt them to the performance of certain acts, which acts the animals perform readily and with pleasure to themselves: other acts to which their organs are not adapted, they cannot perform at all, or not without a painful constraint, and therefore they do not perform such acts. One animal goes to sleep stretched upon the ground, finding that to be the position in which there is the most complete repose of the muscular system ; another supports itself on one leg, upon a spar, a position which the former animal could not maintain, without the most painful efforts, for more than a few seconds. That po- sition, however, is admirably adapted to the organization of birds, their bodies maintaining their equilibrium in perfect security, and without muscular exertion, by a mechanism which Borelli has ex- plained. According to the same law of the adaptation of organs birds fly, fish swim, quadrupeds walk and run, and every animal uses its weapons, offensive and defensive, in the way in which the Author of nature meant them to be used. This physiological theory of instinct seems to me more probable than that which refers it to innate ideas, or any other peculiarity of mental consti- tution ; or than the extraordinary hypothesis of Lord Brougham*, who refers all instinctive acts to the immediate inspiration of the Deity—-the divine mind supplying the place of reason and di- recting the bodily organs. This is exactly the doctrine of Pope, and with deference to so great a man, seems to me to savour more of poetry than of philosophy. “* Reason exalt o’er instinct as you can, In this ’tis God directs, in that ’t is man.” It is commonly said that instinct is independent of all reason- ing, education and experience ; and it has been assumed as a cha- racter of the instinctive acts, that they are performed as perfectly at the first as at any subsequent time. This holds good only among the lowest animals, whose whole actions are automatic, or without any intervention of the reasoning power ; but it is so far from being universally true, that it may be affirmed, that in all * Dissertations on Subjects connected with Natural Theology. 380 Dr. Buchanan on the Wound of the Ferret. animals capable of reasoning, the instinctive acts are under the control of the reasoning power, and are frequently not per- formed aright at the first, as in the case of the young Ferrets above-mentioned. The ultimate result, however, of the reasoning process in such cases cannot be doubtful, since the bodily orga- nization operating upon the mind will admit of only one conclu- sion; and hence, even in the highest species of animals, these instinctive acts are always ultimately performed exactly in the same way. The instinctive acts which excite our wonder most are such as those we observe among the insect tribes, in which the inter- vention of reason cannot be suspected, and which are, on that account, the better fitted to elucidate the true nature of instinct. But the wonder with which we regard the workmanship of in- sects proceeds mainly from an erroneous view of the directing power by which it is carried on. The honey-comb and the spi- der’s web are, without doubt, wonderful in their structure; but they are in no respect more wonderful than the elaborate struc- tures which the microscope displays to us in every tissue of ani- mals and vegetables ; even in the mathematical exactness of form, so much celebrated, they are not superior to the regular hexagons which form the epidermis of many plants, and which we find equally regular in the same tissue of certain reptiles. Now, the former structures are not held to be more wonderful than the latter, because they are fabricated by the instrumentality of mus- cular fibres ; for in that point of view we should marvel more at the latter, which are fabricated by less perfect instraments— vessels and cells. ‘The true cause why the former structures have been regarded with most wonder is, that it has been supposed that the action of the muscles which form them must be volun- tary—a supposition which implies necessarily the existence of a directing mind. Now, the physiology of the present day gives no countenance to such a supposition. It shows us, on the con- trary, innumerable muscular acts in all animals, with which vo- lition has no more to do than with digestion or nutrition. Such acts may originate in external impulses which excite the nervous system, and the acts follow immediately, as if from a physical necessity. They may originate also, as in the case before us, in internal impulses, derived from the organic condition of the tis- sues of the body, and the changes they are continually under- going. ‘The two series of structures which we have brought into comparison are therefore to be regarded as the products of the same organizative or plastic force ; which, acting in one way, em- ploys vessels and cells for its instruments, and produces, within the body, the innumerable structures of which animals and ve- getables are made up; and, acting in another way, employs for Dr. Buchanan on the Wound of the Ferret. 381 its instruments muscular fibres under the direction of the nervous system, and produces, without the body, structures which bear the same impress of regularity and beauty. as those within it, and co-operate with them to the same ends—the preservation of the individual and. the species. Corals and other polypidoms may be considered as standing in the very same relation to the swarms of zoophytes which people them, in which the honey-comb does to a swarm of bees. Both are structures external to the bodies of the animals which produce them, and both are the products of the same organizative power; the only difference being, that in the one case this formative power employs its ordinary instru- ments—cells, and possibly vessels—while in the other it em- ploys the more unwonted apparatus of muscular fibres. I have more recently had an opportunity of examining several animals killed by the Ferret. I found that instead of there beng only one wound, there are always several, as might, indeed, have been inferred from the mechanism of the jaws, and their being armed with four tusks. The wounds are so minute as to be im- perceptible externally, unless one of the tusks has pierced the jugular or some other superficial vein, so as to stain the sur- rounding skin with blood ; but as this, although generally, does not always happen, there may be no external mark visible. But, on dissecting off the skin, the wounds become at once apparent in the cellular and muscular substance beneath. The injury done to the upper part of the spine is therefore more extensive than I had at first supposed. It is also less uniform in its seat ; as I more than once found that the tusk had pierced the cranium, and gone deep into the back part of the brain. The mode of attack is also very various, according to the relative strength of the com- batants ; but the struggle is always brief; and the Ferret never remains after it to suck the blood. From these observations, confirmed as they were in all essen- tial respects by many others made under the eye of an intelligent friend, I was disposed to conclude that the vulgar belief of the Ferret destroying its victims by blood-sucking was erroneous ; and that it had most probably arisen from the appearance of the dead animals, which exhibit commonly no mark of injury but a small wound, surrounded by a bloody patch on the neck. Now, the very same appearance would be produced by a leech fasten- ing on the neck: and hence most probably it was inferred that the leech and the Ferret practised the same mode of attack. This opinion has, however, received the sanction of the highest authorities in natural history. Buffon says*, “The Ferret is na- turally the mortal enemy of the rabbit. On presenting a rabbit, * Histoire Naturelle, vol. vii. p. 211. 382 Dr. Buchanan on the Wound of the Ferret. even dead, to a young Ferret that has never seen one before, it throws itself upon the body and bites it with fury; and, if the rabbit be alive, the Ferret takes it by the neck or by the nose, and sucks its blood.” In the ‘ Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles’ *, Ferrets are described as being of a most sanguinary nature: “ It is even more the blood than the flesh which they seek for their nourishment.” MM. Geoffroi St. Hilaire and Fred. Cuvier, the authors of the splendid work ‘ Histoire Naturelle des Mammi- féres,’ repeat the same opinion :—“ The Ferret, in attacking a rabbit, seizes it by a part of the head, masters it, and sucks its blood, and, as soon as satisfied, falls asleep.” As the above quotations refer chiefly to the rabbit, and as it was possible the Ferret might not practise the same mode of attack upon that animal as upon the rat, I resolved to put the matter to the test of experiment. My first trial was made with a full-grown male rabbit, and a Ferret nine months old, which had never seen a rabbit before. The Ferret immediately commenced the attack, but it was always repulsed, and ultimately obliged to retire al- together, the rabbit adopting a very remarkable mode of defence ; for whenever the Ferret came near, he sprung right upwards, and came down with the whole force of his hind legs upon the head of his assailant. I now sent off the rabbit, to be tried with the old Ferret which had killed the two rats, as mentioned above. The distance was too great to admit of my being present ; but I received a full report of what passed from the friend already mentioned, whose zeal in natural science led him to take an in- terest in the experiment. The rabbit pursued the same tactics in defending himself as before ; and so long as he had free space for his evolutions he came off victorious, as the Ferret could never get an opportunity of laying hold of him. They were therefore put together into a box. There the Ferret soon succeeded in seizing the rabbit across the root of the nose, shaking him, as a dog does, from time to time, and never letting go the hold till the rabbit ceased to live. Instead, however, of despatching him in the course of a few seconds, there was a full half-hour from the commencement till the end of the struggle. It was agreed by all present, that while the Ferret held on by means of her teeth, she sucked the blood flowing from the wound. The dead rabbit being sent to me for examination, I found the vessels as full of blood as usual; the brain had not been injured ; the bones of the nose and orbit had been pierced; but the main injury done had been to the eyes, which were completely disorganized and full of blood. It thus appeared that the idea of the Ferret sucking blood was * Article Martes, division Putois. Mr. W. Thompson’s Additions to the Fauna of Ireland. 3838 not without some practical foundation. I was, however, at the same time convinced that the observations from which it had been inferred that the animal always causes death by the abs- traction of blood, must have been very superficially made. I have been assured by persons well-versed in such matters, that even the rabbit is frequently destroyed by a wound in the neck ; and I recollect well, when a schoolboy, of having had a young rabbit destroyed by a weasel, and of the astonishment I felt at seeing upon it, when dead, no mark of injury of any kind, but the mysterious bloody patch and small wound on the side of the neck, described above. The truth seems to be, that whenever the Ferret attacks an animal which it is capable of mastering by main force, it despatches him, not by blood-sucking, but by the. most speedy and merciful of all modes of inflicting death— piercing the upper part of the spinal marrow; but that when it is opposed to animals of large size and strength superior to its own, it alters its mode of warfare, seizing them where opportunity offers, and clinging to them till they expire from loss of blood, pain, and exhaustion of strength. XLIT.— Additions to the Fauna of Ireland, including a few species unrecorded in that of Britain ;—with the description of an ap- parently new Glossiphonia. By Wii1i1am Tuompson, Pres. Nat. Hist. and Philos. Society of Belfast. [Continued from p. 315*.] Mo.uuvusca. Nassa varicosa, Turt. (sp.). Tritonia varicosa, Turt. Zool. Jour. vol. ii. p. 365. pl. 13. fig. 7. A dead specimen was dredged (depth twelve to fifteen fathoms) off the south entrance to Bantry Bay in May 1846 by Mr. MacAndrew. Pleurotoma teres, Forb. Ann. Nat. Hist. vol. xiv. p. 412. pl. 2. fig. 3. : One dead specimen was dredged from about fourteen fathoms in Bir- terbuy Bay, county of Galway, in the summer of 1845 by Mr. Barlee. This gentleman—when accompanied by Mr. Jeffreys—obtained in the same bay very fine specimens of the rare Pleurotoma Boothii, Smith (sp.)—Fusus Boothii, Wern. Mem. vol. viii. p. 98. pl. 1. f. 1. * As the marks of doubt placed after Bonaparte’s Sandpiper and the Sword-fish, in the first part of this communication (p. 311, 314) might con- vey the erroneous impression that there is uncertainty respecting the spe- cies, it seems to me desirable to state, that there is no doubt on that subject. Those marks should rather have been placed before the name as expressive of uncertainty about the admission of the species into the Irish Fauna. 384 Mr. W. Thompson’s Additions to the Fauna of Ireland, Pleurotoma striolatum, Scacchi, Philippi, Enum. Moll. Siciliz, vol. u. p. 168. pl. 26. fig. 7. A single recent, but dead ets taken with Nassa varicosa, as above. “At the late Meeting of the British Association, this was no- ticed as the first instance of the species having been obtained in the British seas; but Mr. Alder has since informed me that he procured it in Torbay, Devonshire, in the summer of 1845, Pleurotoma brachystomum, Phihppi, ibid. vol. ii. p. 169. t. 26. fig. 10. This species was found in Bantry Bay in the summer of 1844 and 1845 by Mr. Barlee, who has this season procured it on the west coast of Scotland. It was dredged at Zetland by Mr. MacAndrew and Professor E. Forbes, in 1845. Pleurotoma levigatum, Philippi, ibid. vol. i. p. 199 ; vol. 1. p. 169. t..13 fie 17, Mr. Alder writes to me as follows in Oct. 1846 :—* I have two specimens of what I take to be Pleur. levigatum, Phil., from Dr. Far- ran, who got them in Connemara. This shell I have had undetermined in my cabinet for some time, as Mr. Clark gave me worn specimens several years ago, but there was a doubt at that time whether it was not a variety of P. nebula. It appears to be constant in its charac- ters, and a good species.”’ This is the first notice of its occurrence in the British seas. Ovula patula, Penn. (sp.). A shell of this species, found some years ago on the sandy beach of Magilligan, county of Londonderry, by Mrs. R. A. Hyndman of Dublin, is in the cabinet of Mr. Hyndman at Belfast. Natica Montagui, Forb. Malac. Monensis, p. 32. Three or four specimens were obtained from a depth of forty-five fathoms uff Cape Clear by Mr. MacAndrew ;—who remarks : “‘ I have besides met with it only on the west coast of Scotland and at Zet- land ; it is there a common shell in from twelve to fifteen and up to fifty fathoms, on a rather hard bottom.” A living N. Montagui was dredged in Belfast Bay at the same time with the following species. Emarginula crassa, Sowerby, Forbes, Ann. Nat. Hist. vol. xiv. p- 410. pl. 11. fig. 1. A few specimens taken at the Kish Bank in 1845 by fishermen, were found in their boats on their return thence to the Dublin coast by Mr. Doran, jun. (collector of objects of natural history), of whom they were purchased by Mr. Hyndman. This gentleman and Mr. Edm. Getty, when dredging at the entrance of Belfast Bay on the 3rd Oct. 1846, obtained from a depth of twenty fathoms five dead shells of this species. These were from 9 to 14 lines in length; the specimen of this latter size was 10 lines in breadth and 8 in height. A few living and dead specimens of Hmarg. fissura were dredged with the EH. crassa on this occasion. including species new to that of Britain. . 385 Pecten fuct*, Gmelin. P. Landsburgii, Forbes, Wern. Mem. vol. vill. Procured on rocky ground, east of Cape Clear (forty to forty-five fathoms), by Mr. MacAndrew, who remarks, that ‘ it is a common, though rather deep-water species. I have obtained it at Scilly, Isle of Man, Mull of Galloway, Glenluce Bay, Clyde and Hebrides— generally adheres to stones; only at Oban have I found it attached to the Fucus.” Pecten similis, Laskey, Wern. Mem. vol. i. p. 387. pl. 8. fig. 8. Numerous valves were dredged from forty-five fathoms off Cape Clear by Mr. MacAndrew, who finds it ‘‘ an abundant deep-water species from Scilly to Zetland.” ‘This species was noted at the sug- gestion of Professor Edw. Forbes as probably synonymous with P. levis, in my Report on the Invertebrata of Ireland. Arca raridentata, Searles W ood in Charlesworth’s Mag. Nat. Hist. vol, iv. p. 282. pl. 16. fig. 4. A living specimen, and a valve of this Arca, were obtained with the last species. It is a crag shell. Mr. MacAndrew procured it alive for the first time off the island of Skye in the summer of 1845. Neera cuspidata, Olivi (sp.). An imperfect specimen was taken with the preceding two species. Lucina lactea, Poli (sp.), Lam. Procured off the south-west coast by Mr. MacAndrew—off Balti- more Harbour, thirty fathoms ; and from twelve to fifteen fathoms in Bantry Bay. Tellina balaustina, Linn. Two valves of this species, as determined by Mr. G. B. Sowerby, were dredged on the occasion already alluded to in Birterbuy Bay by Mr. Barlee. It has not before been noticed as inhabiting any of the coasts of the British Islands. - Montacuta oblonga, Turt. Brit. Biv. p. 61. pl. 11. figs. 11, 12. Taken in fine sand from thirty fathoms between Baltimore Har- bour and Cape Clear by Mr. MacAndrew, who adds, “ frequent in company with fine live specimens of Eulima subulata.” Botrylloides albicans, Edwards, Ascid. Compos. p. 88. pl. 6. fig. 2. July 16, 1846.—I found this species attached to the under side of a stone in a pool between tide-marks at Springvale, county of Down. It was likewise attached to Fuct (F. vesiculosus, &c.) growing in the rock-pools, and was in much smaller masses than the following spe- cies ; generally but one system of individuals existed in each mass. * Since the above note was sent to press, I have learned from Mr. Barlee that he obtained this species in Birterbuy Bay (co. Galway) in the summer of 1845. 386 Mr. W.Thompson’s Additions to the Fauna of Ireland, On the small branches of Fuci to which it was attached, there was not room for more ; nor was there indeed on the broadest portion of the main stem, whence the leading branches of the plant issued : —the latter is its favourite position, ‘The specimens agreed in all respects with the description and figures in Edwards’s work. Botrylloides rotifera, Edw. Asc. Comp. p. 85. pl. 6. fig. 1? was attached to the under side of the same stone with the last, and covered several square inches of its surface. I mark it with doubt on account merely of some little difference in colour. The ‘ con- sistance gélatineuse”” was rather hyaline than ‘jaunatre ;” the in- dividual forms were more of a uniform red than in Edwards’s figure, and were each as brightly coloured as in B. rubrum, Edw., and of the hue that it is represented to be. The individuals being arranged in a scattered manner, and not thrown into masses as in B. rubrum, was a striking character. There is no record of these two species of Botrylloides having been procured on any other part of the coast of the British Islands. CIRRHIPEDA. Adna anglica, Leach. Three dead specimens were obtained on fragments of Caryophyllia from rocky ground east of Cape Clear—forty to fifty fathoms, by Mr. MacAndrew. Nore. Balanus punctatus, Mont., to the exclusion of every other species or form, profusely covers over the stones and rocks between and above tide-marks, on various parts of the coast of Down, as I have also observed it to do on the Dublin coast. * CRUSTACEA. Lynceus lamellatus, Mull. Eurycercus lamellatus, Baird. Taken in Lough Neagh at the beginning of August by Mr. A. H. Haliday and W. T. Cypris reptans, Baird ? Taken with last; together with a species of Daphnia, believed by Dr. Baird to be undescribed: the Lynceus and Cypris were named by this gentleman ; the specimen of the latter being in a bad state was marked with a note of doubt. * Scorpionidea. Obisium maritimum, Leach, Zool. Mise. vol. iii. p. 52. A very few individuals were taken in fissures of marine rocks at Bangor, (Downshire,) in July 1840, by Mr. Hyndman and myself; one specimen was obtained by us under a stone between tide-marks at Gull Island, Strangford Lough, in June 1846. I compared the Irish specimens with Leach’s in the British Museum. The west of England is the only habitat assigned to the species in the ‘ Zoological Miscellany.’ including species new to that of Britain. 387 Noves. Portunus holsatus, Fabr., Bell, British Crustacea, part 3. p. 109 (1844), Professor Bell remarks at p. 111 of the excellent work just re- ferred to, in reference to this species :—‘‘ In Ireland, according to Mr. W. Thompson’s statement, it has occurred repeatedly ; but as it appears to me that faded specimens of P. marmoreus might be easily mistaken for this species, it is always desirable that they should be compared with those well-distinguished specimens which exist in the British Museum.” If the figures in any work will suffice, so as not to render necessary an examination of actual specimens, that work is in my opinion Leach’s ‘ Malacostraca Podophthalmata Britanniz.’ Several years ago I compared a number of the figures in it with the specimens in the British Museum from which they were drawn by Sowerby, and found them to be represented with such extraordinary accuracy, that I considered a reference to the work itself all-sufficient from that time forward. The suggestion of my friend Professor Bell commands my entire acquiescence as a general rule, but the comparison was in the pre- sent case unnecessary, as the Portuni in question from the several lo- calities which I named, were, as stated by me, the P. lividus of Leach’s work (P. holsatus, Fabr.) as contradistinguished from his P. mar- moreus. Of this fact, I had the pleasure of affording Prof. Bell ocular demonstration on my next visit to London after the publication of the preceding extract. But whether or not these Portuni are really distinct species—judging from series of specimens obtained by the author of the ‘ History of British Crustacea’ since the publication of part 3—is for him, and not for me to state. It may be added, that colour alone, unaccompanied by structural differences, was never in the case of any species regarded by me of the least specific value. Pagurus Cuanensis, Thomp., Bell, Brit. Crust. part 4. p. 178. June 22, 1846.—A specimen of this Pagurus was dredged in Strangford Lough—in fifteen to twenty fathoms water—by Mr. Hyndman and myself. It was alive and inhabiting a Trochus magus. A conspicuous character was presented in its beautifully ringed an- tenn. These were of a bright red hue alternating with pure white or yellowish horn-colour, the rings of each colour very unequal in extent. The portion of the body exposed to view when this Pagurus is in situ, is prettily mottled over with reddish brown and white. ANNELIDA. Nemertes melanocephala, Johnst. Mag. Zool. and Bot. vol. i. p- 535. pl. 17. fig. 5. Under stones resting on a rich oozy sand between tide-marks at Gull Island, Strangford Lough, two of this species were obtained in June last by Mr. Hyndman and myself. Both were of a pale yellow colour ; the one half an inch, the other an inch in length: they agreed in every respect with the description and figures cited. 388 Mr. W.Thompson’s Additions to the Fauna of Ireland, Borlasia octoculata, Johnst. id. p. 537. pl. 18. fig. 2. A few specimens agreeing in size and all the characters with the description and figures were obtained with the last. Borlasia purpurea, Johnst. id. p. 537. pl. 18. fig. 3. This species, differing little from the last in any external character but that of colour, was procured at the same time, but was much more numerous, Several specimens of this and the other species of the same family here noticed were kept alive for three weeks in a phial of sea-water, and thus afforded ample opportunity for observation. The water was not changed during that period, but the length of time that they would have lived under such circumstances was not ascertained, in consequence of my leaving home. The individuals of this species were about 3 inches in length and perfectly agreed with the description and figures ; some had only six, and others eight eyes as stated by Dr. Johnston. Borlasia olivacea, Johnst. id. p. 536. pl. 18. fig. 1. A worm agreeing in all characters of form and colour with this— having four eyes, and marked with red over the site of the heart ; characters specially named as they are apparently not constant— was procured between tide-marks in July 1846 at Bangor, Down- shire, by Mr. Hyndman and myself. A specimen agreeing with this, except in having eight eyes, was taken with the species noticed as obtained at Strangford Lough in June, but, judging from zoological characters only, I could not think that it was distinct from B. purpurea. Planaria lactea, Mill. Zool. Dan. vol. iu. p. 47. pl. 109. figs.1, 2? This species is marked with doubt from the circumstance of its differing in the following characters from P. lactea. 'The chief central vessel represented in the figure as of about equal breadth throughout, expands in this into an ovate form about the centre of the body— and the ramifications from it, represented as purple in P. lactea, are in this of a rich fawn-colour. My specimens are 9 lines in length, when the breadth is 2 lines; eyes pyriform, generally two in num- ber, placed as in P. lactea (a specimen had two at one side, and one eye at the other); colour milk-white, but the main vessel and its ramifications, spreading throughout all the body except the mere margin, imparts a handsome delicate fawn-colour to the animal. All of the many specimens taken were of the same colour; the size al- ready noted marks them as considerably larger than Miller’s. When .in motion they were generally more elongate (of about equal breadth throughcut) than P. lactea is represented to be, but occasionally appeared of the same form as the figure in the ‘ Zoologia Danica.’ During an excursion round the shores of Lough Neagh at the be- ginning of August 1846, when I was accompanied by Mr. A. H. Ha- liday, this species was found to be very common, attached to stones at the margin of the lake, and to subaquatic plants. It was grega- including species new to that of Britain. 389 rious, several individuals being generally adherent to the under side of a stone a few inches in diameter. Planaria nigra, Miller, Z. D. vol. ui. p. 48. pl. 109. figs. 3, 4. This species was found abundantly in the same localities, and under similar circumstances with the last. With the unimportant ex- ception of being more of a brown colour and of rather less size, they perfectly agreed with the figure in the ‘ Zoologia Danica,’ and also with the description, so far as given. They were when fully extended 3 lines in length; under a high magnifying power a row of black dots appeared closely disposed round the margin of the anterior part of the body. Sir John G. Dalyell figures similar dots in his P. nigra (‘« Ob- servations on Planarie,” fig. 5), but in my specimens there are three for one represented in it—in the description however they are men- tioned as numerous. August 22, 1846.—Three Planarie agreeing with Sir J. G. Da- lyell’s P. nigra, and brought from the pond in the Zoological Garden, Pheenix Park, Dublin, with Hydre, &c. in May last, are now living before me. These differ from the P. nigra of the ‘Zool. Dan.’ in being of a jet-black, of a much softer consistence, more shapeless, and being able to diminish themselves to a much less size. When at rest they sometimes appear as a round black spot, not more than half the size of the other when contracted to the utmost, though when stretched out they reach its full dimensions :—they are much more protean in the forms they assume. The softness alluded to is well shown in Dalyell’s figure 15—the L. Neagh specimens are always of a firm consistence. When changing the water on these Planaria, the individuals (I shall not call them distinct species) from each locality exhibited a marked difference, though all appeared in equally good health, the latter always retaining their hold against the sides of the phial, while the others, though the liquid was poured out in the gentlest manner, became detached. Specimens which I have obtained on subaquatic plants in ditches at the outskirts of Belfast were similar to those from Lough Neagh. Planaria torva, Mill. Z. D. vol. m. p.48. pl. 109. figs. 5, 6. Several individuals just as described and figured in the work re- ferred to were obtained under stones at Church Island, Lough Beg (adjoining L. Neagh), on the occasion alluded to under P. lactea. Templeton notices “ P. fusca, Pallas,” as Irish (Mag. Nat. Hist. vol, ix. p. 239) without. giving any particulars respecting it. This species and P. torva are said by Duges to be identical (Lamarck, 2nd edit. vol. iii. p. 607). Nephelis octoculata, Moquin-Tandon, Monog. Hirud. p. 302. pl. 3, figs. 1-11. 2nd edit. Four individuals of this species found among subaquatic plants at Lough Neagh on the occasion already alluded to were brought home for examination. They were not more than half the size of those figured by M.-Tandon, nor of so dark a hue generally—anteriorly 890 Mr. W. Thompson’s Additions to the Fauna of Ireland, they were somewhat hyaline. They each possessed eight eyes, which changed their places like objects in a kaleidoscope; their usual position was, the four anterior in a straight line across the : body, and so they always appeared when the anterior portion oe of the body was pressed against the phial in the act of pro- gression : the hinder pairs of eyes generally appeared as here repre- sented, or across the body, but occasionally displayed them- selves in the opposite direction thus, and the anterior eyes Fd were then seen as figured, the head of the creature at the |" * same time having quite a truncated aspect. Of several species of ‘“* Hirudinées”’ brought from L. Neagh and kept alive for a few weeks*, this was the only one that had the power of swimming; it was extremely active, and wriggled about through the water like an Ammocetes—it was truly ‘‘as merry as a grig.” August 20, 1846.—Among the Hydre, &c. alluded to under Pla- naria nigra as brought from the Pheenix Park, Dublin, was an indi- vidual] of this species :—the water from which it was taken for exa- mination today had been kept unchanged for three months in a large glass globe. Glossiphonia Eachana, Thompson. Specific Character.—‘ Body oval; anterior portion not dilated into a distinctly-formed head; back smooth ;” margin slightly crenu- late ; eyes eight; stomachal lobes eight, subpinnate ; prevailing hue hyaline. The size commonly extends to 9lines. The eight eyes are dis- posed in four pairs, each pair on the same segment of the body, the two hinder pairs the larger; eight pair stomachal lobes anterior to great stomachal pouches, subpinnate—as much so as represented in G. marginata, Moq.-Tandon, pl. 14. f. 14. 2nd edit.—the two anterior pair are small, and when empty but little apparent ; from each side of the stomachal lobes emanate four subpinnate branches which appear in a continuous row with the stomachal lobes anterior to the pouches on each side. It may be remarked that the spur-like form of the stomachal pouches (see pl. 13. fig. 6 ¢ & d, Moquin, 2nd edit.) was not always clearly defined, in which state their four branches ap- peared as if issuing directly from the main trunk like the anterior eight pair of lobes. This difference will be understood by a refer- ence to Moquin-Tandon’s figure 4. of plate 13 (2nd edit.) repre- senting the ordinary appearance, and his fig. 3. pl. 4 (1st edit.) the latter. Four pair of ceca. Colour—back viewed with a very high magnifying power exhibited about four distinct rows of white spots, with a few smaller spots irregularly interspersed; but the general aspect was of a glassy transparency of a very pale red tinge, im- parted to it by extremely minute dots of red disposed over the body and disc. This glassy transparency rendered the vessels of the di- * In addition te those named in this communication as previously unra- corded, there were Glossiphonia seaoculala, G. bioculata and G. tessel- lata. meluding species new to that of Britain. 391 gestive system, which were of a fine dark red colour, very conspicuous; and, owing to the jagged outline of the series of lateral lobes, &c. the creature was so extremely beautiful, that it might be compared to an arborescent agate. It is well-entitled to the epithet vermiculus splendidissimus applied by Miller to the very nearly allied Gloss. heteroclita*. ‘To that spe- cies, it indeed, judging from the description, bears a strong resemblance—but belongs to a different division of the genus:—to that de- fined as having more than six stomachal lobes, which are more or less pinnate, and termed *«« Lobina” by Moquin-Tandon (p. 369. 2nd edit.). This is the genus Hemocharis of Filippi (not of Savigny): the species here described may be termed Hem. Eachana by those who consider the characters of generic value. : Pontobdella levis, Blainville, Moquin-Tandon, Monog. Hirud. p- 290. 2nd edit. A Pontobdella in my collection agrees with this species in all the detailed characters assigned to it in the work referred to, in which the description is taken from Blainville’s in the ‘ Dict. Sci. Nat.’ t. 47.1827, p. 243. The species differs from P. muricata and P. ver- rucata, as its name denotes, in being smooth ; which it is all over the surface. Where the specimen described by Blainville was procured was not known; but it is stated to have been sent to him by M. Pa- retto of Genoa. Mine, which may be noted as 4 inches in length, was obtained alive in April 1838, either at Portpatrick or Donaghadee by Capt. Fayrer, R.N., who commanded the mail steam-packets be- tween these ports. This gentleman remarked at that period, when sending me the specimen, that he found it in the bottom of a fisher- man’s boat, into which it must have been brought with sea-weed, then being gathered for manure at low-water. This Pontobdella gave out to the spirits in which it was put for preservation a beau- tiful scarlet colour. A specimen of P. muricata which I lately (Oct. 1846) received imparted a beautiful and intense green colour to the spirits in which it was placed. Nores. Ditrupa subulata, Berkeley. The only part of the coast on which this interesting species has hitherto been noticed being the north-west (Zool. Jour. vol. v. p.424), it may here be mentioned that specimens dredged by Mr. MacAn- drew from forty fathoms, and still deeper water off the Old Head of Kinsale and Cape Clear, have been kindly given to me by that gen- tleman, as have others by Mr. Stutchbury (the able Curator of the * Miiller, ‘ Helminthica,’ p. 50, where a very full description is given of the species. 392 Mr. W. Thompson’s Additions to the Fauna of Ireland, Bristol Institution) dredged from ninety-three fathoms, at a distance’ of ninety miles (English) due south of the last-named locality. Mr. MacAndrew considers this ‘‘ an abundant deep-water species,’ and has ‘‘ obtained it off Scilly in forty-five fathoms; in the middle of St. George’s Channel from sixty fathoms ; and westward of Zetland from eighty fathoms.” Planaria cornuta, Miull., and P. vittata, Mont.. In the month of May 1845 I made a communication to this Journal (vol. xv. p. 320) on the subject of the P. cornuta, Mill., in which it was remarked, that the individuals described were more round in outline than Dr. Johnston’s specimens, as represented in the ‘ Magazine of Natural History,’ and still more so than those of the ‘ Zoologia Danica,’ but that I was unwilling to consider them as specifically different. In the following month of September, M. Quatrefages published in the ‘ Annales des Sciences Naturelles,’ an elaborate and splen- didly illustrated memoir on Planarie discovered by him on the coasts of France, Italy and Sicily, and gave new names to the spe- cies. One of these, found at St. Malo, is the same as that obtained in Belfast Bay, and is called Proceros sanguinolentus. No reference is made by the author to the P. cornuta described and figured by Miller in the ‘ Zoologia Danica,’ and by Johnston in Loudon’s ‘ Magazine of Nat. Hist.’ for 1832, either with respect to his species being the same, or nearly allied to them. Having myself looked critically to the subject, I can state with certainty that the species procured in Belfast Bay is identical with that of Quatrefages, and have indeed no doubt that Dr. Johnston’s is also. Miller’s I am now rather disposed to regard as different, in which case the name of Proceros sanguinolentus, Quat., or Planaria sanguinolenta, Quat., may be adopted for the British species. In the same memoir, this author described and figured what is called a new species under the name of “‘ Proceros? cristatus.”’ This is the Planaria vittata, of which a description and figure were given by Montagu in a paper read to the Linnean Society in 1807, and published in the 11th volume of the ‘ Transactions.’ This author knew the species only from two individuals taken at the same time at Kingsbridge, Devonshire. The next notice of it known to me is in a communication made by myself to the 5th volume of the ‘ Annals’ (p. 247), in which an individual was recorded as dredged in Strang- ford Lough in October 1839. In the month of July of the following year we took a second specimen (between tide-marks in this in- stance) at Roundstone, on the western coast of Ireland. It is to be regretted, for the sake of science, that M. Quatrefages, who is bestowing such unwearied attention on the more obscure por- tions of the marine Invertebrata, and illustrating his subjects in such a splendid manner, should not have been aware of the investi- gations of those who have preceded him, and above all of the wri- tings of Montagu, whose researches were chiefly made on the oppo- site side of the same channel as his own. ‘This species is an in- including species new to that of Britain. 893 stance in point, having been found by M. Quatrefages at St. Vast- la-Hogue in Normandy, and Montagu’s, as already stated, in Devon- shire. EcHINODERMATA. Brissus lyrifer, Forbes, Brit. Echin. p. 187. Of this species—discovered by Professor E. Forbes in the Clyde in 1840-—a few individuals were obtained off the south-west coast of Ireland by Mr. MacAndrew. ‘To use this gentleman’s words, ‘‘ One or two specimens were brought up from a depth of forty fathoms off Cork, and off Cape Clear, and from thirty fathoms in Bantry Bay, near Great Bear Island. I have found it a frequent inhabitant of muddy bottoms in from 12 to 100 fathoms.” Holothuria. Since the publication of Forbes’s ‘ History of British Echinoder- mata,’ a species of this genus as now limited (with normally twenty tentacula) was noticed by Mr. Couch in the ‘ Cornish Fauna’ (part 2. p. 73); and another, believed by Mr. Peach to be distinct, has been described and figured in the ‘ Annals,’ vol. xv. p. 171. pl. 14. At Tory Island, off the north-west coast of Donegal, Mr. Hyndman procured a specimen of this genus in a rock-pool between tide-marks in August 1845. I abstain from naming the species even with doubt in the present state of our knowledge of the Holothuria. Syrine Harveii, Forbes, Brit. Echin. p. 249. Two specimens of a Syrinz were dredged in Strangford Lough from a depth of fifteen to twenty fathoms on an oozy bottom in June last by Mr. Hyndman and myself. They agree with the S. Harveit, and at the same time with the S. granulosus, M‘Coy (Annais, vol. xv. p- 272. pl. 16. fig. 2), accordingly as they are viewed by the unas- sisted eye or by magnifying power. The body of the former is de- scribed as being “‘ quite smooth,” of the latter ‘‘ nearly smooth, very minutely and uniformly granulated ;” a difference which we might expect to find between examples of 23 and 7 inches in length ; these being the respective dimensions of those described by Professor Forbes and Mr. M‘Coy. ‘The body of my specimens—the larger of which is under 2 inches in length—appears to the unassisted eye not only quite smooth, but shining, though in a subdued tone ; yet, when magnified, extremely minute papille are seen over its surface. I therefore regard S. granulosus as not distinct from S. Harveii. The figure of S. granulosus represents my specimens very well: they are of a very pale grayish brown colour, Nores. Cucumaria fusiformis, Forbes and Goodsir, Brit. Echin. p. 219. This species has already been enumerated in my Report on the Invertebrata of Ireland, but no particulars respecting it have been published, The specimen there alluded to, was dredged in ten Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xviii. 2k 894 Mr. W. Thompson’s Additions to the Fauna of Ireland, fathom water, at Donaghadee, by Dr. J. L. Drummond in the sum- mer of 1843. Cucumaria Hyndmani, Thomp., Forb. Brit. Echin. p. 225. A specimen of this Cucumaria, hitherto known only as Irish, was taken at Saltcoats, Ayrshire, in June 1845, and has been kindly sent to me by the Rev. D. Landsborough. ZOOPHYTES. Coryne Listeri, Van Ben. (sp.). ! Syncoryna Listeri, Van Ben. (sp.), Johnst. Brit. Zooph. p. 41. pl. 2. 2nd edit. I obtained this zoophyte in July last attached to stones between tide-marks at Ballyholme, Belfast Bay. Both polype and polypidom agreed in every character of form and colour with the description given in Dr. Johnston’s work, but I cannot think this and the Coryne (C. squamata, Johnst. Brit. Zoop. pl. 2. figs. 2 & 3. Ist edit.) which is commonly found on the Fuci (especially Fucus nodosus) of our shores, the same species. ‘This latter generally forms masses at the base of the branches and around the stem of the plant named: each indi- vidual rises singly from its base, as represented in the figures re- ferred to. The one is a branched, the other a simple species: the polypidom is horny (Tubularia-like) in S. Listeri ; in the other soft and fleshy. Turbinolia milletiana, Defrance. This species, only known as fossil until Mr. MacAndrew dredged it alive off the coast of Cornwall in the spring of 1845, was obtained by similar means off the Isles of Arran (Galway Bay) in the summer of that year by Mr. Barlee. Since this note was taken, the Irish station has been published in the 2nd edit. of Johnston’s ‘ Zoophytes.’ Corynactis Allmani, Thompson. A species of Corynactis, differing considerably from C. viridis, All- man (Ann. Nat. Hist. vol. xvii.417. pl. 11), has been procured by dredging in Belfast Bay and Strangford Lough (fifteen to twenty fathoms). It is somewhat doubtfully on my part given as speci- fically distinct from C. viridis ; but Professor Allman, to whom a spe- cimen was submitted in a living state, considers it to be so. Spec. Char.—C. with several regular concentric series of capitate tentacula, those of the third and fourth rows being about equally regular and numerous as those of the two outer rows : those nearer the mouth irregularly disposed. The colour—red of various shades—is wholly different from that of C. viridis, though not included in the diagnostic characters. A full description of the species has been forwarded to Dr. Johnston for the 2nd edition of his ‘ British Zoophytes.’ Dysidea? papillosa, Johnst. Brit. Sponges, p. 190. pl. 16. fig.6. This species, dredged from a depth of fifteen to twenty fathoms including species new to that of Britain. 395 in Strangford Lough, on the 22nd June last, by Mr. Hyndman and myself, was brought home in a living state, and proved on the expansion of its tentacula to be a Helianthoid Zoophyte. It was then noted as—‘‘ Coming very near Zoanthus, Cuv. (Rég. Anim. vol, iii. p. 293. edit. 1830), if indeed it should be generically sepa- rated from it. The character of ‘ each individual rising from a com. mon base’ does not apply to it, and the generic character must con- sequently be either altered to suit the species, or this be constituted a new generic form.” Other observations made at the same time are now unnecessary (as the sequel will show)—the preceding note is given merely with reference to one on this subject at p. 252, second edition ‘ British Zoophytes.’ When lately on board Mr. MacAndrew’s yacht at Southampton, Professor E. Forbes pointed out to me living specimens of Zoanthus Couchii (according to the Cornish Fauna) which had been dredged off the southern coast of England, and these to my surprise proved to be the same species as I had obtained. All the specimens named ‘‘ Z. Couchii”’ that I had previously seen, were the very different Sarcodictyon catenata, Forbes (Johnst. B. Z. p. 179.* pl. 33. figs. 4-7, 2nd edit.). On referring to Couch’s work, I agreed with my friend about the identity of the species, which, being certainly the. same as that from Strangford Lough, decided, at least to my mind, the question that D.? papillosa and Z. Couchit are not distinct. Dr. Johnston, not having seen the living animal, placed his D. papillosa doubtfully among the Sponges. In doing so, he judiciously remarked, that it is ‘‘ nearly allied to the Alcyonium ocel- latum of Ellis and Solander, Zoop. p. 180. tab. 1. fig. 6 ; and it is pro- bable that the two productions are of the same nature, whatever this may be.”—Brit. Spong. p. 191. This species was dredged by us in Strangford Lough in 1835, as noticed in the ‘ Annals’ (vol. v. p. 254). It was, as on the last oc- casion, found adherent to dead bivalve shells—Venus aurea, V. ovata, Corbula striata. ‘The figure referred to in the ‘ British Sponges’ represents the species from this locality. AMorPHOZOA (SPONGES). Notes. When dredging in Strangford Lough on the 22nd of June last with Mr. Hyndman, we were singularly fortunate in the number of sponges obtained; there were as many species as all our former dredgings combined produced :—the depth was from fifteen to twenty fathoms, the bottom soft and rather oozy. Among them were two new species, which await Dr. Johnston’s description: one of these however, previously taken elsewhere is in that author’s possession, though as yet undescribed. ‘Three others of interest, although not additions to the Fauna, may be noticed. * Dr. Johnston has here (p.180) correctly brought the Youghal species under this—it is the Zoanthus Couchii of my Report. 22 396 Mr. W. Thompson’s Additions to the Fauna of Ireland. Tethea lyncurium, Linn. (sp.), Johnst. Brit. Sponges, p. 85. fig. 12 (p. 87). A few individuals of this species were procured: they were both on dead and on living specimens of Modiolus vulgaris, and on dead univalve shells. They were all bright yellowish orange in colour (hence Pallas’ name aurantium) when recent, but became at once discoloured on being putin spirits. The largest Tethea is 13 inch high by 1} inch in diameter. The numerous spicula were in some indi- viduals confined to the apices of the tubercles, and in others pro- jected from all parts of them, so as to give to the entire surface of the animal when alive a conspicuously hispid appearance. One or two specimens of what seem to be young Yethee (half an inch diameter) on the same shell with the old, are quite smooth on the surface. Halichondria (Tethea) carnosa, Johnst. Brit. Sponges, p. 146. pl. 13. figs. 7, 8. ' The only locality for this species given in the work referred to, which was published in 1842, is Roundstone Bay, Connemara. The author omitted noticing the species as from Strangford Lough, where I dredged it in July 1838, and sent it to him with many other sponges, on being informed of his contemplated work upon the sub- ject : in the same year this species was procured in Belfast Bay * by Dr. Drummond. In July 1840 it was dredged by our party at Kil- lery Bay, Connemara; two specimens thence in my collection, as well as the first alluded to, are attached to Turritella terebra. Several procured in Strangford Lough in June last are attached to Cytherea ovata—the largest is 23 inches in height, and quite pyriform. Halichondria hispida, Mont. Wern. Mem. vol. ii. p. 86. pl. 5. figs. 1,2; Johnst. B.S. p. 98. This species was only I believe known from Montagu’s descrip- tion of specimens obtained in Devonshire until the month of March last, when Dr. Scouler, in a contribution to this Journal, (vol. xvil. p- 176) noticed it as having been dredged from deep water at Round- stone by Mr. M‘Calla, collector of objects of natural history. A few specimens were taken under the circumstances already mentioned in June last at Strangford Lough : the largest is attached to a valve of Cytherea ovata, over which its base spreads, and thence it branches out on either side. Montagu’s figure of the species is characteristic, and his description admirable as usual, and so full as to require no addition. Halichondria mammillaris, Dysidea fragilis, D.? papillosa (as already noticed), Cliona chelata, &c. were obtained on the same occasion, The only Irish station given in Johnston’s ‘ British Sponges ’ for * It is noticed in the ‘ Annals’ for March last, p. 177, as lately [18455 found here. M. Sundeyall on the Birds of Calcutta. 397 the two following species being Dublin Bay, I shall here copy some notes upon them ;—their forms have been known to me since 1835, Halichondria incrustans, Esper. (sp.), Johnst. B.S. p. 122. pl.12. fig. 3. and pl. 13. fig. 5. Abundant, adherent to rocks between tide-marks on the Down coast. Dr. Johnston calls it an ‘‘ unattractive species,” in which— but it is a matter of mere taste—I cannot agree. Its reddish orange colour on the dark rocks is to my eye most lively and pleasing, and more particularly so, when other sponges are in its immediate prox- imity. At Ballyholme, Belfast Bay, within the space of a very few square feet, this species may be seen in small orange patches on the rock ; Hal. panicea in green masses, and by throwing aside the hang- ing fronds of Fucus nodosus (covered by their parasite Polysiphonia Jastigiata), Ptilota plumosa densely clothing the shaded rock is ex- posed to view, and on it the Grantia botryoides and G. foliacea grow plentifully, and the G. ciliata is sparingly seen. Although H. incrusians inclines generally to look directly down upon the water, or to grow on the under surface of rocks (see Grant, quoted in Johnst. B. 8. p. 124), I find it also attached to their per- pendicular sides, and when so, the “ fecal orifices ” are elevated, but not very much, above the surface. Grantia coriacea, Mont. (sp.), Johnst. Brit. Sponges, p. 188. pl. 21. fig. 9. was found on an Anomia attached to an oyster dredged at Killough, Downshire, March 1835. W. T. XLIV.—The Birds of Calcutta, collected and described by Caru J. SUNDEVALL*. [Continued from p. 309.] 44. Bucco philippensis, Briss., L., Lath., Temm. in Pl. Col. livr. 88.—B. indicus, Lath. (B. parvus, Gm., Lath, est junior, auct. Temm., loc. cit., quod nomen potius ut specificum adhibendum ; sed junior mihi ignotus.) Olivaceo-viridis, subtus flavescens viridi-maculatus ; fronte macu- laque pectoris antici coccineis; gula, macula supra aliaque infra oculos flavissimis. (¢ 9 adulti, simillimi, Febr. Martii.) Longit. 6 poll. Ala 83 mill., tarsus 18, cauda 88. Pedes pallide rubri. _Orbita nuda, rubra. Iris rubra. Lingua plana, lata, basi ut vulgo sagittata; margine membranacea, apice obtusa; leviter la- cero-bifida. Remigum 1? brevissima; 4" reliquis longior. (Testi- culi in medio Febr. tumidi. Ova tumida et oviductus crassitie in- testini, initio Martii.) This handsome little bird was common around Calcutta, and * Translated from the ‘ Physiographiska Sillskapets Tidskrift’ by H. E. Strickland, M.A. 398 M, Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutia. was said to lay its eggs the beginning of March, but I did not see the nest. A more voracious glutton can hardly be found ; the specimens which I killed had not only the stomach but also the throat filled up to the mouth with berries of the two species of Ficus (F. benjamina and indica), which are common in Bengal. Insects were not found inthem, The flight and motions were very heavy and inactive. These birds were only seen solitary ; they commonly sit upon a branch, and utter almost incessantly their ho! ho! (or jo!) with a strong shaking of the whole body at every note. This sound is pronounced very short, not strong, but tolerably pure, like a rather low note on the flute (from the lower G to the second #). The same individual always utters the same note, but two are seldom heard to make it exactly alike. When therefore two or more birds are sitting near each other, a not unpleasant music arises from the alternation of the notes, as it sounds most like the tone of bells. The note being feeble and clear, it appears to come from a distance, though one may be only ten or twelve ells from the bird. The Bengal name of the bird is Benebo, This name has been by the older writers incor- rectly applied to Timalia grisea (Baniah-bow of Albin). 45. Bucco cyanicollis, Temm. loc. cit.—Capito cyanocollis, Vieill. Trogon asiaticus, Lath. no. 8. Viridis, non maculatus, facie juguloque cyaneis: capillitio coc- cineo fascia lata media nigricante ; puncto utrinque juguli coccineo. (3d Qadulti, Martio.) 81 poll. Ala 100-108 millim., tarsus 24, cauda 70. Lingua plana, lanceolata, basi non sagittata! apice leviter fissa, laciniis integerrimis. Iris obscure rubra. Orbita nuda obscure rubra. Rostrum flavescens supra nigricans. Ala parum superat anum, remigibus 1-3 gradatis, 4-6 subequalibus, reliquis longioribus. ectrices 10, obtuse, zequales. This species also is common near Calcutta, and is called the borro Benebo (Great Benebo), the former being tutto (or little) Benebo. It is heavy and dull like the former, lives solitary in the same manner, and feeds on berries, but seemed to be more temperate, and the berries found im the stomach were always broken asunder. The note may be expressed by rokuro) ! rokuro) ! The middle syllable is uttered a note higher than the other two. Both males and females cry in the same manner, sitting still with outstretched neck. At intervals they were seen to spring aside, or transversely across the branch, with considerable activity, so that at first sight they resemble a Squirrel. They were seen from February to May. 46. Cuculus ejulans, n.—Bhrou Cuckoo, Lath. Gen. Hist. iii. p. 265. no. 4 (et forte idem ac plures Cuculi ex India, ibi e picturis M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 399 descripti. Aff, C. solitario, Cuv., Le Vaill. Afr. 205,—et radiato, Lath. 22.) Cinereus, pectore sordide fulvescente, ventre cinereo-fasciato ; cauda cinerea fasciis 6 angustis, nigris, postice albido marginatis. 6 adultus Febr., Martio. Magnitudo, structura et ratio partium ut Cuculi canori: rostrum, nares, pedesque omnino illius. Differt rectricibus lateralibus minus abbreviatis, et remige 4* reliquis lon- giore (in canoro 3* reliquis longior). Longit. 14 poll. Ala 200 millim., tarsus 20, cauda 180. Plumarum rhachides parte occulta paullo tumida, lanato barbata. Color superne immaculatus, vinaceo- cinereus. Gula pallide cinerea. Pectus et latera corporis vinaceo- testacea, posterius pallidiora, fasciis non crebris, transversis, pallide cinereis. Abdomen et crissum albida. Ale colore dorsi, pennis fuscioribus, intus fasciis triangularibus, abbreviatis albis. Caudz fascie bis arcuate ; apex latius niger, late testaceo-marginatus. Iris flava. Pedes saturate flavi*. | This species shows much similarity to our Cuckoo, and the mode of life seems also nearly to correspond. When flying or reposing on a tree, as well as when walking on the ground, it altogether resembled that bird, but the note was quite different ; it sounds like parupiu! peripiu! piripiw! The third syllable is long, and every word is pronounced about twice, nearly in this manner :— It thus mounts the scale of notes at every second ery, three or four times, till the note is as high as the bird can raise it, when it makes a short pause and begins anew. Thus it continues for whole hours, especially in the morning and evening, even after it is quite dark. When one is in a house surrounded by trees, as at Serampore, this nocturnal music becomes wearisome, for it is anything but agreeable; it is im the highest degree harsh, grating and incessant. What especially adds to its unpleasant- ness is that the bird makes all the intervals alike, without attend- ing to the semitones, which to our ears are essential in musie. The specimens obtained (two males) were very fat, with tender skins, as in our Cuckoo. They had eaten a great number of caterpillars, but as these were not hairy ones the stomach was not rendered internally villose, as'is the case with C. canorus * This species was first described under the name of Cuculus varius by Vahl near fifty years ago in a paper on the birds of Tranquebar in the ‘Skrivter af Naturhistorie-Selskabet,’ published at Copenhagen, vol. iy. art 1. p.61. C. fugax, Horsfield, and C, Lathami, Gray, Ill. Ind. Orn, are ater synonyms.—H. E. 8. 400 M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. during summer, when such larve abound, the hairs from which become attached to the internal skin of the stomach. I learnt nothing as to its mode of breeding. The Bengalese name is Sikkrie, which is also applied to Falco tinnunculus and melanop- terus, so that here people often confound the Hawks and Cuckoos. I saw and heard this species from February to May, but pro- cured no female. The bird is tolerably shy like our Cuckoo. 47. Cuculus orientalis, L. et auct. (= ¢); Horsf. Jav. L. Tr. xiii. —Coucou a gros bec, Le Vaill. Afr. 214. CC. scolopaceus, L. et auct. (= 92). Eudynamis orientalis, Vig. et Horsf. Nov. Holl. L. Tr. xv. (C. punctatus, auct., veris ¢ primo anno.) Nares oblonge immarginatz ; tarsi breves, cauda fortius rotun- data.— ¢ niger. ? fusca, albo varia, fasciis caudz numerosis irregu- laribus. Iris sanguinea. Lingua sub-cartilaginea, mediocris, sensim an- gustata, apice rotundato, integerrimo, stricla superne impresso ut rudimentum fissure. Rostrum et pedes robustiores, alee paullo bre- viores quam in Cuculis genuinis. Cutis firma. Plume corporis forma vulgari, nec, ut in Columbis et Cuculis genuinis, scapo tumido. 6 adultus (Febr., Martio) totus pure niger, virescenti nitens, im- maculatus. Rostrum pallidum, basi fuscescens. 14} poll. Ala 181 mill., cauda 180,-tarsus 32, digitus medius 28, cum ungue 38. 3 jun. (d. 1 Maii) niger, minus nitens, subtus remigibusque fuli- ginosus, opacus ; remiges tamen ultime primarize et ultime cubitales renovate, nigrze, nitide. Alarum tectrices inferiores et crissum albo undata. Rostrum pallidum flavescens. 2 (d. 3 Martii ovo subper- fecto in oviductu). Supra fusca, eneo-nitens, crebre albomaculata : maculis capitis subtestaceis, longitudinalibus, una in apice singule plume; dorsi et tectricum parvis, rotundis, 2~3 cujusque plume. Subtus alba fusco varia: gula colloque maculis sub-longitudinalibus, et lateribus plumarum fuscis. Pectus, ad pedes usque, fasciis tenui- bus, angulatis. Hypochondria et crissum fasciis sub-regularibus. Remiges fuscze fasciis interruptis fulvo-albidis. Rectrices striis circa 18 oblique transversis et flexuosis, albidis. Long. 143 poll. Ala 180 millim., tarsus 31; digitus medius 27, cum ungue 37, cauda 180. This also is a noisy bird which occurs frequently near Calcutta. The males were heard all the time that I remained there, crying almost constantly ¢orrui! torrua! and both sexes often uttered a note like that of the Kestrel or Woodpecker, tjee! tee! tee! tee! They were not seen to alight on the ground, but remained in bushes or small detached trees, and seemed to enjoy the sun- shine. They were not shy like the true Cuckoos. The stomach, which was very. thin with a soft muscular coating, was always found full of berries ; it was never seen to contain insects (Febr.— Apr.). They lay their eggs in March, for in the above-described female was found one which was nearly full-grown, but without M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 401 shell. I could not get to see the nest, but according to Levail- lant and Buchanan (in Lath. Gen. Hist.) it is like a crow’s nest, in which the bird itself deposits its eggs. This species seems to occur in the whole torrid zone of the old continent, including Ulimaroa. The Bengalese name is kukuill or kokill, formed from the note like the Latin Cuculus. The name Bought-Sallik, which the older authors give as Indian, I have not heard. 48. Cuculus philippensis ?, Vieill.—C. egyptius 3, auct. (nec C. bu- butus, Horsf. Jav.). Niger alis rufis (Centropus, Jdlig.). Between February and April I several times saw near Calcutta a rather large black bird with red-brown wings, which certainly was one of the so-coloured species of Cuculide, with a long claw on the hind-toe as in the larks ; but it was so shy and wary that I could not succeed in shooting it. It was considerably larger than the foregoing, but less than the Javan C. bubutus. Those which I saw were solitary, or two together, and of the same co- lour as far as I could distinguish. They remained on the ground unobserved among bushes, and always flew up at my approach, after which they glided among the bushes and trees, especially those which grew thickly, till I could no longer perceive whither they had gone. No sound was heard from them. The flight was somewhat noisy like that of poultry. In the stretching-out of the neck, the motions and attitudes of the body, they had also a remarkable resemblance to the Gallinacee. This resemblance is still greater in certain African species with yet shorter wings, and a gray spotted plumage, so that there is little except the ar- rangement of the toes, two forwards and two backwards, which distinguishes them from the gallinaceous birds. This difference also disappears in the African Musophagide (e. g. Schizeris cine- rea, Wag]. = Phasianus africanus, Lath.) and the American Penelo- pide, which form important links between the Cuckoos and Phea- , sants. A remarkable similarity is also seen between the Pigeons and the true Cuckoos, to which C. canorus belongs. The mode of flight and of walking on the ground, the colours, the tender skin and the structure of the feathers have a great resemblance. The feathers of the body have in both these genera the hidden portion of their shafts considerably thickened, spongy, and fur- nished with a branched downy web. In the true Cuckoos too the somewhat slender beak has an erect fleshy margin round the nostrils, which is yet more developed in the Pigeons. 49. Coracias indica, L. et auct.—C. bengalensis, L., &c. C. nevia ¢ adult, Wagler, Syst. (C. nevia propria ut junior ejusdem speciei loc. cit. describitur, quod in Iside 1829, p. 737. emendatur.) Rufescens, capite superne ventreque viridibus; capitis lateribus juguloque albido striolatis ; rectricibus equalibus, violaceis, medio 402 -M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. late albido-cyaneis. Alze czeruleze et violaceee. ¢ (d.19 Martii) ut descriptio Wagleri citata. Long. 12} poll. Ala 172 millim., tar- sus, 25, cauda 120. Iris obscure rufescens.— 9 vix differt. Junior = Cor. neevia 2? Wagleri. The Indian Roller is yet more splendid than ours, which it otherwise much resembles ; it has also the same rough ugly voice, but the flight seemed to be less quick, somewhat tortuous, and sometimes almost tumbling. The food consists chiefly of grass- hoppers, at least I found nothing else in its stomach. It is com- mon in Bengal (Feb.—May), and is there called Nilkhont. 50. Merops viridis, L. et auct., et ejusd var. 6, 6 et e, Lath. (Var. y=M. egyptius, Forsk., Licht.: gula flava). Viridis, macula oblonga per oculos striaque transversa juguli nigris; gula cerules- cente ; remigibus pogonio interiori fulvis, apice nigris. Rectricibus 2 mediis apice longissimo, tenui (adulta). 6 Febr. Color olivaceo-viridis ; capite supra, presertim poste- rius cum nucha fulvescente. Iris coccinea. Longit. (preter rectrices 2 medias) 7 poll. Ala 100 millim. Pes e talo ad apicem unguis 26. Rostrum 26. Rectrices 70 = apices 2 elongati 70. Remiges 1? spuria; 2 et 3 subzequales, integra; relique apice cordato-incise. Lingua longa, tenuis, integerrima, acuta. Cutis maxime firma (vel duriuscula). Musculi occipitis tenues, fere spatiis perviis distincti. Ventriculus fortius musculosus. 9 Similis mari, vix minus nitide colorata. This handsome bird was seen commonly in trees near Calcutta, but I am uncertain whether they occur later than the middle of March. It does not live in flocks, but several are generally seen near together, and.I killed two males at the first shot (Feb. 9). In their stomachs they had insects of all orders, and they were continually seen flying out from the trees to catch these, return- ing back again almost like a Muscicapa. The flight was gliding, with the wings motionless and held straight out, forming an isosceles triangle. I never saw this species wheel round in large circles like Swallows, as the European Bee-eater is said to do. No other sound was heard from them but a soft hissing srrrr - - --i---! which was commonly when they flew. The Bengalese name was said to be Bashbatia; but through a mistake of their colours they are also named Benebo, which name belongs to Bucco, and Massrenga which belongs to Alcedo. In Latham’s ‘Gen. Hist.’ six other names are given for them. 51. Alcedo ispida, L. = A. bengalensis, Gm., Lath. (ex Edw. tab. 11. fig. inf.)*. * Alcedo bengalensis, var. 8. Lath. = Edw. xi. fig. sup., est distincta species. Simillima, vix minor, capitis lateribus ceruleis ; = 4. meningting, Horsf. Jav. L. Tr. xiii. Temm. Pl. Col. 239. 2. Forte = A. ispida, Rafil. Sumatra, L. Tr. xiii? An etiam Bengaliz incola? M. Sundeyall on the Birds of Calcutta. 403 Var. dorso cyaneo, minus virescente tincto quam in individuis europeis.— ¢ Adulius (Calcutta Martio). Longit. 6 poll. Ala 69 millim.; pes e talo ad apicem unguis 25; rostrum e fronte 38 ; altit. 7; cauda 35. Rostrum totum nigrum, et pedes tenuiores quam in individuis Europzis collatis. Colores puriores, sed pictura per- fecte eadem. Iris obscure fusca. Remigum prima paullo brevior quam 4°. Alius ¢ (Calcutta Febr.) simillimus sed rostrum basi subtus pallidum. Aliud individuum (Mus. Lund. e.Calcutta) simil- limum, etiam mensuris et tenuitate pedum; differt rostri altitudine 8 millim. et maxilla inferiore tota pallida. As long as I remained in Bengal kingfishers occurred there frequently. Near such water-tanks as were surrounded with small trees or bushes, one or two of these handsome birds were always seen sitting, ready to pounce on small fish, their only food. The Bengalese name is Massrenga or Matjrunga (from mat), fish, and renga or runga, red, gay or coloured), also ¢jutto massrenga or little kingfisher, to distinguish it from the follow- ing species. All the specimens which I have seen from Bengal are distinguished by somewhat brighter or purer colours from the European ones which I have had an opportunity of seeing, two of which were shot here in Skania in 1835 and 1836. This is evidently an effect of the warmer climate, but besides this, the Bengalese ones always have smaller though not shorter feet than the European ones. This may probably arise from the greater warmth, which has more rapidly and completely dried up the soft parts in fresh-stuffed specimens in India than in Europe. The resemblance is too great for one to assert any specific dif- ference. 52. Alcedo smyrnensis, L. et auct., et ejusd. var. y. Lath. (var. f. dist. sp.). Gen. Halcyon, Swains. Castanea, collo antico (ad medium pectus) albo, dorso alis cauda- que ceruleis, vitta cubitali nigra. Macroura rostro recto pedibusque sanguineis. & (d. 12 Mart.). Alarum tectrices medie nigre, fasciam obli- quam formantes ; minime castanez, maxime colore dorsi. Scapu- lares sordide cerulei. Remiges 3-5 subeequales, reliquis longiores ; omnes primariz apice nigre, pogonio interno albo; cubitales 14, quarum 12 equales, intus nigre. Cauda rotundata, longit. trunci, subtus nigra. TJvbia apice vix nuda. Lingua parva, triangularis, apice rotundato, integerrimo. 103 poll. Ala 118 mill. Pes e talo ad apicem unguis 40. Rostrum e fronte 60, altit. 15, cauda 76. Alius $ (mense Apr.) simillimus, preter alam 115 millim., rostrum 55, caudam 80. 9° similis mari. This is certainly one of the handsomest of birds, in respect both of the splendour of the colours and their pleasing distribu- 404. M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. tion. The chestnut-brown body and snow-white throat, together with the splendid blue of the back, wings and tail, form an un- commonly beautiful whole, which is especially admirable in the living bird when it expands the wings. When the skin is dried, somewhat of the brilhancy of colour is lost, which is the case with most high-coloured birds. This species occurred not rarely about Calcutta. It dwells in the higher trees, or the summits of bamboos, in the vicinity of water, from which it may perhaps procure small fish, though the chief food seems to consist of in- sects. The stomach, which is very thin, almost membranous, was always found full of grasshoppers and crickets, without any remains of fish. This bird flies tolerably quick, somewhat like a woodpecker, and betakes itself to a greater distance when dis- turbed, over the tops of the trees, without regard to the vicinity of water. It seems to be stationary near Calcutta, and was seen in pairs in April. The voice was not heard. The Bengalese name is borra matchrenga or great kingfisher. In Latham’s ‘ Gen. Hist.’ the name given is Paula gumma. 58. Alcedo capensis, L. et auct.—Gen. Halcyon recentiorum. Pallide fulvescens, superne sordide cerulea, capite nuchaque ci- nereis; dorso obtecto nitide cyaneo. Rostrum rubrum, apice recto dorsi carina planata*. & (Serampore d. 25 Febr.). Iris rufo-grisea. Pedes rubri. Gula albida. Corpus subtus lineolis fuscis, tenuissimis transversim un- dulatis. Ale et cauda nitide cinereo-cerulee. Long. 14 poll. Ala 150 mill.; pes e talo ad apicem unguis 50; cauda 106; rostrum e fronte 81; altit.20. Rostrum crassum, compressum dorso rectissimo, sutura adscendente. Remiges 1-3 gradate ; 4* ceteris longior. Lin- gua brevissima (12 millim.), obcordata, basi ut vulgo sagittata ex- trorsum dilatata, apice profunde incisa, laciniis obtuse rotundatis! I only saw the specimen described, which was found sitting on a post, at a large water-tank. The stomach, which was very thin, was empty, but smelt strongly of fish. The form of the body seemed to be somewhat more slender than in the foregoing spe- cies. The perfectly heart-shaped form of the tongue is unusual among birdsf. * A. leucocephala, Gm., e Java, huic simillima, differt collo toto, etiam nucha, testaceo, et magnitudine paullo inferiore. An vere dist. sp.? + The bird above described is the Halcyon brunniceps of Jerdon, a name which, if the species be a good one, may be retained in preference to ca- pensis, which implies an error of locality. But the Indian birds are so closely allied to the H. leucocephala of the Malay countries, which only differs in the crown being pale tawny instead of brown, that I can hardly venture to separate them. The hind neck is testaceous in both species.—H. E, S. M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 405 54. Alcedo rudis, L. et auct. Nigra et alba, cauda mediocri, rotundata; capite subcristato ; dorso, fasciaque pectoris nigris ; superciliis albis. Rostrum et pedes nigri. Preecedente paullo minor (secundum adnotationem ex indi- viduo vivo d. 23 Martii). Although this bird occurred during all the time that I re- mained in Bengal, and in all the places which I explored, much more frequently than the two former species, it happened that I procured no specimen of it. I have not therefore thought fit to give a lengthened description, especially as I have seen none in collections which certainly came from Bengal. According to a note made on the spot, upon one which was seen at a very short distance, once when I was unarmed, the beak seemed to be con- siderably thicker than in the specimens which I have since seen in collections, and curved upwards as in the previous species. The bird kept near the river and the tanks, partly in trees, partly walking on the ground, and was often seen to hover in the air im one place like the Kestril over its prey. The tail was com- monly carried erect, both when the bird sat still and when it walked, which was not observed in the two preceding kinds. Its note was a shrill Tick! *. 55. Psittacus torquatus, Kuhl., Act. Bonn. x. (sec. Brisson).— Ps. alexandri var. 3, £2. Paleornis cubicularis, Wagl, Monogr. Psitt, p- 45. Viridis, ala immaculata, torque nuchali tenui roseo. Gula cum stria laterali, torquem limitante, striolaque lore nigris; rostro san- guineo (adultus). & (d. 10 Febr.). Occiput paullo ceruleo tinctum. Rectrices apice cerulescentes, intus subtusque flave. Rostrum totum rubrum. Iris alba. Palpebre (nec orbita) nude. Long. 16 poll. Ala 165 millim. Rectrices medie 252, extimz quadruplo breviores. Our want of information from India is especially shown by the fact that the existence of this Parrokeet -was denied in the last treatise on these birds which I am acquainted with, viz. Wagler’s excellent monograph in the ‘ Abhandlungen der Bayerischen Akademie,’ Munich, 1835. According to my experience this is the only species of Parrokeet which is really common about Cal- * This Indian species, to which I have given the name Ceryle varia, differs from C. rudis of S. Europe and Africa in the greater amount of white on the upper parts, but it is absolutely identical in form and structure with C. rudis. I have seen the latter species at Smyrna hovering in the mode described by M. Sundevall, but I never saw it walking, nor was I aware that any of the Alcedinide (in which the feet are remarkably short and feeble) ever made any progress upon the ground.—H. E. S. 406 M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. cutta. It was often seen from February to April, in small flocks of five to seven together. These commonly showed them- selves during flight by their well-known scream, which in the open air resembled the note of a Jackdaw, somewhat like fjeh ! They were seen both sitting in trees and walking on the ground in quest of food, which consists of rice, fruits, &e. The flight is very strong and steady, often high above the tops of the trees, and they are frequently seen to fly over the towngof Calcutta. The screaming of such a small flock flying overhead was the first bird-note which greeted me as I ascended the river to Calcutta. They were recognised by their voice to be parrots, which I should not perhaps have otherwise guessed, as we are accustomed to con- sider these birds as very poor fliers. They are very wary and shy, so that it is not easy to shoot them. I consequently only got one, the female above-described, but one often sees them in cages, in all the shops and bazaars; and in the country houses parrots, chained by the foot to a large suspended ring, form a frequent ornament, and this species occurs incomparably the commonest. The price too is lower than that of the other species; they may be bought for one or at most two rupees. These caged Parrokeets commonly flutter and scream so, that in a large bazaar one can hardly hear a person speak; they often get loose, and one may frequently see them hanging by their chain, unable to help them- selves up. They are always taught to speak some words, as was the custom even before Alexander’s time. It is remarkable that even the Americans, before the arrival of Europeans, knew how to teach parrots to talk, and Humboldt records (in his ‘ Ansichten der Natur’) a bird of this kind, obtained from one of the small tribes of South America, which spoke a language unknown to the present inhabitants of that country, it having belonged to a tribe which a short time before had been exterminated. The Benga- lese name of P. torquatus is Théé (the th pronounced as in En- glish). This is evidently the species which Pliny describes (lib. 10, cap. 42) as coming from India, but the first Parrokeet which came to Europe during Alexander’s expedition to India was pro-’ bably P. alewandri, which differs from this, in having a red spot on the wings and in its larger size. 56. Psittacus bengalensis, Gm., Kuhl.—Paleornis bengalensis, Wag!l. Monogr. Viridis, capite pallide roseo, postice cerulescente; torque tenui gulaque nigris. Macula alarum antica obscure rubra. g (d. 12 Febr.) maxilla superior fulva, inferior nigra. Orbita anguste nuda, et iris albe. Corpus subtus paullo dilutius. Priori minor: ala 137 mill., cauda minus elongata. M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 407 This also occurs around Calcutta, but less common than the last species, and I cannot positively assert that I have seen them wild. The specimen described was obtained from a friend. This species is not often seen in a captive state, and it is charged higher than P. torquatus. I could learn no other name for it than kolkottia, which is much like that of many other species of small birds, e. g. Lanius superciliosus. 57. Psittacus melanorhynchus.—Paleornis melanorhynchus, Wagl. Viridis, capite rubicundo-cinerascente ; mento, macula magna ge- narum, striaque lore nigris. Alarum tectrices mediz flavescentes, Collum antice rubicundum, Rostrum nigrum. An Ps. pondicerianus, junior? Of this species I only saw one specimen, which a Hindoo boatman had sitting in a ring on board his boat. He assured me that he had caught it near Serampore, and a trustworthy well- known Hindoo asserted on the same occasion that he had seen many of these Parrokeets from that country. : 7 Obs. Many other Asiatic, Javanese and Australian Parrokeets were seen in the shops of the natives, or were carried about for sale. Many of them were said to have been caught in Bengal, but as [ did not procure any further information on this point, little attention was given to these assertions. P. sulphureus often occurred at the price of six or eight rupees, and was generally named from its note, kakatua. A dealer wished to persuade me that this species also was caught far in the interior of Bengal, as he understood from my question that I chiefly valued the pro- ductions of that country. It was offered me for five rupees. The large green species with a short tail are called Hddamon ; among which [ recognised the American P. e@stivus. Lories, or the red species with short tails, were called Nuri, which is probably the original Indian word, from which Europeans have formed the name Lory. Edwards says (under pl. 170) that he borrowed the name Lory from Nieuhoff. According to Scaliger (see Wagl. Monogr. p. 13) the name Nor is derived from the island Badang near Java, and means shining. These birds are said not to occur near Calcutta, but to be brought thither from the interior. A common name for parrots is Tottah or Tottaw. [To be continued. ] 408 M. Schleiden on the Fructification of the Rhizocarpee. XLV.—On the Fructification of the Rhizocarpez. By M. J. ScHLEIDEN *. For the development of a new individual in Rhizocarpee, two very distinct parts separate from the old plant, namely pollen grains and ovules. The former have the usual structure, consisting of a cell (the pollen-cell) and the outer pollen membrane. The ovules exhibit the following structure: a very large, firm-walled cell, containing very large starch granules, mucilage and oil (the embryo-sac), is inclosed in a white coriaceous membrane, which is formed of cells so very small as to be almost indistinguishable ; this membrane forms a papilla (the nucleus) at one end, which is sometimes clothed either by three lobes of the same membrane as in Salvinia, or by an envelope composed of these three lobes united together so as to leave an orifice at the apex as in Marsilea ; this is called the simple coat of the ovule (¢ntegumentum simplex). The whole is inclosed in a cellular sac (sacculus) as in Salvinia, or surrounded by a layer of quite gelatinous and almost confluent cells, as in Pilularia and Marsilea. The cell of the pollen grain extends itself into a longer (Salvinia) or shorter (Pélularia) tube. Simultaneously the cells of the nucleus develope toward the apex of the embryo-sac, become clearly distinguishable and more lax, filled with chlorophylle, &c., and break through the nucleus so that they project free (mammilla nuclei). If a pollen tube now comes in contact with these cells it penetrates deeply between them and reaches a layer of smaller green cells, immediately clothing the embryo-sac (Pilularia and Salvinia), and then expands as a ve- sicle ; it thus displaces the surrounding cellular tissue, which how- ever continues to develope and protrudes from the ovule as a larger or smaller green body ; in Salvinia it elongates into two lateral, connected processes, while in Pilularia a portion of the cells of the upper surface extend themselves into long, hair-like fibres. In the utricular end of the pollen tube cellular tissue is developed, which, becoming the embryo, finally breaks through, with one end, the mammilla nuclei of the ovule, which now exhibits the appearance of a thin-walled sac ; the latter on the occurrence of this process assumes the form of a round sheath (Pilularia), or a flat, bilabiate body (Salvinia). In Salvinia the protruding embryo forms a stem which spreads out above into a flat disc, floating on the water (primary leaf, cotyledon) ; from its point of attachment, at the lower part of a vertical fissure in it, a bud already somewhat developed produces into a little stem, bearing leaves on both sides and sending out radicles below. In Pilu- * Translated by Arthur Henfrey, F.L.S., from Schleiden’s ‘ Grundziige der Wiss. Botanik,’ 2 Th. p. 100. Bibliographical Notices. 409 laria the protruded end of the embryo developes into an upright green filament (primary leaf, cotyledon), at the base of which a bud, already formed, produces a stem with long filiform leaves. The opposite end of the embryo becomes a rvot and breaks through, somewhat later, the green mammilla nuclei of the ovule, which here also appears as a sheath. Pilularia globulifera. A, Transverse section of an ovule at the com- mencement of development; a, gelatinous envelope; 6, coriaceous coat ; c, embryo-sac filled with starch and drops of oil; d, mammilla of the nucleus. B, Pollen grains; a, fresh from the pollen sac; 5, swollen in water and at the commencement of the formation of the tube. C, Upper part of the ovule after the penetration of the pollen tube d; a, coriaceous coat; 6, em- bryo-sac; c, nucleus and its mammilla; 4, layer of cells which separate the pollen tube from the embryo-sac. H, Pollen tube from C prepared free; above it shows the still uncovered portion which was inclosed in the outer pollen membrane, in the middle the more slender special tube, and below the broad expanded part already filled with cellular tissue, which developes into the embryo, D, Upper end of the ovule in a further advanced stage of de- velopment ; a, coriaceous coat ; J, embryo-sac ; c, nucleus and its mammilla, expanded by the development of the embryo into a sac; d, stem-end of the embryo (e); g, primary leaf (cotyledon) ; h, pollen tube ; /, first axillary bud ; i, capillary, outstretched external cells of the nucleus; #4, layer of cells which separates the embryo from the embryo-sac. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. The Physical Atlas; a series of Maps illustrating the Geographical distribution of Natural Phenomena. By H. Bereuavs, LL.D., F.R.G.S. &c., and A. K. Jonnston, F.R.G.S. &c. Ir is with no small pleasure that we find ourselves called upon to notice this important undertaking, especially in the improved form under which it is here presented to the British world; the compre- hensiveness of the design and the care which is bestowed upon its Ann, & Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xvii. 2G 4:10 Bibliographical Notices. execution are not only a presumptive evidence of the growing in- terest on the subject felt by the general public, whose extensive pa- tronage alone can render the speculation remunerative, but are full of promise for the future progress of the study, since the clear and definite exposition of the state of our knowledge will serve as a solid basis for new investigation, and will point out to each special in- quirer in the wide field of natural science how his labours may be rendered most directly beneficial to the general progress. Although physical geography may be considered as a modern sci- ence, it can hardly be said to be in its infancy, for, like the sister science, geology, it is of such a nature that it could not exist as a distinct branch of study until it had obtained so many data from the results of the simple sciences, as enabled it to assume at once a high rank among the divisions of human knowledge. Like geology, in fact, physical geography must be regarded as a compound science, whose province is the generalization of facts furnished by the pure natural sciences, these two magnificent paths of philosophical in- quiry parting as it were from a common point where we have to ex- amine the mighty phenomena of existing nature which are uncea- singly operating to affect the ever-changing face of the earth; while one recedes into the dark and unfathomed depths of time, the other leads us forward into the light spreading over the living world, and makes clear to us the wonders among which we dwell, the trea- sures that surround us, and in addition to the surpassing practical relations to human interests which such a course possesses, the in- tellectual pride of those who follow it is both encouraged and chas- tised as it feels its way step by step to a clear insight into the works around it, which are at once the proof of man’s high destiny and the evidence of his insignificance. It is at a happy period that this work makes its appearance among us; when the first of physical geographers is laying before us the great generalizations, the fruits of a life devoted to the personal investigation of the grandest of terrestrial phenomena. Now that the illustrious Humboldt is giving to the world his philosophic sum- mary of the natural laws, and the interest in these speculations is so rapidly extending, it will be no small advantage to those whose op- portunities have not admitted of their becoming acquainted with these matters, to meet with a work, in which the results of the la- bours of the sons of enterprise, the voyager, the traveller, naturalist, hydrographer, &c., are philosophically systematized by the more tranquil efforts of deductive science and presented in a tangible form ; from which, by a careful study of a few maps comprehensible by any one of common intelligence and application, they may acquire an amount of knowledge which years of reading of the works in which the facts have hitherto been stored up would not have given so clearly, nor fixed so firmly in the memory. Indeed an acquaintance with the subjects illustrated by these maps must ere long become a necessary part of an enlightened education, and much gratitude is due to Dr. Berghaus, the author of the ori- ginal German work, and to Mr. Johnston, to whose skill and enter- Bibliographical Notices. 411 prise we owe the present improved edition, for the truly scientific spirit in which they have performed their task. If it were a ques- tion of utility alone, this Atlas should be in the hands of all who profess to teach geography. The execution of the work is quite worthy of the subject. In the five Parts now before us, forming half the work, we have fifteen beau- tiful coloured maps, many of them containing a number of details on an enlarged scale, the size being imperial folio. Each Part con- tains three maps with descriptive text. The work is divided into the two general heads, Inorganic and Organic nature; the former including,—1. Meteorology and Magnetism; 2. Hydrology, and 3. Geology; the latter, Phytology and Zoology; but the maps are not published in any regular order. Part the first contains,—1. a Physical Chart of the Atlantic Ocean, 2. a map of the Mountain Systems of Europe, and 3. a map of the Distribution of Plants in a horizontal and perpendicular direction. The last is based chiefly upon Humboldt’s statistics, and exhibits also Schouw’s twenty-five phyto-geographic regions, or tracts over which certain families of plants predominate ; this is a very interest- ing map, and is made the more valuable by a quantity of statistical information ; while the description contains a clear summary of the principal facts of the geography of plants recorded by various bota- nical travellers. Part the second commences with a map of a similar character, ex- hibiting the range of some of the mammiferous families, namely, 1. Quadrumana ; 2. Marsupialia; 3. Edentata, and 4. Pachydermata. The editors express the difficulties they have met with in this divi- sion of the subject, and account for whaf, may perhaps appear to na- turalists to be a meagreness of its details, by reminding us of the large number of maps which a complete view of the distribution of animals would require. We think they have done wisely in resol- ving to give a moderate amount of information clearly rather than to crowd the map with a greater abundance of minor facts, which would have involved at least the appearance of confusion, without any compensating advantage ; for this map is amply sufficient for the general student, and it is obviously beyond the plan of this work to furnish all the facts which would be required by a naturalist pursuing a special inquiry. Next comes a Hyetographic map of the world, exhibiting the sta- tistics of the amount and periods of the fall of rain over the globe. The relative quantities of rain are indicated by depth of shading, while coloured lines mark the limits of the zones within which preci- pitation is periodical or constant. It is accompanied by tables of the annual amount of rain over the globe as ascertained at a great number of points in the old and new world, both in the tropics and the temperate zones. The River systems of Europe and Asia, displays the boundaries and comparative extent of the river basins and the seas to which they contribute their waters ; with hydrographic tables, &c. Part the third presents us with,—1. a map of Glaciers and glacial 2G2 412 Bibliographical Notices. phenomena founded on the observations of Prof. J. D. Forbes, Charpentier, Raymond, &c., with a descriptive treatise by the first- named gentleman. 2. The distribution of Carnivora, with a map of the district inhabited by the fur-bearing animals, together with the region of the whale and seal fishing in the northern hemisphere. 3. A Physical Chart of the Pacific, with the navigation, currents, temperature, &c. Part the fourth,—1. a highly interesting map illustrating the phe- nomena of Volcanic action as exemplified in the regions visited by earthquakes and the distribution of volcanoes, accompanied by an extensive table of the geographical distribution of volcanoes, giving their position, date of eruption, height in feet, and the name of the **system” to which they belong. 2..a Rain map of Europe. 3. the Geographical distribution of Reptilia ; one section given to the Tes- tudines, Sauria and Batrachia, two others illustrating the positions of the Ophidia, innocuous and venomous, according to Schlegel, with tables showing the numbers and distribution over the globe and in the zoological provinces of that author. Part the fifth,—1. a map of the Geographical distribution of Birds in two sections,—1, over the Globe ; 2, over Europe. The data for the division and intensity of species in the first are furnished by Pomp- per’s classification, arranged according to Cuvier’s system; in this way the globe is divided into sixteen provinces, which are arranged into three groups according to the zones. The divisions are altered in the general map in regard to Europe, which is made one undivided province. The orders taken in the ge- neral map are,—1. Rapaces; 2. Scansores ; 3. Oscines; 4. Galli- nace; 5. Grallatores, and 6. Natatores; and the table of distribu- tion shows that while in general the number of species is greatest in tropical countries, Europe forms such a striking exception, that it possesses more species than any other province except that of tro- pical America, more even than tropical Asia and the Sunda Islands together; but the gross number increases in the tropical provinces, and this holds good of all the single orders except that of the Nata- tores, this order decreasing toward the equator. Europe and tropical America possess the greatest number of Rapaces, while Scansores and Oscines predominate in the latter; Grallatores and Natatores are most numerous in Europe, and the greatest number of Galli- nacee occur in tropical Asia. There is also a table of the birds of Europe based on the ‘ Systematic Catalogue’ of Keyserling and Bla- sius. On the map are, 1. elevations exhibiting the perpendicular range in general and in the Alps. 2. Mountain Chains of North America, with Humboldt’s plan of the volcano of Jorullo and a map of the Island of Trinidad. 3. an Ethnographic map of Great Britain and Ireland. The whole of the maps are most beautifully engraved and coloured with the greatest.care, and full justice is done to those whose devo- tion and perseverance have rendered such a work possible; indeed we think that the scientific world owes much to Prof. Berghaus and Mr. Johnston for such a magnificent exposition of its labours, since Bibliographical Notices. 413 we can scarcely imagine anything better calculated than this Atlas to impress the general public with a true idea of the value and in- terest of scientific pursuits. The work must indeed be regarded as one of the most valuable gifts ever offered by science to education. A History of Inventions, Discoveries and Origins. By Prof. Brcx- MANN. 4thed. Edited by W. Francis, Ph.D. &c., and J. W. Grirrita, M.D. &c. From the title of this work it would at first appear that it had little to do with the subjects to which our pages are devoted, but under the third head, that of Origins, we find several articles which, although hardly to be considered as scientific, have considerable in- terest for the naturalist. The inquiries concerning the plants known - to the ancients and the endeavours to settle their synonymy with modern species present a good example of the wonderful perseverance and earnestness which characterize German research even when its results are to be devoted to popular instruction. In the article on the history of kitchen vegetables, the author, in addition to those commonly in use, refers shortly to several which are no longer considered worthy of cultivation. Speaking of the name of Borago officinalis, he says :—‘‘ Some of the old botanists have conjectured that it is derived from the word corago, which Apu- leius, whose period is uncertain, gives as a synonym of buglossum. Some think that the reading in Apuleius ought to be borago; and others assert that corago is the true name, and arose from the quality which the plant has of strengthening the heart; consequently we ought properly to read corago, and not borago. It is probable that our forefathers, under the idea that their borage was the buglossum of the ancients and therefore had the property of strengthening the heart, threw the flowers into wine, that their spirits might by these means be more enlivened*. ‘Our borage is certainly a foreign plant, and Cesalpinus said that it was brought from other countries to Italy. Linnzeus positively states that it first came from Aleppo; but I have not yet been able to find on what authority this assertion is founded.” There is a very interesting article on Kermes and Cochineal, containing a well-digested account of the ceconomic history of these curious insects. It is stated that 1,569,120 lbs. of cochineal were exported from and consumed in this country in 1844, and that each pound contains 70,000 insects ! We do not quite agree with the editors in their opinion of plant- skeletons. ‘This means of investigating structure, of stems espe- cially, has been too much neglected, and is in fact almost the only means of acquiring a clear idea of relations of parts in some plants ; such a means is the less to be dispensed with that we know so little of the subject. This book has been well-known in its former editions and its value fully appreciated, and great credit is due to the present * Hence the old distich, “ I, borage, Give courage.” 414 Zoological Society. editors for the judicious emendations of and additions to the text. It affords no little gratification to the lovers of progress to see such works, prepared under careful superintendence, issued at a price within the reach of those who have hitherto had to content them- selves with the second-hand compilations of the earlier ‘‘ cheap lite- rature.” PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Sept. 22, 1846.— William Yarrell, Esq., Vice-President, in the Chair. John Gould, Esq., laid before the meeting the following letter, detailing the circumstances of the death of Mr. John Gilbert, who formerly had been many years in the employment of the Society. He fell in the service of zoological science during an expedition into the interior of Australia. ** Sydney, May 12, 1846. ‘Dear Sir,—As I was one of the party that journeyed from Syd- ney to Port Essington, and not knowing whether you had been made acquainted with the full particulars of poor Gilbert’s death by Dr. Leichhardt, or any other of the party, thinking the details of his melancholy fate would be read with interest, I shall offer no apology for addressing this to you. «As Mr. Gilbert’s log, which has been sent home to you, fully narrates all particulars up to the eventful 28th of June, I shall offer no remarks of my own. At the most northerly point we reached on the east side of the Gulf of Carpentaria, in lat. 15° 57’, and about fifty miles from the coast, we encamped for the night at a small shal- low lagoon surrounded by low tea-trees, the country around beauti- fully open. Having partaken of our usual meal of dried meat about 3 p.m., Gilbert, taking his gun, sallied forth in search of something new—he procured a Climacteris and a Finch, which he skinned before dinner; our scanty meal was soon despatched; poor Gilbert was busily employed plaiting the cabbage-tree, intending to make a new hat, which, alas! he never lived to finish. The shades of evening closed around, and after chatting for a short time we retired to our separate tents—Gilbert and Murphy to theirs, Mr. Calvert and my- self to ours, and Phillips to his; the Doctor and our two black fel- lows slept round the fire, entirely unconscious of the evil designs of the natives; having always found those we had passed so friendly and well-disposed, we felt in as great security as you do in the midst of London, lying on our blankets, conversing on different topics. Not one, I think, could have closed his eyelids, when I was sur- prised by a noise, as if some persons were throwing sticks at our tent; thinking it must be some trick played on us by our compa- nions, I sat up to look out; another volley of spears was thrown; a terrific yell, that will ring in my ears for ever, was raised, and pierced with spears, which I found it impossible to extricate, I sunk helpless on the ground ; the whole body rushed upon us with their waddies, Zoological Society. 415 and how it is that our brains did not bespatter the ground is to me miraculous. These rascals had crept on us under cover of the tea-trees: the tent in which Calvert and I were being first in their road, the whole body attacked us; poor Gilbert, hearing the noise, was rushing from his tent with his gun, when a spear thrown at him pierced his breast, and, penetrating to his lungs, caused internal hee- morrhage; the only words he spoke were these, ‘ Charlie, take my gun ; they have killed me,’ when pulling the spear out with his own hands, he immediately dropped upon the ground lifeless. Little Murphy, who was by his side at the time he was speared, fired at the black fellow who speared him; Brown fired at the mob beating Cal- vert and myself, and they immediately retreated howling and la- menting. Mr. Calvert was pierced with five spears, myself with six, and our recovery is to be attributed to the abstemious way in which we lived. After having the spears pulled out, you may imagine our feelings when we heard Charlie exclaim, ‘ Gilbert is dead !’—-we could not, would not, believe it. Alas! the morning brought no better tidings—poor Gilbert was consigned to his last and narrow home; the prayers of the church of England were read over him, and a large fire made upon his grave for the purpose of misleading the blacks, who, we thought, would probably return and search the camp on our departure. It is impossible to describe the gloom and sorrow this fatal accident cast upon our party. Asa companion, none was more cheerful or more agreeable; as a man, none more indefatigable or more persevering ; but it is useless for me to eulogize one so well-known to you—one whom you will have cause to regret, and who will ever be remembered by, « Sir, “Yours most truly, ‘** Joun Ropsr.” The skull of a Seal was exhibited to the meeting, presented by the -Society’s Corresponding Member, Richard Hill, Esq., who refers to it in a letter, dated Spanish Town, Jamaica, July 8, 1846, as ‘‘a skull of an undescribed Seal found on the islands and shoals called by the seamen the Pedros, but known as the Vibora Bank on the old Spanish charts, situated about a degree to the south of Jamaica.” Mr. Hill’s letter proceeds: ‘‘ The most detailed account I can give of this Seal, in addition to the facts presented by an inspection of the cranium, which will be found to have much of the contour and character of that of the Calocephalus of Frederick Cuvier, will com- prise little more than the statement that it has no external auricles: the foramina are so small that all trace of an ear to a casual observer is imperceptible. The colour of the animal is intensely and uni- formly black; the hair is stiff and close, and very short; the nails of the hinder claws are rudimentary ; the eyes are large, black and full, and the iris crimson. «‘The measurements of the specimen from which the cranium sent was obtained, are the following :— ft. in. Total length along the back from the snout to the HP of the MMS ras oda ty MMR éa% sehis Sul bw Vie 416 Zoological Society. ft. in. Bength ot the taller is0 25 2 Ne eh s aes bs. wee Lore So From the snout to the insertion of the fore-paw . Fig From the insertion of the fore-paw to that of the hind- -paw. . 2 10 Circumference of the body near the fore-paws............ 3.2 Breadth of the back at the fore-paws ...............-5. 1 O From one fore-paw to the other, extended out .......... 2. 6 Length: of the forespaw:s. 3:3! ¢ciosy aoden oo bedinver ad: oO 10 Length of the hind-paw. . a. ioeth salah os 0 11 Circumference at the hind-paws Hehis Bla Hawes eee eo 16 Breadth of the head across the ears, horizontally measured.. O 7 Length of the head ...... piensa ke Ce Ries diene 0.9 Breadth:of ithe nqets'ic cate cli fhe hoe he eal, TRO labels iis O 43 “Other seals have been taken nearly, if not quite, double this size.” A paper was then read, ‘‘ On a new Genus of the Family Lophide (les Pectorales Pediculées, Cuv.) discovered in Madeira.”’ By the Rev. R. T. Lowe, M.A., Corr. Memb. The addition, Mr. Lowe observes, of an unequivocal new genus to a family so circumscribed and so singular as Lophide is-well-worthy of remark. The present genus has, besides, further claims on the attention of the ichthyologist in the peculiar combination of distinc- tive features of its own with characters exhibited by other groups in the same family; and this independent of the interest attaching to the fish in which they are exemplified, from singularity of form and aspect, brilliancy of colouring , locality, and extreme rarity, no other instance of its capture at Madeira having occurred during the last twenty years. It is nearest allied arith the groups of Lophide, in general habit and aspect, with Cheironectes, Cuv., although in technical cha- racters it may seem to approach even nearer to Halieutaa, Val. The individual described was taken with an ordinary bait and line at the Picos, a rucky shoal about a league from shore off Camera de Lobos, a village five or six miles westward of Funchal. CHAUNAX, Nov. gen. Char. Gen. Corpus subcubico-oblongum, sufflatabile, nudum, cute preesertim ad ilia ventremque flaccidissima laxa ; anticé obesum, pos- tice abrupté attenuatum subcompressum. Caput osseum magnum subtetrahedrum, superné nuchaque latum planatum, utrinque S. ad genas declive; oculis lateralibus spatio interoculari convexo; ore rictuque amplissimis transversis plagio-plateis S. depressis. Dentes intermaxillares vomerinique palatinique parvi scobinati, Nares sim- plices (nec pedicellate nec tubulosz). Spiracula (foramina branchi- alia) postica S. ad ilia pone pinnarum pectoralium axillas. Pinna dorsalis unica ; pectoralibus (pedicellatis) carnosis ventrali- bus jugularibus spathulatis carnosis; analis postica; caudalis sim- plex truncata. Cirri, preter unicum in fossula internasali, null. Zoological Society. 417 Chaunax pictus, Lowe. D. 11; A.5; P. 11; V.4; ©. So -11; A.5; Pill; V.43 ©. Soir - Species adhuc unica. Hab. In mari Maderensi. Shape thick and deep, subcubic, about half as deep as broad, with a puffy flaccid appearance, and evidently capable of vast inflation ; bulky forwards, with the head, nape and body of equal depth and thickness, contracting suddenly on the flanks or behind the pectoral fins into a short thickish tail. Back of head and nape as far as the dorsal fin broad and thick, flattened and uneven or irregularly pro- tuberant ; thence to the end of the dorsal fin the body is nearly cy- lindric, becoming compressed towards the root of the caudal fin. Head broad and deep; eyes lateral ; sides of the head steep, but not flat; mouth very large and wide, but not so wide as the head, horse- shoe or crescent-shaped. Teeth in a distinct brush-like band on the edges of both jaws. ‘Tongue very large, thick, hard and smooth. The nostrils are two inconspicuous, minute, round, simple pores on each side, one a little before the other near the edge of the muzzle. Eyes of moderate size, roundish oval, rather prominent, but not pedicelled. In the middle of the front of the muzzle is a short, pedicelled, soft, flaccid tentacle or caruncle scarcely more than a semidiameter of the eye in height or length; the whole body destitute of any other tentacle, ray, filament or spine whatever; the top of the head is however irregularly knobbed, or uneven, with bony prominences and depressions. The breathing-holes or branchial orifices are placed far backwards, considerably behind the hinder axils of the pectoral fins, in the mid- dle of the flanks, which are peculiarly flaccid and flabby. They are oval, ear-shaped, and about the size or diameter of the eyes. The dorsal fin is single, placed nearly in the middle of the whole length, its height one-fourth of the length of its base. The anal fin is placed far behind, opposite the end of the dorsal. The pectoral fins are placed low down about the middle of the length of the body, beneath the origin of the dorsal fin. The ventral fins are close together, very forward, quite under the throat. Caudal fin simple, truncate, with a straight edge. All the fins, except the dorsal and caudal, are thick and fleshy, with the rays strong but indiscernible to the eye, except towards the outer edges of the pectoral fins. The whole head and body, with the maxillaries and the rays of the dorsal and caudal fins, are finely hispid or shagreened, and rough and scabrous to the touch, the under surface more finely shagreened than the upper. The whole skin is singularly loose and flaccid. The head and body are, as it were, mapped out into compartments by remarkable chain-like rows of pits or oblong, shining, smooth depressions in the skin. One set or row of these begins upon the muzzle, and passing 418 Zoological Society. above each eye, turns downwards behind it and runs on a level with its lower edge straight along the sides as far as the breathing-holes, thence downwards along the tail to the caudal fin. Under the lower jaw is a horse-shoe-shaped space enclosed by si- milar smooth pits, the two ends of which, connected by a transverse chain of pits, turn off backwards towards the corners of the mouth, and continuing low down on the sides of the belly, end underneath the axil of the pectoral fins. A third wavy line runs along the inner or hinder edges of the maxillaries, and turning obliquely backwards some distance under- neath the eye, descends till it meets and is terminated by a fourth obliquely vertical row which crosses the nape like a head-stall, and is terminated low down on the sides of the throat by the second lon- gitudinal line. On the nape the edges of these pits are raised or echinulate, and more disconnected than elsewhere. Colour of the whole fish above bright orange, beautifully rosy at the flanks and sides, and with the fins and lips vermilion; on the belly it is nearly white or pale, suffused with flesh-colour or rosy, and with the ventral or anal fins deeper vermilion. The tentacle dull, its stalk orange. MEASUREMENTS. inches. We ete Tera i Ee ee a), She ite is a 16 From tip of upper jaw to origin of dorsal fin .......... 6 Length of base of dorsal fin 6. .....0.6.- ce cece cc wens 4 Length from end of base of ditto to root of caudal fin.... 2 Renpth: of caval Gn oi OS er Se i Pate ee 34 LARGER OF GOOG a5 00s 5 eS 0 dn ak ae Wimp eee a ties ae EO 5 Breadth, greatest at fore axil of pectoral fins, from .. 8 to 10 Depth, greatest half-way, the tip of upper jaw and origin gf dorsal Bit = 5 Oo ee ee PU Las Chee", Depth at root of caudal fin .....606 6062 eee ee canes. 1 Length from tip of lower jaw to root of ventral fins .... 4 Length of vewtrul Bing? gos oS ee oo ee oe ss 2} Length from each breathing-hole to root of caudal fin.... 5 Damanoter'ol Grew Hi OP ss SSE RU 03 Mr. Gould then exhibited to the meeting two new Australian birds, which he characterized as follows :— MELIPHAGA LoneriRosTRIs. Vertice et genis nigris ; plumis minutis ad basin mandibule superioris, mystacibus ad basin inferioris man- dibule, strigd superciliari, plumarum cristuld post aures, plumis- que in jugulo setosis, albis. Top of the head and cheeks black, with minute white feathers on the forehead round the base of the upper mandible; a super- ciliary stripe, a moustache at the base of the lower mandible, and a small tuft of feathers immediately behind the ear-coverts white ; feathers on the throat white and bristle-like ; upper surface brownish black, becoming browner on the rump; wings brownish black, the outer edges of the quills margined at the base with beautiful wax- yellow, and faintly margined with white towards the extremities ; Zoological Society. 419 tail brownish black, margined externally at the base with wax-yel- low, and with a large oval spot of white on the inner web, at the tip of all but the two centre feathers; surface white broadly striped with black, the black predominating on the breast and the white on the abdomen; irides white; bill and feet black. Hab. Western Australia. Total length, 7 inches; bill, 1; wing, 3}; tail, 34; tarsi, 3. Remark.—Nearly allied to the M. Nove-Hollandie, but differing from that species in the stouter and more lengthened form of the bill, and in having the white patch on the face much less defined. Limosa Meranuroipes. Capite, et corpore superiore griseo-fuscis ; primariis secondariisque ad basin et tectricibus ale majoribus ad apicem albis, colore, expansd pennd, tanqguam fascid apparente; tectricibus caudeé superioribus albis ; caudd atrd, nisi rectricibus lateralibus duabus ad basin albis. Head and all the upper surface greyish brown, with a small streak of black down the centre of the feathers ; wings dark brown; shafts white ; base of the primaries and secondaries and tips of the greater coverts white, forming a band when the wing is expanded; upper tail-coverts white, forming a conspicuous mark ; tail black, with the exception of the two lateral feathers on each side, which are white at the base and black at the tip; neck, breast and flanks greyish brown; abdomen and under tail-coverts white; irides brown; bill greenish grey, becoming paler on the sides of the upper mandible; legs and feet greenish grey. Total length, 13 inches; bill, 33; wing, 75; tail, 34; tarsi, 24. Hab. Port Essington. Remark.—Nearly allied to, but differing from, the Limosa mela- nura of Europe in its much smaller size. October 13.—William Yarrell, Esq., Vice-Presidbos, in the Chair. The following papers were read to the Society :— “‘On twenty new species of Trocuitip2 or Humming Birds.” By J. Gould, F.R.S. Having lately turned my attention to the Trochilide, I find that, much as this beautiful group has attracted the notice of previous writers, several species remain undescribed. At a former meeting of the Society I characterized three, and on the present occasion I propose to describe seventeen others, making twenty in all. The species described are contained in my own col- lection. 1. Trocuitvus (ropazaA) pyra. Troch. abdomine, lateribus, dorso, humerisque, igneis rubro-fulgentibus ; capite, auribus, nuchd, et fascid inferiorem collum ornante, intense atris ; guld luminose vi- ridi, medid aurantiacd ; rectricibus intermediis duabus viridibus, purpurascentibus, reliquis autem intense purpureis; rectricibus duabus intermediis proximis valde elongatis et ad bases decussatis. Abdomen, sides, back, and shoulders, luminous fiery-red; head, ear-coverts, back of the neck, and a band crossing the lower part of 420 Zoological Society. the neck, deep velvety black; throat luminous pale green, passing into rich orange in the centre; two centre tail-feathers purplish green, the remainder deep purple, the feather on each side the cen- tre ones much-elongated and crossing each other near the base; upper tail-coverts luminous light green with red reflexions; under tail-coverts luminous green; primaries are brown ; bill black ; feet blackish brown. Total length from the tip of the bill to the end of the centre tail- feather, 6 inches; to the end of the elongated feathers,. 82; bill, 12; wing, 34; tail, 23, of the elongated feathers, 45.. fab. Rio Negro, Brazil. Remark.—I consider this to be without exception the most gor- geous species of the Trochilide yet discovered. It is somewhat larger than, but of precisely the same form as, T. pella, which fine species it far exceeds in the brilliancy of its colouring, and from which it is at once distinguished by the fiery lustre of its body and the purplish colouring of its tail-feathers. 2. TRrocnitus (Lespra) smaracpinus. Troch. vertice fulgente vi- ridi ; guld nitente ceruled ; caudd perlongd, furcatd, fulgentissimd metallicé viridi ; pogoniis rectricum externarum uirisque ad basin et internis reliquarum pogoniis nigris. Crown of the head luminous green; throat shining steel-blue ; body green, the under surface with a golden tinge; tail very long and forked, metallic green and very luminous ; basal portion of both webs of the outer feathers and the inner webs of the remainder black; wings brown; bill black. Total length, 74 inches; bill, 3; wing, 23; tail, 5. Hab. Bolivia. Remark.—This beautiful species is nearly allied to the Ornismya Kingit, Less. 3. Trocaitus (LEsBiA) eracitis. Troch. guld nitente metallice viridi ; caudd perlongd valde furcatd ; rectricibus externis eneo- Juscis, eneo colore ad splendentem maculam cujusque in apice plume fulgentiore, pogoniorum externorum dimidio basali cervino ; reliquis rectricibus aureo-viridibus ad basin fuscis. Throat beautiful shining metallic green; the remainder of the body golden-green; wings brown; tail very -long, much-forked ; the outer feathers bronzy brown, the bronze gradually increasing in intensity and becoming a brilliant spot at the tip; basal half of the outer webs buffy white; remaining feathers brown at the base and shining golden green for the remainder of their length; bill black. Total length, 64 inches; bill, }; wing, 24; tail, 43. Hab. Peru. Remark.—This species is very closely allied to the Trochilus Gouldii, Lodd., vide Proc. of Comm. of Sci. and Corr. of Zool. Soc., part 2,p. 7, which is synonymous with the Ornismyu Sylphie, Less., but from which it differs in several characters, which upon an exami- nation of many specimens, are found to be constant; the bill is Connie titacinion cmisvidsn. ott Zoological Society. 421 shorter, the green of the body ochreous, and the lower part of the abdomen more buffy, or not so green as in the Gouldii: the most remarkable difference, however, is in the outer tail-feathers, which are much narrower and not so green. By some ornitholo- gists this might be considered as a mere local variation; but as I have seen many of each kind, and find that the differences are con- stant, I feel assured that the two birds are specifically distinct. 4. TrocuiLus (ocrEatus) RuFocaLicatTus. Troch. guld et collo superiore fulgentibus metallice viridibus ; tarsis densis plumis fer- rugineis ocreatis ; caudd fuscd, rectricibus externis prolongatis angustis late tamen spathule formd terminatis. Throat and fore-part of the neck luminous metallic green; plumage of the body bronzy green; wings brown; tarsi clothed with a thick ruff of rusty-red feathers; tail brown, the outer feathers prolonged and narrow, and ending in a broad spatulate tip; bill black. Total length, 44 inches; bill, $; wing, 13; tail, 25. Hab. Bolivia. Remark.—Nearly allied to the Ornismya Underwoodii, Less. 5. Trocaius (ocrEaTus) tigonrcaupus. Troch. facie, collo supe- riore et pectore viridibus, plumis pectoris majoribus, fulgentiori- bus, griseo nonnunquam fimbriatis ; medio abdomine aureo-fusco ; uropygio fascid albo-cervind transversim ornato ; caudd purpuras- cente fuscd, fascid latd per mediam stramined ; rectricibus latera- libus primo diminuentibus, latis autem tanquam spathulis termi- nantibus. Face and forepart of the neck green, which colour is continued on the chest, where the feathers become larger, longer, more lumi- nous, and some of them edged with grey; centre of the abdomen golden brown; lower part of the abdomen and under tail-coverts buffy brown; wings purplish black; back and upper tail-coverts green, the rump crossed by a band of buffy white; tail purplish brown, with a broad stripe of buff down the centre; the lateral fea- thers tapering and terminating in a large spatulate tip; bill black. Total length, 43 inches; bill, £; wing, 14; tail, 24. Hab. Brazil. Remark.—Nearly allied to Trochilus platurus. 6. Trocuitus ( ?) cupricaupa. Troch. guld luminos? ceru- leo-viridi ; vertice, collo, dorso, omnique corpore superiore ful- gentibus saturate purpureo-fuscis ; caudd infra fulgentissimd ened, supra, ened vario lumine nunc viridi, nunc purpured, splendente. Throat lustrous blueish green; crown of the head, neck, back and all the upper surface dark lustrous purplish brown; wings the same, but lighter; under surface of the tail rich fiery copper colour and very luminous; upper surface in one light rich purplish copper colour, and in another greenish ; bill black. Total length, 5 inches; bill, 1; wing, 3; tail, 24. Hab. Bolivia. Remark.—This species is much larger, but belongs to the same 4.22 Zoological Society. section as the Trochilus smaragdinicollis of D’Orbigny and the 7. Allardi of Bourcier. 7. Trocuitus ( ?) angocaupa. Troch. guld viridi metallic? Sulgente ; corpore viridi fusco supra commizto; alis fuscis pur- purascentibus ; caudd infra fulgente eneo-viridi, supra metallice Suscd, nonnunquam intense cyaned resplendente. Throat luminous metallic green, under surface mingled green and brown; upper surface green, wings purplish brown; under surface of the tail luminous brassy green; upper surface of the tail metallic brown, changing in some lights to deep indigo blue; bill black. Total length, 43 inches; bill, 1; wing, 24; tail, 2. Hab. Bolivia. Remark.—Belongs to the same section as the last. 8. Trocuitus ( ?) viourFER. Troch. vertice, nuchd, mento, loris, pectoreque viridibus; medid guld maculd semilunari lumi- nosé violaced notatd ; dorso et uropygio aureo-viridibus abdomine inferiore, tectricibus caude superioribus inferioribusque, et caudd rufis. Crown of the head, back of the neck, chin, ear-coverts, and breast green; on the centre of the throat a well-defined lunate mark of luminous violet; back and rump golden green; lower part of the abdomen, the upper and under tail-coverts light rufous; tail light rufous, the tips of the feathers washed with greenish reflexions ; wings purplish brown; the external edge of the first primary rufous ; bill black. Total length, 54 inches; bill, 18; wing, 3; tail, 24. Hab. Bolivia. Remark.—This fine species is of the same form as the Ornismya Bonapartei. 9. TrocuiLus (LAMPORNIS) CyaNnoPEcTus. Troch. guld viridi metallicé resplendente ; medio pectore fulgente metallice cyaneo ; capite, dorso, humeris, lateribus, et abdomine inferiore eneo-viri- dibus ; caudd eneo-fuscd nonnunquam pogoniis internis albd ma- culd ad apicem ornatis. Throat lustrous metallic green; centre of the breast deep lustrous metallic blue; head, back, shoulders, flanks, and lower part of the abdomen bronzy green; wings purplish brown; tail in some speci- mens entirely bronzy brown, in others bronzy brown with a spot of white on the inner web at the tip; bill black, curved stout and large for the size of the body. Total length, 43 inches; bill, 13; wing, 22; tail, 13. Hab. Venezuela. Remark.—This bird is about the size of Trochilus mango, but is not intimately allied to any known species. 10. Trocuitus (LaAMPpoRNIS) aurEsceNS. Troch. guld fulgente aured ; pectore lata fascid rufd, fronte vittd lucidd ceruleo-viridi cinctd ; omni superiore corpore, rectricibus intermediis duabus, tectricibus alarum superioribus inferioribusque, et abdomine eneo- Zoological Society. 423 viridibus ; alis fuscis purpurascentibus ; rectricibus lateralibus castaneis fuscis, infra et supra ad apices eneis ; tectricibus caude inferioribus saturate cervinis. Throat rich luminous gold colour; across the chest a broad band of deep rufous ; on the forehead a narrow stripe of shining blueish green; all the upper surface, two central tail feathers, upper and under wing-coverts, and abdomen bronzy green; wings purplish brown; lateral tail feathers chestnut-brown, tipped both above and beneath with a bronzy lustre; under tail-coverts deep fawn-colour ; bill black. Total length, 4 inches; bill, 1; wing, 2}; tail, 14. Hab. Rio Negro, Brazil. ° 11. Trocuitus (LAMPoRNIS?) FULVIVENTRIS. Troch. capite, omni corpore superiore, cauddque nitente viridibus ; rectricibus externis ad apices albis ; alis fuscis ; guld, pectore et abdomine cervinis ; tectricibus caude inferioribus albis. Head, all the upper surface and tail glossy green ; the outer feathers of the latter largely tipped with white ; wings brown; throat, breast and abdomen deep buff; under tail-coverts white; upper mandible and point of the lower black ; the remainder of the under mandible buff. Total length, 4 inches; bill, 1; wing, 23; tail, 14. Hab. Venezuela. 12. Trocuitvus ( ?) nrerorasciaTa. Troch. guld resplendente viridi ; abdomine humerisque extremis nitide ceruleis, ab viridi guld fascid semilunari intense atrd divisis ; caudd furcatd ceruled. Throat lustrous green; abdomen and edge of shoulders shining- blue, separated from the green of the throat by a lunate band of black ; back and wing-coverts brownish green; head and back of the neck bronze; wings brown; tail, which is considerably forked, dull steel-blue ; bill black. Total length, 44 inches; bill, 7; wing, 23; tail, 14. Hab. Rio Negro, Brazil. Remark.—Nearly allied to Trochilus furcatus. 13. Trocutivus ( ?) nuricers. T'roch. vertice ferrugineo ; guild fulgente eneo-viridi ; corpore viridi, infra fusco-tincto ; caudd magna, furcatd, ened. Crown deep rusty red; throat lustrous bronze green ; upper sur- face green ; under surface brownish green ; tail large and forked, and of a pure bronze; wings purplish brown; bill black. Total length, 33 inches; bill, #; wings, 2; tail, 2. Hab. Bolivia. Remark.—This is much smaller, but nearly allied to T. heteropogon. 14. Trocuitus ( ?) rnornaTa. Troch. corpore superiore eneo-viridi, inferiore ad latera brunneo, eneo splendente ; gule plumis ad apices ceruleis ; alis cauddque eneis. All the upper surface bronzy-green; under surface brown, with bronzy reflexions on the flanks; feathers of the throat tipped with cerulean blue ; wings and tail bronzy, all the latter tipped with buff ; bill black. 424 Zoological Society. Total length, 35 inches; bill, $; wings, 23; tail, 1}. Hab. Bolivia. Remark.—This species is closely allied to the species called Le Sabine by the French, Trochilus ——? Hab. Bolivia. 15. Trocuitus (LOPHORNIS) REGULUS. Troch. plumis in vertice castaneo-fuscis valde elongatis, acuminatis, ad apices viridibus ; guld pectoreque luminose viridibus, plumis ad colli latera elongatis, minus autem quam in'Trochilo magnifico ; fascid in uropygio alba ; caudd castaneo-fuscd, plumis singulis eneo-viridibus fimbriatis. Feathers of the crown chestnut-brown, very much lengthened, carried to a point, and tipped with green ; throat and breast luminous green; the feathers on the side of the neck elongated, but not to so great an extent as in Trochilus magnificus ; back and abdomen green, with bronze reflexions; rump crossed by a band of white; tail chestnut- brown, each feather margined externally with bronzy green ; wings purplish brown; bill light brown, darker at the tip. Total length, 33 inches; bill, ; wing, 12; tail, 14. Hab. Interior of Brazil. ; Remark.—This beautiful species is nearly allied to the 7. ornata and 7. magnifica, but differs from them in the lesser development of the feathers of the sides of the neck and in the greater size of the crest, which is more largely developed than in any other species known. 16. Trocuitvus ( ?) nypoLeucus. Troch. corpore superiore viridi; guld et corpore inferiore albis; rectricibus intermediis duabus viridibus, reliquis fuscis viridi splendentibus, ad apices albis. All the upper surface green; throat and all the under surface white ; wings brown; two centre tail-feathers green ; the remainder brown, glossed with green and largely tipped with white ; bill black ; base of the lower mandible paler. Total length, 34 inches; bill, 14; wing, 24; tail, 12. Hab. Bolivia. Remark.—Nearly allied to T. leucogaster, Tschudi, and not far removed from 7’. albirostris, Auct. 17. Trocuitus ( ?) nispipus. Troch. omni corpore superiore . eneo-fusco; auribus saturate fuscis infra et supra lined cervind marginatis ; corpore inferiore griseo-fusco ; jugulo latis strigis albis plumisque longioribus ornato ; caudd viridi-fuscd, rectri- cibus lateralibus vix albo ad apices pictis, centralibus attenuatis, valde elongatis. All the upper surface bronzy brown; ear-coverts dark brown, bordered above and below with a line of buff; under surface brownish grey, with broad stripes of white down the throat, where the feathers are much elongated ; tail greenish brown, the lateral feathers slightly tipped with white; the central feathers much elongated and attenu- ated towards the apex, the attenuated portion white; wings brown ; - Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 3 425 upper tail-coverts very broad, much-prolonged and hair-like; bill black, basal half of the under mandible straw-colour. Total length, 64 inches ; bill, 15; wing, 23; tail, 3. Hab. Peru? Remark.—This bird belongs to the same section as the J. Bour- cieri, T. Guy, T. Eurynome, &c. of Less., and equals in size the largest of them. The species described by me at the meeting of June 9, 1846, (present vol. pp. 129, 130) were 18. TrocuiLus (PETASOPHORA) coruscaAns, a beautiful species al- lied to the Anais, but whose locality is unknown to me. 19. Trocuixus ( ?) FLABELLIFERA, which is nearly allied to, but a much larger species than J’. mellivora, said to inhabit Mexico ; and 20. Trocurius -( ?) STROPHIANUS, a fine new species of the same form as the Clarisse and the Parzudaki. BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. June 11, 1846.—Professor Balfour, President, in the Chair. The following communications were read :— 7 1. ‘* On the presence of Fluorine in Plants,” by Dr. George Wilson. 2. ‘* Notice of the discovery of Luzula nivea, in a wood at Broom- hall, near Dunfermline,” by Dr. Dewar. 3. ‘* On the distinctions between Parietaria erecta and P. diffusa of Mertens and Koch,” by Charles C, Babington, M.A.,, F.L.S. 4. ‘* Observations on some rare Plants gathered in the neigh- bourhood of Edinburgh,” by Dr. Balfour and Mr. Evans. Fresh specimens of some of the rarest of these were exhibited to the meet- ing, among which may be mentioned, Oxytropis uralensis, Vicia lutea, Orobanche rubra, Carduus setosus, Luzula nivea, Lepidium ruderale, and Malcolmia maritima. July 9.—Professor Balfour, President, in the Chair. The following communications were read :— 1. ‘‘ Observations on the Plant yielding the drug Mudar of India,” by Dr. Douglas Maclagan. 2. ‘‘ Remarks on the elongation of the peduncle of Vallisneria spiralis,” by H. Denny, Esq., Leeds. In this communication Mr. D. alluded particularly to the rapidity of its growth, and to its non- spiral nature, in the specimens of the pistilliferous plant grown by him; he also noticed the rapid evolution of yas from the plants when placed in the sun. 3. ‘* Remarks on the Greenheart, or Beeberu-Bark Tree of Deme- rara,’ by Dr. G. R. Bonyun. Dr. B. stated, that the description of the parts of the flower as given by Schomburgk, is not quite cor- rect, and thinks that the plant cannot be referred to the genus Nec- tandra.. According to Dr. Bonyun, it has an 8, 10, or 12-partite perigone, outer segments persistent, stamens varying from twelve to Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xviii. 426. Botanical Society of Edinburgh. twenty, all fertile, with two minute scales at the base of each. A drawing of the plant accompanied the communication. Dr. Balfour noticed the discovery, by Mr. Crighton, of Campa- nula rapunculoides, near Luffness. Mr. James M‘Nab exhibited a beautiful collection of British Or- chids, containing specimens of all the species known as natives, with one exception. Some new and rare plants from the hothouses of the Botanic Garden were exhibited to the meeting, among which Thomasia to- mentosa from Swan River, Posoqueria longiflora, Abutilon Russel- lianum, Pistia stratiotes in flower, and a new species of Turrea, were particularly interesting. November 12.—Professor Balfour, President, in the Chair. The following communications were read :— 1. ‘* On three species of Glyceria,” by Mr. Fred. Townsend. The author gave full descriptions of Glyceria fluitans, Br., G. plicata, Fries, and of a supposed new species found in Cambridgeshire and Warwickshire, which he proposes to name G. hybrida, and pointed out the distinctions by which they may be known from each other. 2. Dr. Balfour read a description of Hxogonium Purga, Benth., the true Jalap plant, and noticed some points connected with its medical history. The jalap plant was for a long time referred to Convolvulus Jalapa of Linneus and Willdenow, or [pomea macrorhiza of Michaux, a native of Vera Cruz. It has recently been proved, however, from various sources, to be the plant now under notice, which grows in the hill country near Jalapa in Mexico, at a height of about 6000 feet above the level of the sea. The plant was first sent to the Edinburgh Botanic Garden by Dr. Christison, who re- ceived it from Dr. Coxe of Philadelphia, and it has flowered several times ina cold frame. It belongs to the Nat. Ord. Convolvulacee. Specimens of the recent plant were exhibited. He also exhibited a fresh specimen in flower of Stenocarpus Cunninghami of Hooker. This plant has been long known in gardens under the name of Agnostus sinuatus. It is a small evergreen tree belonging to the Nat. Order Proteacee. “It was found by Allan Cunningham on the banks of the Brisbane River, Moreton Bay, and has flowered this season for the first time in Britain. : 3. ‘* Remarks on a Pyrola found in Lancashire,” by Mr. Kenyon. Specimens of this plant, which is considered by its discoverer as a new species, and which he proposes to call P. maritima, in allusion to the localities in which it is generally found, were shown to the meeting. It is nearly allied to P. rotundifolia, from which it may be distinguished by its size, the form and length of its sepals, and length of the stamens. Some excellent botanists who have exa- mined it, are of opinion that it is only a variety of that species. Mr. Wm. M‘Ivor of the Kew Gardens sent specimens of an Oro- banche, considered by him to be O. /ucorum, Braun, gathered on Epsom Downs; also Thorea ramosissima, from Studley, Yorkshire ; and Hormospora mutabilis, from the Thames, near Walton. Miscellaneous. 427 MISCELLANEOUS. HABITS OF THE “‘ KAKAPO”’ AND “‘ MACRO’ OF NEW ZEALAND. In a note dated 2nd May 1846, which I have just received from Governor Grey, he makes the following observations on the Kakapo, Strigops habroptilus of my brother's ‘ Genera of Birds ’ :— ‘I have been some time past engaged in instituting inquiries into its natural history, and intended to have been the first to forward it to Europe, at the same time transmitting you a full account of it. I now send you a head of this bird ; its real name is not what you state, but Kakapo, the word ‘ kaka’ meaning Parrot, and ‘po’ night, the compound signifying ‘night Parrot; you thus see that you have rightly divined its nocturnal habits. This bird, since rats and cats have been introduced into the island, is rapidly becoming ex- tinct, indeed so much so, that it is in some parts regarded as a fabulous bird, and many Europeans regard it as such. The same natives who first made me fully acquainted with the existence of this bird and its habits, described to me another new animal which they call a ‘ Macro; they say it is like a man covered over with hair, but smaller and with long claws ; it inhabits trees and lives on birds ; they represent it as being strong and active, and state they are afraid of them. I hope in a few weeks to be able to visit the country (mountains covered with forests) which the animals live in, and as I am not afraid of them, I hope I shall send you one before long.”’ The ‘‘ Macro” is most probably a Lemurideous animal by the de- scription ; some, as the Indri, have a man-like appearance, and many eat birds. —J. E. Gray. On the Medicinal Properties of our Geraniums. By Dr. Jounston. A few weeks ago my friend Dr. Edgar brought a plant to me to have it named. It was a dried fragment of Geranium pratense. ‘The Doctor told me that a person resident in or about Ford had acquired great local fame, for the cure of fluxes in general, and the only remedy used was an infusion of this Geranium. One dozen stalks are “‘ masked” in a pint of boiling water, and of this two ounces are taken three times a-day. Dr. Edgar’s interest had been raised by the cure of a patient of his own, who had been greatly reduced by a chronic diarrhoea that had resisted the ordinary medicinal treatment, but yielded speedily to the geranium infusion. He felt relief from the second dose, and continuing to take it for three or four days, he was permanently cured. It was said to be a good medicine in the diarrhoea of teething children, and is easily taken by them, for the taste is ‘‘ like tea without sugar, rather sweeter.” It is very likely that this remedy is inferior, for general use, to more powerful vegetable and mineral astringents of modern intro- duction into practice, but I think it worth while to bring the subject before the Club, since it relates to a matter of local interest; and there are cases in which it is well for a medical man to have a wide 2H 2 428 Miscellaneous. range of medicines to ring the changes upon. No Geranium has now a place in any British Pharmacopeia*, but several species hold a conspicuous place in the old Herbals. Of Geranium pratense and its immediate allies, Gerarde says, ‘“‘ none of these plants are now in vse in physicke; yet Fuschius sayeth that cranes-bill with the blew floure (G. pratense) is an excellent thing to heale wounds.”— Our author speaks in very different terms of our commoner species, Ger. molle and dissectum. ‘‘'The herbe and roots dried,” says he, ‘* beaten into most fine powder, and given halfe a spoonful fasting, and the like quantitie to bedwards in red wine, or old claret, for the space of one and twentie days together, cureth miraculously rup- tures or burstings, as myselfe have often proved, whereby I haue gotten crownes and credit: if the ruptures be in aged persons, it shall be needfull to adde thereto the powder of red snailes (those without shels) dried in an ouen, in number nine, which fortifie the herbs in such sort, that it neuer faileth, although the rupture be great and of long continuance: it likewise profiteth much those that are wounded into the body, and the decoction of the herbe made in wine, prevaileth mightily in healing inward wounds, as myselfe haue likewise proved.”—Historie of Plants, p. 939. Ray also furnishes us with a proof of the medicinal virtue of the Gerania. When he tells us that Geranium molle and robertianum are added to vulnerary potions and fomentations to stay fluxes and effusions of blood, and to relieve the pains of colic, and of the stone and gravel, he merely gives us asummary of preceding ob- servation ; but he speaks from his own knowledge when he details the case of his host at Carlisle, who, subject to frequent severe paroxysms of pain from calculus, found in nothing so much relief as from a decoction of Ger. robertianum. (Syn. p. 361.) In a subse- quent work, after repeating its virtues as a vulnerary herb, Ray mentions that a decoction of the same species is used by shepherds to cure their cattle passing bloody urine. (Hist. Plant. ii. p. 1059.) Geiger informs us that G. pratense and sanguineum were formerly officinal, the root and herb being used, both having an unpleasant odour and a very astringent taste, which is contrary to Dr. Edgar’s information. Other compilers repeat the same tale} of the astrin- gency of the Gerania in general, and of their popular use in fluxes and diseases of relaxation; but it is foreign to my purpose to enter farther on the subject than what is sufficient to show that the virtue ascribed to our district species is not imaginary.— From the Transac- tions of the Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club, vol. ii. p. 175. ON THE GENUS PEDICULARIA OR THYREUS. Mr. Swainson, in ‘ Lardner’s Ency.,’ pp. 240, 245, 357, fig. 44, applied the former name to a small rosy shell found on coral at Sicily, which he arranges with the Patelle, and it has been retained in that * Several Gerania are introduced into Dr. Stokes’s ‘ Botanical Materia Medica,’ but without any indication of their properties. + For extracts from the works of L. Mérat, Geiger and Gerbuier, [ am indebted to the obliging kindness of Professor Christison, Miscellaneous. 429 family by all succeeding authors. Philippi also described and figured it as new under the name of Thyreus Paradocus, Supp. 92. t. 18. f44., Having lately obtained a fresh specimen with the animal dried in it, I soaked it in water, and on comparing the remains of the animal with other genera, I believe that the Pedicularia of Swainson should be placed next to Concholepas, if it is more than a section of that genus, for it only differs from that genus in having no tooth-like process on the front of the outer lip, and in the edge of the outer lip being generally sinuous, and the inner or columellar lip being rounded, callous, and covering part of the left side of the last whorl. There is asmall white shell in Mr. Cuming’s collection from the Philippines which has similar characters, but it is even more like the typical Concholepas than Pedicularia Sicula of Swainson.—J. E. Gray. Descriptions of some new species of Indian Lizards. By J. E. Gray, Esq. Mr. Jerdon of Madras having kindly sent to the Museum a series of specimens of Indian reptiles, I hasten to describe the fol- lowing species, which have not before occurred to me, and conse- quently are not described in my recent Synoptic Catalogue of Rep- tiles in the British Museum. Fam. GEcKOoTIDz. Goniodactylus indicus.—Brown, darker marbled and_ spotted; scales of body and tail small, equal, six-sided; of underside of tail rather larger, six-sided; lower lip-shield 5-1-5, square, front larger, equal, rest gradually smaller, last very small. Hab. Madras. Brit. Mus. These were accompanied by four species of Hemidactylus. Fam. AGAMIDZ. Calotes viridis. Nape with two isolated spines above the ears. Neck without any pit in front of the shoulder, but with dark spots at the hinder part of the lower jaw ; eyebrows not horned. Green ; scales large, of base of tail larger, of limbs and underside of the body smaller, of crown smaller. Nape and shoulders with a com- pressed crest; hinder part of back and tail with an obscure keel. Hab. Madras. Brit. Mus. Like C. versicolor, but uniformly coloured, the back less crested, and the scales smaller. Salea Jerdonit. The nuchal and dorsal crest formed of elongated compressed scales; tail with a keeled crest. Blackish, white spot- ted, spot forming distant cross-bands; lips and beneath white. Hab. Madras. Brit. Mus. This genus is best distinguished from Calotes by the length and acuteness of the keeled scales of the back, side and under part of body, and their being all placed in longitudinal series. The other species has only the nape shortly crested. 430 Miscellaneous. Draconella Dussumieri, Gray, Syn. Rept. Brit. Mus. 234; Sitana Ponticeriana, Cuv., Gray, 1. c. 236; and Charasia dorsalis, Gray, l. c. 246, were also contained in the collection. Fam. Scincip&. Mocoa bilineata. Fronto-parietal plates two, separate; ears round, moderate, with two very indistinct minute scales in front; the drum sunken; scales six or eight-rowed, very thin, smooth. Olive, with two black streaks, sides above blackish, beneath pale; cheek dark white, spotted ; chin and beneath white. Young paler. Hab. Madras. Brit. Mus. Most allied to Mocoa africana, Cat. Rept. Brit. Mus. 83, from West Africa. Riopa albopunctata. Pale olive-brown, yellowish beneath ; sides of the head and of the front half of the body blackish, minutely white dotted. Hab. Madras. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua pulchra, Gray, Illust. Ind. Zool.t. f.2, from General Hardwicke’s drawing may be intended for this species, but it looks too fusiform. - Riopa Hardwickii, Gray, Syn. Rept. Brit. Mus. 96. - Hab. Madras. Brit. Mus. Tiliqua rubriventris, Gray, Illust. Ind. Zool. 9.tab. f. 1. Olive, with a few scattered black spots; beneath yellowish white ; temples, sides and limbs with white-eyed black spots; scales three-keeled. ' Hab. Madras. Before only known from General Hardwicke’s draw- ing, which did not represent the scales as keeled. . Euprepis trilineata. Fronto- and interparietals separate, scales five-keeled. Pale olive, with white-eyed brown spots; head and front half of the body with three dark-edged pale streaks; lips and beneath yellow; ears with two elongated scales in front. Hab. Madras. Brit. Mus. This species is distinct from Tiliqua trivitiata, Gray, Must. Ind. Zool. tab. _, figured from General Hardwicke’s drawings, but still unknown in Europe. Description of Unio abacoides, a new species. By 8. S. Hatpeman. Shell subovate, obtusely and regularly rounded posteriorly ; discs approximate, chestnut-brown and pale green, with green radiating interrupted capillary lines, and a tendency to form a submedial no- dulous ridge: primary teeth robust, their inner margin nearly at right angles with the short lamellar teeth : pallial and muscular im- pressions well-marked : nacre white, roseate posteriorly. Length 23 inches; height 2; diameter 1}. Allied to U. dromas, Lea, and U. intermedius, Conrad, but pro- portionally longer than either. In its outline and small transverse diameter it resembles U. abacus. I am indebted for this interesting shell to the liberality of Dr. Foreman, who received it from Eastern Tennessee.—Silliman’s American Journal, Sept. 1846. Meteorological Observations. 431 NEW SPECIES OF VOLUTE. Voluta Sophia. Shell ovate, ventricose, white with minute red dots, and a few series of irregular red spots; last whorl ventricose, with a series of large conical tubercles behind ; spire very short ; the apex rather produced, rounded, crenulated. Hab. North Australia, Endeavour Sound. This species is most like Voluta cymbiola, but much more ventri- cose and shorter. The spire of the older specimen is covered with a callous secretion.—J. E. Gray. METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR oct. 1846. Chiswick. —October 1. Foggy: fine: overcast. 2. Hazy: very fine: rain. 3, 4. Very fine. 5. Cloudy. 6. Overcast: rain. 7. Fine: rain. 8. Clear: cloudy: rain. 9. Rain. 10. Boisterous: rain. 11. Fine: rain. 12. Foggy. 13. Slight rain: cloudy: clear. 14. Densely overcast: heavy rain. 15. Rain: cloudy: clear. 16. Clear: fine: rain at night. 17. Slight fog. 18. Heavy and continued rain. 19. Foggy: cloudy and fine: clear. 20, Hazy: very fine: clear. 21. Heavy rain: boisterous, 22. Cloudy: buisterous. 23. Fine: clear: slight frost at night. 24. Rain: fine: rain. 25. Cloudy. 26. Foggy. 27. Hazy: fine: foggy at night. 28. Dense fog. 29. Cloudy: slight rain, 30. Hazy: overcast: clear. 31. Foggy. Mean temperature of the MONth ......cecccseseccsseerecseesevees JOST Mean temperature of Oct. 1845 .......s000. dhsaes par ons snc ceppes AO. 96 Average mean temperature of Oct. for the last twenty years. 50 °43 Average amount of rain in Oct. ....0c.cecessecseeecsccesecseeeee -. 2°58 inches, Boston.—Oct. 1. Fine. 2, Cloudy and foggy: rain a.m. and p.m. 3. Cloudy. 4. Fine. 5. Cloudy: raine.m. 6. Fine. 7, 8. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 9. Rain: rain early a.m.: rain A.M. 10. Stormy. 11. Fine: rainp.m. 12. Cloudy: raine.M. 13, Windy. 14. Rain: rain a.m.and pm. 15. Fine. 16, Fine: rain early a.m. 17. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 18, Cloudy: rain a.m. and p.m 19. Fine, 20, Rain: rain early a.m. 21, Rain and stormy: rain early a.m. : rain a.M. 22. Cloudy: rainr.m. 23. Cloudy. 24, Rain: rain early a.m. 25. Fine. 26—28. Foggy. 29. Cloudy. 30, $1. Foggy.—The past month has been an extraordinary moist one. Sandwick Manse, Orkney.—Oct. 1, 2. Cloudy: clear. 3. Bright: clear. 4, 5. Bright: hazy, 6, Cloudy: rain. 7. Clear: hazy: aurora, 8. Bright: clear. 9. Bright: rain. 10. Rain: cloudy. 11. Bright: rain. 12. Cloudy : showers. 13. Cloudy. 14, Rain. 15. Rain: showers: aurora. 16. Bright : clear: aurora. 17. Fine: damp. 18. Bright: cloudy. 19. Rain: cloudy: aurora. 20. Bright: cloudy. 21. Cloudy: rain. 22. Bright: showers: aurora. 23. Showers: cloudy. 24. Cloudy: showers: aurora, 25. Bright: clear: aurora. 26. Frost: cloudy. 27. Frost: bright: clear: aurora. 28. Cloudy. 29,30. Rain: drops. 31. Showers : cloudy. Applegarth Manse, Dum ufries-shire. —Oct. 1. Rain a.m.: cleared: fine. 2, 3. Fair and fine. 4. Fair, but raw: threatening. 5. Showers. 6. Violent showers r.M. 7. Violent showers p.m.: thunder, 8. Violent showers p.m. 9. Rain all day. 10. Showers. 11. Rainr.m. 12. Showers. 13. Fine and fair. 14. Heavy rain, 15, Fair and fine. 16. Rain r.m.: thunder, 17. Slight showers. 18, Slight showers r.m. 19, Frequent showers. 20. Showers a.m.: cleared. 21, Showers a.m. 22, 23. Fair. 24, Heavy rain. 25. Fair and clear. 26. Frost: clear. 27. Frost: cloudy. 28. Fair and fine. 29.- Slight showers, 30. Rain A.M,: cleared. 31. Slight shower v.m. Mean temperature of the month .......,.sccrescoseesseveeses 4905 Mean temperature of Oct. 1845 ........+. gotervesaes eeepesnse 49 ‘6 Mean temperature of Oct. for twenty-three years Mean rain in Oct, for eighteen years ...seccossrseesseveseees 34 inches. j p — joe CE GG-£ 61-P seh as sesh LE-0G €-PP GS |1-06 \LL-27 |L6-LS 196.62 |egs-62 | 19-62 21-62 L1-62 965.62 |g69-62 \ ge. |eeirr| to. | +s | os | uneo| em | €E9 | 9 | 1h] 9S] 9€| GE | FH | 89-62 | 99-62) 08-62 | 88-62 8L-62 |1L0-0€ |1€1-0€ | “1 eee pay ****|"°*°"*) og | cage | tayeo | cu 19 | gh | 6€| oS| LH] EE | FS |Sg-6z | 96-62} 00-08 | £0-0€ | ZL-62 |Z01-0€ |0€ 1.08 | “of Er. fo 10+ | yes | sma |upeo| vas | LP} Bh | PP) ZS} OF] SP | OG |Z1-0€ | Z1-0€| £0.08 | Z0.08 ZL-62 |7L6-62 |8G0-0£ | “6% srescieaneeeieerereieeeree! ipa! cou [unea| *s | OF | 19 | SP] ZS] S€} 6€ | BS | 86-66 | 56-62 26-6 | 00-0€ | 88-62 |601-0€ |[1Z-0€ | “8 Po. |r| 10. | cas | roua |upeo| ua | FOV | teh | €€| oG| LE} ZE | BP | 90-08 8I-0£ | OT-0£ | Z1-0€ | $8-6% |OET-0F 097-08 | “Lz ¢ seevan sper tisengpenee cee! 9s Eom | meat cu gv | ap |$1¢|f6r7| oF] 6E | LV | 60.0€ | Lg-6Z| 10-0€ | 08-62 | 19-62 |896-62 671-08 | *9% go. "ot |go- | ‘ou | ‘a |uyeo| mu | ge | bh | for} €9.9-S7| IP | ES | 00-08 | 90-08 | 68-62 | 08-62 VE-6z |L89-6 |P98-6% | “SZ serereleereeel on. iat. | cou |murou| «m | ms | PP | fep |F1h| oS] LP| oF | 99 | 68-62 | £9.60) SP.6z | g2-62 | 91-62 6L7-62 €%S-66 | “V% Lo. '29:0'St. |z | -s | ou | em | cm | €b | $Pb | 1h] 09 ¢-87| 68 | 99 | £9.62 | Bh-6z! LP-6%| Vh-62 | S1-6% P19-60|1Z8-60| “€% 9G, |" Cy. cree} sm fraud | «s [ems | $gh | f09 | PP| 2G) OS} sh | OG | FZ.6% | €1-62| 01-62 | 8-8% | BS-8Z 080-62 |BEE-60 | “2% zo. [| PE. LE. | a | os | os lems | Of | gh | PH) S| Of] PH | LG | OT.6z | €T-6Z| OL.g%| 8L-8% | $9-8z 096.8% |120-66| “1B go. "| 11. | SG | urea |rmam! uyeo| «ms | Sb | fog | 99] PS| 19| oF | ZO | £E.6z | 8E-6G) S%-6z | 0£-62 | 90-62 |9ES.6c 6S¢-62| ‘ot. 19» |""***" 00-1 90: | ‘as | cas | ‘m | sms | ZS | 29 | 0S| 8S) zS| Sb | £9 | €F.6z | £€-66| SE-6z| OF-62 | 72-62 899-62 |0SL-66 | “61 rsreesieesseeieerere GQ. | ca | vou | uyeo| “Mm | FOS Seo | gh| 9S| 2S] SE | 1 | 69-62 | 99-62! 19-62} 8F-62 | 11-62 677-62 |S89-62) “St | tersesleeeeee! JQ, Qn, | ‘a | tauu|upeo| ems | $€h | 19 | PP) LS) 9S| zh | 09 | L9-6% | 79-68} 6£-6 | ZE-62 | L8-86 | 12-62 OLV-6z| “LI OT. |""""""|Go. |OF | *@ | "ou |umeo|-ms | fo | 19 | Sh\THS\G.GS| ¢ Fo | ZP-6z | 1£:6%| 08-62 | 90-6 | 08-8% 681-62 |89Z-62 | “OL SP. 06-1; 09- 69. | ° ‘9 | ‘ms | °S 6h | $06 | SP) SS| 6h| 2b | 9S. | 61-6z | 86-8%| 26.8% | PL-8% | 9S-8% PE6-8% 780-62) “St Co. [reresiteee*; OG. | °F | “MS | UBD] = °s gb | Spr | LE) 1S) SP| SP | 9S | 00-62 | 92-64} SL-8% | 0-62 | 00-62 |266-8% 109-60 | “VT Co. |} TT. | 10. | Wed] “asa | “u | tu 1v | 4ep | oF| 9S| 0S) 9€ | PS |Se-6a | E1-0€| BL-6%}| Z6-6Z | 1£-6% |€08-62 |G88-62 | “ET Lo. |*****16€. | Lo. | aun} ‘ase | yea! ems | Feb | Le |$0S| LS} oS} SP | 6 |O1-0€ | 06-64} $S.6z| 0-62 96-82% |SOP-62 | 1€9-6% | “ZI D OL. [tee\t778* gz. | ‘au | asa} *s | cas | ob | gh | ob! gGic-eS| 6€ | €9 | 9-62 | ZL-63| 6£-62 | ZS-62 | 0-62 265.6% £GL-6%| ‘11 cg. |eelozg. (gt. | tu | cms | cm fems | gh | £19 | SS) gS] 19! 9F | £9 | 1F62 | F1-6Z| OF-62| 98-82 | 96-82 |LP-6z 882-62 | *O1 sereesleeees! 29, 1 QZ. | tau | ‘asa | upeo| “ms | £19 | $4¢ | gh\¥gS| 0G] 2G | zo |PI-6z | £€.62| 20-62 | 80-6% | L1-6% 967-6e |ZS9-62| “6 61- low1| 0% {€t- | ‘Mu | ‘e50} «m fms | 2S | $2g | LP/EPS] SS] PP | 19. | 80-6 | 86-82% | 22-62 | P0-6z | 18-8 |oSF-6z L99-62| °8 Pz. \**""*| 0. (QI. | *e8 | ‘msl | ems | ms | S| €¢ | gh/ FSS] 99] gb | €9 | F0-6z | 90-60 | 88.8% | 80-62 L8-8% |89£-62 |SSV-62 | *L srsessleneeel Zr. lg. | ‘S| cms | tm | sms | $9h | 9G] PS] 69] 19] 19 | Go | 01-62 | P1-62 | €1-62| 66-82 | 18-82 |O€P-62 |PPS-6z | *9 sriseslecenesloreeee! gy, | tas | asa | ta | ss | Lo | $Z¢ | 29|#6S/6-69| 29 | So |ZP-6z | 69-68 | 22-66 | LE-6z | 96-80 |E6E-62 \ZET-60 | “S sstsesfereersleeeel gg, | cas | casa] s | ms | $19 | zo | Pr|FoS\s-pS| SS | Lo | 09-62 | £9-6a| Sb.6z| L9-6z | 92-62 |ZES-62 |LOL-6z | “V O seseesfecenee] po, [eeeee| cms | cms | onteo| om | 67 | So} 1h] 6S| PS) 9€ | SO |89-6z | Bh-62| 29-64} LG-6z | 81-62 |LS9-62 |00L-62 | *€ retessleseeesleereee! Dp, | ms | cms |upes| ‘m | oo} s¢} 6¢|f09| Lo} So | 9 | zv.6z | 29-62 | LP-6z| 01-62} 0€-62 |019-62 |S8L-66 | *% seeesfeeeeralereersleserse] tans | ems [untea| sm | €¢} go} 19/969] €9| zo | Lo | GL.62 | ZL-62) 81-62) OL-62| 7-62 988-62 |L66-60 | “E 3 = 2 | cur “ur ‘urd | ‘ure : : ‘po Eol2s | § 2 eolez| # | x8 ge | be |e lee S| ptt | we | 6 f 6 | ee} MH] | oper aeieehs:\2 | 881382) § | BEI. : as : zs vamane-s Bie fF.) Pet eB |e PS | ‘yomspueg | aus 185 | -yormsry9 PIMPULS —j -aarys-sapyuing | * "HOTMSTIYO ce * 9 g ; ; fauyio saTIyUN( 4 £auy10 a J ae “Urey “pul “19, 9ULOWIIOY I, “19901 | So “KANWUQC) ‘asunyy younpung pv SuoysNO]D *D ‘Ady 247 49 puy SaUIHs-salusMa ‘asunyy Ypuvdayddp yw ‘xequac] * AA “A0Y 74/7 hg {NoLsog 70 ‘JBo A AN Ag SuopuoT avau ‘MOIMSIND 7D hjav0g younqnaysozy ay, fo uapsvy) ayz 7” uosdwoyy, ‘aj, 49 apom suorzuasasqc_ 7900807040939 Ay he, Det ‘ Se oe “Se i. Lo coe i au aye? ate Be AER tae ae Vv 5 TT ae me eee ee | dD aay cecal a to ht °o = > ee fet \o'e: ee Nie \ ae ¢ , + N N \ \ v9 N N eh < h \ iN IN ! aN \ THE ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. SUPPLEMENT TO VOL. XVIII. JANUARY 1847. XLVI.—On the Organization of the Polygastric Infusoria. By C. Ecknarp*. [With two Plates.] 1. Sincr the discovery and the progressive perfection of the microscope, a new impulse has been given to all those branches of scientific study in which its use is applicable, from which we can- not withhold our acknowledgement, because it has enriched us with a number of the most interesting facts, which formerly could not have been anticipated. In botany, R. Brown, H. Mohl, M. J. Schleiden and others have investigated with success ; and in the zoological and anatomical department the not less important re- searches of J. Miiller, Bischoff, Schwann, Reichert, &c. have ap- peared. Ehrenberg undoubtedly gave a most important impulse to all these microscopic inquiries by his numerous investigations in one class of animals, which before him had been examined by few only, and the anatomical and physiological relations of which at that time were almost unknown. Unfortunately how- ever, this store of excellent observations has not been estimated according to its true value; to many it has been inaccessible, whilst others have either not repeated the observations, or only imperfectly, and have hence expressed views which have not stood the test of a critical examination. In the ‘ Lehrbuch der vergleichenden. Anatomie,’ by Von Siebold and Stannius, which appeared last year, in the section on the Infusoria, Siebold has adopted views of their structure which totally differ from those of Ehrenberg. Consequently these required thorough elucidation, to separate mere opinions from what may be considered as well- determined scientific facts ; especially since doubt has been thrown upon even Ehrenberg’s views, although founded upon distinct observation. Schmidt has fully discussed Siebold’s views on the structure of the Rotatoria in a previous part of this journal > I shall attempt to do so as regards the Polygastrica in this paper, My reasons for fully entering into the organization and physio- logy of these animals, are, on the one hand, that we are at present in possession of no treatise which lays before us the details of this subject in connexion (for Ehrenberg’s observations are widely * Translated by Dr. J. W. Griffith from Wiegmann’s Archiv, Part 3, 1846. Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xvi. Suppl. 21 43.4, M. Eckhard on the Organization scattered, and are only to be found in the large works on Infu- soria), and, on the other hand, that I have made some new obser- vations, which may probably possess interest. 2. Before passing on to the true demonstration of the rela- tions of their organization, I must examine more minutely an ex- pression of Siebold in the work above quoted. It is as follows (p. 7) : “ But those infusoria which remain as Polygastrica (after the separation of the Rotatoria) require a further limitation, be- cause those organisms which are enumerated among the Closterina, Bacillarina, Volvocina, and probably many other of Ehrenberg’s animals, having stomachs but not intestines, must be referred to the vegetable kingdom.” The dispute regarding the nature of these bodies is old, and dates from the time of their discovery. It has been renewed innumerable times, by both zoologists and botanists ; nevertheless the truth is apparently not yet deter- mined. Both manuals of botany and zoology frequently contain one and the same genus, or in fact, family. I fear that again to bring forward the question will be irksome to those who have long since satisfactorily proved the animal nature of the supposed plants, but I cannot refrain from so doing. It therefore first be- comes requisite to attempt to restore to their proper place the three families referred by Siebold to the vegetable kingdom. I. Closterina.—The grounds for their being of animal nature are derived partly from their motion, partly from their organi- zation. On the leaves of Ceratophyllum, 1 observed the manner in which several Closteria adhered elegantly by one extremity ; in about a quarter or half an hour many of them were situated in the same manner upon a higher part of the leaf: not a single animalcule was found on the side of the leaf, nor adherent longi- tudinally to it. ‘They had evidently moved during the above time from the lower to the upper part of the leaf. If we observe their motions under the microscope, they are not so rapid as those of many other polygastric infusoria, but the motion is always evidently animal. They swim, especially in summer, in the most varied directions, and I have frequently seen Cl. acero- sum and Lanula swim against the current when the water on the object-holder was flowing towards one side, whilst fragments of plants, various kinds of Spirogyra and Oscillatoria, were carried. away. It is difficult here to discover anything but animal motion; to explam this however by electricity, as Turpin at- tempted *, is unnatural, and not less absurd than that of the mus- cular fibre by the same natural agent by Strauss. But the relations of the organization of the Closterina are likewise in favour of their animal nature. In illustration of this I shall confine myself to * Sur les Closteries. of the Polygastric Infusoria. 435 Cl. acerosum, which is figured in Plate IX. B. fig. 1. We see that the animal, which is expanded in the middle, is elongated sym- metrically on each side. In the middle there is a transverse fis- sure m, which probably serves for the admission of nourishment ; since, when this animal is kept for some time in coloured water, we perceive little accumulations of the colouring matters. At the extremities we see on each side a vesicle 4, in which minute gra- nules (f) incessantly move. In other species there is moreover a small aperture 7; it is situated more posteriorly, and is perhaps connected with the cell. Ehrenberg twice saw in this animalcule filaments (feet ?) project from it. Internally there are, on each side, two to four cords, s' s!' s", and a row (in other kinds several) of glandular bodies d. In the species figured, I have so often seen the above change in relative position, that I have been compelled to wait until they again appeared in their original po- sition in order to delineate them. . All this is not plant-like ; and if the carapace of the Closterina should prove to be of a horny nature, as would appear to be the case from their becoming wrinkled when heated, they would be removed from the vegetable kingdom with still greater certainty. II. Bacillarina.—The greatest doubt has certainly been raised regarding the animal nature of the forms which belong to this family. I think however that if we collect all the observations which have hitherto been made upon these bodies, they must be referred to the animal kingdom. We will therefore consider the following :— I have, a hundred times, seen Navicula Acus and Librile swim against the current as distinctly as the Closteria, so that these motions cannot be regarded otherwise than as dependent upon the will of the animals. In addition to this, the shells of all the Bacillarina are formed in a much more complicated manner (3) than the other inorganic parts which we commonly find in plants, We find calcareous incrustations, crystals, &c., but never such sym- metrically formed shells as in the Bacillarina. Plants have no such power over inorganic chemical agency as to elaborate morganic matters according to their will independently of the laws of such matters, and such as we must presuppose to exist in the formation of the carapace of the Bacillarina. The exsertion of feet at the an- terior, and probably also at the inferior apertures of the carapace, speaks decidedly in favour of the animal nature of the Navicule. Ehrenberg first detected it, and described it in the ‘ Transactions of the Berlin Academy *.’ After him it was observed by Schmidt, and in the latter part of the autumn of last year I succeeded in seeing it. Its not being more frequently detected, depends upon * For the year 1836, p. 184, and 1839, p. 102; and Taylor’s Scientific Memoirs, Parts X. and XI. ae 4.36 M. Eckhard on the Organization the fact that such phenomena cannot be produced, but depend upon fortunate circumstances, which we must take the chance of meeting with. Lastly, should the observation of Werneck*, who saw a Peridinium inside a Navicula and thought that it had been eaten by it, be true, as can scarcely be doubted from so acute an observer, the dispute regarding the nature of the Bacillarina would be at an end. III. Volvocina.—How Siebold has been able to refer these to the vegetable kingdom is to me incomprehensible; the distinct ascent and descent of Volvox globator, when kept in glasses, the spontaneous motion of the two proboscides of each separate ani- malcule, and the contractile vesicle discovered by Ehrenberg, leave no further doubt on this matter. It still remains for us to bring forward and examine the grounds upon which Siebold based his opinion on the nature of the three families we have mentioned. At pages 8 and 9 we find the followmg remarks, which, if they cannot together be ad- duced as a direct ground for the author’s view, nevertheless may serve as matter for further consideration :— 1) “It is quite different with the locomotions of the lowest vegetable organisms (among which, as we know, the families above-mentioned are enumerated), since these are not the conse- quence of an internal voluntary influence, and do not arise from any spontaneously contractile and expansible parenchyma,” &c. It appears to me to follow with certainty from the observations detailed in I. to III., that the motions are truly dependent upon an internal voluntary influence of these animals. But as regards the supposition that they do not arise from any spontaneously contractile and expansible parenchyma, this is not proved. As the body of the Bacillarina, which is almost as transparent as water, is inclosed by a siliceous carapace, it is hardly possible, with our present optical resources and the ordinary methods of optical investigation, to observe the contraction of the body. Be- sides, the organs regarded by Ehrenberg as ovaries often exhibit such different arrangements, that we are easily led to imagine the existence of an expansibility and contractility of the paren- chyma of the body. 2) “Ciliated organs occur in the vegetable kingdom in the form of ciliated epithelium in the spores of Vaucheria, and in the form of isolated, long whip-shaped threads in the spores and early stages of different Conferve, among which we find several of the organisms described by Ehrenberg as Monadina and Volvocina.” Siebold was evidently led to this assertion by a contribution of Thuret to the ‘ Annales des Sciences Naturelles,’ which work * Monthly Report of the Berlin Academy, 1841, p. 109. of the Polygastric Infusorta. 437 he quotes. ven if ciliated organs do really occur in the spores of Alge, these cannot be regarded as true locomotive organs. Their peculiar motions, with which natural philosophers are at present so much occupied, also occur without locomotive organs, and take place in other substances, as small particles of dust. It appears to be proved by Ehrenberg’s observations on the spores of Saprolechnia (Conferva ferax, Gruith ; Achlya, N. ab Esenb.), which I can confirm, that chemical processes are the chief agents in it. This view finds support in the following discovery : I oc- cupied myself for some time during the past summer with in- vestigations on the process of germination in our Cerealia. The minute particles which occur in the cells of the grains among the large granules of starch, at first did not exhibit the least trace of motion ; but as soon as germination began they moved actively, and when the first leaf sprouted out, the movements were so remarkable, that I could hardly distinguish them from those of the ripe spores of Achiya prolifera. Siebold’s opinion, that in many of the organisms figured by Thuret we might recognise several which Ehrenberg has described as Monadina and Volvo- cina, is quite correct. But which of the two is in error? Is it Ehrenberg’s fault, if Thuret figures Infusoria as spores of Algze ? I shall hereafter enter upon Thuret’s memoir in a separate com- munication and point out the errors contained in it. 3) Many of these lower vegetable formations (Bacillarie and Diatomee) have been considered as animals from their locomotion, although the alterations in position observable in them do not give the slightest impression of their emanating from’an internal will of the organism.” It is at once obvious, that the actual impression which these minute creatures make upon the observer cannot afford grounds for deciding any question, for in matters of science we require objective grounds. I must also confess, that when J first observed these animals, they gave me the im- pression of this alone. Hence we have both observed one and the same thing and derived different impressions from it. Covering of the Body. 3. The Polygastric Infusoria are either furnished with a cara- pace or not. When present, it either consists of silica, which in many cases contains a considerable per-centage of oxide of iron, or it is more of a horny nature (Closterina). The carapaces assume various forms; being sometimes oval and truncated at the ex- tremities, sometimes very narrow and pointed at the extremities, sometimes broad and symmetrically excavated at the sides, and many other varieties of form. Among those not having a carapace, there are some which are inclosed in great number in mucoid masses, as the Ophrydina, which live together frequently by hun- 438 M. Eckhard on the Organization dreds in green globules not unlike frog’s spawn. In the intes-. tine of the frog we find forms, some of which (especially Bursaria ranarum) are inclosed in mucous envelopes, which reminds us of similar occurrences among the Entozoa. Locomotive Organs. 4, They are present in various forms, and furnish us with a proof of the incorrectness of the view, that the lowest animal beings throughout exhibit a more simple, homogeneous, and con- sequently more imperfect organization than the higher ones. To survey them, we shall consider them in the three following groups :— | 1) Locomotive organs placed around the mouth—The organs which belong here, in whatever form they occur, are apparently always organs of prehension, taste, &c., and hence, strictly speak- ing, should be separated from the organs of motion. However, as they correspond to the hands and other like formations of the higher animals, they ought to be placed here. In the Rotatoria they are much more perfectly developed in the so-called rotatory organ, which appears in the most numerous and complicated forms. The Polygastrica exhibit more simple forms, but still sufficient difference to merit more accurate consideration. In their simplest state they appear as one or two filiform proboscides, frequently of such tenuity that they are only perceptible when seen in motion between minute coloured particles. They exist in greater number in Vorticella, Epistylis, Enchelys, &c. In these instances they form a circle around the mouth, which consists of either one or two rows of cilia, and then frequently exhibit sur- prising resemblance to several kinds of rotatory organs. These ciliary circles exhibit differences according to the different form of the mouth. In many they are susceptible of retraction ; this is most constantly the case in Epistylis grandis. 2) Locomotive organs which cover the whole body, or may be considered as lateral appendages.—In most of the Polygastrica these are likewise cilia, the usual arrangement of which is in longitudinal strize (probably muscular) corresponding to the axis of the body, to which the former are attached. They often appear in great numbers. In others the cilia are arranged in circles which surround the middle of the body cbliquely, as may be seen very distinctly in the Peridinea. In Spirostomum ambi- guum there is a row of cilia (6 A) running the whole length of the body. In the Stylonychie they are remarkably different. Their somewhat elongated oral fissure is surrounded by cilia of the usual structure, those on the body being more rigid. But what is most remarkable in them is, that they are not placed on the muscular strie which run longitudinally down the body, but of the Polygastrie Infusoria. 439 are more scattered, and are principally developed at the anterior and posterior extremities of the body. Lach bristle (as these cilia are properly called) is articulated at the base, and is conse- quently susceptible of a distinct motion, whilst in the ordinary cilia their motions appear dependent upon the striz on which they are situated (fig. 2). 3) Locomotive organs belonging to the posterior part of the body. Several forms exhibit in this spot cilia which are not remarkable, but merely resemble those described under 2; others have small fibres, with which they fix themselves (Stentors) ; others again exhibit parts in which the muscular system in its primitive form may be more perfectly studied than elsewhere: I allude here especially to the Vorticelle. These animals are situated upon the extremities of simple or divided trunks, the structure of which, in those having the power of springing back, is as follows :—A sheath (muscular sheath), fig. 3 s, incloses a simple muscle, which disappears a little above the part at which the sheath is attached to foreign bodies. The evident connexion between the motions of the body with those of the muscular peduncle shows us that the muscle ramifies within the animal itself. I have only succeeded in observing this ramification in Vorticella nebulifera. I saw two very distinct, although very small (not perceptible without a power of 400 diameters) fibres, fig. 3 v v, stretching inside the body. Ehrenberg saw a similar extension of the muscle in the body of V. Convallaria. When this peduncle is not contracted, the whole body of the animal is in a state of full extension ; but as soon as it contracts this, especially when it draws in the oral cilia, the sheath and the muscle both become shortened (the whole peduncle becoming spirally coiled) and the animaleule springs back on its peduncle; if the body becomes again ex- tended, and especially if the oral cilia are very distinctly unfolded, the peduncle also passes from its contracted into the elongated state. The oral cilia and the whole of the anterior part of the body appear to be of importance in this retraction, since expan- sion and contraction of the trunk and body appear mutually conditional. What influence upon the motions we have just described must be attributed to the muscular sheath, and what to the muscle, has not yet been satisfactorily determined. This much however is certain, that for perfect retraction three con- ditions are requisite ;—an uninjured state of the muscular sheath, an uninjured condition of the muscle, and attachment of the entire peduncle; for in Vorticelle, in which the muscle was torn in the uninjured sheath, I observed, it is true, a contraction of the body, but it had no influence on the extension and contraction of the peduncle; in others, the sheath of which had disappeared, the 440 M. Eckhard on the Organization muscle still remaining attached to the body, every attempt at complete retraction failed. In neither case had the animal be- come re-attached*. Among the Rotatoria we have an animal analogous to the retracting Vorticella in Conochilus volvox, m which however, independently of the fact that the separate ani- mals in it do not grow upon foreign bodies, but are united toge- ther by thew peduncle, the muscle which passes through the muscular sheath divides into three or more bundles, which run — separately in the body of the animal and are firmly attached to its internal surface. The Vibrions indisputably exhibit the most active movements, but with our present optical resources it is impossible to discover either organs of motion or any muscular structure in them. Alimentary Canal. 5. Most of Siebold’s objections to Ehrenberg’s views have been made against this part of the subject. In the following remarks I shall consider the individual parts of the alimentary canal in order, and test Siebold’s opinions at the proper places. 1) Mouth.—A mouth has not been directly recognised in all Polygastric Infusoria; still in several of these dubious cases we may with certainty conclude as to its presence, either from alimentary matter being taken internally, or from one to two long cilia which we usually find around a mouth, or from some other circumstance. When distinctly present it forms sometimes a more or less roundish aperture (Paramecium, Enchelys, &c.), sometimes a longish fissure (Stylonychia), sometimes a spiral (Spirostomum), sometimes an aperture of some other form. Dental structures, in comparison with those of the Rotatoria, in which they occur in such a variety of forms that a treatise might be written upon them alone, are very rare, and can scarcely be observed in any others than in Chilodon, Nassula and Proro- don teres. In these animals the circular oral aperture is inter- nally covered with a ring of longish bristly teeth. According to Ehrenberg, these are forced out of the oral aperture in P. teres by drying the animal}. I have observed this Infusorium once only, and as I was not prepared for this phenomenon I over- looked it ; but I distinctly saw in it the glands (six), which were not then known to him. The peculiar structure of the mouth * As far as I know, the influence of the muscle and muscular sheath upon these motions has not been considered. It is therefore to be hoped that when favourable conditions present themselves, such as the injury of one of these parts, they may be taken advantage of in order to ascertain with cer- tainty what share is taken by the muscular sheath and what by the muscle in the rapid contraction. + Schriften der Berliner Akademie, 1833, p. 308, and Infusorien, p. 316. of the Polygastric Infusoria. 441 in Paramecium stomioptycha * is worth notice. It is surrounded by three to four annular fibres a, which are of a tougher and more ‘solid structure than the rest of the body; in it occurs a peculiar appendage z (rudiment of a tongue ?). We must now minutely examine another remark of Siebold. This philosopher divides the Protozoa (by which term he desig- nates Ehrenberg’s Polygastrica) into Astoma and Stomatoda, referring to the former the Astasie, Peridinea and Opalina, and to the latter the remaining families of the Polygastrica. Inde- pendently of the question whether this division is natural, some parts must be corrected. As regards the Astasia, the mouth has certainly not been distinctly recognised, but may be imagined to exist in several. All the Peridinea cannot possibly be referred to the ‘ sank : imgng pei bay oe Snes - 3 seehe fae hunt teed bones bad Ons awe. eer badebe ity ind i= nice wee : G2 OHO eed eget. es nee xt Ui +3 as sisting = = aoe see é ine ptas4ea be oS Sith i tet mat - 7 : ~ bo nes Guin eG 6 » =heny, HEU Ameo me neh. Sirgeecscigurss . 9s C= o> o- 08 Gcute rp ‘ Oraeia tshesscsgese an tca et Bot : . 3 = -o~ 4 ee rs ete de i. » eaisecbonn 2 heueh «omens bem Meee veste, bs M 2 « bj é “4 Seer ti S * cachone pees ae atts Sor) A) ? Te shee ere secre yen 2 i Lc iS At wm heme a oes > ie 7 ae . . : Speeraee- hima eer OF tem 7 F > se Anber: ; Sredgs te ie a i . - dy eed : 9 is hw a= heSeog Piet haere t i a ba G+ a= n~ $58 Go bap arcs osn4= a4 Sets ~ etter words J mp. anaes o bray ty tot . Sache a oh bees ~o- : : ; : ; 162 @ ws 8 . - yee- siptaeee eta eehtnne san “ * Lae ae he the ty ep beri a aoe a ©» . ; . ets O26 5 258s: 4 > yrs . 7 ts. 'SOna “mee rk to ++. Hae paremetsteey Hott “ eae b genta ehomeben tase: ; Ste RS ? ey ee coe <4 pa ae oe wes - +- : elbsbS bode eh ne 8 =t-000- Shy pp 4. mY as stiterpnosstacsteceepnn tei ten ie intetnta tatat st gtitee setts paecbedsacatevante lave x Any Som A Mal we ; : Seer bere eee heed / Pe ate arOrbcotes > 7 . rie >| Sas « =60 0s b-bre ~ wot a 6: 14 OS 8M ew Oss or * . ry ae Se My lA nt ete FRAP Oy an eet: Pent ree ree > _ nt aad Ss