ee! Kener (aa; ee ¥ Ae “4! ge eae We rane =a 4 \ ing a SPP Tanupeeet ye E tag is mai, eT Raed i Sue (= 7 / Lon ’ oe . * ed aces \ 4 0) THE ANNALS ~~ a call AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY, INCLUDING ZOOLOGY, BOTANY, anp GEOLOGY. (BEING A CONTINUATION OF THE ‘ ANNALS’ COMBINED WITH LOUDON AND CHARLESWORTH'’S ‘MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. ) CONDUCTED BY PRIDEAUX JOHN SELBY, Esq., F.I.S., CHARLES C. BABINGTON, Esq., M.A., F.R.S., F.L.S., F.G.S., JOHN EDWARD GRAY, Pb.D., F.R.S., F.L.S., V.P.Z.S. &c., AND WILLIAM FRANCIS, Ph.D., F.L.S. VOL. IX.—THIRD SERIES. LONDON: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS. SOLD BY LONGMAN, GREEN, LONGMANS, AND ROBERTS}; SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, AND CO.; PIPER AND CO.; BAILLIERE, REGENT STREET, AND PARIS: LIZARS, AND MACLACHLAN AND STEWART, EDINBURGH; HODGES AND SMITH, DUBLIN: AND ASHER, BERLIN. 1862, **Omnes res create sunt divine sapientize et potentie testes, divitie felicitatis humane :—ex harum usu bonitas Creatoris; ex pulchritudine sapientia Domini; éx ceconomia in conservatione, proportione, renovatione, potentia majestatis elucet. Earum itaque indagatio ab hominibus sibi relictis semper zstimata; a veré eruditis et sapientibus semper exculta; male doctis et barbaris semper inimica fuit.”— LINNZUS. ih ahs . “ Quel que soit le principe de la vie animale, il ne faut qu’ouvrir les yeux pour voir qu’elle est le chef-d’ceuvre de la Toute-puissance, et le but auquel se rapportent toutes ses opérations.” BRUCKNER, Théorie du Systéme Animal, Leyden, 1767. be. eee 2% 2 Ble sylvan powers Obey our summons ; from their deepest dells The Dryads come, and throw their garlands wild And odorous branches at our feet ; the Nymphs That press with nimble step the mountain thyme And purple heath-flower come not empty-handed, But scatter round ten-thousand forms minute Of velvet moss or lichen, torn from rock Or rifted oak or cavern deep: the Naiads too Quit their loved native stream, from whose smooth face : They crop the lily, and each sedge and rush That drinks the rippling tide: the frozen poles, Where peril waits the bold adventurer’s tread, The burning sands of Borneo and Cayenne, All, all to us unlock their secret stores And pay their cheerful tribute. J. TayLor, Norwich, 1818. ALERE © Sof | , ; GH CONTENTS OF VOL. IX. [THIRD SERIES.] NUMBER XLIX. Observations on the Structure and Reproduction of Eleutheria, Reema ey Dr. A, KROHN 2.2... ....scccesesscesccneees Seguvasccutecssh Il. On Hanburia, a Cucurbitaceous Genus from Mexico. By RRTHOLD PEEMANN, Ph.D., F.L.S. 22.2.0 .ccscccccscccccccveccvevccses III. On the Anatomy of Sacculina, with a Description of the Species. By Joun ANDERSON, M.D. (Plate L) .......csccsccseceseeees IV. Descriptions of two new Species of Coleoptera from Angola. By the Bardo po CasTELLo DE Parva, Professér de Botannica na Academia Polytechnica do Porto .......-+..+++000 Vo bsdedbane chadeisesedegeas Y. On two new Rhynchophorous Insects from Angola. By T. Vernon Wou.aston, M.A., F.L.S. .......000. Cedibdinkidcatizackne yee VI. A Catalogue of the Zoophytes of South Devon and South Cornwall. By the Rev. Tuomas Hincxs, B.A. (Plate VIL.) ...... VII. Further Observations on some novel Phases of Organic Life at great Depths in the Sea. By Dr. G. C. WALLICH ............00008 : VIII. Note on Myzotrichum chartarum (Kunze). By ArrHuR H. Cuurcn; B.A. Oxon., F.C.S, (Plate VI.) ......csscccoccsesceceosses IX. Observations on a Species of Pycnogon (Phowichilidium cocci- neum, Johnston), with an attempt to explain the Order of its Develop- ment. By Georcre Hopee. (Plates IV. & V.) «se... seeseeececes X. Contributions to British Carcinology. By the Rev. ALFRED Merue Norman, M.A.—II. On Species of Ostracoda new to Great Britain. (Plates IL, & TIT.) .....c-ccccsesseseees ohieae aeniasianet Reasaereaaase XI. On new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum. By Dr. ALbert Gintruer. (Plates IX. & X.) ....sce000 New Books :—General Outline of the Organization of the Animal Page 43 52 yi CONTENTS. Page NUMBER LII. “A XXVIII. On a new Fossil Reptile supposed to be furnished with Feathers. By Prof. A. WAGNER of Munich ......... irises er XXIX. On the Remains of Fish and Plants from the Upper Lime- stone of the Permian Series of Durham. By James W. Kirxsy... 267 | XXX. Observations on the Geographical Distribution of Fungi. BBY OLE. Ps PRIUS | cccccce ac socvecedelaacentoutaneane csekes waren tea sacceeenad .. 269 XXXI. On Goupia. By Joun Mizrs, F.R.S., F.L.S. &c....++004. 289 XXXII. On some new Species of Mollusca from Japan. By AnrHur ADAMS, F.U:S., 650. ccackccactcccssnepactc seen coccsapgenaneahensieee ea XXXIII. Note on the Molluscan Fauna of Japan. By ArTHuR Apams, F.L.S. &. ......00 Seeeecaeecsattanenncrsenekassgennne ean segaae ote: XXXIV. On a Species of Riippellia, and the Limits of the Bra- Gheera, By Dr. STRA BD sisvescececsees vis cacasessssepeineaneen np ccashil svaste 299 XXXV. A Catalogue of the Zoophytes of South Devon and South Cornwall. By the Rev. Toomas HIncks, B.A. ....ccceceeeeves phchaaah 303 XXXVI. Note on the Temperature of the Female Python Sebe during Incubation. By P. L. Scuater, Ph.D., F.R.S. ...ccseeeseeees 310 XXXVII. Descriptions of some New and Rare Zoophytes found on the Coast of Northumberland. By JosHua ALDER, Esq, (Plates ; ath ee Yo Oe SVD. shears thagaeas sith sichaseh Speascnsseceseah aa ey | | Proceedings of the Zoological Society ; Royal Society; Royal Insti- tation of Groat: Britain ico; osa.esent ode soessescanneue sesangecee GIB —335 On the Reproduction of Red Coral, by M. de Lacaze Duthiers; On the Polar Globules of the Ovum, and the Mode of their Produc- tion, and on the Production of the Blastodermie Cells without Segmentation of the Vitellus in some Articulata, by Charles Robin; On the Young of Leipoa ocellata, by Richard Schom- burgk; On a Hybrid Duck, by Alfred Newton, M.A., F.L.S., ¥.Z.S.; On a new Species of Finch, of the Genus Sycalis, from Mexico, by Philip Lutley Sclater, M.A., Ph.D,, F.R.S.... 335—340 NUMBER LIII. XXXVIII. On the Calathi of the Canary Islands. By T. VERNON WoLBAsTon, M.A. BLS. cea i ns eee ee vecne O41 XXXIX. On the Microscopic Life of the Island of St. Paul, in the Southern Ocean. By Professor EHRENBERG +1.sssserseeeees sesereeee GUO a at CONTENTS. ‘vii Page XL. On the Archeopteryx lithographica, from the Lithographic Slate of Solenhofen. By HERMANN VON MEYER .........cceeceeees -. 366 XLI. Descriptions of newly discovered Spiders from the Island of Madeira. By JoHn BLACKWALL, F.LLS. ......ssseccsseceessssenee eens .. 370 XLII. On some new Thalassine sent from the Philippines by M. Jagor; and on the Systematic Position.of that Family. By,Dr. TL caiNs hconscsesevesccccovssccnecsnbuess saUDbi sees sesesbeessvecupic we 383 XLIII. Contributions to an Insect Fauna of the Amazon Valley. CoLropTeRA: Loneicornes. By H.W. Barss, Esq. ............ 396 XLIV. On Antiaris Bennettii, a new Species of Upas-Tree from Polynesia. By BerTHOLD SEEMANN, Ph.D., F.LAS, ...ccssesseeeesoes 405 New Book :—Anahuac; or, Mexico and the Mexicans, Ancient and Modern, by Edward B. Tylor ............46- Sevclsesceiustiansths aganes, SOR Proceedings of the Zoological Society ...ecccsesssesseeeevsveneeenes 410—415 On the Arrangement ‘of Natural-History Collections, by Professor L. Agassiz; On a New Genus of Lizards from Ceylon, by Dr.W. 415—420 NUMBER LIV. XLV. On Ephedra. By Joun Miurs, F.R.S., F.L.S. &c.......... 421 XLVI. Brief Diagnostic Characters of New Canarian Gulaeille By T. VERNON WoLLASTON, M.A., F.L.S. ..c..scceececsscsessees sditcee 437 XLVII. Notes on the Possibility of the Embryos of the Guinea- Worm and so-called “Fungiis-Disease” of India, respectively, entering the Human Body through the Sudortfic Ducts. By H. J. Carrer, MMR TUL Livelehiesssocrncceseccesccscccovsees ahsbavesteutt ects Sbeeecess doisdiads 442 XLVIII. Contributions to an Insect Fauna of the Amazon Valley. CotzopTeRa: Loncicornes. By H. W. Bares, Esq. ....-+++00+ 446 XLIX. Supplement to a Memoir on the Thalassine. By Dr. STRAHL «...00... ste seusse iriadds bu suudqucceawen venbeh esevscehes chebahnesstiaie® 459 L. On some new Coleoptera from Lizard Island, North-eastern Australia. By Francis P. Pascog, F.L.S. &. ......ccccocssccseecsees 461 LI. A Catalogue of the Zoophytes of South Devon and South Cornwall. By the Rev. Toomas Hincks, B.A. (Plate XVI.) ...... 467 LII. On the supposed Bilateral Symmetry of the Ctenophora. By ¥ Fritz MULLER eteeeee eters SOeteeeetererereee SHH eee FHS eeeeeeeseeeeeeree eeetee 475 Vili CONTENTS. Page Proceedings of the Zoological Society ...ss:sccessecsesesessesesesss 479—486 On Mesozoic Forms of Life in Australia, by Prof. Owen; On the Development of Actinotrocha branchiata, by Dr. A. Schneider 486, 487 Index POPSHH HSH ESOT SETH TEL ETEH SETH EHOHTGHHOEHDOF SECO SOD TOTO PSHE HEH EEOSSeeeeetaee 488 PLATES IN VOL, IX, Puate I, Anatomy of Sacculina, ep ew British Ostracoda. TY; | Development of Picxichiiadicun cosemenmn, VI. Myxotrichum chartarum, . VII. New British Zoophytes. VIII. Leptodora hyalina,—Bythotrephes longimanus, IX. New Species of Snakes. X. Rhamnophis ethiopissa. XI. New British Species of Holothuria, XIU Nem British Zoophytes, XIV. XV. Development of Corymorpha nana, XVI. New British Zoophytes, whee ae ae TILE ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. (THIRD SERIES. } SR scasvacsadonn sens per litora spargite muscum, Naiades, et circdm vitreos considite fontes : Pollice virgineo teneros hic carpite flores : Floribus et pictum, dive, replete canistrum. At vos, o Nymphe Craterides, ite sub undas ; Ite, recurvato variata corallia trunco Vellite muscosis e rupibus, et mihi conchas ~ Ferte, Dez pelagi, et pingui conchylia succo.” N. Parthenii Giannettasii Ecl,1, No. 49. JANUARY 1862. I.— Observations on the Structure and Reproduction of Eleuthera, Quatref.* By Dr. A. Krounf. MR. HINCKS has recently communicated, in the ‘Annals and Magazine of Natural History’ (3 ser. vol. vii. p. 73), some ex- ceedingly valuable observations on LEleutheria, which are of especial importance, because they finally solve the question which has hitherto remained in suspense, as to the origin and position of this remarkably beautiful Ceelenteran. For although Van Beneden and Dujardin had already raised many well-founded objections against the opinion of its discoverer (who associated Eleutheria with the Hydrina), recognized its relationship to the Medusz, and conjectured that it originated from a Medusan or Hydroid polype, the latter still remained to be discovered}. In this Hincks has succeeded. The parent stock on which Eleutheria is produced as a bud belongs, according to Hincks, to the fa- mily Coryniade, in which it represents a new genus and species —Clavatella prolifera. * A. de Quatrefages, Mém. sur l’Eleuthérie dichotome, nouveau genre de Rayonné, voisin des Hydres. Annales des Sci. Nat. 2 sér. tome xviii. . 270. r + Translated by W. S. Dallas, F.L.S., from Wiegmann’s Archiv, 1861, 57 ft Van Beneden, Bull. Acad. Brux. 1844, tome ii. p. 305; Dujardin, Ann. Sci. Nat. 1843, 2 sér. tome xx. p. 370, and 1845, 3 sér. tome iv, p. 257. i Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 3. Vol. ix. 1 2 Dr. A. Krohn on the Structure and In May of the present year, during the last two weeks of my stay in Nice, I had daily opportunities of examining Hleutheria. It occurs there exclusively upon a delicate confervoid Alga, close to the sea-shore, along that part which bears the name of Boule- vard de l’Impératrice. It is to these observations that I am in- debted for being enabled to fill up many gaps left in the me- moirs of both my predecessors. The Eleutheria which is to be met with at Nice agrees in all respects with that living on the Devonshire coast. As already indicated by Hincks, it is distinguished from the EZ. dichotoma, discovered near the Chausey Islands, by having only one of the two branches into which each of the six arms divides furnished with a button, abundantly beset with nematocysts; whilst in E. dichotoma, both branches of the arms are provided with a button (pelote) of this kind, In size, the Eleutheria found at Nice agrees with E. dichotoma, measuring, when the arms are fully extended, 1°25 to 1:50 mill., of which 0°50 mill. goes to the diameter of the body. When a lively specimen of the Eleutheria is placed in a drop of sea water on the object-plate, and examined under a suitable magnifying power, it is seen immediately to move from the place by means of its arms. We are thus convinced that the progres- sion is effected exclusively by the branches of the arms which are furnished at their extremities with a sucker-like disk, which now adhere to the support and then again quit their hold in variously alternating order. The knobbed branches of the arms are only seen curving to and fro. If, after a little time, the animal has attached itself by all its arms, and remains for a time in this condition, the branches furnished with an urticating button are seen to extend themselves horizontally outwards, above the at- tached branches on which the body rests as on so many feet, so that they now look like direct continuations of the main stems of the arms. The little animal then, to borrow a perfectly suit- able comparison of Mr. Hincks, has the appearance of a y minute Star-fish. If it be now detached from the object-plate by means of needles, and turned over so that the buccal orifice is directed towards the observer, it endeavours to get out of this uncomfortable position, by bending the sucking-branch of one or more of the arms towards the supporting surface, in order to attach itself thereby. If it succeed in this, it soon contrives to to turn itself over and thus regain its previous position. Consequently, whether the Hleutheria creeps upon a horizontal plane, as in the case just cited, or, as in nature, upon the above- mentioned Alga, which ramifies in every direction, the surface of the body in which the mouth is pierced is always turned to- wards its support. This surface is therefore to be indicated as Reproduction of Eleutheria, Quatref. 8 the lower side (distal surface of Hincks), and the opposite and more strongly arched surface as the back (proximal surface of Hincks) *. The direction in which the fureation of the arms takes place has been, if not overlooked, at least not indicated with sufficient emphasis by Mr. Hincks. On careful examination, we shall soon be convinced that the knobbed branch, on quitting the main stem, stretches in a more or less inclined direction upwards and outwards, and that furnished with the sucking-disk downwards ; so that, when both come to stand in the same line, or, as is usually said, cover each other, the angle of divergence stands parallel or perpendicular to the axis of the body. The mouth is often seen extending itself in the form of a ey- lindrical tube, remarkable for its white colour ; and when this is the ease, the otherwise only moderately convex lower surface of the body becomes more strongly inflated. This buccal tube, however, which is bent to and fro like a proboscis, not unfre- quently changes its form, sometimes assuming that of a short, wide-mouthed funnel, or even becoming inflated into a spherical shape. In this respect, therefore, it resembles the buccal cone of the Hydroid polypes, to which, and no less to the so-called stomachal peduncle of the Ocecanida, it likewise corresponds morphologically. When the tube is extended, however often it may change its form, the mouth is always open ; when the tube is retracted, the mouth closes completely. By this arrangement, the animal is evidently enabled to pick its food, which consists partly of Diatomacez and partly of small Crustacea (Copepoda), from the branchlets of the Alga. With regard to the lower surface of the body, I will add here that its outer layer (ectoderm) contains numerous nematocysts, which are entirely wanting on the buccal tube and all other parts of the body, with the ex- ception of the arms. Mr. Hincks was unable to confirm Quatrefages’ statements as to the structure of the eyes. They appeared to him to be mere ageregations of pigment, without any trace of refractive media. From my observations, I can only answer for the correctness of those statements up to the assumption of a cornea, the existence of which I must deny. Even if we did not already know from Hincks that Eleutherta originates from a Hydroid polype, the demonstration of a gas- * T cannot allow it to pass unnoticed that these descriptions are by no means in accordance with those of M. de Quatrefages. This naturalist states that he observed that a specimen of E. dichotoma, placed on a glass plate, always turned up the surface on which the mouth is situated, during ion.- In accordance herewith, this surface is regarded as the upper one (or anterior), and the opposite as the lower (or ns surface. * A Dr. A. Krohn on the Structure and tro-vascular system, which, according to my investigations, is no more wanting in it than in the umbrella-bearing Meduse, would of itself suffice to remove every doubt as to its true nature and position. This system is indeed much less developed than in the Medusz which lead a pelagic existence, but it neverthe- less consists, in accordance with the type, of radiating canals, six in number, corresponding with the arms, and of an annular vessel placed in the periphery of the body. The entire system is to be regarded as a lacunar excavation of the inner body-stra- tum (endoderm), which appears yellowish white by direct light, and brownish yellow under the microscope*. The best mode of obtaining a general view of this system is to bring the focus first of all upon the dorsal surface of the body, and then gradu- ally carry it deeper. It is then seen clearly that the six pro- portionally very wide but extremely short radiating canals spring from a sharply circumscribed discoid space occupying the bottom of the cavity of the body or stomach, from which they curve down along the radii corresponding with the arms, to open at last at the periphery of the body, into the perceptibly narrower annular vessel}. From the annular vessel a very nayrow and therefore very difficultly detectible canal is given off for each of the arms; this, running down in the axis of the arm, divides at the point of bifurcation into two branches, one of which pe- netrates each branch of the arm and reaches to its extremity {. In the axial canals of the arms, currents of a fluid filled with granules (chyle) may frequently be detected. They are un- doubtedly produced by the play of vibratile cilia, the effects of. which may readily be recognized from the granules seen here and there in rotatory or oscillatory movement. But they are * The Eleutheria is indebted for its yellowish-white colour to the endo- derm shining through the outer transparent layer (ectoderm). This colour has its seat in numerous roundish corpuscles imbedded in the endoderm, consisting, as already mentioned by Quatrefages, of an accumulation of very small granules. _ + The above-mentioned discoid space is in all probability a shallow ex- cavation of the bottom of the stomach, and may correspond to the chyle- receptacle detected by Gegenbaur (Grundziige d. vergl. Anat. pp. 82, 84, & 85) in several of the lower Medusz (Craspedota). { Thearms of Eleutheria agree in structure with those of most Hydrozoa in their areolar or cellular tissue, the histological nature and physiolo- gical signification of which do not appear to have been yet satisfactorily ascertained. In Eleutheria, in which the axial canal extends through the midst of this tissue, the brown corpuscles already mentioned are seated on the compartments or cells immediately around the canal, although in very small quantity, from which we might be justified in regarding the entire tissue as a peculiar modification of the endoderm. I found it necessary to insert this remark here, because the views of M. Quatrefages as to the structure of the arms, which are also followed by Hincks, differ from mine in many particulars. Reproduction of Eleutheria, Quatref. 5 likewise evidently under the influence of the constantly changing state of contraction of the arms themselves, and undergo many deviations in consequence. In the other sections of the gastro- vascular system similar currents are scarcely to be distinguished, on account of the far closer approximation of the brown corpus- cles already repeatedly mentioned. Still I saw them quite di- stinetly in many parts of the annular vessel*. Eleutheria propagates partly by eggs, and partly by buds. The former of these modes of reproduction was observed by ai and recently confirmed by Hincks. I shall notice it first. The place of formation of the ova is the whole upper wall of the body-cavity, or the dorsal surface. Here, between the ecto- and endoderm, the ova are produced, and here they pass through all the stages of development up to the maturity of the embryos. The seat of the production of the ova is therefore at the same time the brood-chamber. The youngest ova seen by me were met with in a not yet fully mature individual, which contained about thirty of them. The careful investigation of a few of them gave the following results :—Some appeared to be of a rounded, and others of a more oval form, but all were of the same size, which might be about 7. mill. In the midst of the granular yelk, which ap- peared dead white by direct light, an accumulation of rather large, apparently solid corpuscles could be distinguished, intermixed with rather smaller spherical vesicles, which had the aspect of reddish-brown oil-drops. Each egg was surrounded by a delicate envelope (chorion), separated from the yelk by a small interval. _ Of the segmentation of the yelk I have only scen two of the later phases,—namcely, that known under the name of the mul- berry-form, and one rather less advanced. In this latter stage the yelk was already divided into numerous globules of segmen- tation, but these were still comparatively large and marked off from each other by sharp and here and there polygonal boundary- lines. Each globule also appeared to contain the well-known central nucleus. All the eggs engaged in segmentation were considerably (almost two-thirds) larger than the egg-germs above described. The embryos contained in the same parent animal are for the most part in dissimilar stages of development, which leads to the conclusion that the ova are successively produced. Hence as the number of embryos increases, and as the period of their * Although I found it impossible to demonstrate the presence of cilia in the gastro-vascular system, I recognized them most distinctly on the inner wall of the body-cavity. Here they appear as extremely fine and comparatively long filaments, which, however, are much scattered. 6 Dr. A. frohn on the Structure and maturity approaches, the more strongly does the dorsal surface of the parent become inflated, the ectoderm being continually removed further from the endoderm. When the embryos are so far developed that the period of their escape approaches, the dorsal surface appears elevated into a corresponding number of roundish humps. At last these humps of the ectoderm burst one by one, and thus the young are set free in a corresponding order*, The male of Eleutheria appears to be very rare. I only had the opportunity of observing it once. Like the eggs in the female, the semen in the male is produced in the back, between the ectoderm and endoderm. In the male alluded to, the back appeared to be much distended by a considerable quantity of the semen, which shone through the ectoderm as a chalky white mass. Minute floccules of this perfectly mature semen, artificially set free by tearing the ectoderm, proved to be eom- posed of thousands of remarkably active spermatozoa, charac- terized by a bacilliform head, and a long tail running out into a fine point at the extremity. . I now come to speak of the second mode of reproduction, namely that by gemme. This occurs not only in the asexual in- dividuals, but also—which is worthy of notice—in those which are sexually perfectly developed. Thus most of the females which came under my observation, small as their number might be in comparison with the great quantity of asexual individuals, bore more or less developed buds ; and this was the case also with the male above mentioned ft. The bud appears at first in the form of a small, rounded ex- crescence upon the back of the parent animal, close to the peri- phery of the body, in one of the interbrachial or imterradial spaces. At its earliest origin it is nothing but a diverticulum of the annular vessel, which during its increase has pushed the ectoderm before it, and raised it into a mound. It consequently — consists of two superposed layers (the ectoderm and endoderm) and of a cavity communicating with the gastro-vascular system. * From this there seems to be no doubt that the creature met with by Hincks in the somatic cavity of one individual, and regarded by him as a free embryo, which, after repeated endeavours to get out, always returned again into the cavity, is to be considered only as an animal (probably a Copepod) which had either got accidentally into the stomach or had been swallowed. T My investigations, as already stated, were made in the first half of May. It appears from the observations of Quatrefages that at other seasons the formation of buds entirely gives place to sexual reproduction. This naturalist says expressly that he did not detect the slightest indication of buds on specimens of HE. dichotoma observed during the summer months; so that their increase during this period is probably effected exclusively by eggs. Reproduction of Eleutheria, Quatref. 7 In the course of its development the excrescence acquires a hemispherical form, its base, which is still affixed broadly to the parent animal, becoming gradually more and more narrowed or constricted, whilst the distal extremity, or that turned from the parent, becomes widened and flattened. On the periphery of this distal surface six rounded processes are soon seen to rise at equal distances apart, during which the endoderm bounding the cavity of the bud is drawn out into a corresponding number of diverticula. These processes, as may easily be supposed, are the first traces of the future arms. When the above-mentioned processes have become developed into the stems of the arms, the branches soon make their ap- pearance. ‘The extremity of one branch, namely that which will subsequently be the upper one, gradually dilates, becomes fur- nished with a constantly increasing number of nematocysts, and is thus converted into the urticating knob. In this stage the areolar tissue which is afterwards acquired by the arms is scarcely indicated. 'The endoderm of the arms, containmg an abundance of the brown corpuscles, is closely applied to the ecto- derm, and the axial canals are still considerably wider than in the fully developed animal. The bud adheres to the parent animal by a short stalk issuing from the vertex of the arched surface (the future dorsal surface). During the maturation of the bud to its future form, the ocelli make their appearance close above the origin of the arms; and subsequently the mouth, which was previously wanting, also appears. In the arms the areolar structure may now be much more distinctly recognized; but the endoderm, although laterally removed from the ectoderm and compressed towards the axis of the arms, still retains its previous intense-brown colour. A little before maturity the impulse to independent move- ments awakens in the bud. We may then see how it continually bends the arms to and fro, and even endeavours to adhere by them to the nearest objects. When the period for its separa- tion from the parent arrives, it falls off, with the adherent peduncle, after which the latter is rapidly shortened and finally vanishes. The diameter of the body of the bud when set free may be estimated at } mill.; so that it has to become twice as large to attain its definitive size*. The formation of buds commences at a very early period of life, at a time when the young Hieutheria is still connected with its parent asa bud. A little before the separation of the bud the first gemma may already be seen sprouting forth in one of the * Tf the above description of the gemmation be compared with that of © Hincks, who was so fortunate as to observe it upon the polype-stock, the mutual agreement in regard to essential points will not be overlooked. 8 Dr. A. Krohn on Eleutheria. interradial spaces. When the bud has become free, the number of gemmee increases with its advance in growth, but so that only a single gemma is produced in each of the other five interradial spaces. In rare cases a seventh gemma occurs; this usually appears to break forth close beneath one which is already far advanced in its development. Thus the gemme, when their number amounts to six—which I observed only in asexual individuals, and then but seldom— alternate very regularly with the arms, and present very different grades of development, according to the time at which they ap- peared. In concluding the present memoir, I can boldly assert that Eleutheria belongs to the Meduse. In support of this opinion, which was accepted by many modern naturalists even before the discovery of the parent polype, I have brought forward further proofs, of which the discovery of the gastro-vascular system, the information as to the sexually-produced brood, by which a sensible gap in the developmental history of the parent polype is filled up, and the evidence of a gemmiparous reproduc- tion, issuing originally from the gastro-vascular system, may be particularly indicated as important*. It is true that Eleutheria differs from the other Medusz, in no small degree, by the absence of an organ of propulsion or umbrella; but this deficiency stands, as no one will deny, in the fullest accordance with its mode of life. Nevertheless, by the aid of the imagination, Mleutheria may - be converted into a convex Medusa. We need only imagine * To my knowledge, only one Medusa is as yet known which, like Hleu- theria, gives off buds in the mature sexual state. This is Sarsia prolifera, Forbes (see Busch, ‘Beobachtungun iiber Anat. und Entw. einiger nied. Secthiere,’ p. 7). As another example of this kind, I believe, I must cite Geryonia proboscidalis, in accordance with an observation made many years‘ago. During my sojourn in Messina, in the year 1843, I met with a female specimen of this Medusa, in which the ends of the peduncle, reach- ing freely down into the stomachal cavity as in Liriape, appeared thickly beset with buds in various stages of development. . The less developed buds occupied the upper, and the more advanced ones the lower part of the peduncle. In the former only the umbrella and peduncle could be distinguished; the latter had evolved not only the six tentacles, but also the marginal corpuscles. All these buds adhered firmly to the peduncle of the parent by the vertical point of their umbrella. Surprising as it may be to see buds sprout forth in the interior of an organ which is destined at the same time for the reception and digestion of nourishment, it must not be forgotten that the same phenomenon has already been observed in another Medusa. This is 4/gineia prolifera, Gegenb. (* Verhandl. d. phys.- med. Gesellsch. in Wiirzburg,’ Bd. iv. p. 209). On the whole, however, reproduction by buds appears to be but little diffused amongst the Meduse, and, from what has been said above, to be generally limited to the young states. Dr. B. Seemann on Hanburia. 9 the body dilated from the periphery and bent round into the form of an umbrella or bell, without implicating the stomachal cavity in the change. The stomachal cavity then remains, some- what as in the Oceanide, limited to the centre of the umbrella thus produced. The arms, with the ocelli and the annular vessel, on the contrary, advance by the whole length of the radii of the umbrella from their previous position, with which, of course, is ’ associated a corresponding elongation of the radial canals. In conclusion, as regards the relationship of Eleutheria to the established Medusoid genera, it has recently been placed by Gegenbaur, and as it appears to me with perfect justice, in the - vieinity of the genus Cladonema, Duj. ( Zeitschr. fiir wiss. Zool. Bd. vii. p. 280). In fact, both in structure and mode of life there appear to be many remarkable agreements between the two. In connexion with the first point, we must cite first of all the dichotomous division of the arms, which is certainly carried further in Cladonema during the development on the parent polype-stock (Stauridium), but still agrees perfectly with that occurring in Eleutheria*, and secondly the comparatively high organization of the ocelli. As regards the second point, we know already from the observations of Dujardin that Cladonema sometimes, like Hleutheria, fixes itself by its arms, and remains for a considerable time in this state of repose. In the harbour of Messina, where this Medusa not unfrequently occurs, it lives chiefly, according to my observations, upon a confervoid Alga, which covers the sea-bottom in abundance, and it appears to come but rarely to the surface of the sea. I1.—On Hanburia, a Cucurbitaceous Genus from Mexico. By Bertuorp Seemann, Ph.D., F.L.S. In August 1854, Mr. William Schaffner found near Cordova, in the “ Sierra caliente” of Mexico, a Cucurbitaceous plant with a fruit resembling in outward appearance the well-known ‘ Cha- yote” or “Chayotl” of the Mexicans (Sechium edule, Jacq.), and bearing, on account of that resemblance, the vernacular name of “ Chayotilla.” A few seeds of it, which he transmitted, were, together with a collection of dried plants, purchased b the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew; they were planted, but did not germinate. These seeds were flat, nearly orbicular in cir- cumference, and about 2 inches long, having a very thin mem- * Dujardin, J. c. 1843, tome xx. p. 372. According to Keferstein and Ehlers (‘ Zoo}. Beitr.’ 1861, p. 86), no more indication of a further ramifica- tion is to be detected in the arms of free young Cladonemata, measuring 08 mill. across the umbrella, than in Eleutheria. 10 Dr. B. Seemann on Hanburia, branaccous epidermis, and resembling altogether so much those of Fevillea that I suggested they might possibly belong to that genus. Mr. Schaffner, on being informed of this suggestion, replied that he could not agree with me, as the complete speci- mens at his disposal enabled him to pronounce the Chayotilla a representative of a new and remarkable genus, differing from Fevillea by its setose-echinate fruit, and other characters. In order to convince me, he enclosed in a letter to our friend Mr. Scheer, of Northfleet, a fragment of the plant in question, after- wards presented by me to Sir W. J. Hooker’s herbarium. This fragment, of which Mr. Fitch made a characteristic drawing, shortly to be published in the ‘ Bonplandia, was carefuily exa- mined and compared with all the Cucurbitacee in Sir William J. Hooker’s and other large herbaria; but neither there nor in any published description or figure did I find any type approach- ing that of Schaffner’s remarkable plant. I therefore assumed it to be quite a new genus, and seized the opportunity of con- ferring upon it, in honour of my esteemed friend Daniel Han- bury, Hsq., F.L.S8., the name of “ Hanburia,’ in a paper read, July 1, 1858, before the Linnean Society, and published, on the 15th of August of the same year, in the ‘ Bonplandia’ (vol. vi. p: 298). Owing to the imperfect materials at my disposal, the gerieric character I was able to furnish remained in several particulars incomplete. This defect I am now able to remedy in some measure ; for, shortly after the publication of my paper, two drawings, accompanied by a fair account of the plant, and ad- dressed, as far back as 1850, by M. Hugo Fink, of Cordova, Mexico, to Sir William J. Hooker, were found at Kew, and kindly placed by Sir William at my disposal. M. Fink, avowing himself a self-taught botanist, and claiming indulgence if he should have used any unbotanical expressions, furnishes the following ac- count, of which I have given an abstract in ‘ Bonplandia? (vii. p: 2) — ‘A perennial plant; roots not yet examined. Stem pentagonal, solid and very fibrous, tough (so that probably ropes might be manufactured from its fibres); climbing by means of tendrils to the height of from 60 to 80 feet, covering entire trees. As soon as the plant has attained the summit of a tree, the branches grow down- wards, exactly as in Vanilla or Begonia scandens. Leaves cordate, smooth and glossy, on a long petiole, turning different ways. Flowers white, axillary and terminal, bell-shaped ; corolla five-parted ; calyx in five divisions, covering half the tube of the corolla, and termi- nating at each intersection of the corolla in a very small tooth. Stamens united in a hollow tube, terminating in a pentagonal, solid, almost round ball, having the form of the clapper of a bell. This ball, forming the anthers, is divided into five divisions, each of which a Cucurbitaceous Genus from Mezico. 11. is divided into three double longitudinal lines bearing pollen; the latter is covered by a brittle tegument opening lengthwise. Flowers male and female. (On more than twenty occasions that I have been to the place where these plants grow, I have never met with a female flower : male flowers are very abundant at all seasons. I was already despairing of finding one, when last week I discovered several ripe fruits at the point of opening, five or six of which I took home for er examination. As yet, I have not been able to meet with a female flower, but shall do all in my power to obtain one.) Fruit oval, pointed at the apex, and crowned by the scar of the calyx (or corolla’), covered with numerous spines from 1 to 2 inches long. Ovary adherent, solitary, four-celled ; ovules solitary, attached to a placentation formed by a column terminating in four claws like those of an animal, to each of which at its point an ovule is attached, one or two of which seldom arrive at maturity*. Seeds flat; testa horny; internal membrane thin, clastic, and veined; perisperm very abun- dant, bitter and purgative when raw, but having the taste of a walnut when cooked ; embryo very small, flat; cotyledons foliaceous, mtici- laginous ; radicle straight, turned towards the hilum: the embryo- sac disappears in ripe seeds. “Parts of the plant which are not exposed to the whole force of the sun ripen no fruit. From the fleshy part of the epicarp exudes a very transparent gum, clear as glass. The mesocarp of the fruit is composed of a network of numerous fibres, of a white colour, crossing each other in all directions. The plant is only found in the mountains of Mactlactleahuatl, or in places contiguous to them. It flowers all the year round; but only towards the end of August and September ripe fruits are found. ‘The squirrels eat the kernels greedily ; but as the fruit is very spiny, they cannot attack it; however, being acquainted with its of opening, five or six of them are in waiting every morning, and as soon as a fruit bursts, hasten to devour the seeds. As soon as the rays of the sun reach a ripe fruit, it will open, but not before. The shock is so strong, that the fruit is severed from the stalk and thrown heavily to the ground, while the seeds are dispersed in different directions. * Most curious is the manner in which the fruit opens. Towards seven o'clock in the morning, on a sunny day, the fruit splits from a to b (fig. 3 of the accompanying drawing), then from 6 to e¢, from e to d, from d to e; when the opening has attained the point e, the fruit turns the piece A completely round, forces the column com- posing the claws in a reclining position, at the same time throwing the seeds with great force several yards’ distance. The sections bf, ef, df, and ef open afterwards slowly. The first part of the pro- cess lasts about half a minute, and the latter one minute. * Hueco Fink.” “ Hacienda San Francisco, near Cordova, Sept. 10, 1850.” * “ Since then, I have remarked that in some fruit all the four ovules ripen; but generally one is abortive, as shown in fig. 2 0.—H. F.” 12 Dr. J. Anderson on the Anatomy of Sacculina. The chief characters of Hanburia are its campanulate corolla, monadelphous stamens, longitudinally arranged anthers, peltate stigma borne on an elongated style, solitary pendulous ovules, and setoso-echinate fruit bursting open when fully ripe, like that of Momordica. In its monadelphous stamens and setoso-echinate fruit it approaches Cyclanthera; but the corolla of that genus is hemispherical, the anthers are arranged transversely, the stigma is sessile, and the ovules are horizontal and indefinite. In its definite ovules and shape of the seed it exhibits some relationship to Fevillea; but the fruit of that genus does not burst open, nor is it covered with spines. In any new arrangement of the gencra of Cucurbitacese, Hanburia will probable form the type of a distinct tribe. Hansuria, Seem., in ‘ Bonplandia,’ vol. vi. p. 293 (1858), et ‘ Bonplandia,’ vol. vii. p. 2 (1859). Char. gen. emend.—Flores monoici. Masc. Calyx campanulatus, 5-dentatus. Corolla campanulata, calyci adnatim inserta, 5-fida, lobis triangularibus acutis. Staminum columna elongata in discum pel- tatum orbicularem margine antheriferum desinens; anthere longi- tudinaliter adnate. Jem. Calyx tubo oblongo cum ovario con- nato, limbo 5-partito. Corolla maris. Ovarium inferum, 4-loculare, loculis 1-ovulatis. Ovula pendula axi centrali adnata. Stylus elon- gatus. Stigma peltatum. acca ovata, pulposa, setoso-echinata, maturitate elastice irregulariter rupta. | Semina pauca, plana, subor- biculata, margine incrassato cincta. Lmbryonis exalbuminosi coty- ledones foliaceze. ...... Herba Mexicana, glabra, rhizomate peren- nante, caule 5-angulato, foliis longe petiolatis cordatis acuminatis integerrimis, cirrhis simplicibus spiraliter tortis, floribus axillaribus v. terminalibus pedunculatis albis, masculis racemosis, foomineis soli- tariis. ’ Species unica :— Hanburia mexicana, Seem., in Bonplandia,’ vol. vi. p.293 (1858), et ‘ Bonplandia’ vol. vii. p. 2 (1859). Nomen vernaculum Mexicanum “ Chayotilla.” Prope Cordova, reipubl. Mexican. (W. Schaffner !). 22 Canonbury Square, London, N. Noy. 21, 1861. TII.—On the Anatomy of Sacculina, with a Description of the Species. By Joun Anprrson, M.D.* [Plate I.] THREE years ago, I drew the attention of this Society to the fact of the frequent occurrence of Sacculina and Peltogaster on some * Read before the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh, Nov. 27, 1861 Se es NE Ce oe OS ae eee ae foe ae CO ee, Oe a Dr. J. Anderson on the Anatomy of Sacculina. 13 of the Crustacea of the Firth of Forth. For some years past the subject of the affinities of these parasites has been occupying the minds of many foreign observers; and the following observations, therefore, are brought before the Society in the hope that they may tend to throw some light upon this difficult question. In the present paper I have purposely abstained, as far as possible, from dogmatizing regarding their systematic position, but else- where I have referred them to the Cirripedes*. I may mention that the relative position of the investing sacs, the character of the ovaries and the ovigerous lamelle, and the apparent herma- hrodite nature of the adult animal, when viewed in connexion with the larval form, appear to me clearly to indicate their Cirri- pedial nature. Accordingly, in my graduation thesis, I created a new order (Sacculinacea) for their receptiony. Among recent observers, Leuckart drew the attention of na- turalists to Thompson’s systematic description of Sacculina, and proposed the adoption of his generic term. “If we restore,” he says, “the name Sacculina either for Peltogaster in Rathke’s sense, or, at least, for the form characterized by Diesing as Pa- chybdella, we are only discharging an old, superannuated debt.” In the same article he described a new form parasitic upon Hyas araneus, and which he named Sacculina inflata. In accordance with Leuckart’s proposal, I use the term Sacculina as referring to the parasite alluded to by Cavolini, and as synonymous with Peltogaster carcini, Rathke, and Pachybdella Rathkei, Diesing. The Larva. PI. I. fig. 1. The larva, in the first stage, is oval, and presents no marks of segmentation. Placed near the centre of the anterior margin of the body is a yellow speck—the eye (a). The ocellus is placed nearly in the centre of a dark-coloured ring (0). Krohn, who has observed a structure similar to this in the larva of a Bala- nide, regards it as the cesophageal ring. The lateral margins of the body, on either side of the ocellus, are prolonged into two horns (ec); and in this respect the young resembles the Cirnj- pedian larva in its first stage. It is provided with three wait of natatory legs: the first pair (d) are situated immediately pos- terior to the horns of the carapace ; they are uniramous, are provided at their extremities with bristles, and appear to be * Graduation thesis, ‘ Contributions to Zoology.’ 7 The following are the characters of this order, as given in my thesis :— Cirripedia sine segmentis, oculis ef appendiculis. Carapax sacciformis et appendiculata est: foramen in carapace situm est. Pedunculus annulo corneo affixus est. Os suctorium. Larva primo monocula cum 3 crurum aribus. Cirripedia parasitica sub abdomine Crustaceorum Decapodorum rachyurorum. 14 Dr, J, Anderson on the Anatomy of Sacculina. composed of two joints: the second and third pairs (d! d"’) are larger than the first, and are both biramous. The rami are fur- nished with bristles, The under surface of the body is prolonged into two spines (ee), which project beyond the posterior margin of the carapace, Besides these terminal spines, I have observed, through the transparent body, two other structures (ff), which resemble very much the middle pair of spines described by Darwin as occurring on the larva of Chthamalus stellatus. The greater portion of the body is occupied by an oval mass of nearly spherical globules (g), The various transformations of the larva remain yet to be determined. The Adult Animal. P1. I. figs, 10, 11,12, 15. According to the present state of our knowledge, this parasite seems to be peculiar to the Decapod Crustacea, All the speci- mens I have obtained have been attached over the terminal por- tion of the intestinal canal (figs. 10 & 114’) of the erabs on which they were parasitic, the females of which they appear to infest more than the males. This latter cireumstance seems to be owing to the large size of the purse of the female, as compared with that of the male crab, affording them a better protection and means of support. The external sac (figs, 2, 4.a).—The external skin is a tough, brownish-coloured, corrugated, and highly contractile structure, It is chiefly by means of this membrane that the parasite is at- tached to the crab on which it lives. The part which is attached to the crab forms a short peduncle (4), but afterwards it suddenly expands to form the external sac, The pedunculated portion (0) is very firmly connected by means of a horny ring (d) to the skin which invests the gut of the crab. The posterior extremit of the sac remains open, forming a small orifice (ce), viet have called ovario-branchial. The peduncle (b).—The external skin of this structure is a continuation of the external sac (a), and contains within it a prolongation of the parasite («), which passes through the horn: ring, and rests upon the intestine of the crab. The pielggaee portion is tubular. In this arrangement we have evidence for the parasitic nature of Sacculina, and are entitled to regard the anterior portion of the peduncle as the mouth. The mouth, structurally as such, is entirely absent; and the only way the animal appears to derive its nourishment is by this process ab- sorbing the required nutriment. ; The ovario-branchial orifice (c) is so named from the twofold function it is supposed to fulfil in the economy of the parasite. If a living Sacculina is carefully watched for a few minutes, this orifice will be seen to open and contract slowly, while a current ee a ee ee eS ee ee ———_—— Per Se Ee ee ee ee ee Dr. J, Anderson on the Anatomy of Sacculina. 15 of water may be scen to pass into and out of the cavity of the body, the sac at the same time alternately distending and con- tracting. The ova, when fully developed, are extruded by this orifice, the structure of which confines the water to the sac which contains them. The orifice is situated upon the posterior margin of the body, and is slightly raised above the level of the sac, There is a constriction at its base, and a thickened portion of the sac plays the part of a sphincter muscle, The inner margin of the orifice is thrown into folds, usually eleven in number, sometimes of a delicate and pellucid appearance, By this arrangement the orifice is capable of great distention, The corium (fig. 2 e).—On reflexion of the external skin we expose the underlying corium, which invests nearly the whole inner surface of the sac. I have succeeded, in one or two in- stances, in separating this membrane into two well-marked layers, The external layer is a very thin membrane investing the whole inner surface of the sac, attached at its anterior ex- tremity to the horny ring of the peduncle, and posteriorly to the ovario-branchial orifice. I think it probable, when the external skin is moulted, that its place is supplied by this structure, The inner layer, following it from the ovario-branchial orifice to which it is attached, passes forwards, closely applied to the outer layer, till it nearly reaches the anterior margin of the sae, where it becomes reflected on to the anterior portion of the pes dunele, and ean be traced no further as a separate structure, At the left margin of the peduncle the corium is attached by a septum (fig. 3g) to a pulpy body embraced in the folds of the ovigerous lamelle. Organs of reproduction —On opening Sacculina by an incision extending through the sac and continued from the ovario- branchial orifice to the peduncle, we expose a pellucid sac (fig, 4%) filled with ova. This sac is found on both sides of the pulpy body above referred to (fig. 2), which it embraces within its folds. The sac is merely a temporary structure including the ova till their full development; and at this period I have seen the ovario-branchial orifice plugged up by the extruded sac and its contents, and in other cases I have found it lying quite loose in the general cavity of the parasite. In specimens like these, a delicate membrane may be separated, by gentle manipulation, from the inner surface of the corium and from the surface of the pulpy body or internal ovaries. This membrane appears to be an ovigerous sac, in the process of growth, destined to receive a brood of ova, but, after their development, to be cast off like its predecessor (fig. 5). The ovigerous sac appears to be continually present in one stage or another of its development; so that the water which passes in at the ovario-branchial orifice is never in ‘16 - Dr.J. Anderson on the Anatomy of Sacculina. contact with any other structure. In a large specimen of Saccu- lina carcini, I found two small mussels living in and attached to the inner surface of its ovigerous sac. The ova (fig. 6) are enclosed in the sac, and are arranged in a racemose manner, enveloped in a very delicate membrane. ; The internal ovaries (figs. 2, 3, & 3’, h), are situated posteriorly to the peduncle. They constitute an oval, flattened, pulpy mass, dividing the cavity of the parasite into two compartments ; they are attached by the centre of their posterior margin to the left wall of the ovario-branchial orifice ; and also, as previously men- tioned, by the septum which runs along the left side of the sac they are connected to the corium (fig. 2g). In the many speci- mens examined, I have always found a small tubercle (figs. 2 & 30), with a minute and apparently horny speck on its sum- mit, placed on both surfaces (figs. 3 & 8/, 0) of the body of the ovaries lying opposite to one another, a little to the left of the centre of its posterior margin. On removing the little speck of horny matter, a depres.ion is seen in the centre of the tubercle, apparently communicating with the substance of the ovaries. May not these structures be the orifices of the oviducts, closed by a temporary secretion of horny matter till the brood of ova in the ovigerous sac has attained its full development? This view of the nature of these tubercles has suggested itself to me from the difficulty of accounting for the passage of the ova into the ovigerous sac. The fact that the ova found on the external surface of the ovaries are always more fully developed than those further removed from the surface suggests another view of the subject—viz. that they are developed in successive layers, and thus constitute the ovigerous lamellee. Situated immediately posterior to the peduncle, is a well- defined cavity, lined by a special membrane, and containing two oval-shaped bodies (b) placed side by side. These pellucid sacs (figs. 7 & 8) contain in their cavities peculiarly shaped bodies (ce), and are provided with convoluted ducts (a). The ducts appear to pass towards the right side of the parasite (figs. 3 & 3’, A) along the anterior margin of the ovaries, where they unite and become lost. From the close relation of their ducts to the ova- ries, it has all along appeared to me that these vesicles probably play an important part in the generative economy of the animal. This opinion seems to be strengthened by the fact that, on one occasion, when examining under the microscope a portion. of the ovaries in the immediate neighbourhood of the vesicles, I detected among their convolutions a tube identical in appearance with the structure of their ducts. As yet, I have found it impossible, from the soft nature of the tissues of these parasites, to trace the ducts to their final termination; but, from the appearance of the Dr. J. Anderson on the Anatomy of Sacculina. 17 tube above described, it seems to me very probable that they terminate in the ovaries. The walls of the vesicles are simply granular. in the Collection of the British Museum. 57 on the sides with a white dot; a yellowish line on each side of the neck, commencing from the last upper labial; vent and tip of the taii yellow. ‘Total length 132 lines, head 3 lines, tail 4 lines ; circumference 114 lines. Three specimens of equal size were found by Capt. R. H. Bed- dome in the Anamallay Hills. Elapomorphus mexicanus. P\. IX. fig. 1. Allied to LZ. Blumii, Wiegm. (= Elapocephalus teniatus, Gthr.). Scales in 15 rows; a pair of anterior and posterior frontals ; 7 upper labials. Brownish olive, with three blackish longitu- dinal bands: viz. one, almost linear, along the vertebral series of scales; the two others along the sides, each composed of two blackish lines, one line running along the middle of the second outer series, the other along that of the third. A pair of small yellowish spots on the neck; a yellowish band across the front part of the snout; lips with a black spot below the eye; lower parts uniform yellowish. Habit moderately slender. Anterior frontals broad, but very short, their longitudinal diameter being only one-fourth of that of the posterior; vertical six-sided, of moderate length; occi- pitals not much longer than vertical. Posterior frontal in contact with the second labial ; one anterior ocular, not reaching to the upper surface of the head ; two post-oculars. Seven upper labials, the third and fourth of which enter the orbit, the seventh being the largest. A rather large temporal shield in contact with the post-oculars ; a small one behind, between the eleventh labial and the occipital. The median lower labial is exceedingly small; the first pair of lower labials are narrow, transverse, and form a suture together ; two pairs of chin-shields of nearly equal size. Scales without apical groove. Ventral shields 158; anal bifid; subcaudals 52. Length of head 4 lines, of trunk 10 inches, of tail 2 inches 9 lines. Mexico. Oligodon Templetonii. ‘Habit moderately slender. Scales in 15 rows; loreal distinct. Head uniform above, laterally with the markings usually found in the genus. Body brownish, with a light vertebral band, which becomes more distinct on the tail, and is crossed by oblique, narrow, dark-brown bands. Belly white (in spirits), chequered with black, the black and white being distributed in nearly equal proportions. 135 ventral, 1 bifid anal, 31 sub- caudal shields. Ceylon. This species is allied to O. subquadratus ; the first specimen of it has been brought home by Dr. Rh. Templeton. 58 Dr. A. Giinther on new Species of Snakes. Oligodon affinis. Habit stout. Scales in 17 rows; loreal none, united with post-frontal. Head with the markings usually found in the genus. Body brownish grey; anterior part of the back with short, narrow, black transverse streaks. Belly white, with black subquadrangular spots, the black and white being divided in nearly equal proportions. 134 ventral, 1 bifid anal, 25 sub- caudal shields. Found by Capt. R. H. Beddome in the Anamallay Hills. Oligodon brevicauda. Allied to O. dorsalis, but with very singular characters. Only one pair of frontals; rostral thick, broad, reaching far backwards. Scales in 15 rows; loreal none. Greyish violet. Head with the markings usual in the genus; a broad blackish collar, A band along the vertebral line, indistinct anteriorly, light greyish on the middle of the body, becoming pure white posteriorly and on the tail; it is bordered anteriorly by a series of pairs of equi- distant blackish spots; there are no black spots on the tail in- terrupting the dorsal band. A blackish longitudinal streak on each side, along the third outer series of scales. Ground-colour of belly the same as of the upper parts, with black quadrangular spots; subcaudals whitish. 172 ventral, 1 bifid anal, 30 sub- caudal shields. Anamallay Hills. Coronella brevis. Closely allied to C. girundica and C. cucullata. Scales in twenty-three rows; upper labials eight; anal bifid. Brownish olive; on each side of the occiput a dark spot, a dark collar be- hind ; an oblique brownish streak below the eye. Belly uni- form white. Body stout and short. Hinder mazillary tooth grooved. Discovered by the Rev. R. T. Lowe on the small Island (with- out name) off the coast of Mogador. Liophis viridis. Pl. IX. fig. 2. Habit rather slender. Scales smooth, without groove, in 19 rows. Head rather depressed; shields of head regular and proportionate ; vertical with the lateral margins convergent; rostral broader than high ; loreal square; one anterior ocular reaching to the upper surface of the head; two posterior oculars; eight upper labials, the fourth and fifth entering the orbit ; one elongate anterior temporal, in contact with the two oculars ; two small temporals behind; six pairs of the lower labials in eontact with the chin-shields; two pairs of chin-shields, the anterior much larger than the posterior. Ventrals 178; anal Bibliographical Notices. 59 bifid; subcaudals 66. Posterior maxillary tooth elongate, sepa- rated from the others by an interspace. Upper parts uniform blue (in spirits), probably greenish olive in life; the lower uni- form white. Two specimens have been received,—one from Pernambuco. This species differs from Coronella Jegeri by its depressed head, by the form of its vertical shield, and by its isolated posterior maxillary tooth ; from Xenodon typhlus by a much more slender habit, a specimen of the same length as one of the latter species having only half as large a head. X. typhlus has 140-147 ventral shields, and no grooves on the scales. _ Length of head 4 inch, of trunk 18 inches, of tail 44 inches ; greatest circumference of the trunk 14 lines,—whilst the cir- cumference of the trunk of a X. typhlus of the same total length _ (22 inches) is 23 lines. Tropidonotus orientalis. Pl. IX. fig. 3. Intermediate between T. natriz and T. hydrus. Scales in 19 rows, strongly keeled ; upper labials seven, the third and fourth entering the orbit; two anterior and three or four posterior oculars ; anterior frontals not pointed, rather ob- tuse in front. Greenish olive, with three series of black spots anteriorly, becoming very indistinct on the middle of the trunk; a black subcrescentic spot on each side of the neck, without yellow; posterior margins of the upper labials and a spot on the temple black. Belly more or less blackish. Three temporal shields, the anterior of which is the largest, in contact with two oculars. Ventral shields 152, anal bifid; subcaudals 64. Two specimens, an adult and a young one, were sent by Consul Swinhoe from Northern China, together with specimens of Elaphis dione. [To be continued. ] BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. General Outline of the Organization of the Animal Kingdom, and Manual of Comparative Anatomy. By Tuomas Rymer Jongs, F.R.S., &c. &. Third Edition, 8vo. London: Van Voorst, 1861. Ir is with great pleasure that we have to announce to our readers the appearance of a third and greatly improved edition of Professor Rymer Jones’s ‘Animal Kingdom.’ The fact that a new edition has been so soon called for, considering the scope and character of the book, is of itself a sufficient evidence of its intrinsic value; and although, in our notice of the second edition, we felt bound to point out what appeared to us certain defects in the work, we were 60 Bibliographical Notices. quite prepared, from its general excellence, to expect for it a widely extended popularity. We are glad to see that in the present edition those errors and omissions of greater or less importance which were indicated in its predecessor have been rectified and supplied, and that the author has likewise cast off certain relics of an antiquated system to which we particularly directed attention. As Professor Jones’s volume professes to be an outline of the “organization ”’ of animals, he might perhaps claim to be to a cer- tain extent exempt from criticism in respect of his system; but imas- much as it is a Manual of Comparative Anatomy and Physiology, and the anatomical statements are to be regarded as illustrative of groups rather than individual species, the classification adopted by the author becomes a matter of primary importance; and we took occasion to object, in our notice of the second edition, to the retention of certain groups in certain positions, as having a tendency to confuse the notions of students upon points of high interest in zoology. In the volume before us, however, nearly all this is changed: the Epizoa, instead of occupying their old anomalous position amongst the Radiata, have been transferred to their true place in the class Crustacea, and have been accompanied in their flight by their old neigh- bours the Rotifera, which, however, still of course retain the rank of a class; the Cirrhopoda, which Professor Rymer Jones persisted in 1855 in regarding as Molluscan, are likewise transferred to the Annulose series, but (we think) erroneously kept distinct from the Crustacea. Lastly, the Bryozoa have also made their way from their former low position, to take the place which is now almost univer-. sally assigned to them amongst the Mollusca. Curiously enough, however, our author has hesitated to adopt another change which appears to us equally warranted with those just mentioned, namely, the transfer of the Entozoa, or Helminthozoa as he now calls them (including, moreover, the Turbellaria), to the division of Annulose animals ; and probably the extreme supporters of the new school of zoology may think that he would have been equally justified in re- moving the Echinodermata into the same series. We are not, how-' ever, prepared to cavil at the omission of this change, as we hold it to be the duty of the author of any student’s manual of science not so much to give his own peculiar and perhaps still problematical views upon any given point, as to bring his general treatment of his subject as much as possible into accordance with the most generally received opinions. In this, with the single exception of the omission of the Helminthozoa, Professor Jones appears to us to have admir- ably succeeded as far as regards the three higher subkingdoms, to which he gives the names of Homogangliata, Heterogangliata, and Vertebrata ; but we think it a pity that he has not followed the same course with the lower forms. Feeling, perhaps, a distrust of the results obtained by some of our more advanced zoologists, and desir- ing, as he himself says, to avoid unnecessary changes in zoological classification, our author, whilst advancing a certain distance on the route traced by Professors Huxley and Leuckart and followed by Professor Greene in his excellent manual of the Coelenterata, and ee OR re ce eS 6 ee a ne ee ? Seat os Bibliographical Notices. 61 accepting the division of the gelatinous Radiata into the two classes of Hydrozoa and Anthozoa, has nevertheless retained the group of Acalephee in its entirety, as including the Meduse (both naked- and covered-eyed), the Ctenophora, and the Siphonophora ; and, as far as his book is concerned, we find no indication of the arrangement of the animals below the Annulosa into one or more subkingdoms. This we cannot but look upon as a defect ; and we also regret to see the term Protozoa applied only to the Sponges and Rhizopoda as distin- guished from the Infusoria. Having thus stated the few objections which we have to make against the new edition of Professor Rymer Jones’ work, we may proceed to the more pleasing task of saying a few words in its praise. Besides the important changes in system already adverted to, we may notice the great care and industry displayed by the author in bringing together the more important results of the recent researches of comparative anatomists and physiologists, and the skill with which he has incorporated his new matter with the exceed- ingly elegant text of the former edition, which is probably familiar to most of our readers. The typographical execution of the work, and the beauty of tl: woodcuts, the number of which is increased by the addition of several new and important figures, also call for all praise; and it may safely be said that we have no treatise on Comparative Anatomy, in the English language, that can at all com- pare with it. Sketches of the Natural History of Ceylon, with narratives and anecdotes illustrative of the habits and instincts of the Mammalia, Birds, Reptiles, Fishes, Insects, §c., including a Monograph of the Elephant and a description of the modes of capturing and training it. By Sir J. KMerson Tennent, K.C.S., LL.D. Small 8vo. London, 1861. Longmans. As this work consists chiefly of an enlarged reproduction of the Zoological chapters of Sir James Tennent’s general description of Ceylon, which we noticed at some length in this Journal (Annals, December 1859) at the time of its appearance, we need do little more than call our readers’ attention to the fact of its publication. The author tells us that in preparing his former work for the press he found it necessary to curtail the zoological chapters somewhat, as they would otherwise “‘have encroached unduly on the space re- ‘quired for other essential topics.” In his ‘ Natural History of q P ¥ Ceylon’ he has restored the suppressed passages, consisting to a great extent of anecdotes illustrating the habits of the animals described, and he has also taken the opportunity of introducing some fresh materials, The volume also contains the Treatise on the Elephant, which formed part of the second volume of the larger work ; and into this we notice that the author has introduced several fresh anecdotes and remarks. Next in importance and interest to the chapters on the Elephant are those on the Reptiles and Fishes of Ceylon, the latter being par- 62 _ Bibliographical Notices. ticularly interesting from the curious observations recorded on what we may call the terrestrial life of Fishes. The list of Fishes, drawn up principally by Dr. Giinther, and the remarks of Professor Huxley and Dr. Gray on the richness of the Fish-fauna of the Ceylonese seas, and its comparison with that of other regions, are also exceed- ingly valuable and suggestive. With the invertebrate animals Sir James Tennent seems to be less familiar; but even upon these we find many interesting observations, and each chapter is furnished, b: way of appendix, with a list of the species of the group treated of, known to inhabit Ceylon. These lists, although confessedly imper- fect, will be, even as they stand, of great advantage to the student of zoological geography, whilst to those who may hereafter take up the investigation of the Natural History of Ceylon they will afford a most valuable aid. A History of British Sessile-eyed Crustacea. By C, Spence Bate, F.L.S., and J. O. Westwoop, M.A., F.L.S8. &c. 8vo. London: Van Voorst, 1861. Parts 1-3. Of two great sections of the class Crustacea the British species have already been admirably elucidated—the Podophthalmous forms by Professor Bell, and the Entomostraca by Dr. Baird. The abnormal forms constituting the group of Cirripeds, which may perhaps with some justice be ranked among the latter, have also received their due share of attention in Mr. Darwin’s classical work published by the Ray Society ; but there still remains a vast number of species, form- ing the group Edriophthalma of Latreille, to the arrangement and dis- crimination of which the British naturalist possesses no other guide than is afforded by Mr. Spence Bate’s ‘Synopsis ’’ published in this Journal (February 1857), and Mr. White’s excellent little ‘ Popular History of British Crustacea.’ Under these circumstances we wel- come with no common interest the appearance of the work of which the first three parts are now before us, in which Mr. Spence Bate, whose acquaintance with his subject no one can doubt, has called to his aid the artistic talents and great general knowledge of the Articulata possessed by the distinguished Hope Professor at Oxford; and,from the care with which the text of their jomt production has evidently been prepared, there now appears every prospect of our soon possessing in a moderate compass a complete description of the British Crustacea. No doubt the numerous species, especially of Entomostraca, which have been discovered in our waters since the publication of the works alluded to at the commencement of this notice, render a revi- sion of them desirable ; but in the meanwhile the student of Crustacea will be able to advance far upon his course of investigation with the aids already in his hands. The classification adopted in the work now under consideration agrees with that given by Mr, Spence Bate in his ‘‘ Synopsis” of the Amphipoda already referred to; that is to say, he suppresses the order Leemodipoda altogether, and divides the Edriophthalma into the two great orders Amphipoda and Isopoda. The former of these Zoological Society, 63 ups he regards as analogous to the Macrura, and the latter to the rachyura, whilst the Leemodipoda of Latreille are treated as aber- rant Amphipods parallel to the Squi//e amongst the Podophthalma, In the introductory description of the general characters of Am- phipods, our authors give an explanation of the somewhat cumbrous terminology proposed by Mr. Spence Bate for these animals. We cannot but regard it as a drawback upon the efforts of our living zoologists that scarcely one of them produces a work at all monogra- phic in its nature without the introduction of a host of new terms, which, although they may to a certain extent conduce both to accu- racy of language and brevity of description, are still so many obsta- cles to be got over by the student before he can really make use of the aid afforded him, This, however, is but a minor point; and we gladly pass to the consideration of those characteristics of the book which call for unqualified approval. These consist, on the one hand, in the fulness of the synonymy, the clearness with which the charac- ters and descriptions have been drawn up, and the care with which the British localities for each species are brought together; and on the other, in the admirably executed figures with which Professor Westwood has illustrated the species. The latter consist of finished outlines of the animals, accompanied by numerous magnified figures of characteristic details ; and although from their nature necessarily inferior in elegance to many of the woodcuts with which we are fami- liar in Mr, Van Voorst’s publications, they will be found of equal or perhaps greater scientific value. The tail-pieces appended to several of the articles fully maintain the reputation acquired by others in Mr, Van Voorst’s series: they are chiefly small views of localities interesting to the British zoologist from their being associated with the — of those whose names, with him, are as household words, PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. June 25, 1861.—Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., V.P., in the Chair, The following extract was read from a letter, dated Sydney, April 19th, addressed by Dr. G. Bennett, F.Z.S., to the Secretary :— * You will recollect I mentioned in my ‘Gatherings’ a specimen of the Semipalmated Goose (Anseranas melanoleuca). That bird I found on my return to Sydney alive and well; and it has been pre- sented to me by its owner, Mr. Clarke. In the young bird the | and mandibles were flesh-colour ; in the adult they are of a light reddish-orange colour, except the horny tip of the mandibles, which was of a light-blue colour, The black and white plumage—the former colour predominating—imparts to the bird a very handsome appearance as it walks with a stately tread (not with the waddling t of the goose) about the yard of my house like one of the Waders. have, however, from ignorance of its natural habits been the pro-. 64 Zoological Society :— bable cause of the death of this bird, and I send you the following remarks, considering they may be of some service to those desirous of domesticating them. This bird was reared from the egg hatched under a common hen, and has survived nearly four years and a half domesticated in daily amicable intercourse with ducks, geese, and all kinds of poultry, and always appearing playful and happy in their society. But it unfortunately happened that, when sent to me, I was not aware of its aversion to a solitary life. When alone in the yard I noticed that it did not eat. Fearing that it had not its usual food, I made inquiry, but found that it had its accustomed food. Still, however, it moped, and more frequently than usual made its peculiar clanging noise ; and although it would walk about the yard, yet it more frequently mounted the high flight of stone steps and squatted upon the lofty wall, remaining there for the most part of the day. Although it did not feed well, yet it would often wash itself in a tub of water placed for its use, and drank a good deal of water. At last it became ragged in plumage, the wings drooped, and it died after having been in my possession only from the 28th of February to the 25th of March. On mentioning the circumstance to a relation of the donor, I was then informed, but too late, that if kept by itself it would droop and refuse food, but when placed among other fowls became lively, playful, and fed well. I fear that many birds and other animals perish in our menageries by inattention to these ap- parently trivial circumstances, which are, however, most essential to their successful rearing and preservation. I have been informed, by those who have eaten of these birds in the southern parts of Australia, that they are usually thin, and the flesh coarse and not well-fla- voured.”” Nores ON THE BROAD-FRONTED WomBat or SoutH AUSTRALIA (PHascoLomys LATIFRONS, Owen). By George Frencu AnGAs, CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE ZOOLOGICAL Society or LONDON, ETC. The existence of a second species of Phascolomys on the Australian continent was established some years ago by Professor Owen, from a skull sent to England from South Australia, and named by him Phascolomys latifrons (see ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society’ for 1845). Mr. G. R. Waterhouse, in his excellent work on the Marsupiata, says, “Of the Broad-fronted Wombat, all that is known is a skull sent from South Australia to Professor Owen. This skull presents so many marked differences when compared with that of the Phasco- lomys Wombat, that no doubt can be entertained of the existence of two distinct species of Wombats.” I have lately had the opportunity of examining a full-grown male example of the Broad-fronted Wombat, now living in the Botanical Gardens in Adelaide, and of comparing it with two adult specimens (male and female) of the Tasmanian Wombat, which, fortunately enough, were being exhibited at the time in Adelaide. The differ- Mr. G. F. Angas on Phascolomys latifrons. 65 ences between the two species were so evident, that I was induced to make a careful drawing of P. latifrons, which, together with my ob- servations and measurements of both animals, I have much pleasure in we before the Society. en I first saw the Wombat in the Adelaide Gardens I was at once impressed with the idea that it was an animal altogether distinct from that figured by Mr. Gould in his ‘Mammals of Australia ;’ but as I was unable to refer to a copy of that magnificent work in this colony, I hailed with pleasure the arrival of the living Tasmanian Wombats, an inspection of which set aside all my doubts as to the distinctness of the two species. Phascolomys latifrons, Owen. Adult male. Total length 38 inches. Fur fine and silky, rather long, particularly on the hind-quarters ; colour light silvery mouse, tinged with buff and purplish brown, browner on the face; the chest is white; the remainder of the under surface is of a reddish mouse-colour ; the feet are of the same colour as the body; the claws are smaller than those of P. Wombat; the toes are covered with hair to the nails ; under lip blackish ; there is a light-coloured spot above the eye, and a corresponding one below it, with a dark triangular patch extending underneath the eyes in front towards the nostrils; eyes small, irides dark hazel; eyelids black ; nose flesh-coloured ; the bristles of the eyebrows are black and rather long, as are also those in the centre of the cheek and round the nostrils; tail naked and very small; the hind quarters present somewhat of that peculiarly flattened or truncated appearance observable in the ordinary Wombat ; the ears are well-clothed with hair internally. The following are the dimensions of P. latifrons:— in. lin. Length from tip of nose to root of tail...... 37 (0 EUs. ssh oes com oe eas 1 0 ketal itched arenes lgeppah & | da i. of ear Secde cai’ 44. 5:60F die ee Rute ae ee Breadth between tips of ears.............. 8 0 between root of ears ............ 5 0 MM ONEE os 6 auc so. one G05 baie 3 0 Girth of skull in thickest part ............ 18 0 MEME OF OGY. . noe ce eens 20 4 Length of hind foot, including claws ...... 4 4 Ue We etwas acces vee OS Ve REE SOIMMOCE rs cc taken dite se ne 12 0 IR eek Sah a ies * SHE * & >. « 0:4. 4.0 14 0 Length of hind claw } an inch; fore claw .. 1 0 Phascolomys Wombat, Péron et Lesueur. Adult male. Total length 33 inches. Fur very rough and coarse, of a dark grizzly- grey ; ears quite small, blackish brown outside, whitish internally ; nose nearly black, and more pointed than that of P. latifrons, giving to the face an expression slightly resembling the “‘Koala”’ (Phascol- arctos cinereus) ; whereas the P. latifrons presents a bold, bull-dog- like aspect from the greater expansion of his face and width of Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 3. Vol. ix. 5 66 Zoological Society :-— nostrils ; the tail is naked and rudimentary ; the feet are black, as are the hairs of the fur covering them above; the claws are black, and are longer and more powerful than those of P. latifrons. The general aspect of P. Wombat is more bear-like than that of P. lati- frons. In standing it arches its back considerably, and does not hold its head so erect as the latter animal ; the expression of the eye, too, is decidedly fierce, and lacks the good-natured twinkle of the South Australian species. Next to the form of the skull, one of the most striking specific differences manifests itself in the colour, character, and texture of the fur; in sleeping it rolls itself almost into a ball, burying its nose between its fore paws. The measurements I made of the adult male of the P. Wombat are as follows :— in. lin. Ristsrome lengths. 25 see a 33 0 Reeriggely GF Heads 5.222 TR I oe 9 0 Breadth between tips of ears.......... 6 9 Breadth between eyes .............. 3 0 Length ‘of:tats 2.48255 SSE SE Girth round centre of body .......... 29 6 Height, middle of back.............. 15 0 The specimen of P. latifrons in the Adelaide Botanical Gardens is the only one I have yet seen. It was caught some twelve months since, near the Gawler River, about thirty miles north of Adelaide. It is kept in an enclosure, where it is secured with a strong chain and collar to prevent its escape by burrowing ; it is perfectly docile, and never attempts to bite like the Common Wombat ; it is fed artifi- cially on bran and weeds, and drinks freely of water. The only sound it emits is a short quick grunt when annoyed; it sleeps a good deal during the day, and appears impatient of heat and rain, as in its wild state it is entirely a burrowing animal, living in large holes in the limestone districts, and only leaving its habitation towards dusk for the purpose of obtaining food. The specimen in the Gar- dens is fond of lying on its back like a bear, the feet are thoroughly plantigrade, and on the inner hind toe the claw is quite rudimentary. He will burrow 3 or 4 feet into the soft ground of his enclosure, and scratches alternately with his fore paws. When worried he will turn his hind quarters to the enemy, and, suddenly turning round, make a charge at his legs, evidently for the purpose of throwing him down ; otherwise he is perfectly harmless. He runs fast for a short distance in a sort of gallop, but soon tires, and is easily caught. Although in some parts of the colony, especially on Yorke’s Penin- sula and about Port Lincoln, the holes of these Wombats are very numerous, yet the animals are but rarely seen. Many of the oldest colonists have informed me that they never saw a Wombat alive. The blacks on the Murray describe two kinds of Wombats ; one (evi- dently P. latifrons) they speak of as “big yellow fellow,” the other as being smaller and dark ; they also say that the impressions of their feet in the sand-tracks leading to their burrows bear a striking resemblance to those of the foot-prints of a young child. The flesh oa a) eee eh ee SO eT foe “ra en Mr. G. R. Gray on the Family Megapodiide. 67 they describe as being like pork, and excellent eating. They are ex- tremely difficult to obtain on account of their great timidity. The usual plan is to make a screen of boughs in the vicinity of their haunts, behind which the natives conceal themselves; and then, if not killed on the spot, they will scramble to their holes, from whence it is utterly impossible to dislodge them. Collingrove, South Australia, April 1861, List or Specizs compostnc THE Faminy MEGAPopIID# ; with Descriptions or New SPECIES, AND SOME ACCOUNT or THE Hasits or THE Srecies. By Grorce Rosert Gray, F.L.S., etc. 1, TaLecatius Cuvier, Less. Voy. Coq. i. p. 716. Talegalla Cuvieri, Pr. B. Compt. Rend. 1856, t. 38. p. 876. New Guinea (Havre Dorey); Aru Islands. 2. TALEGALLUS LATHAMI. New Holland Vulture, Lath. Hist. of B. i. p. 32. Alectura , Lath. Hist. of B. x. p. 455. Alectura Lathami, Gray, Zool. Mise. i. p. 3. Meleagris Lindsayi, James, Mem. Wern. Soe. vii. p. 473. Catheturus australis, Swains. Classif. of B. ii. p. 206. Catheturus Cuvieri (Less.), Bl. Talegalla Lathami, Gould, B. of Austr. v. pl. 77. Catheturus Nove Hollandie (Lath.), Pr. B. Compt. Rend. 1856, p- 376. Brush Turkey. ‘Wee-lah’ of the natives. Australia. 3. MEGACEPHALON RUBRIPES, G. R. Gray & Mitch. Gen. of B. iii. pl. 123 (adult). Megacephalon Maleo, Temm.; Wallace, Ibis, 1860, p. 142. Megapodius rubripes, Quoy & Gaim. Voy. Astrol. t. 25 (young). Celebes (Menado). 4. Leipoa ocetxata, Gould, Proc. Z. S. 1840, p. 126; B. of Austr. v. pl. 78. *Marrakko,’ ‘ Marra-ko,’ of the natives of S. Australia. ‘ Ngow-o,’ ‘ Ngow,’ of the natives of W. Australia. 5. Mecapopius FreycinetT1, Quoy & Gaim. Voy. Uranie, t. 32. _ Juv. Alecthelia Urvilit, Less. Voy. Coq. i. p. 703, t. 37; Pr. B. Compt. Rend. 1856, p. 876. Island of Waigiou; Gudbé, Boni; Batchian? and Kaisa Islands ? 6. MreGapontivus Quovytr. Megapodius Freycineti, p., G. R. Gray, Proc. Z. 8. 1860, p. 362. Like the Batchian examples of the former species ; but it is of a Be 68 Zoological Society :— more slaty fuscous-black, especially on the head, neck, and breast ; quills fuscous black ; tarsi apparently of a pale horn-colour. The young differs from that of the former species in bei also more of a slaty black on the head, neck, and breast, and the plumes of the wings sooty black, rather narrowly margined and banded with ochre. These marks are decidedly more prominent in this species than in the young of the last ; cheeks and throat ochra- ceous white ; the buff spot on the abdomen appears to be, when first hatched, buffy white. Gilolo (South). 7. Mecarontius Forsten1, Temm.; G. R. Gray & Mitch. Gen. of B. iii. pl. 124. Megapodius Freycineti, p., Temm. Top of the head, wings, and back olivaceous-brown, tinged with obscure rufous; front, sides of the head, neck, breast, and nape slaty fuscous; abdomen fuscous, slightly tinged with slate-colour. Bill pale horn-colour ; feet plumbeous black. Length 13", wings 8" 3!’, tarsi 2! 7!" Amboina ; Ceram; Banda? 8. MreGaropius MACGILLIVRAYI. Top and sides of the head, back, wings, tail, sides of the abdomen, and under tail-coverts deep olivaceous fuscous, tinged with obscure rufous ; neck, nape, some of the lesser wing-coverts, and beneath the body slaty black. Bill dark horn-colour ; feet pale (red); claws black. Length 13" 6'", wings 9", tarsi 2" 2'". Louisiade Archipelago (Duchateau Isles and Pig Island). . 9. Mrcarontus La Perovsi, Quoy & Gaim. Voy. Uranie, t. 33. ‘Passegniat’ of the natives. Ladrone or Marian Islands (Tinian, Guam, and Rotta). 10. Mecapopius GILBERTII. Megapodius rubripes, p., Wagl. Isis, 1829, p. 737? “* Megapodius of small size,’ Wall. Ibis, 1860, p. 142. Top of the head, nape, neck, and wings olivaceous brown, tinged in part with obscure rufous ; front, sides of the head, collar round the neck, and beneath the body slate-colour. Bill’ fuscous horn- colour ; feet plumbeous black. ; Length 12" 3!", wings 8", tarsi 2! 2'", Celebes. 11, Mecapoprus Cuminen, Dillw. Proc. Z. 8. 1851, p. 118, pl. 39. Philippine Islands (Manilla) ; Labuan ; Borneo (North-western) ? 12. MeGapoprivus Govutpit. uate Top of the head greyish-olivaceous brown ; back, wings, sides of Mr. G. R. Gray on the Family Megapodiide. 69 the abdomen, and beneath the tail rufous-olivaceous brown; sides of the head, neck, nape, and beneath the body slate-colour. Bill pale horn-colour ; tarsi pale red ; toes blackish, claws black. - Length 11! 6", wings 8! 3", tarsi 1!" 11!", Lombock. 13. MeGaropius nicosariensis, Bl. Journ. A. S. B. xv. pp. 52, 372. Nicobar Islands. 14. Mecaroprius Reinwarpt11, Wagl. Syst. Av. Megap. Addit. sp. 4. _ Megapodius Duperreyii, Less. Bull. Univ. des Sci. no. 5. p. 113; Voy. Coq. t. 36. Megapodius rubripes, Temm. Pl. Col. 411; Wagl. Isis, 1829, p- 737; Less. Tr. d’Orn. p. 479. * Mangoipe’ of the Papuans. New Guinea (Havre Dorey, River Oetanata) ;. Amboina?; Aru and Ké Islands. 15. MrecGaropius tumuuvs, Gould, Proc. Z. 8S. 1842, p. 20; B. of Austr. v. pl. 79. ‘Oooregoorga’ of the natives. Australia (North); Islands in Endeavour and Torres’ Straits. 16. Mecapopius Watuacet, G. R. Gray, Proc. Z. S. 1860, p. 362, pl. 171. East Gilolo. 17. Mrecaronivs Srarrt. Megapodius —+’ G.R. Gray, List of B. of the Trop. Isl. B.M. p. 46. Egg dusky white. Length 3" 1'", width 1" 1!" Samoan or Navigator’s Islands (Rev. J. B. Stair, 1847). 18. Mrecaropius Burnasyt. Megapodius ——!? G. R. Gray, List of B. of the Trop. Isl. B. M. p- 46. Egg pinkish stone colour. Length 3! 1!", width 1! 9!". Hapace Islands (Iieut. Burnaby, R.N.). These two latter species are only known by a specimen of the egg from each locality having been presented to the British Museum. I have here provisionally placed a specific name for each ; having little doubt that they will prove distinct species from each other, and even from all the other known species. 19. ? MeGaronius ? ANDERSONI. Tetrao australis, Anders. MSS. “ Fusco nigroque ; pedibus nudis.” New Caledonia. 70 Zoological Society :— The name given above (with the very short specific characters) was found among others in the manuscripts of Anderson, who was as- sistant-surgeon during the third voyage of the famous cireumnayi- gator Cook. Though the description is so short and concise, I am, however, induced to suppose that it can only be referred to a species of Megapodius; certainly it cannot be reconciled with any of the present known birds from New Caledonia. I refer to it in the hope that this slight indication may lead to its being searched for by col- lectors and others who may be located in that island, thus proving whether I am right in my supposition with regard to its being one of this remarkable genus. The family of Megapodiide is composed of a series of birds which are very remarkable for the extraordinary and anomalous contvri- vances resorted to by the different species for obtaining the artificial heat that is necessary for bringing their eggs to maturity ; and for other singularities in their general habits, &e. The account which follows is principally collected together into one view from different published sources. — [oe These birds are all, with one solitary exception, as far as is at pre- sent known, inhabitants of certain lecalities within the tropics, viz.:— Nicobar Islands, Lombock, Borneo (N.W.), Labuan, and Lucgon. Celebes, Gilolo, Batchian, Ceram, Amboina, Banda Islands, Guébé, Boni, and Waigiou Islands. New Guinea, Louisiade Archipelago, Aru and Ké Islands. Australia (North, West, and South), Islands in Endeavour and Torres’ Straits. Ladrone or Marian Islands. They are also known to exist in Ha- pace or Habai Islands, Samoan or Navigator’s Islands; and pro- bably in New Caledonia. They generally inhabit the dense forests, brushes, and mangrove swamps, or jungles of luxuriant vegetation, especially those that border the sea-beach, or rivers and creeks ; but others (Leipoa ocel- lata) prefer the sandy districts of the serub. * Their appearance when walking in open places is stately and some- what sedate; which may be occasioned by their habit of lifting their feet very high, and of setting their backs up, somewhat like the guinea-fowls. Their extreme shyness and timidity causes them to reside in, or to remain in close approximation to, the thickets, &e., that they may escape, if disturbed, by running (which they do with great quickness) among the vegetation ; but should they fail thus to conceal themselves, they then fly on to the lower branches of the trees, where they remain quite motionless, with the neck sometimes stretched out in a line with the body, or they ascend to the top of the tree by leaping from branch to branch ; and should they still be alarmed they will fly off with a heavy flight for a short distance to some other more secure position, where they can only be approached by carefully proceeding under cover of the large trees. It has, however, been remarked that some species have never been seen to erch. : They are often heard uttering at intervals a loud clucking or ee a Mr. G. R. Gray on the Family Megapodiide. 71 screeching noise, while they lie concealed beneath the shady branches of the trees during the midday heat. Some have been observed to dust themselves on the sandy ground after the manner of gallina- ceous birds ; and they have been noticed to be apparently very pug- nacious at times, swiftly chasing each other along the ground, and calling to one another more loudly than usual, suddenly stopping, and then again running off in pursuit. Their food is entirely sought for on the ground ; it is obtained by scratching among and turning up the fallen débris beneath the trees and shrubs im the forests, &c., and consists of seeds, fallen fruits, insects, and small snails: but one species is thought to feed chiefly on fallen fruits resembling the cotyledons of leguminous seeds; and rice is also said to form a portion of its food, The species that form mounds for the purpose of incubation, usually select during the tropical spring a retired and shady place in the dense thickets or brush, occasionally surrounding the trunk of a tree by a portion of the materials employed in its formation, should it come within the prescribed limit of the mound. The mound is composed more or less of vegetable matter, which becomes decayed and rotten during the period that the birds are engaged in laying their eggs, which is thought to be an occupation of two or three months’ duration. The size of the mounds varies with the species ; some have been found reaching to 14 feet in height (24 feet from the base of the slope to the summit) and 150 feet in circumference, and some are even larger. The materials required in their construction are collected by the birds by means of their large feet, either by carrying a small quantity at a time in one foot, or by scratching it together with their lengthened claws, and thus leaving the earth bare for some distance round the mound. The mound of some species (T'alegallus) is entirely composed of vegetable matter; others (Leipoa ocellata, Megapodius Macgillivrayi, Mega- podius tumulus), however, mix with the yegetable matter earth, sand, gravel, stones, and even, in some cases, fragments of corals ; in fact, the birds employ whatever falls in their way at the locality they have selected. The same pair frequent the mound year after year, destroying that of the former year on the renewal of the sea- son for laying; thus the vegetable portion ofthe centre becomes mixed with the sand and earth that formed the outer part of the former mound, The pair, on renewing the mound, first collect a new mass of vegetable débris for the centre, on which is scratched some of the former material to a certain height, leaving the centre somewhat hollow. It is in the middle, at various depths, from 18 inches to several feet, according to the habits of the different species, that the females of some species deposit their eggs, in the form of a circle (Talegallus, Leipoa), while others place them in an irregular manner in separate excavations in different parts of the mound. The eggs are deposited at about sunrise, one by one, at an interval of days be- tween each, reopening the centre on each egg being placed therein, and then covering it again, and returning each time to their usual haunts in the thickets, &c., until all the eggs intended to be laid are 72 _ Loological Society :— deposited. The centre is then completely covered in, and the mound becomes elevated to the height of several feet with the remaining earth or vegetable matter, assuming a conical or dome-shaped form ; but the large mound has the top flattened for about 3 feet in dia- meter. The heat that is engendered by the fermentation of the vegetable matter is thus retained within the mass, and causes the eggs to arrive at the period of maturity. It is thought that the bird allows the centre to be but slightly covered during the period of laying—for two reasons: first, that 1% may have the less to scratch away on each visit, and thus be enabled more easily to deposit the egg; secondly, that the eggs already laid may be kept ina cool and certain temperature until all are deposited; while, at the same time, the rain may more readily penetrate through to the vegetable mass, which would hasten the rotting, and thereb raise the necessary heat for the hatching against it is really required. The mode adopted by the Megapode of Banda (Megapodius am- boinensis?) differs materially from that of the species above referred to. It is stated that the eggs of this bird “occur isolated and dis- persed here and there; but each egg was carefully covered by a mass of fragments of dry plants or leaves.” Another remarkable difference is exhibited in the habits of the small Celebian Megapode (Megapodius Gilbertii). This species is observed ‘‘to scratch out a hole in the rotten stump or root of a fallen tree, and there bury its eggs ;’’ but nothing is said about co- vering them with vegetable débris or other matters, which we may, however, suppose them to do, as is exemplified by the other species of this singular family. i There are other species whose habits are still more extraordinary in the selection of places for the incubation of their eggs. One species (Megacephalon), which resides many miles away in the inland forests, and others (Megapodius Freycineti, M. Cumingii, M. nicobariensis) that live in the jungles not far removed from the beach, seek daily in pairs (often-thus congregating in flocks of hundreds at the period of laying their eggs) the sea-beaches, where, in a retired position in the masses of sand thrown up above high- water mark, as well as near the neighbouring jungles, may be ob- served a number of-holes of various diameter scratched in the sand : so rapidly do the birds throw up the sand, that it looks completely like a fountain during the operation. The holes are usually of the depth of 18 inches to 2 feet ; in them, itis thought that “a number of hens”’ deposit in succession their eggs, upright in the sand on the side of the same hole at a distance of a few inches between each. The number of eggs has been found to vary in the different holes, which may, in some measure, depend on the number of females that visit each. Each egg of the same female must, however, be, as in the former case, laid at an interval of some days; but whether they re- turn to, and lay their eggs in, a hole already formed by a single pair or by several pairs in company on the same day, is not quite deter- mined. Lach separate female must, after the hole is made, when about to lay, scratch a place for the egg on the side within the hole, Mr. G. R. Gray on the Family Megapodiide. 73 and when deposited must cover it with some portion of the sand . which is around it, and thus by degrees the interior of the hole be- : comes mostly filled in, after which the place of concealment is often F betrayed by the birds scratching over it a large heap of such shells and q rubbish as they may meet with on the beach. The eggs are then 4 left to be hatched by the heat engendered in the sand through the rays of the tropical sun playing on its surface; probably a longer q period for hatching the eggs is required than from the heat caused ; by the fermentation of decaying vegetable matter, the heat of which - is known to be considerable. ; Thus, if the preceding statement is correct, the eggs in one hole i have been laid and the hatching of them has commenced about the : same time ; and therefore it may be concluded that, after the neces- ; sary time has elapsed, all the young birds are likely to make their appearance about the same period. i It has been previously stated in reference to some of the mound- raising species (Talegallus, Leipoa) that the eggs are placed by the bird in a circle. The mode thus adopted by the bird is interestingly ; accounted for by His Excellency Sir George Grey, in the following manner :—After the bird, he says, has deposited the first egg in the sand, leaving from 4 to 6 inches between the lower end of the egg and the layer of dead leaves, it then lays the second egg, which : is “ deposited in precisely the same plane as the first, but at the op- t osite side of the hole before alluded to. When the third egg is ; laid it is placed in the same plane as the others, but, as it were, at the : third corner of a square. When the fourth egg is laid it is still 4 placed in the same plane, but in the fourth corner of the square, or 4 ; rather of the lozenge, the figure being in this form °?-. The next four eggs in succession are each placed in the interstices, but always 4 in the same plane ; so that at last there is a circle of eight eggs all 4 standing upright in the sand with several inches of sand intervening between each.” ~ Other species do not regard such mathematical principles in the laying of their eggs, but place them irregularly anywhere within the { mound, or in whatever position the several species may instinctively a adopt, as previously explained. That they may obtain the heat re- i quired to bring them to maturity appears to be the principal object. : It seems marvellous that these birds, after they have taken all q these precautions for the preservation and development of their eggs, should exhibit no further care for them, but leave the young entirely | to find for themselves their way out of whatever position the females may have placed the eggs in. ‘The young bird, on breaking the 4 shell, scratches its way out of the heap without any assistance, and when free, just shakes off the material of which the heap had been composed, and then runs off to the thickets, &c., and commences seeking its food without any hesitation, by scratching and turning up the earth or débris that lie on it, like an old bird. Each bird is fully fledged on its first appearance. This latter circumstance has caused some collectors and ornithologists to suppose these young birds to be the adult state of a species; and the idea has occasioned 74 Zoological Society :— the establishment of the generic appellation of ALEcTHELIA, with the specific name of Urvilii, Less. This name has been attached to all the specimens of young birds sent from various localities, though in colour and markings they differ from each other, but re- tain somewhat of the colour of the parents. Thus, J. Freycineti and M. Quoyi are of a sooty-black colour, with the cheeks and throat of a pale ochraceous colour ; but the markings differ in each species : the former has the wing-coverts margined, and all the quills banded, with pale ochre-colour ; in the latter, however, it is only irregularly banded on the tertials and lower part of the back. On the other hand, the young of M. Reinwardtii and M. tumulus are of a rufous colour; the former has the back of the neck and nape greyish- brown, throat ochraceous white, breast and beneath the body greyish ochraceous with a buff spot on the abdomen, quills fus- cous, wing-coverts and tertials margined with deep rufous, feet pale. The latter species is very similar, but appears to be more de- cidedly margined on the wing-coverts and tertials with pale rufous, conveying the appearance of bands; throat rufous ochre; and be- neath the body of a somewhat darker colour than in the previous example. These differences between the young and adult birds are so strongly marked, that even Mr. Wallace states, with regard to one sent home by him, that “he is convinced it is an adult bird,” “as it is considered to be by the natives of Aru.” The egg is remarkably large when on the point of being laid (mea- suring from 3} to 41 inches in length, and 2 to 25 inches in width, weighing 8 or 9 ounces) ; it consequently fills up, says Mr. Wallace, the lower cavity of the body, squeezing the intestines so that it seemed impossible for anything to pass through them; while the ovary contained from eight or ten eggs about the size of small peas, which must evidently require somewhere about the time named (thirteen days the natives assert) for their successive development. A considerable interval, says Mr. Wallace, ‘“‘ must elapse before the succeeding one can be matured. The number of eggs which a bird- produces each season seems to be about eight ;” so that, if this sup- position is correct, “an interval of three months must pass between the laying of the first and last egg.” The eggs vary from white to cream- or pale salmon-colour. Some eggs are often covered with an epidermis of a dirty-brown colour, which easily chips off, exposing the proper colour of the egg. The birds place the egg upright in their mounds or other places, so that the egg may obtain the heat equally on all sides,—as other birds, which sit on their eggs, continually turn them so that each side may equally obtain the same amount of heat from their bodies, which is essentially requisite, or the egg would not be brought to perfect maturity. The eggs, it is said, ‘when quite fresh are delicious eating, as de- licate as a fowl’s egg, but much richer.”” The natives of the Hapace Islands, either from their rarity or from their great delicacy, look upon the eggs found in their islands as worthy to be reserved for the chief’s eating ; and for that reason they are denominated “ Chief’s i a a | : 3 ‘ ; Mr. J. Y. Johnson on a Species of Acanthogorgia. 75 Eggs.” The flesh of the adult bird of some species has been pro- nounced to be good eating. _ Descriprion or a Seconp Species or ACANTHOGORGIA (J. E. Gray) rrom Maperra. By James Yate Jounson. In the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society’ for 1857, p. 128, was printed a description of a new genus of Gorgoniade by Dr. J. E. Gray, founded on a specimen in the British Museum, the habitat of which was unknown. The genus was named by its describer Acanthogorgia, and the specimen was figured, by an inadvertence, in the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society’ for 1851 (Radiata, Pl. Ill. fig. 2), under the name of Nidalia occidentalis, instead of Acan- thogorgia hirsuta, Gray. I am now in a position to state that the natiye place of this curious Black Coral (of which no notice has been taken by M. Milne-Edwards in his work on Coralliaria) is Madeira ; for I possess one specimen, and have seen others, obtained from deep water near that island. Last winter a specimen of Black Coral fell into my hands (also obtained from the same coast), which, though evidently belonging to the genus Acanthogorgia, appeared on exami- nation to be specifically distinct from the species previously described. I now proceed to lay before the Society a description of this second cies, which I have named, in honour of the founder of the genus to which it belongs, -ACANTHOGORGIA GRAYI. Colour dark brown. Branching irregularly, with a tendency to grow in one plane. Branches free, slender, flexible, having an average diameter of one-seventh of an inch; the thickest part of the stem near the base has a diameter of three-tenths of an inch; the ends of the branches are rounded, and thicker by one-half than the neigh- bouring portion of the branch. Axis pale brown, very slender, that of the smaller branches, when dry, being not more than the twentieth Acanthogorgia Gray. of an inch in diameter. When the coral has been a few days out of the water, the axis shrinks from the bark, and remains distinct in the 76 Zoological Society. middle. It is composed of fibrous matter without spicula. Caustic alkali has little or no effect upon it, even on the application of heat. Bark composed almost entirely of spicula, studded with sessile cylin- drical cells, irregularly distributed on all sides. These cells have a height of from the thirtieth to the twentieth of an inch, and their diameter is about half the height. The upper halves of eight (some- times nine) large erect spicula project round the orifice of each cell at eight angles, corresponding with the same number of slightly ele- vated ribs or crests on the outside of the cell formed by other spi- cula ; the exposed portion of these projecting oral spicula is smooth, In A. hirsuta the exposed portions of the corresponding spicula are rough. ‘The orifice itself in a dry specimen is covered in by another series of large spicula, sixteen in number, arranged in eight pairs, the apices of which meet in the middle. At the outside of the cells the spicula are placed parallel, not crossed as in A. hirsuta. —_, The spicula are composed of calcareous matter, and are at once dissolved with effervescence on the application of a strong acid, leaving behind a formless mass of brown animal matter. The spicula. which lie in the bark between the cells are fusiform, slightly bent, and for the most part very stout, some elongated, others contracted to an ovoid form; those which project round the orifices of the cells have their basal portion geniculate, flattened, and very rough, with protuberances ; and not unfrequently the bases are branched. The spicula of both species are pretty objects under an object-glass of low power. Acanthogorgia Grayi differs from A. hirsuta (of which a figure is here given for comparison) in the much smaller size and in the form of Acanthogorgia hirsuta. the cells, which are cylindrical, not bell-shaped or contracted at the bottom. In the only specimen of the former which I have seen, the cells are not nearly so numerous as in the specimens of the latter which have come under my notice. Moreover, the orifices of the cells in 4. hirsuta are not roofed in with spicula in the same complete and regular way as is the case with the cell-orifices of this species. Lastly, I have not noticed any branching at the bases of the large spicula of 4. hirsuta. The only specimen of this very curious Black Coral which has- Miscellaneous. 77 fallen in my way, and which I have had the honour of presenting to the British Museum, was brought to me when residing at Funchal in the month of February last. It was said to have become entangled in a fishing line, and to have been brought up from a considerable depth near Ponta do Pargo, the south-west extremity of the island. It was attached to a stone on which a small specimen of Dendro- phyllea ramea, a not uncommon Madeiran coral, was seated. It has a height of 6 or 7 inches, and it measures about 10 inches across. MISCELLANEOUS. Investiyations of the living Brachiopoda of the Mediterranean. First Memoir: on Thecidium. By M. Lacaze Duruiers. Tue Theeidia, fixed by the convex face of the concave valve, only move the dorsal or apophysary valve. Four muscles serve to lower the latter and close the shell. There are two to open it ; they form the innermost pair. The separation of the valves is active, and the abductor muscles act as the power of a lever of the first order. The arms would resemble in many respects those of other Brachio- poda, if they were not adherent to the mantle all along their basal ridge. D’Orbigny’s expression of abrachiopodes, applied to the Thecidia is entirely false : indeed, what is a Brachiopod without arms ? The cirri present two very distinct structures :—a cortical layer, which is soft and easily destructible—the cellular envelope ; and a hard, resistant, and nearly cartilaginous axis, which is the frame- work. They differ a little in the two sexes; these differences will come into consideration in connexion with the reproduction. The mouth occupies precisely the same situation as in the other Brachiopods. In all, in fact, the arms are united by the are of a circle—a true, more or less concave horseshoe, which they form by becoming confounded on the median line ; and it is at the bottom of this curve at the middle that we see the buccal orifice, always in front of the ridge, the base of the arms, and the insertion of the cirri. The stomach is surrounded by the two packets of ceca which con- stitute the liver. The intestine presents a very curious peculiarity, already indicated by MM. Hancock and Huxley in the Terebratule. It terminates in a delicate ligament, and presents no anus. Examin- ation by the lens, and even under high powers of the microscope, left no doubt upon this point. Behind the mouth, above the are formed by the base of the arms, there is a nervous centre composed of ganglia, from which issue numerous nerves passing to the two lobes of the mantle and other parts of the body. The sexes are separate. The testes and the ovaries only exist in one lobe of the mantle—that corresponding to the deeper or inferior valve. The two testes, like the two ovaries, are hidden beneath sup- lementary osseous plates developed in the thickness of the mantle. The spermatozoid is very small, with a very delicate tail and a 78 Miscellaneous. globular head. The ovaries resemble little bunches of grapes of an orange-colour, but each grain is formed by an egg, and not by a secretory czecum. The egg during its development projects out of the gland, and is suspended by a peduncle, which is very probably broken at the period of extrusion. On each side of the median line in the concave valve there is a glandular canal, with an internal and external orifice; this, which represents what Mr. Hancock calls the supposed auricles of the pseudo-hearts, is in relation to the ovary or testis, and serves, pro- bably, for the issue of the ova and seminal fluid. The young embryos of the Thecidia are suspended from two of the cirri of the arms—those of the middle behind the mouth. These cirri, which may be called suspensors, curve backwards and bury themselves in a median incubatory pouch, placed between the two ovaries. This peculiarity impresses upon the shell a character which enables us to distinguish the male from the female Thecidia, when the animal no longer exists. A small notch for the passage of the two embryoniferous cirri upon the external twisted lamella which supports the arms always indicates the female sex. There are few examples of this possibility of recognizing the sexes of shells. The entire series of the development of the ova could not be in- vestigated. The youngest embryos observed resembled an aggrega- tion of large cells. Starting from this state, in which the young animal is ovoid, three furrows are seen to be formed perpendicular to the principal axis, dividing the embryo into four lobes; the two median are comparatively very large, the two outer ones very small. One of the latter appears to be hollowed into a cavity like a sucker ; the other presents a longitudinal fissure surrounded by two or four red eye-like spots. It is very probable that this is the ante- rior extremity, and that its fissure becomes the mouth. The embryos move by the agency of the vibriatile cilia with which they are covered ; they often contract themselves. They appear to bend themselves upon the median furrow, and then the greater diameter is much diminished. The substance contained in the anterior median lobe breaks up into lobules, which will afterwards represent the ceca of the liver.—Comptes Rendus, November 11, 1861, p. 849. On a new Species of Neotoma (N. ferruginea) from Guatemala. By R. F. Tomes. The present species of Neotoma is so well-marked a species that it will be scarcely necessary to lengthen the description by comparing it with other species of the genus. It is typically a Neotoma, and in size about equals the Mus rattus of Europe. General form rat-like; the head rather elongate, and the muzzle somewhat pointed. Muffle small, being little more than a flat space between the nostrils, and with scarcely any part quite free from short, fine, scattered hairs. Upper lip cleft from the muffle downwards, and well covered with short hairs; nostrils rather small se A as Miscellaneous. 79 and rounded. Ears simple, roundish, of medium size, and not con- cealed by the fur. Whiskers quite as long as the head. Fore feet short; the two middle toes of equal length, the outer one about 13 line shorter, and the inner one not more more than | line shorter ; claws very short, thumb rudimentary, its nail rounded. Palms with five well-defined and rather large tubercles, of which the anterior one occupies a position at the root of the middle toe, two others are placed one at the root of each of the outer toes, and the remaining two have a transverse position behind those just mentioned, nearly as far back as the carpus, the outer one beiig a little the further back of the two. The hind feet are remarkable for their breadth, and for having, like the fore feet, toes which are nearly of a length. The tibia is rather long in relation to the foot, although perhaps not in relation to the size of the animal. On the sole of the hind foot are six tubercles, the three anterior ones arranged like those of the fore feet, and a fourth appears at the root of the inner toe. Imme- diately behind the tubercle of the outer toe, and near to the middle of the sole, is placed thie fifth, which is much smaller than the others, and behind that of the inner toe is the sixth, much the furthest back, and near the inner boundary of the sole. The arrangement - of these tubercles is much the same as in N. floridana ; but in con- sequence of the shortness of the foot, they are of a less elongated form, though fully as prominent. The claws, like those of the fore feet, are short. The tail is as long as the head and body, and tapers evenly to a somewhat obtuse point ; it is finely annulated, and pretty evenly suffused with short black hairs, which do not conceal the scales even towards the end of the tail, where they are most abundant. The under surface is much less distinctly hairy than the upper. The distribution of hair on the under surfaces of the fore and hind feet is as follows :—Short and thick fur, of nearly the same quality as that of the body, extends on the fore legs quite to the carpus ; it is white inside the leg, and of the same colour as the upper parts of the body outside of it. On the upper surface of the toes the hairs are silvery white, adpressed, short, and projecting forward around the claws so as to hide them. The hind legs have the tibiee densely hairy behind, quite to the os caleis, and from thence there is an ex- tension of adpressed greyish hairs along the inner side of the sole to the posterior tubercle ; but there is a very narrow line left near the outer boundary of the sole, which is quite free from hairs. On the upper surface of the foot the hair of the legs extends somewhat further, and from this the foot is covered with short, adpressed, sil- _ very hairs, grey on the foot and white on the toes. The general colouring is remarkable, and unlike that of any other species of Neotoma. All the upper parts are of a bright rufous colour, and all the under parts pure white, the line of separation being very clear and distinct. The fur of the back is mixed with black hairs, giving that part a much darker colour than the sides of the body, where these hairs are less abundant. Fur of the outer surface of the fore and hind legs strongly tinged with dusky, inner surface of the fore legs whitish, of the hinder ones dusky grey. On 80 Miscellaneous. nearly all parts of the body the fur is bicoloured, dusky at its roots for two-thirds of its length ; on the upper parts the dusky colour becomes almost black, and on the under much paler. From the chin to the space between the fore legs is an elongated patch of fur which is pure white from root to tip, just as in Hesperomys atro- gularis. The tail is deep dusky above, paler below; claws white. In the outline of the grinding-surfaces of the molar teeth, this species differs from all others at present described. Without en- tering into a minute description of these teeth, of which it is difficult to give a clear idea without figures, it may be stated that they have somewhat the same arrangement of cusps as those of N. cinerea of Baird, saving that in the present species the anterior cusp or prism of the first tooth in the lower jaw is in a position decidedly outside the line of the cusps of the other teeth. The exposed ends of what I have termed the prisms of these teeth constitute their grinding- surface, which, instead of having an angular outline as in NV. cinerea, present, as in those of V. floridana, a series of transverse, ovoid or loop-like figures; but these loops in the present species are much narrower in an antero-posterior direction than in any other species, owing to the folds of enamel entering more deeply and broadly into the sides of the tooth. Length of the head and body ............ 6 6 of the head: v:.aageshes eiliat aig Lig of the edfe tic). wusu pests es 0 8 of the foreearmic:|. 24444 7iaks elas 1 3 ——— of the fore foot and claws...... ... 0 8 of the ibid. 1: Ooi 'we eam ges er of the tarsus and toes ............ bid OF tad 5. doe sit ads Soha 6 0 Breadth of the ears: | a.% 45% sais vost io oe 0 8 of the hind feet at the root of the inner tO. isa 54 SRE EES bee 0 3 Length of the skull from the front of the nasal bone to the occipital crest............ La Be Breadth across the zygomatic arch ........ 0 11 Length of the nasal bones: ............... 0: 81 from the point of the upper incisor to _ the crown of the first molar .........: OaGe of the molar series? 4:1... 00% oe 0 4 Length of the incisive foramina .......... 0 4 ~ of the palates. 20... 220. ieee Breadth of palate between two front molars... 0 14 -- of palate between two posterior molars 0 2 Length of lower jaw from point of incisors to | condyle 2. + 2). lle Vie betel vane aati | Oe Depth from coronoid process to the angle.... 0 6 Proc. Zool. Soc. June 25, 1861. sao nee ee TILE ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. [THIRD SERIES.] - No. 50, FEBRUARY 1862. XII.—Anatomico-physiological Investigations on the Respiratory Process in Insects, By H. Ratnxe*. I. Perrect Insects. § 1. Rozsat, in the second volume of his ‘ Insekten-Belusti- gungen,’ has noticed that in Aschna grandis the abdomen is alternately expanded and contracted, and that this movement is Snccted with the respiratory process. Carus subsequently made the same observation on Locusta verrucivora. These as- sertions led Rathke, in 1831, to examine all the larger insects which he could procure in the vicinity of Dorpat, to see whether they exhibited these movements of the abdomen. He found that, in the majority of insects which he could obtain for examination, the abdomen is alternately expanded and contracted ; and fully convinced himself that in Cetonia and Scarabeus this movement has an effect upon the respiration. § 2. In all insects in which such movements of the abdomen may be distinctly perceived, these are not of the same kind, but in different insects they present many differences. These differ- ences depend upon the peculiar organization of the wall of the abdomen. But whatever may be the kind of movement, it is always caused and rendered possible,—1, by the epidermis of the abdomen being solid and thick in some parts and soft and thin in others, so that those parts of the cutis on which the epidermis forms plates or bands of greater or less thickness may be pushed closer together and then again somewhat removed from each other; and 2, by the presence of peculiar muscles on the inner sur- face of the cutis of the abdomen, passing from one part of the cutis to the other, and capable of effecting a movement in it. * This posthumous memoir, prepared by Rathke in 1835, has just been published by Dr. Hagen in the ‘Schriften der Konigl. physik. Gkonom. Gesellschaft zu Konigsberg,’ Ist year (1861), p. 99. Translated by W, S. Dallas, F.L,S. Am. & Mag. N, Hist. Ser. 3. Vol, ix. 6 82 M.H. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. In general the cutis of the abdomen has several transverse bands, upon each of which the epidermis is harder and thicker than in the space between it and the next band ; and it is only exceptionally that in some insects the spaces between the bands are either only represented by a constriction or completely unrecognizable. But when a thinner and softer skin is inter- posed between two bands, the posterior and smaller one is generally more or less immersed in the preceding, so that its anterior margin is more or less concealed by the posterior margin - of the latter. Each band usually consists of two distinct halves, an upper and a lower one, united at the sides of the body, like the bands themselves, by a thinner and softer part of the cutis. In many insects, especially the Hymenoptera, the upper half or plate of most of the bands embraces the lower one more or less ; but this is not the case in the majority, in which the softer part between the upper and lower halves may be recognized from without ; this becomes broader and more distinct in proportion as the sexual organs are dilated by their products, or the intestinal canal is filled with food. The muscles by which the hardened parts of the abdominal skin are united and moved are so arranged, in most insects, as only to approximate these parts; by which they only diminish the cavity of the abdomen, and produce an exspiration. Hence, in the following memoir, whenever the abdominal muscles are spoken of without any special qualification, those which relate only to exspiration are intended. The means by which the hardened parts of the skin are again separated, and the cavity of the abdomen again dilated, to produce inspiration, will be referred to hereafter. § 3. In most Coleoptera it is the superior wall of the abdomen that moves in respiration, being alternately depressed and ele- vated. This movement, however, does not extend in all over a relatively equal portion of the abdomen. In those whose elytra extend over the whole abdomen, all the belts or segments of this division of the body, with the exception of the last, usually take part in the movement ; whilst in those, such as Scarabeus and Cetonia, whose elytra do not reach so far, the penultimate and even the antepenultimate segments take no part in it, which is indeed the case with all those segments which are of nearly equal thickness throughout and forma simple ring. Movement is observed in all those segments in which the epidermis of the ventral and lateral walls presents a firm plate, but in which that of the dorsal wall forms a thinner and usually smaller plate, separated by a membranous interspace at its ends from the dane mentioned larger plate, and at its anterior and posterior margins from the similar neighbouring plates. The movement is gene- Ls eee — oF ee ye M, H. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. 88 rally progressive, advancing rapidly from before backwards, rarely commencing in the middle of the abdomen and spreading both forwards and backwards. The muscles by which these movements are producedare ex- ceedingly simple. Each segment which takes part in it is fur- nished only with a single pair of muscles for this purpose, each of which is attached by one end to the lateral wall and by the other to the dorsal wall or plate, in both places close to the soft - part of the cutis, All these muscles, therefore, run transversely across the softer and more flexible parts of the abdomen. When they contract, the dorsal wall of the segment to which they belong is drawn downwards more or less according to the extent of the soft interspace, by which the cavity of the abdomen is more or less diminished and the softer skin of the interspace more or less folded. The respiratory movements are stronger in some Beetles, weaker in others. In those which need strong respiratory movements the above-mentioned muscles are more coarsely fibrous, thicker, and generally larger in proportion to the size of the entire body than in those in which weaker movements are sufficient ; but in all cases they form only short bundles, which are either of nearly equal thickness and breadth throughout or become narrower and thinner from above downwards, Besides the muscles just described, several other muscular layers occur in the abdomen, both on the dorsal and ventral walls. Between each pair of the upper plates which are moveable upon one another there is, on each side, a broader or narrower muscular layer, passing from the anterior margin of the posterior plate to the inner surface of the anterior one, and adhering at a greater or less distance from the anterior margin of the latter, Similar muscular bands, situated and attached in the same way, occur also on all the inferior plates which are mutually moveable. These lower bands are usually far thicker and more coarsely fibrous than the upper ones. Usually these two kinds of muscles only serve to bend the abdomen downwards and straighten it again ; but, if they both act together, they may also shorten the abdomen a little, and if, as is usually the case, the upper wall is likewise drawn towards the lower one, diminish its cavity, and thus increase the quantity of air expelled. It must, however, be observed that such a universal contraction of the abdomen occurs but seldom, and not always even when the beetle is much alarmed, The movement of the dorsal wall is not comparatively equal in all Beetles. The movement is greatest in those whose trachee possess many vesicular dilatations, such as Cetonia and Scara- beus, and less in those whose trachez run uninterruptedly with- out dilatations so as to produce a shrub-like appearance; it is least in those in which the traches appear to be ALTO eat in Xf 84 M.H.Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. proportion to the whole body. The dilatations and contractions of the abdomen do not follow each other with equal rapidity in dif- ferent Beetles ; they appear generally to be rapid in proportion to the size of the air-vessels ; in the Beetles examined by the author, they succeed each other most rapidly in Cetonia and Scarabeus. But here we have to consider whether the animal is quite quiet or in motion or troubled, and also whether it has lately taken a sufficiency of food or whether it is hungry; for when it has fed well or moves, the movements of the abdomen follow one another far more rapidly than when it is quiet or fasting. Note I1.—The above observations were made on species of the genera Cetonia, Scarabeus, Cerambyx, Hister, Dytiscus, Carabus, Chrysomela, Tenebrio, Bruchus and Attelabus. It is remarkable that im Staphylinus, in which, notwithstanding its differmg so much in many respects from other Beetles, the structure of the abdominal segments and of their muscles is the same, no distinct movement of the upper pieces of the abdominal segments could be perceived. On the other hand, the upper part of the third thoracic segment was seen to rise and fall alternately, and often very considerably. The author could not ascertain whether for this movement there are peculiar muscles not occurring in other Beetles. He observed, however, that in Staphylinus the widest and most important air-vessels occur in the posterior half of the thorax. The above-described movements of the abdomen were not observed in Coccinella, in which, contrary to the general rule, the upper plates of the abdomen are larger than the lower ones. In the Carabide also (at least, in C. granulatus) the upper half of the last thoracic segment is moveable, and rises and falls a little during respiration, although less than the upper halves of the abdominal segments. Note I1.—In Tenebrio molitor the upper pieces of the abdo- minal segments are so transparent, that the intestines, and espe- cially a quantity of tracheze which run quite close beneath those pieces, may be distinctly seen through them. Many of these trachez, especially those which run from below upwards, may be seen in constant movement ; they are observed sometimes to be alternately stretched out and again curved, and sometimes to be moved forwards and backwards. This movement is not proper to them, but is communicated by the dorsal vessel to which they © are attached. Note I1I.—In the vivisection of a Scarabeus stercorarius, the author, having removed the dorsal wall of the abdomen and drawn forth the intestinal canal a little, by which many small trachez ‘were torn, was astonished to see several of these trachez move very briskly, like worms, in the water in which the Beetle was being dissected. For some minutes he supposed that the move- Sas a ee ee M.H. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. 85 ment was proper to the air-vessels themselves, but at last he perceived that several extremely delicate thread-worms issued from these vessels ; others twisted about in some of the air-sacs of the abdomen. §4. In the Tabanide, the different genera and species of which have a more or less depressed abdomen, the upper plate of the abdominal segment is somewhat larger than the lower one, and consequently assists more or less in the formation of the lateral walls of the abdomen, with which the lower plates have little or nothing to do. The thinner and softer portion of the skin in- tervening between the upper and lower plates is always of con- siderable breadth ; it is always far broader at its anterior than at its posterior end, and possesses great extensibility and elas- ticity. se the author’s investigations of several species, and espe- pecially of Zabanus autumnalis, the respiratory movements of these animals are effected by the movement of the lower abdo- minal plates (especially those of the anterior segments) to and from the upper ones, during which the softer lateral portions appear alternately broader and narrower. But when the respi- ration is increased in force, the ends of the upper plates of the anterior segments, which assist in forming the lateral walls of these segments, are somewhat drawn inwards and then again pushed out. With a still more powerful respiration the lower plates are pushed a little over each other, and all drawn a very little towards the breast ; so that the lower surface of the abdo- men is somewhat shortened, but immediately returns to its for- mer position. In the Tabanida, as in the Beetles, peculiar muscles exist only for the contraction of the abdominal cavity, and these muscles coincide almost exactly in position and attachment with those of the Beetles. All these muscles are, however, both absolutely and relatively, very delicate and thin. At the base of the abdomen there are two large air-sacs; the tracheze are only of moderate width, and shrub-like in form, The canal which unites the tracheal stems on each side is also only of moderate size. § 5. In Empis the inferior pieces of the abdominal segments are comparatively smaller than in Tabanus ; they form the eutire ventral wall of the abdomen. Only the three or four anterior ones rise and sink alternately, but very weakly and scarcely percep- tibly. The abdomen also frequently curves a little downwards. In the Tipularia also the lower pieces of the three or four an- terior segments, which are comparatively still narrower, move up and down scarcely perceptibly and but seldom. No movement that could be regarded as connected with respiration was de- 86 M.H. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. tected in the other abdominal segments of even the largest of these insects. § 6. The abdominal segments of the Muscid@ also possess two plates of hardened epidermis. In some of these animals, espe- cially in the genus Musca itself, the upper plate assists to form a great part even of the ventral wall; in others it has but little to do with this. The lower plates are very considerably smaller, and in most of these insects resemble flat tiles. In some each lower plate is more elongated, and is then sometimes extremely narrow. But the most anterior of. these plates is always the largest, and the rest generally diminish in size by degrees towards the posterior extremity. The interspace of soft skin on each side, between the upper and lower plates of each segment, is narrower or broader, according as the upper plate occupies more or less of the segment. It is usually very narrow, but becomes con- siderably enlarged when the alimentary canal is very full, or when the sexual organs, especially the ovaries, have attained a great size. During quiet respiration only the lower pieces of the segments - move a little up and down. When respiration takes place more vio- lently, as, for instance, when a fly is held by the wings, the ends, or rather those parts of the upper plate which assist in forming the ventral wall, are alternately drawn in and pushed out, but at the same time the ventral wall, as it rises, becomes elongated, and afterwards, when it sinks, is again shortened; so that in the former case the abdomen is more straightly extended, and in the latter more curved downwards. When the fly is not troubled, the above-mentioned contraction and dilatation of the abdominal cavity takes place very rarely. The trachez have a shrub-like form, and, like the canal which wnites their stems on each side, are only of moderate diameter. In each side of the body, close to the thorax, there is a tolerably large air-sac. § 7. In Panorpa the upper and lower plates of each abdomi- nal segment are of nearly equal size, and the interval on each side between the plates is proportionally very broad. Never- theless the cutis, and especially the epidermis forming this inter- space, are tolerably thick. Respiratory movements are very di- stinctly perceived in the three or four first segments of the*abdo- men : they consist in the alternate drawing in and pushing out of the skin between the plates, during which, however, the anterior half of the abdomen is scarcely perceptibly contracted from above and below. . § 8. In the Lepidoptera the upper plates of the abdominal segments are not much larger than the lower ones. The inter- vening skin is tolerably. wide, as in Panorpa, but somewhat RE eee 2 * Peet) | ee a ee a M.H. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. 87 thinner and softer. The respiratory movements are of the same kind as in Panorpa but stronger, and extend throughout the whole length of the abdomen; in some species they are more distinctly visible in the anterior, in others in the posterior part of the abdomen. §$ 9. In Blatta the abdomen is broad and flat in proportion to its length. The upper halves of the segments are of the same size as the lower ones, and both extend to the rather acute late- ral margins of the abdomen. Between them there is on each side a moderately wide space occupied by a soft skin, in which a series of constantly open stigmata is visible. During respiration there is an alternate mutual approximation and removal of the upper and lower plates; but the respiratory movements do not take place rapidly. § 10. In the Dragon-flies it was observed that, when they are in perfect repose, that part of the abdomen on which the central nervous cord rests alternately rises and falls, although but slightly. This movement is most remarkable in the genera Aischna and Libellula, and. weakest in Agrion; in the Aischne it is strongest in the posterior broader half of the abdomen. In Aischna and Libellula the alternate contraction and expansion of the abdomen is repeated eighty or ninety times in a minute. With more powerful respiration the abdomen is also alternately contracted and expanded at the sides, and then the lateral margins of the abdomen bend a little downwards during the contraction. This is very strikingly the case in the posterior part of the ab- domen in the species of the genus “schna. These respiratory movements are rendered possible partly by the peculiar struc- ture of the abdominal segments, and partly by their tissues and the presence of peculiar muscular bundles in their interior. Hach segment, except the first one in male individuals, consists essentially of two very elastic plates or shields of hardened epidermis, of which one forms the lateral and dorsal walls of the segment, and the other, which is much smaller, the ventral wall; these plates are separated at both sides by a space, occu- pied by a softer skin. At some distance from the posterior ex- tremity of the lower plate there issues on each side a slender muscular bundle, which becomes somewhat broader as it passes upwards and outwards to the other plate of the segment, to which it is attached at some distance from the lower margin. When these bundles contract a little, the lower plate is. moved inwards, and the cavity of the abdomen is contracted only from below. If they contract more strongly, not only is the lower plate drawn further in, but the parts of the upper plate which represent the lateral walls are somewhat drawn together and their lower margins pushed over the lower plate, by which the 88 M.H.Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. cavity of the abdomen is contracted from below and also from the right and left. The subsequent dilatation of the abdomen is not effected by any peculiar muscles, but only by the elasticity of the skin. This rhythmical contraction and expansion takes place even im the second abdominal segment of the male Libellule; and by this means the curious sexual apparatus occurring in this seg- ment is set in motion. The traches have both stems and branches of considerable diameter, and are present in great numbers. Besides these air- vessels, several vesicles of considerable size, which collapse when pricked, belong to the respiratory system: the majority of these are placed in the abdomen. §.11. In the Grylii and Acridia the skin of nearly all the segments of the abdomen is likewise hardened into two separate plates, one of which forms the lateral and dorsal walls; the other, which is much smaller, belongs to the ventral wall. The latter piece is wanting in the first segment, which forms only a half ring; on the last segment it is present, but formed differ- ently from the same part in the intermediate segments, and im- plicated in the sexual organs. On these intermediate segments there is on each side, between the upper and lower plates, a very considerable space in which the epidermis is soft and thin, and which possesses great extensibility, as may be seen in gravid female Grylli. In the genus Gryllus the ends of the lower plates reach only to this interspace; but in the Aeridia the ends of these plates form longer and shorter processes, according to the different segments to which they belong, running upwards over the inner surface of the above-mentioned soft parts, and applying their free ends against the inner surface of the upper plates. The muscles attached to different parts of the abdominal skin, and serving for the most part to produce the respiratory move- ments, are very different both in number and attachment in Gryllus and Acridium. In Acridium, where they are most sim- ple, we have,—1, a pretty strong muscle on each side springing from the base of the outer surface of the process into which each inferior plate is produced, passing upwards and somewhat back- ward to attach itself to the upper plate of the same segment; when these muscles contract, the abdomen is narrowed from below, the ventral wall being drawn a little upwards; 2, two other smaller muscles on each side, passing from the anterior margin of the lower plate of each segment thus furnished, forward to the next preceding lower plate; these muscles seem to shorten the ventral wall, and appear to have no essential part in the respiratory process; 8, a great quantity of muscular fibres forming a long and narrow band between every two Sn eS ee ee eae ere we ve M. H. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. 89 approximate upper plates, passing from the anterior margin of each posterior plate to the imner surface of the preceding one; these muscles also take no part in the respiratory movements, but seem to shorten the dorsal and lateral walls. The above description. of the muscles applies only to the smaller species of the genus Acridium, and not to the larger ones, such as A. stridulum and A. migratorium. In these there is, on the outer surface of each process of the inferior plates, a tolerably strong, long, bandlike muscle, running from the apex of the process downwards and backwards, and attaching itself to the lower end of the upper plate of the same segment. If all these mus- cles contract, the ventral wall of the abdomen must be depressed, and the ventral cavity enlarged; so that these muscles must be regarded as inspiratory. Each segment likewise possesses a pair of exspiratory muscles, which are also of considerable size and form two flat, broad, and not very long bands, each of which springs from one of the outer margins of the lower plate, and, becoming broader, ascends upwards and outwards to attach itself to the lateral wall of the upper plate of the same segment. There are also muscles similar to those described under 2 and 3 in the smaller Acridia; but those of No. 1 are wanting. In the various species of Gryllus (or Locusta) we have,—1, mus- cles which agree perfectly with those described under No. 3 in Acridium; 2, on each side of the abdomen there is a simple series of small muscular bundles, which, in position and attach- ment resemble those described under No. 2 in the Acridia. These and the preceding have no particular connexion with re- spiration, All the other muscles now to be mentioned, on the contrary, are probably devoted entirely to respiration: there is nothing like them in Acridiwm; and they spring from a small and tortuous fold, which is formed by the soft skin between the upper and lower halves of the abdominal segments, and projects a little inwards towards the ventral cavity. 3. A small muscle passes from the above-mentioned fold, inwards, forwards, and downwards, to the lower part of each segment, except the first and the last two. 4 and 5. In each of the same segments two somewhat larger muscles spring on each side opposite each of the preceding, from the fold, pass upwards and outwards, and attach themselves to the end of the upper plate. In the penul- timate segment there is only one pair of such muscles. When the cavity of the abdomen is gradually extended, as especially in female insects by the products of the sexual organs, the soft space between the upper and lower plates increases considerably in breadth, and the muscles just described then not only become greatly elongated, but increase generally in size; but when these muscles and, simultaneously with them, those described 90 M.H. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. under No. 8 are contracted, the cavity of the abdomen is dimi- nished from above and below. 6. A series of seven pretty strong muscular bundles, each of which always lies close behind the other, and has its axis directed from before backwards, covers the greater part of the above-mentioned fold on each side of the body. Each bundle corresponds with an abdominal segment ; but whether it is connected with respiration is uncertain. 7. Lastly, wherever two segments are contiguous, a tolerably strong muscle passes transversely from the right to the left fold, and conceals on each side the contiguous extremities of each pair of muscles described under No. 6. When these muscles contract, the folds of skin to which they are attached are drawn a little inwards, and the cavity of the abdomen is narrowed laterally in the neighbourhood of these folds. These latter muscles also are greatly extended when, towards the close of summer, the gene- rative organs are much enlarged and the abdomen is filled with an accumulation of fat, but they are not thereby weakened in their action. Between these muscles and the ventral wall there is a considerable space, in which the chain of ganglia and four very wide air-tubes are situated. The trachez occur in greater number in the Grylii; and those which belong to the body-wall, with the exception of their final ramifications, are of considerable diameter, forming elongated and sausage-like tubes. Notwithstanding their width, they do not collapse when cut through, from their having strong and very elastic spiral fibres in them. They also become dilated again after being compressed. There are four or five pairs of vesicular dilatations immediately above the ventral wall of the abdomen, and a pair of much larger ones in the thorax above and behind the first pair of legs. In the Acridia the tracheal stems on the walls of the abdomen are fewer, but partly also much wider than in the Grylli, and, from their great diameter, their collaps- ing when cut, and their not expanding again completely when compressed, they form a sort of transition to the air-saes. Their spiral fibres are comparatively thin and but slightly elastic. § 12. It is remarkable that Acheta campestris, although ex- ternally less nearly related than the Acridia to Gryllus verruci- vorus and others of its genus, nevertheless resembles the Grylli much more than the Acridia in its respiratory apparatus. This insect is essentially distinguished from the Locuste (Grylli) in the structure of the skin of the abdomen, only by the lower plates of the abdominal segments being proportionally larger and especially longer, and by the first segment possessing a lower plate. Parallel to these plates, but at a tolerable distance from them, there are, as in Gryllus, several transversely stretched muscular bundles, passing from the soft parts of one lateral wall . 7 +. ry » a 7 Is i. eR ES TT M. Hl. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. 91 to the same spot on the opposite wall ; and of these, one is always placed where two segments are contiguous. Below them are the ventral chain and two long and wide trachez. When they contract, the abdomen is somewhat narrowed from each side. It is narrowed from below by numerous muscles, of which the first segment has two pairs, and all the rest, with the exception of the last, one pair. All these muscles unite the ends of the lower plates with those of the upper plates of the same segments: they lie close to the inner surfaces of the lateral soft spaces. Other much smaller muscles serve to draw inwards these soft spaces, which are of considerable width, and thus also contract the ab- domen from above and below. Three of these small bundles pass up from each end of the lower plates and attach themselves to the soft skin; but one such muscle comes from the extremity of [the upper plate of] each of the same segments and attaches it- self opposite to the first, also on the soft skin. The abdomen may be shortened by several muscles which unite together its individual segments : of these, one pair always goes from the end of the lower plate of each segment to that lying imme- diately before it, whilst others, forming long and slender bands, unite the upper plates of each two segments, as in the Locuste (Gryll) and Acridia. The respiratory movements themselves are probably effected exactly as in the Locuste (Grylli) ; but the author had no oppor- tunity of observing A. campestris alive. In Acheta Gryllotalpa, Fab. (Gryllus Gryllotalpa, Lamk.), the skin of the abdomen is formed exactly as in A. campestris, but the muscular apparatus of this part is much simpler. The upper plates of the abdominal segments are united to each other as in A. campestris ; this is also the case with the lower plates, but the muscles of these are absolutely and relatively much broader and stronger. The muscles uniting the upper and lower plates are not of the same kind in all the segments; in the two anterior segments they are of the same form as in A. campestris, but much stronger; in the other segments they form broad bundles, of which some fibres run from the upper plate, and others from the lateral soft skin, to the lower plate, and of which some take a straight course, while others appear to cross. The specimen examined had been for several years in spirit, and had become extremely hard. The trachez in both species of Acheta are very wide, but never yesicularly dilated. § 13. In the broad and rather depressed abdomen of Mantis religiosa the lower plates of the segments are nearly of the same length as the upper ones. At the sides a blunt edge is formed by them and the soft skin uniting them, Each of the lower 32 M.H.Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. plates is united to the next one by a pair of rather broad and strong muscular bands (the muscles uniting the upper plates are much weaker) ; so that the abdomen can probably be a good deal shortened. For the contraction of the abdomen upwards. and downwards, several pretty long and almost bacilliform muscles pass from the upper to the lower plates in the vicinity of the lateral margin. ‘The first two segments have each only one pair of such muscles; the segments from the third to the sixth pos- sess each two pair, one close behind the other. The soft skin can also probably be drawn inwards; for on each side of the ab- domen are several short muscular bundles, of which one always runs from one end of each lower plate, obliquely from before backwards, and a second, partly covering the former, from behind forwards to the soft skin, to which they are attached. Two other pairs of muscles on each side go from the upper plate to the soft skin—one of these, the largest, from the middle of each plate, the other from its posterior margin. : § 14. In Truwalis the organization of the wall of the abdomen is almost exactly the same as in the larger Acridia. § 15. All the Hymenoptera aculeata, with the exception of the Ants, have, according to the author, essentially the same organization of the abdomen and respiratory movements. Each segment, except the first, consists of two very firm plates, generally very broad in proportion to their length, both nearly of the same length, and united at the sides of the body by a softer skin in such a manner that the upper one projects over the ends of the lower one, and therefore the soft skin uniting the two plates cannot be seen from without. All these segments are also pushed into each other like the tubes of a tele- scope; so that the soft skin uniting them is likewise usually concealed. In most of these insects the anterior angle of each extremity of the lower plates of most of the segments projects greatly, forming a point, directed forwards. (The author observed in a Bee, the species of which he could not determine at the time of making the observation, that between each of these angles and the corresponding end of the upper plate there was a small and nearly lenticular cushion, consisting of a completely closed, white, opake, and rather firm sac, the walls of which were very thick in proportion to its cavity.) The respiratory movements are effected with great quickness and vivacity, are rarely interrupted, and give the insect a restless agpect ; they consist in an alternate abbreviation and elongation of the abdomen, the individual segments being drawn more deeply one into the other and again pushed out. In those which have the abdomen nearly straight, such as the Wasps, these movements usually take place in a straight direction ; but in M.H. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. 93 those in which the abdomen is more or less curved downwards, as in the Humble Bees and Bees, the abdomen, when extended, is at the same time more strongly decurved. The shortening of the abdomen diminishes its cavity and causes exspiration; its elongation enlarges the cavity, and is connected with inspiration. Sometimes, however, in this latter movement, especially when the insect protrudes its sting, the upper plates of the segments are pushed further over the lower _ ones, the cavity of the abdomen is contracted nearly as much as it is elongated, and thus the inspiration is hindered; nay, some- times the upper plates may be so strongly pushed on the lower ones that an exspiration must be produced. The shortening of the abdomen (exspiration) is effected by peculiar muscles attached to the dorsal, ventral, and lateral walls of the abdomen. The ventral muscles are only of moderate size, and form cords, of which two always run (somewhat converging) from the anterior margin of each segment, nearly to the same part of the preceding one. The dorsal muscles take the dorsal vessel between them, as the ventral ones do the chain of ganglia, and are attached to the upper plates in the same way as these to the lower ones ; they are, however, rather thinner. Of the lateral muscles one springs from the upper and anterior angle of each lower plate, except that of the first segment, and passes obliquely downwards and forwards, gradually becoming broader, to the lower plate of the preceding segment; and another, from the lower and ante- rior angle of each upper plate in the same segments, turning upwards and forwards, attaches itself to the inner surface of the same plate in the preceding segment. Both muscles reach from the segments from which they spring nearly to the anterior margin of the other. The act of inspiration is effected partly by the elasticity of the softer skin between the segments, but still more by peculiar muscles, of which there are two pairs on each segment, except the first. In most (and probably in all) aculeate Hymenoptera these are much thicker than the muscles just described as being attached to the lateral walls and serving for exspiration. The inspiratory muscles are also placed in pairs on each lateral wall of the abdomen; they spring in each segment from the same spots to which the exspiratory muscles are attached, but lie behind these, and do not run, like them, obliquely forwards ; but, supposing the abdomen in the act of inspiration, the muscle springing from the inferior plate of each segment passes straight down to the hinder margin of the inferior plate of the pre- ceding segment; that springing from the upper plate goes straight up to the hinder margin of the upper plate of the pre- ceding segment. In the state of exspiration both muscles are 94 M.H.Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects, directed somewhat obliquely backwards from their points of origin. § 16. In the Hymenoptera with an ovipositor (Terebraniia) the author’s observations were made chiefly on Ophion luteus, Ichneumon persuasorius, and Sirex gigas. In these the upper plates of the abdominal segments are considerably larger than the lower ones, and form both the dorsal and lateral walls of the abdomen ; the lower plates occupy only the ventral wall. The former also project a little beyond the latter, with perfectly free extremities, . In the respiratory movements the lower plates are usually somewhat elevated and again depressed; more rarely, and enly when the respiration is very forcibly effected, the ends of the upper plates are also set in motion inwards and outwards. The trachez are shrub-like ; and no air-sacs eyer occur. Details. In Ichneumon persuasorius the lower plate of each of the first eight segments of the abdomen is rather broad; the first is simple, the rest partly hard and partly soft. The harder and thicker parts form three longitudinal bands, of which the broadest occupies the middle of the plate, the others lying close to its lateral margins. Between these and the middle band are two softer bands, which in the specimen examined were a little bent in towards the ventral cavity; so that each plate, viewed from beneath, showed two moderately broad and deep furrows running in the direction of the length of the abdomen. During exspiration the entire plate moved upward, and during inspira- tion downward ; and in the latter act the above-mentioned fur- rows were not unfrequently effaced, so that the plate became quite flat and a little widened. On the abdomen being opened it appeared that on the convex side of each of the furrows there was a longitudinal muscle running from the anterior margin of each plate to the same margin of the following one: from its position and attachment, its contraction must flatten the furrow- like part. A second, shorter and flatter muscle passed from each anterior angle of the lower plates, outwards, upwards, and back- wards, to the upper plate of the same segment; these serve for exspiration. (Superior longitudinal muscles were also present.) In the female of Sirex gigas the two hindermost segments of the abdomen have no inferior plates ; in the other six segments the lower plates are present and very broad, From each anterior angle of these plates a moderately strong exspiratory muscle passes upwards, outwards and backwards to the upper plate of the same segment. Another much thicker and Jonger mus- cle, also serving for exspiration, passes from each posterior angle Ee Tre RES M.H. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. 95 of the lower plates upwards, outwards and forwards to the ante- rior margin of the upper plate, covering the broader upper part of the above-mentioned muscle. There are likewise upper and lower longitudinal muscles for the abbreviation of the abdomen. The lower ones are even doubled—two on each side of the lower plates. They arerather thick, but narrow. The upper muscles, on the contrary, are very broad, but thin and delicate. Notwith- standing these numerous muscles, however, the abdomen is not shortened and elongated for the purpose of respiration, as in Bees and Wasps. $17. The author then discusses the question whether these movements of the abdomen, supposed to be connected with re- spiration, may not subserve some other fnnction. 1. The pulsation of the dorsal vessel cannot be essentially affected by these movements, as when they cease for a longer or shorter time the activity of the dorsal vessel does not stop, This applies also to the action of the digestive organs, for this likewise goes on, and movements (especially peristaltic) of the intestine and malpighian vessels take place even when the movements of the abdomen cease for some time, There can also be no particular relation between them and the function of the generative organs, as they eccur both when the sexual organs are far from maturity and when their activity appears to be purely plastic. There are no other organs in the abdomen of most insects, except the respiratory organs, with which these movements can be connected. 2. As the latter organs are surrounded by structures far less compressible in their nature, it is clear that as the walls of the abdomen contract, the air contained in the respiratory organs must be set in motion and partly expelled through the stigmata, 3. The movements of the walls of the abdomen, in those insects in which they occur, take place, like the respiratory movements of higher animals, more rapidly when the insect makes, or en- deayours to make, greater muscular exertions ; hence we may conclude by analogy that there is a close relation between the movements in- insects and those in vertebrate animals. 4. In Cetonia aurata and Scarabeus stercorarius the author convinced himself by observation that these movements truly act upon the respiratory organs. On cutting off first the wings and wing-cases and then the upper wall of the thorax from these Beetles, he saw that every time the dorsal wall of the abdomen was depressed the air-sacs contained in the thorax became tensely dilated, and when the dorsal wall again rose these air- sacs became a little smaller. 5. In Acridium stridulum he remarked that, whenever the abdo- men contracted, the two pad-like and closely appressed lips of 96 M.H.Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. each of the stiginata placed above the intermediate legs separated, indicating that a portion of the air contained in the thorax was driven out through them. ‘The same phenomenon was observed in the stigmata above the posterior pair of legs in Gryllus ver- rucivorus. § 18. Distinct movements of the walls of the body are not ~ seen in every perfect insect, even when observed for a long time ; and hence it might be supposed that the trachez and air-saes in many (or perhaps in all) insects may be capable of contracting and dilating themselves by the tone and elasticity of their tissue, Elasticity is certainly possessed in a high degree by all those trachez which are not too wide in proportion to their length, or too thin-walled in proportion to their width, as may easily be seen in any such vessel, even of a recently killed insect, by com- pressing it and then removing the pressure. All parts of the respiratory system also possess a greater or less degree of physi- cal contractility according to their different nature. It is greatest in the traches, as these, when extended in width, or still more in length, contract again to their previous dimensions ; it is least in the air-sacs, which, when dilated, contract but little and scarcely perceptibly on the removal of the cause of the ex- tension. A tone, or organic contractility, seems on the con- trary to be entirely wanting in all these parts. This view the author supports by the following observations. Of several living insects, especially Grylli, Acridia, Scarabeus stercorarius, and Carabus granulatus, he opened the abdomen, and observed par- ticular parts of their respiratory systems under the action not only of the air, but also of cold water, concentrated sunlight, and mechanical irritants, sometimes with a very strong lens and sometimes with the microscope, without ever remarking a con- traction which indicated any tone of these parts. Nor could he observe any such contractions in the trachez of Tenebrio molitor, by examining them through the transparent parts of the skin of that insect. Hence he considers that we are justified in stating that respiration (and especially exspiration) is never effected in any insect by the proper powers of the traches and air-sacs alone, but that they require a pressure exerted upon them by other surrounding structures. This pressure can be exerted only by the wall of the abdomen, or in some insects by that of the metathorax; for although some of the viscera by their own activity may be capable of exerting a pressure upon them, this must be much less than that of the wall of the body. If no respiratory movement of the wal! be observed in a perfect insect, the cause of this may be various. 1. The insect may be too small, and the movement too slight, to allow its observation ; M. H. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. 97 - 2. Or it may be too hairy or plumose to allow such a move- ment to be perceived by the eye; 3. Or it may have fasted for a long time, rendering the move- ments so few and weak as to escape observation ; 4, Or the insect may be rendered dull and weakly by other causes. Here the author remarks that in insects in general respiration by no means plays so great a part, and, although necessary, is not so important as in birds and mammalia*¥. Many proofs of this assertion are to be found, according to the author, in Sorg’s memoir, ‘ Digestiones physiologice circa respirationem insecto- rum et vermium’ (Rudolst.: 1804) ; and he cites the circum- stance that many insects live in the earth or in rotten wood, where they cannot possibly obtain an abundance of pure air for their respiration. He also cites the observation of Sir Humphry Davy (‘Consolations in Travel,’ Dialogue 2), that on the small floating islands of Conferve in a lake near Tivoli he found an immense number of the most various insects, although this lake exhales so much carbonic acid and sulphurous vapour, that the aquatic birds, which sometimes visit it, remain on its shores, because, on the lake itself, these vapours would be fatal to them. Moreover his own observations show that in many insects the respiratory movements are few and weak. If the above-described movements of the abdomen have really an influence upon respiration, this must be a double one, in con- * In a note subsequently written, the author observes :—“ This is going too far, as appears from the experiments of Treviranus on the respiration of the lower animals (‘Treviranus and Tiedemann’s ‘ Zeitschr. fiir Physiol.’ Bd. iv.). * Results.—1. The quantity of oxygen taken up and of carbonic acid exhaled by the same insect is very different in equal times, according as it moves or rests, according as it is exposed to a higher or lower temperature (greater in the former case), and according as it is full-fed or fasting. **(In Apis terrestris the quantities of carbonic-acid gas exhaled at 9-12° R. and 14-23° R. are as 22: 174.) «2. The quantity of carbonic-acid gas produced in respiration differs in different insects. ‘The most active insects exhale the most carbonic acid, Among these are the Bees, Humble Bees, and Lepidoptera. These are followed by the Syrphi and probably many other Diptera. Then come the Libellule and Beetles. The smallest amount of carbonic acid is ex- haled by the larvee of Lepidoptera and Beetles. A larva of Cetonia aurata does not exhale a fifth of that produced by the perfect insect of the same cies. 3, When the temperature of the air is 113° R. the Bee produces nearly as much, and at a temperature of 22° R. far more carbonic acid than even the Dove. Papilio Atalanta, even when it has been for several days with- out food, exhales a far greater quantity of the gas at 15° R. than that bird. Cats, Guinea-pigs, and Rabbits are inferior to Humble Bees in strength of respiration at a temperature of 16-179 R. At this temperature Syrphus nemorum is about equal to those animals.” Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Sex. 3, Vol. ix. 7 98 M.H.Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. sequence of the structure and distribution of the respiratory ap- aratus. 1. In the abdomen itself. When its cavity is diminished, the trachee, and the air-sacs when they occur, must be somewhat compressed and a portion of the air contained in them driven out through the stigmata. But when the cavity of the abdomen enlarges again, and the pressure exerted upon the air-passages contained in it is removed, these must furnish an entrance for the atmospheric air, partly because the pressure of the external air overcomes that upon the outer surface of the air-vessels, and partly because the trachez at least may again dilate by their own elasticity. . ‘ _ 2, As regards the head and thorax, which, if we except the thorax of the Staphylini and Carabidae, cannot expand and contract, A portion of the air contained in the abdomen will he driven into them through the air-vessels when the abdomen contracts. A portion of this air then flows out through the stigmata of the thorax (as is seen in the Locuste), but another portion inflates the air-passages of the thorax and probably those of the head to a greater or less extent. When the pressure on the abdomen ceases, the trachez and air-sacs of the thorax and head contract by their proper elasticity, and again expel a portion of their cons tained air, probably in part through the thoracic stigmata, at least in those insects whose stigmata are constantly open, and in part back into the abdomen. . . The same applies probably to the movement of the air to and from the extremities. ; § 19. In all the insects examined, except the Hymenoptera, only the contractions, and not the dilatations, of the abdominal. cavity are effected by the action of muscles. The means by which the cavity is enlarged and the inspiration effected, appear to be various in different insects and even in the same insect. 1. In those insects which only possess shrub-like trachex, the latter appear to be a principal means of the dilatation of the- abdominal cavity during inspiration. The trache, like the arteries of the Vertebrata, possess a high degree of elasticity, and, even after the insect’s death, regain their volume, after being compressed, as soon as the pressure is removed. As the are undoubtedly compressed, directly or indirectly, by the walls of the abdomen during exspiration, it is to be expected that, when this pressure ceases, they will again expand, react upon the walls of the abdomen, and push these somewhat apart. This applies also to most of those insects which possess vesicular as well as ramified traches, and especially to those in which the former are not too.wide in proportion to their length. It is less applicable to those whose vesicular trachee are very wide in pro- oe ee ee, M.H. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects, 99 portion to their length, as is the case in the Acridia: these trachez, when compressed and emptied of air, do not completely recover their original diameter by the agency of their proper elasticity. The air-sacs, which exist in greater or less number in many insects in connexion with the trachex, usually consist of an extremely delicate membrane, in which no trace of a spiral fibre can be detected: when strongly dilated with air, they may certainly contract a little by their proper contractility, if the pressure from within ceases; but when compressed from without, they cannot dilate themselves again by virtue of any inherent elasticity. Consequently in those insects which have air-sacs or very wide vesicular trachee in the abdomen, these structures cannot contribute to the dilatation of the ventral cavity. 2. In those insects in which during exspiration the extre= mities of the upper halves of several abdominal segments are bent somewhat inwards (as in the Grylli, Acridia, Libellula, Tabani, some Beetles [Carabus granulatus| and many Lepido- ptera), these extremities, when the muscles cease to act upon them, move apart again by their own elasticity, and thus assist in enlarging the abdominal cavity. 3. In those insects in which the softer skin between the upper and lower halves of the abdominal segments possesses consider- able thickness and elasticity, and folds inwards during exspira- tion, it appears, during inspiration, to press outwards again by its own elasticity, recovering the plane in which it is stretched during repose, and pushing apart the upper and lower plates of the segments. In those, on the contrary, in which this skin is comparatively thin and does not fold during exspiration (as in Tabanus, Musca, Tipula, and the Beetles), it probably does not act in the above way in the dilatation of the abdominal cavity. For the contractility of this portion of the skin is very con- siderable, and it may therefore be supposed that when it has been somewhat compressed during exspiration, it will again extend itself on the cessation of the pressure. § 20. From the statements contained in the preceding paras graphs we may understand how the process of inspiration goes on in perfect insects. ’ 1. In those which possess only shrub-like trachew, these ex- pand by their own elasticity as soon as the direct or indirect ressure of the abdominal walls producing exspiration ceases, and / their proper force cause the atmospheric air to place itself in equilibrium with the .air contained in them and penetrate through the stigmata. If the abdominal walls also expand by their own elasticity after the completion of exspiration, this dila« tation can only be regarded as a removal of the obstacles to the independent dilatation of the tracheze. a ; 7* 100 M.HI.Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. 2. In those, on the contrary, which possess air-sacs as well as trachex, or in which some trachez are very wide in proportion to their length, the walls of the abdomen cause the inspiration, either by their proper elasticity or, as in the Hymenoptera, by muscular power. § 21. It is well known that insects when fully fed, and re- quiring a greater amount of oxygen for the purpose of digestion, respire far more frequently than when their alimentary canal is empty; the respiratory process also appears, at least in the greater number of insects, to take place more completely and powerfully. The movements of the abdominal plates and the extension of the soft skin uniting them are then far greater than when the alimentary canal is empty. The muscles moving these parts will be more stretched than usual, and therefore will contract to a far greater extent; so that the difference between the size of the abdominal cavity in inspiration and exspiration is increased, the air-passages are more strongly compressed, the air contained in them more completely evacuated at each exspiration, and a greater quantity of fresh air is taken in during inspiration, than under other circumstances. This at least must be the case with those insects which possess only ramose trachee. It probably applies also to these insects at the time when their generative organs, especially in the female, are much dilated and the abdo- men inflated thereby ; but it is not known whether at this time, if the alimentary canal be empty, the respiration goes on more rapidly than before, when the sexual organs had attained no great size. The same theory cannot apply to those insects which possess vesicular trachee or large air-sacs, as these vesicles are not so elastic as to be capable of dilating again by their own powers on the cessation of pressure. Perhaps these insects, under the above circumstances, breathe more rapidly than the others. The author considers that many of his observations are in favour of this view. § 22. Is that movement of the abdomen of insects which is connected with respiration a voluntary or an involuntary act ? This question is to be answered in the same way as the similar one relating to the respiration of man. After the decapitation of insects (Grylli, Scarabei, Tabani, and Wasps) the abdomen has been seen to continue for a time con- tracting and dilating in the same way as before the injury, from which the author concludes that in these the respiratory move- ments may go on quite involuntarily. But these movements not unfrequently cease for a longer or shorter time in uninjured insects, or they are limited to one or two segments ; and the con- tractions take place in these with unusual exertion, although the remainder of the segments which otherwise act in: respiration M. H. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. 101 remain quite quiet: from this we may conclude that the will may exert some influence on the respiration. - §23. Certain phenomena lead to the belief that in many in- sects various viscera have a subordinate action upon the respira- tion of insects, or at least upon the distribution of air in them. 1. The pulsation of the dorsal vessel sets a number of tracheze in motion, pushing them forwards and backwards, extending them in length, and then permitting them to contract or contort themselves again. : 2. In those insects which possess a sucking-bladder connected with the anterior part of the alimentary canal, this must produce similar, but sometimes, by lateral pressure, still greater effects upon the tracheze and air-sacs in its vicinity: in many such in- sects, especially Diptera, this bladder, which is sometimes of great size, may be seen, even through the skin, slowly but inces- santly contracting and expanding alternately to a very great extent. 3. This applies also to the intestine and, although in a far less degree, to the malpighian vessels, which, as may be ascer- tained not only from opened insects, but also from many unin- jured ones (such as some species of Syrphus), are constantly performing peristaltic movements. The strongest peristaltic movements, which indeed were perceptible through the walls of the abdomen, were observed by the author in Ophion luteus. In the first segment of the abdomen, in which the mtestine was _ quite straight, they went on unceasingly, in such a manner that the portion of intestine contained in it always remained straight ; in the remainder of the abdomen, in which the intestine is much contorted, they took place only at intervals, but each time with great rapidity and violence, the intestine undulating to and fro to a remarkable extent. _ By the dragging of these viscera upon the neighbouring and attached trachez, and also by the pressure which some of them exert during their extension upon air-sacs in their vicinity, it cannot be but that the air contained in these parts will be set in motion. Partial movements of the air in the interior of the in- sect must also be produced during the action of the muscles of the limbs, as these muscles are penetrated and surrounded by many air-vessels. II. Imprrrect Insects. A. Of those which only undergo a partial metamorphosis. § 24. The structure of the abdomen in the young of Blatta, Gryllus and Acridium is similar to that occurring in the perfect insects ; so that it is probable that the respiratory process is the same in both. 102 M.H. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. B. Grubs and Caterpillars, The traches of these larvee were examined immediately after they had been opened down the back, both with the simple lens and with the microscope, but no contractions could be observed in them even when irritated mechanically or with alcohol. § 25. The larvee of Vespa crabro and V. vulgaris, both when within their cells and after removal therefrom, frequently shorten and elongate their bodies, at the same time curving them laterally either to the right or left. In the latter movement the convex half of the body also becomes smoother, and the concave half thicker than before, a portion of the fat and other structures contained in the body being pressed from the former into the latter. - The skin between each two contiguous segments is somewhat thinner and softer than in the segments themselves, and at the point where the upper and lower halves of each segment come together the skin is likewise thinner and softer, and forms a projecting fold. From the entire anterior margin of each seg- ment, except the two soft spaces on the right and left sides and the spaces where the dorsal vessel and ventral ganglionic cord lie, there runs a great number of nearly straight and pretty thick muscular bundles, forming two superior and two inferior layers ; these pass nearly to the corresponding margin of the preceding segment, and not only shorten the body, but also, by acting on one side, curve it to one side. Besides these, on each side, partly from the upper end of the lower half of each abdominal segment. close to the soft skin, and partly from this soft skin itself, two delicate and closely approximated muscular bundles pass inwards and downwards to the lower half of the preceding segment, attaching themselves partly to the anterior margin of this in the vicinity of the ganglionic chain, and partly running further in- wards and forwards to apply themselves to the upper surface of the straight muscles of the next anterior segment. These latter muscles may flatten the body, and appear to be antago- nistie in the two halves of the body; so that when those of the left side contract, those of the right side are relaxed, and vice versd. The straight longitudinal muscles are likewise antago- nistic in the two sides of the body. When the entire body con- tracts in the direction of its length, during which the segments themselves, consisting only of a soft skin, are somewhat short- ened, it is extended again, after the relaxation of the muscles, only by the elasticity of the eutis and of the contents of the cavity. ‘ All the trachez are ramose, and all the stems of each side of the body are united, as in the perfect Wasps, by a com=: M, H. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects: 108 mon eylindrical and elastie canal, which, however, is only of moderate diameter. The respiratory process in these larvee can only be effected by the above-mentioned movements, both general and partial. If the larva contracts longitudinally, when it does not gain so much in breadth as it loses in length, the contents of the body- cavity, and therefore the tracheary system, must be compressed, and the air contained therein driven out of the stigmata, in larger or smaller quantity according to the shortening. On the cessation of the activity of the muscles, the air-vessels, being freed from the preyious pressure, must dilate again by virtue of their elasticity, and cause the air to enter through the stigmata. The same process of exspiration must also take place when the larva bends strongly to one side; for as the convex side then becomes smoother, and the structures contained in it are par- tially driven over into the opposite side, it is more than probable that its trachez also are then compressed and partly emptied of air; and as the concave side is shorter and moreover filled with a portion of the structures from the other side, its trachez also must be compressed and compelled to part with their air. § 26. In the larvee of the Scarabai, or at least in that of the May Bug (Melolontha majalis), the epidermis of each abdominal segment, except the last, forms two moderately firm plates, the upper a little larger than the lower, united at each side by a thinner and more flexible part of the epidermis. In these softer parts are the stigmata. Both the upper and lower plates of every two segments move upon each other by means of several muscular bundles, of which some, and these the innermost, im- mediately surrounding the abdominal cavity, run straight for- ward from the hinder margin of one segment to the same margin of the other, whilst others take an oblique direction from within outwards and forwards, and others from without inwards and for- wards. Of these oblique muscles some have the same insertions as the straight muscles, but others pass from the middle of one segment to the hinder margin of the preceding one. In each ab- dominal segment, except the last, there are also two, and in some even three pairs of pretty strong muscles, which all run from the ends of the upper plate, over the softer parts of the skin, inwards and downwards. ‘Those of the inner pair pass straight to the lower plate of the same segment, and are attached to this ; those of the other one or two pairs run obliquely forward, and attach themselves to the lower plate of the preceding segment. The hindmost segment has only one pair of muscles, and these are oblique. By the muscles running obliquely from above downwards and 104 M.H.Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. inwards the segments of the abdomen may be rendered flatter, and by the others it may be shortened. By means of these latter muscles, moreover, the larva is enabled to curve its body sideways, upwards, and downwards. It is also of great importance to the larva, both in shortening and bending its body, that the epidermis and cutis of each segment form several small folds directed towards the body-cavity. In examining a living strong larva, it will be seen that it not unfrequently flattens its body greatly in places, and at the same time narrows it from the sides, and that this contraction of the body usually advances from before backwards over the different segments, no more than a few segments being contracted at the same time. The larva can likewise considerably shorten its body, when the increase of thickness does not appear to compensate fully for the abbreviation. But more commonly, and indeed when the larva endeavours to crawl, only partial shortenings of the body take place. § 27. The exspirations must take place, theoretically, as in the Wasps and other Hymenoptera, when the body shortens, the individual segments not gaining so much in width as they lose in length, and also when the body curves to one side, but still more when it is flattened from above and below. These views are confirmed by Bonnet’s experiments on the respiration of Caterpillars. According to these experiments, when Caterpillars are immersed in water, more numerous and larger air-bubbles escape from the stigmata the greater the movements made by the animals. The inspiration must of course take place when the pressure upon the air-vessels, produced as above, ceases. As, moreover, the movements perceptible in the body-wall of Caterpillars and the larve of Beetles and Diptera are chiefly con- nected with the locomotion of these animals, it follows that their respiration is also chiefly connected with their locomotion. All respiration in these animals is subjected to the will, and never involuntary. § 28. The Caterpillars of the Lepidoptera can shorten and elongate their bodies considerably, but can neither flatten them nor contract them at the sides in the same way as the larvae of the Scarabei. When they shorten themselves, the individual segments increase in width, but by no means sufficiently to com- pensate for the shortening. This applies also to the narrowing of the segments when the Caterpillar elongates itself. Some segments are usually elongated at the same time that others are shortened ; and the two processes take place progressively from before backwards. This at least is the case during the locomo- tion of Caterpillars. ; M.H. Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. 105 C. Pupe and Nymphe. _ $29. In undisturbed pupz of Lepidoptera no movements of the body are to be detected, and therefore no movements that can be referred to the act of respiration. The same thing ap- plies to the pupz of Beetles, Hymenoptera, and probably of other orders of insects. Nor can it be perceived, on opening such pupz and irritating their trachez in various ways, that these vessels contract or dilate. - From the absence of all such phenomena we might conclude that in the pup of the above-mentioned insects the tracheary respiration is entirely interrupted. But, according to Sorg’s observations, pupz of Lepidoptera and Ants die, although not for some time, when kept in small receivers from which the ex- ternal air is completely excluded ; and these creatures consume a small quantity of oxygen, and give out a little carbonic acid. According to the observations of Reaumur and Martinet also, pupz die when their stigmata are covered with oil. If these ob- servations be correct (and there seems no reason to doubt them), the phenomena in question may be ascribed to two causes. In the first place, it is possible and conceivable that the air may penetrate the envelopes of the pupz as readily as those of birds’ eggs, and then enter into a mutual action with the internal parts of the insects. The permeability of these envelopes by air and vapours is indicated by the fact that when dead larvee or pupe are exposed to the air, they dry and lose considerably in weight. In the second place, as the pupze are not always exposed to the same temperature, the air contained in their tracheze must under- go changes in its density ; and in consequence the trachez must sometimes give out a portion of their contents, and sometimes draw in a portion of the external air. Tn any case it is certain that the respiration of pup can only be very weak. This is shown by the observations of Sorg, and also by the circumstance that the pupz of many insects, e. g. the Bees, are enclosed in a nearly air-tight case, whilst others lie deep in the earth. This weak respiration in pupz is remarkable, inasmueh as it is in them that the most important changes in the form and number of the different parts of the body takes place. But it will not be difficult to give a satisfactory explana- tion of these phenomena. During the evolution of an insect within the pupa-skin, nearly all the fat and likewise a quantity of muscles and other structures disappear, but the materials of these parts pass into new combi- nations and serve for the evolution or even for the formation and evolution of other organs. They conta more or less oxygen in their composition; and it is conceivable that this may suffice to. 106 M.H.Rathke on the Respiratory Process in Insects. render the taking in of any considerable quantity of oxygen from the atmosphere unnecessary. Analogous phenomena are pre- sented by hybernating Mammalia and Reptiles, as in these, during hybernation, respiration is almost entirely suppressed ; and nevertheless whilst the fat so abundantly deposited almost entirely disappears, some of the other organs, especially the testes and seminal vesicles in the Mammalia and the ovaries and ovi- ducts also in the Reptiles, are considerably increased in size and gradually prepare a great mass of their secretions. Itis, as many phenomena indicate, the exaltation of nervous action and the activity of the muscles that give rise in animals to a greater con- sumption of atmospheric oxygen, and therefore to a more rapid and powerful respiration, in order to replace the wasted portions of the nervous and muscular systems ; far less oxygen is required by the lower constituents of the organism to maintain themselves in action or even to develope themselves further. . $30, Lastly, the question is to be answered whether insects both inspire and exspire the air through all their stigmata, . Beautiful investigations for the solution of this question are to befound in one of Bonnet’s memoirs*. Bonnet’s principal observations are as follows :— 1. If a Caterpillar be immersed in water so that only the hind- most pair of stigmata are left free, it survives this experiment for some time, whilst it soon dies if entirely immersed. ' 2. It also lives for some time if immersed so that only its anterior pair of stigmata remain free. 3. When a Caterpillar is entirely immersed in water, an air- bubble is not unfrequently seen to issue from one or other of its stigmata, most commonly from one of the foremost or hindmost pairs, and this is then alternately drawn in and pushed out. 4. When the stigmata of.the foremost and hindmost pairs in a Caterpillar are clogged with butter, and the rest left free, the animal is more uneasy than when the experiment is reversed. From these experiments it follows that Caterpillars inspire and exspire by all their stigmata, but most through those of the fore- most and hindmost pairs. Moreover it is inconceivable that the whole mass of inspired air should be exspired by other ways than those through which it entered the body. This would be in opposition to the entire structure of the respiratory system; for in a great number of insects the stigmata are so constructed that they cannot be closed by the animal, and consequently furnish the air with a means both of entrance and exit. _* Mém. de Math. et de Phys., vol. v. In Acridium stridulum the stig- mata above the intermediate pair of legs appear to exspire only, and not te-inspire. - : 5 Mr. J. Miers on Villaresia. 107 XIII—On Villaresia. By Joun Mirrs, F.R,S., F.L.S, &e, Tuts genus of the Flora Peruviana is but little known, only one species having been yet described. Poiret (in 1808) considered it to belong to Aurantiacee,—an idea derived, no doubt, from the vernacular name of the typical species, “ Naranjillo.” Jussieu (in 1821) gave a very correct description of that species, accom- panied by analytical figures (Ann, Sc. Nat. xxv. tab. 3), and placed the genus rightly in Aquifoliacee. Don (in 1832) de- scribed the same plant under the name of Citronella mucronata, when he assigned it_a position near Cassine. Hooker and Arnott (in 1834), in their enumeration of Chile plants (Hook, Journ. Bot. i, 283), arranged the genus next to Myrsine. Jussieu states that some botanists had considered it as belonging to Menispermacee; and Dr. Lindley (in 1836) appears to have then adopted similar conclusions in referring it to Schizandracee (Introd. Bot, 553), but afterwards (in 1846) he retracted this opinion (Veg. Kingd. 598), and, following the view of Jussieu, placed it in Agquifoliacee. Endlicher pursued the same arrange- ment in his ‘ Gen. Plant.’ No. 5709. On a former occasion, I adduced abundant evidence to show that the Icacinacee do not belong to Olacacee, and that the proper place of that family in the system is near the Aquifoliacea, the structure in both cases being nearly similar, differing prin- eipally in the estivation of the corolla, which is valvate in the former and imbricate in the latter. In both families the ovarium is normally plurilocular ; and when, as in Villaresia, it is one- celled, this is always due to the abortion of the other cells— a condition that also prevails throughout the Jeacinacee; it therefore very rarely happens that more than one cell and a single seed are perfected in this genus. I have recorded the fact * ‘that in Pennantia, where the fruit is generally unilocular and monospermous, it sometimes occurs that two cells, each l-seeded, are developed. I have witnessed the same excep- tional occurrence in Villaresia, in a species growing at Kew, where, on the same plant, some of the ovaries were 1-locular, while others were distinctly bilocular, each with two ovules col- laterally suspended from the dissepiment, Hence the rule is general throughout both families, that, although the normal condition of the ovary is plurilocular, there exists a general ten- deney to the abortion of most of its cells, Thus in Jlea we have constantly four, or more rarely five, cells, in Prinos six to eight, in Cassine three, in Nemopanthes three or four, while in Byronia . * Huj. op. ser. ii, p. 488; Contrib. Bot. i..77, pl. 12. figs, 25-28, 108 Mr. J. Miers on Villaresia. they number from twelve to sixteen; in Villaresia it is almost universally 1-celled, as also is the case in Axtoxicum, which appears to belong to the same family. Although, as I have mentioned, the ovary in the Jcacinacee is generally unilocular, it is constantly 3- or 5-celled in Emmotum. Throughout both families there is a general tendency towards the suppression of one of the sexes, so that the flowers are always more or less polygamous ; and this is carried to such an extreme in Afztoxicum, that they are constantly dicecious, when in all other respects the structure corresponds with the Aquifoliacee. On the other hand, perhaps no genus in the family approaches nearer to regular hermaphroditism than Villaresia. One great peculiarity attends the development of the ovary in this genus: the suppressed cells united in the normal axis form a prominent longitudinal parietal expansion, which extends far towards the centre of the single fertile cell; and from near the summit of this expansion the two collateral ovules are suspended. In the fruit, only one of these ovules arrives at maturity, and that soon fills the entire cavity ; the seed therefore moulds itself about the placental expansion, becoming thus bent round it, so that its transverse section is hippocrepiform. A similar struc- ture occurs in Bursinopetalum, as is well shown by Dr. Wight, in his ‘ Icones’ (tab. 956). This latter genus is referred by Dr. Wight to Olacacee, but it cannot belong to that family, on ac- count of the structure of its ovary and the mode of suspension of its ovules, in which respects there is a perfect analogy to the structure of Villaresia. I will shortly detail the observations I have recently made on the peculiar structure of Bursinopetalum, and will endeavour to indicate its real affinity. Although, as before stated, the estivation of the petals in Villaresia is broadly imbricative, their summits are always in- flected and folded into each other, so that it is sometimes diffi- cult to unravel a bud. This occurs also in Bursinopetalum and in other genera of the family, as in the male flowers of Aztozi- cum, for example. The greater or less degree of inflection of the summits of the petals is nearly universal in the Icacinacee, and this occurs sometimes to a great extent; but as the estiva- tion there is completely valvate, the separation of the parts in the bud is quite easy. Another peculiarity exists in Villaresia—the presence of hol- low glands imbedded in the parenchyma of its leaves, each with a pervious opening on the lower face, always situated within the axils of the primary nerves or in the sinus of their first bifurca- tions: this peculiarity is not confined to the typical species in which I first-observed it. Ruiz and Pavon notice the occurrence, i Mr. J. Miers on Villaresia. 109 which they attribute to the work of insects; but this is not pro- bable, because these porous glands present themselves regularly in the axils, exactly in the same position, and appear as con- stantly in the several Brazilian species as in those of Chilian growth. Sometimes the base of the nerve, where it joins the midrib, is expanded like a lamellar plate, forming a hollow pouch beneath it, with the porous aperture in its mouth; generally the hollow within the parenchyma is not much larger than the open pore itself. Villaresia was considered to be a genus peculiar to Chile, but it has since been found in the Banda Oriental and in Southern Brazil, and even within the tropics as far as 15° S. lat. These Brazilian plants have all been considered by Reisseck as identical with the type of Chilian growth ; but the characters here given show them to be specifically distinct. In habit they all much resemble those of J/ex, the leaves in some species of both genera being often spinoso-dentate ; in others they are quite entire. It is probable that they contain theine, as in Ilex Paraguayensis and other species of that genus; for the leaves of the [lex Con- gonha of Martius, which is a species of Villaresia, are used in Brazil as tea, the Brazilian term congonha being synonymous with the word yerba, as the tea of Paraguay is called. It may sometimes be difficult to distinguish the plants of Villaresia from those of J/ex; but a ready test is always ‘to be observed in the flower, the pistil in the former genus being furnished with a lengthened style, while in the latter the stigma is always quite sessile: the fruit of the one can never be confounded with that of the other. Many of the Brazilian species have much larger and thinner leaves, and the inflorescence is frequently terminal in subfasciculated spikes: they bear much the appearance of Leretia, a Brazilian genus of the Jcacinacee—a family differing chiefly from the Aquifoliacee in the estivation of the corolla and the mode of development of the fruit. In the before-mentioned species of Villaresia growing at Kew, where some of its flowers had a 2-celled ovary, with two ovules in each cell, suspended from the summit of the dissepiment, I found that, in this case, it had two styles. All the species belonging to the genus form erect trees having straight trunks, with copious frondose heads; but Prof. Reisseck states, in his generic diagnosis (in Mart. Flor. Bras, fase. xxviii. p. 75), that the plants are sometimes scandent. From this it may be inferred that he alludes to the Villaresia scandens of Hasskar] ; but that plant (from Java) cannot belong to the genus, nor even to the same family *. * In Retzia, i. 152; Walp. Ann. iv. 431: it differs from Villaresia in its scandent habit, its 2-locular ovarium with only a single pendent ovule in 110 Mr. J. Miers on Villaresia, . The following emended generic characters are founded on my own observations, except those of the fruit and seed, which are copied from the description of Jussieus Vintaresia, R. & P. ;—Citronella, Don ;—Flores hermaphroditi vel rarius polygami. Sepala 5, acuta, imo connata, estiva- tione imbricata, persistentia. Petala 5, libera, sepalis alterna, oblonga, nervo mediano prominulo intus instructa, margine tenui, undulato-crenata, zstivatione quincuncialiter imbricata, apicibus valde introflexis et inter se complicatis. Stamina5, cum’ petalis alternantia, et iis paulo breviora ; filamenta complanato- subulata; anthere introrse, cordato-reniformes, 2-loculares, longitudinaliter dehiscentes. Ovarium sessile, conicum, sa- pius subgibbum et 1-loculare, intus carina parietali (e loculis abortivis in axem centralem congestis) valde prominente no- tatum, ovulis 2 collateralibus a summo carine suspensis ; vel rarius complete 2-loculare et ovulis 2 collateralibus in quoque loculo ad apicem dissepimenti affixis. Stylus brevis, crassius- — culus, in ovario uniloculari unicus sublateralis ; in ovario 2-lo- culari styli 2; stigma obliquum, obtusum. Drupa globosa, parce carnosa, endocarpio lignoso semisepto longitudinali superne latiore, incomplete 2-loculata, abortu monosperma. Semen cavitati loculi conforme, hine circa semiseptum lon- gitudinaliter plicatum ; integumenta dupla, tenuia, interius in rimulas albuminis immissum ; embryo intra albumen copiosum carnosum apicem versus nidulans, parvus; radicula supera, teres, cotyledonibus complanatis orbiculatis duplo longior. Arbores vel arbusculz Chilenses et Brasilienses, sempervirentes ; folia alterna vel subopposita, elliptica, integra, vel spinoso- dentata, sepe rigide coriacea, glaberrima, petiolata; inflores- centia axillaris vel terminalis, sepius spicatim racemosa; flores albi, parvult, citriodort. 1, Villaresia mucronata, R. & P., Flor. Per. et Chil. iii. 9, tab. 231; A.Juss. Ann. Sc. Nat. xxv. 14, tab. 3. fig. 2; Gay, Chile, ii.12; Reiss. in Mart. Flor. Bras. fase. xxviii. p. 75 (in parte) ;—Citro- nella mucronata, D.Don, Edinb. Phil. Journ. xiii. 243 ;—Citrus Chilensis, Molina ;—ramulis flavidis, opacis, striatulis; foliis each cell, and its exalbuminous seed with large fleshy cotyledons. On this account it seems more likely to be allied to Chailletia, with which it appears to agree in the structure of its flower and fruit. I know the plant only from description: from its glabrous leaves, white corymbose flowers, whic are free, and not connate with the petiole, its entire petals, and simple long glabrous style, it is perhaps near to, if not identical with, Chailletia (Di- chapetalum) Timoriensis, DC., with which it also agrees in its geographical position. The Chailletia dichapetalum, R. Br., from Madagascar, is scan- dent, ee a re My. J. Micrs on Villaresia. 111 ovato-oblongis, apice longe mucronatis, utrinque acutis, in- terdum imo obtusioribus, coriaceis, margine cartilagineo in- tegris vel rarius subsinuato-dentatis et obsolete spinosis, supra lucidis, lete viridibus, subtus pallidioribus, opacis, costa mediana prominente; nervis anastomosantibus venisque reti- culatis utrinque prominulis, subtus in axillis et in dichotomiis nervorum glandula cava immersa poro aperto donatis ; petiolo brevi, rugoso, sub lente puberulo; paniculis terminalibus, folio multo longioribus, spicatim racemosis; rachi flavida, _ tomentella, ramis 3-floris patentibus calycibusque pubes- - ¢entibus; petalis flavido-albis, glabris, odoratissimis ; drupa oliveeformi.—Chile, v. v., in provinciis centralibus Naranjillo _ dicta, in australioribus Guilli-patagua nuncupata. A tree growing in the central provinces of Chile, and extend« ing as far to the southward as 35° lat.: it grows to the height of 10-20 feet. In the Viceroy’s report to the King of Spain, enumerating the useful trees and shrubs of Chile, the Naranjillo of Aconcagua is said to be 50 or 60 feet high, and of sufficient girth to furnish logs 18 inches square and 21 feet in length I have never seen or heard of its attaining any approach to that size. It has an erect trunk, with a broad spreading head and copious foliage. The wood is white and tough, with a fine grain, and is easily worked; when sawn, it makes good barrel-staves. The leaves are thick and rigid, of a pale, bright, shining green, generally elliptic and acute at both extremities, with a sharp mucronate apex, a thick yellowish cartilaginous border, which is generally entire, rarely obsoletely spinose, 13-24 inches long, #=1 inch broad, on a fleshy thickened petiole 2 lines long. The terminal inflorescence is a spicated raceme, ferruginously pubescent, 3 or 4 inches long, its numerous alter- nate branchlets, bracteated at base, being very patent, and 4-6 lines long, each bearing at its apex 3-6 alniost sessile flowers ; the sepals are suborbicular, pilose, with ciliate imbricated mars gins, + line diam.; the petals are oblong, 2 lines long, 1 line broad, cuneate at base, internally furnished with a raised cari- nated nervure, the margins crenated, broadly and quincuncially imbricated in estivation, the summits of the three more internal ones being inflected and plicated together; the stamens are about two-thirds the length of the petals; the ovary and short style are the length of the stamens, and glabrous. The fruit, which I have not seen, is said to be 6-8 lines long and 4-5 lines in diameter*, Var. leia;—foliis late ovatis vel obovatis, e basi 3-5-nerviis * A figure of this plant, with analytical details, will be given in the * Contributions,’ vol. ii, Plate 67 a. ; 112 Mr. J. Miers on Villaresia. hine obtusis, rotundatis aut subcordatis, apice breviter et - acute mucronatis, margine cartilagineo seepius obsolete den- tato-spinosis, rigidulis, supra nitentibus et pallide viridibus, subtus opacis et flavescentibus, costa mediana superne paulo, - subtus valde prominente, hine in axillis nervoram poroso- glandulosis; petiolo brevi, lato, superne profunde canaliculato, in junioribus puberulo; racemis terminalibus, seepe duplis, folio brevioribus, floribus dense agglomeratis, ramis brevis- simis, puberulis, imo bracteatis, apice 2-floris; floribus sessili- bus, ebracteatis,—v. v. ad Limache; v. s. in herb. Mus. Par., Rancagua, in herb. Hook., Valparaiso (Cuming, 556), Colcha- gua (Bridges).—An species distincta ? This variety is very distinct, in its constantly broader, larger, and more rounded leaves, the margin being often obsoletely spinose ; the inflorescence is much shorter, and the flowers are more aggregated ; the leaves are 2-24 inches long, 14-14 inch broad, on a petiole 1-2 lines long; the inflorescence is usually # inch, seldom 2 inches long; the alternate branchlets, being less than a line in Jength, bear one or two flowers*. 2. Villaresia pungens, n. sp.;—ramulis teretibus, pallide glaucis, subpuberulis; foliis glaberrimis, obovatis, basi rotundis et subcordatis, apice acutis et aciculato-mucronatis, margine cartilagineo undulato-crispatis et crebre aciculato-spinosis, supra nitentibus lete viridibus, subtus pallidioribus, utrinque reticulatis, subtus nervis arcuatis costaque prominentibus, glandulis porosis nullis, aut raris in axillis nervorum; petiolo brevissimo, supra complanato, subtus convexo, et transversim ruguloso.—Concepcion, v. s. in herb. Hook. et Mus. Brit. (Cuming), sine flore. This plant differs from the typical species in its larger leaves, which are nearly sessile, very broad and subcordate at base, less coriaceous, very shining, the margin being very crispately undu- lated, and armed at the distance of 1 or 2 lines with very sharp patent spines 1 line long; the poriferous glands are generally wanting, or, if present, are much smaller, and seldom in the axils of the nervures. The leaves are 24-34 inches long, 14-24. broad, on a petiole 1 line long and 1 line broady. 3. Villaresia Congonha, nob. ;—Villaresia mucronata, Reiss. (non R.& P.) in Mart. Flor. Bras. fase. xxviii. p.75, tab.22 et tab. 14. fig. 18 ;—Ilex Gongonha, Mart. Reiss. (edit. Angl. ii. 100) ; Lambert. Pin. ii. Append. tab.6; G. Don. Dict. ii. 18 ;—Cas- * This variety, with analytical details, will be represented in the ‘ Con- tributions,’ vol. ii. Plate 67 3b. t A representation of this plant will be given in the same work, Pl. 68. ee ee MER my w Mr. J. Miers on Villaresia. 118 sine Congonha, Mart. Isis. 1824, p. 589; St. Hil. in Guillem. Arch. Bot. i. 31; Spreng. Syst. i. 939 ;—Myginda Congonha, DC. Prodr. ii. 13; G. Don, Dict. ii. 16 ;—ramulis foliis ob- longo-ovatis, imo acutis, apice obtusioribus et valde mucro- natis, margine crassiusculo cartilagineo reflexo, rarius integro, sepissime breviter et remote sinuato-spinosis, coriaceis, utrin- que subopacis, pallide viridibus, concoloribus, supra reticu- latis, subtus costa, nervis tenuibus venisque paulo prominulis, et hine yesicula immersa poro aperta in axillis omnibus ner- vorum donatis, petiolo subbrevi, canaliculato ; racemis axil- laribus et terminalibus, subspicatis, bracteatis, flavido-pilosis ; ramis brevissimis, 3-floris, floribus parviusculis, sessilibus, bracteolatis, ramis basalibus iterum ramosis; sepalis parvis, rotundato-acutis, ciliatis; petalis oblongo-linearibus, sub- spathulatis, suberectis, cucullatis ; staminibus brevissimis, se- palis vix longioribus; ovario glabro, ventre 2-sulcato.—Bra- silia, in proy. australioribus et centralibus, v. s. in herb. Hook. ; Rio Grande et Entre Rios (Tweedie). This plant is considered by Dr. Reisseck to be identical with the typical species, of Chilian growth: it certainly resembles it in general appearance, but has several distinctly characteristic features. The leaves are differently shaped, and not so shining above; the racemes are usually axillary, and much shorter; the flowers only half the size; the petals are more linear, and the stamens proportionally shorter. In Tweedie’s specimens, the leaves are 1? inch long, 1 inch broad, on a petiole 14 line long; in the drawing given in Lambert’s work, of a plant from the pro- vince of Minas Geraés, which I have not seen, and which is pro- bably a distinct species, the leaves are 4—44 inches long, 24 inches broad, on a petiole 38-4 lines long. In both, the racemes do not exceed a length of 9 lines, and are often shorter; their lateral branchlets are 1-2 lines long, bearing on their summits a cluster of three to six extremely small sessile flowers; the sepals are } the length of the petals, and are seated on a 5-lobed hispid torus: the petals are little more than 3 line long, and } line in breadth; they are erect (not expanded as in V. mucronata) ; in estivation thew summits are more deeply inflected: the stamens are } the length of the petals; the ovary and style 2? of their length. The ovary is glabrous, gibbous on the dorsal side, 2-sulcate on the ventral face, the style being somewhat excentrical, and with a clavate stigma*. 4, Villaresia cuspidata, n.sp.;—Villaresia mucronata, Reiss. in - parte (non R. & P.) ;—ramulis angularibus, flavido-opacis, * This species will be also shown in the same work, Plate 69, Ann, & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 3. Vol. ix. 8 114, Mr. J. Miers on Villaresia, . foliig ovatis vel ellipticis, utrinque acutis, apicé mucrone longo - yalido cuspidatis aut retusis, crasso-coriaceis, margine cartila- . gineo integro crasso reflexo, supra nitidis, pallidiusculis, reti- . eulato-venosis, nervis immersis leviter sulcatis, subtus valde - flavido-opacis, minute nigro-punctulatis, costa, nervis arcuatis - yenisque prominentibus, rarius in axillis nervorum glandula porifera donatis, longe petiolatis ; petiolo flavido-opaco, sub- ruguloso, superne profunde canaliculato ; racemis axillaribus et terminalibus 3-4, fasciculatis, folio tertia parte brevioribus, subspicatis ; brachiis patentibus, imo bracteatis, summo flores 3 sessiles bracteolatos gerentibus; rachi brachiisque flavido puberulis.—Prov. Minas Geraés, v, s, in herb. meo; Salgado, ad Rio San Francisco. - This species differs from the preceding in having still thicker leaves, which are quite entire, nigro-punctulate beneath, and rarely with poriferous glands in the axils of the nerves; the pe- tiole is three or four times the length of that of the former. The leaves are 2—23 inches long, 14-24 inches broad, on a petiole 5 or 6 lines in length. ‘The racemes are 912 lines long, the lateral branchlets 1 line long. The flowers are much smaller than in V. mucronata, being about 1} line in diameter when expanded ; the minute sepals are nearly glabrous, membranous, with ciliate margins, concave, suborbicular, acute at the apex, and imbri- cated ; they are adnate upon an externally pilose deeply 5-lobed fleshy torus: the petals are elliptic, with an internal carinated neryure, three times longer than the sepals; the stamens are two-thirds the length of the petals, and as long as the ovary and style, which are quite glabrous*. ; 5. Villaresia megaphylla, n. sp.;—ramis angulatis, striatis, opacis ; foliis majusculis, oblongis, imo acutis, summum versus breviter attenuatis, acumine calloso, integerrimis, margine undulato, submembranaceis, glaberrimis, nervo marginali tenuissimo revoluto nitido, supra pallide viridibus, opacis ; costa mediana immersa, hine sulcata, inferne prominente et striata; nervis tenuissimis venisque haud reticulatis utrinque vix prominulis et eglandulosis, impunctatis; petiolo longiusculo, subtenui, semitereti, supra canaliculato, 1mo articulato ; paniculis axil- laribus et terminalibus, paulo supra basin brachia 5-8 arete approximata et fere fasciculata emittentibus, divaricatis, folio dimidio vel triente brevioribus, spicatim racemosis; ramis remotiusculis, brevibus, patentibus, imo bracteatis, apice flores parvos, 3-5 sessiles bracteolatos gerentibus; sepalis parvis bracteolisque puberulis; petalis oblongis, glabris, et stamini- * A drawing of this plant will be given in the ‘ Contributions,’ vol. iy Plate 70. a = Mr. J, Miers on Villaresia. 115 . bus eequilongis; ovario dense albido-piloso, uniloculari; stylo -subexcentrico, breviusculo, glabro.—Prov. Rio de Janeiro, v, v, ' circa Freichal, ad pedem montium Organensium. This and the following species are very dissimilar in appear- ance to any of the preceding, bearing somewhat a resemblance to the genus Leretia; but their floral structure is quite in accord- ance with Villaresia, and some have the same porous glands in the axils of the nervures that characterize the genus. The leaves are 74 inches long, 3} inches broad, on a petiole 10 lines long: the radiating divisions of the inflorescence, in my specimen, are 2 inches long; but as they are in a young state, they pro-. bably would be double that length when fully matured; the lateral branchlets are 1 line long, quite patent, and bear three or five sessile flowers at their apex; the flower expanded is 23 lines in diameter; the sepals are obovate, somewhat acute, imbricate, and pilose; the petals are lanceolate-oblong, nearly three times as long as the sepals, with a prominent internal keel; they are imbricated in estivation, with their apices inflected: the stamens are three-fourths the length of the petals, and longer than the pistil: the ovary is obovate and pilose, 1-celled, with two sus- pended ovules*, Var. acuminata ;—foliis longius acuminatis, panicule brachiis folio fere zequilongis, ramis remotioribus et paulo longioribus, floribus majoribus, ovario interdum 2-loculari cum stylis 2. —-v. v. in hort. bot. Kew. cult. The differences above mentioned may only be the result of eulture; but I think the plant must be referred to the species above described, which I found at Freichal. The leaves in this cultivated variety are 63-74 inches long, 23-8 inches broad, on a petiole of 5 or 6 lines; the radiating branches of the inflores- cence are 2-6 inches long, the main stems nearly glabrous; the lateral branchlets alternate, 1-4 inch apart, and quite patent, are 2-3 lines long, and pubescent: the flowers expanded are 3 lines, in diameter, 6. Villaresia virescens, n. sp.;—glaberrima, ramulis teretibus, vix striatulis; foliis ellipticis vel oblongis, utrinque acutis, apice acuminatis, integerrimis, submembranaceis, margine cartilagineo nitido reflexo, obscure viridibus, opacis, subtus _pallidioribus; nervis tenuibus venisque vix prominulis, eglan- _ dulosis et epunctatis, breviter petiolatis: paniculis racemoso-. spicatis, simplicibus, axillaribus et terminalibus, breviusculis ; floribus sessilibus in’ apice ramorum brevissimorum glome- _* This species, with analytical details, will be seen in the same work, Plate 71, 116 Mr. J. Miers on Villaresia. rulatis; sepalis pilosis; petalis glabris, intus. carinatis ; ovario glabro; stylo brevi, subexcentrico; stigmate clavato, sub- bilobo.—Prov. Rio de Janeiro ; v. s. in herb. meo, Iguassa, ad pedem montis Serra de Tingoa. A species analogous to the last mentioned, with smaller leaves, acute at both extremities, with much shorter petioles. The leaves are 44-5 inches long, 13-2 inches broad, on a petiole 3 lines in length. The inflorescence consists of a short simple panicle, in which the lateral branches are so short and approxi- mated that the whole bears the appearance of a spike of agglo- merated flowers: the sessile flowers are nearly 2 lines in dia- meter; the sepals are oblong, membranaceous, obtuse, and slightly pubescent ; the petals are 1 line in length and three times as long as the sepals, they are smooth, carinate within ; the stamens are nearly equal to them in length, and as long as the pistil; the ovary is almost glabrous. 7. Villaresia ramiflora, n. sp. ;—glaberrima, dichotome ramosa, ramulis striato-angulatis ; foliis lanceolato-oblongis, vel ellip- ticis, imo cuneatis, apice longiuscule sensim acuminatis, acu- mine obtusiusculo calloso, integerrimis, margine cartilagineo rubello nitido revoluto, supra viridibus subopacis, costa ner- visque immersis sulcatis, subtus ferrugineo-pallidis; costa striata, nervis tenuibus venisque subprominulis, cavitate porosa versus axillas nervorum, aliisque minutis vagis; petiolo sub- tenui profunde canaliculato: panicula ramosa, terminali, pe- tiolo 8-plo longiore ; floribus parvulis, sessilibus in ramis sub- glomerulato-spicatis; sepalis villosis; petalis ovatis, paulo acutis, intus carinatis, sepalis 2-plo longioribus; staminibus, sepalis pistilloque wquilongis ; ovario glabro, vel pilis paucis in sulco ventrali munito; stylo brevi; stigmate clavato.—In montibus Organensibus prov. Rio de Janeiro, v. v, This species is near V. megaphylla, but has many distinet fea- tures. Its leaves are 4-5 inches long, 1#~2 inches broad, on a petiole 4-5 lineslong. The panicle is little more than an inch long; it has several alternate branches, 4-6 lines long, the lateral branchlets being extremely short or almost obsolete, each bearing three sessile flowers in its apex, which make the branches appear glomerate-spicate; the flowers expanded are smaller than any of the preceding. 8, Villaresia paniculata, nob.;—Leonia paniculata, Mart. hb. Bras. No. 420; DC. Prodr, viii. 669 (in adnot.) ;—Leretia paniculata, Mart. Flor. Bras. fase. xvii. p.17 in not. ;—foliis oblongis, basi attenuatis, apice obtusis vel acutis, coriaccis; nervis tertiariis vix distinctis; paniculis terminalibus, con- ee eee ee ee Mr. H. W, Bates on the Coleoptera of the Amazon Valley. 117 — tractis, folio brevioribus; drupa oblonga, 1-sperma,—In syl- vis prov. Rio de Janeiro. I have not seen this plant, which evidently is very closely allied to, if not identical with, one of the three last-named spe- cies. The size of the leaves is not given by DeCandolle, nor the characters of the flower; but its fruit and seed are completely those of V. mucronata. The calyx is said to be 5-partite, with puberulous ovate sepals; the drupe oblong and 1-seeded, the seed being plicated round the prominent longitudinal indurated placenta, which is enlarged by other two abortive cells, and projects far into the cavity of the fertile cell, the seed being suspended from its summit. The specimen, being fructiferous, appears to have had no flowers, as Prof. DeCandolle says of it, * flore ignoto.” XIV.—Contributions to an Insect Fauna of the Amazon Valley. Coxzorrera: Loneicornes. By H. W. Bares, Esq. [Continued from vol. viii. p. 478. ] Genus AiTHOMERUS. Thomson, Class, des Céramb. p. 338. Syn. Macronemus, Dej. Cat.; White, Cat. Char. emend. Body subcylindrical. Muzzle moderately broad, quadrate; front plane; antenniferous tubercles short, prominent, widely separated at their bases. Antenne naked, excessively elongated, in some species being five or six times the length of the body, capilliform ; the joints slightly increasing in length to the apex, the eleventh joint generally the longest ; the basal joint short, very slender at the base, abruptly enlarged into an ovate club. Palpi normal. Prothorax unituberculated on the sides. Elytra rounded at the tip. Femora clavate ; tarsal joints short. Prosternum greatly constricted between the large anterior cox. The sexes are not distinguishable, as in Longicornes gene- rally, by the relative length of the terminal antennal joint in most of the species; there is a sexual character, however, in the apical ventral segment, the ? having in that part a deeply im- pressed fovea. The genus was established on certain curious species which agreed in having greatly elongated and hair-like antenne, and strongly bowed fore tibie. I have extended the definition so as to embrace the Alphus Lacordairei of Dejean’s catalogue—an insect which differs from all other A/phi, including A. tuberosus of Germar, to which it has otherwise some resem- blance, in the curiously abrupt dilatation of the first antennal 418 =. ~“Mr, H.W. Bates on the Longicorn Coleoptera: . joint—a feature characteristic of the genus Aithomerus. Al. La- cordairei differs from the other species in having straight fore tibiee, and in having rather less elongated antennz, whose arti- culations are much shorter in the ? than in thes. The species are nocturnal in their habits. They are of rare occurrence, and are found in the daytime crouched on leaves,— 4. Lacordairei, however, being seen only closely adhering to decayed boughs. In those species which have strongly bowed fore tibize, the anterior femora are greatly enlarged and furnished on the inner side with a sharp ridge, which fits a corresponding groove along the tibie. In the crouching position, the fore legs are closely folded, the almost invisible antenneze laid backwards, and the whole insect assumes a rigid aspect, well calculated to deceive its enemies. 4. Lacordairei, on the other hand, possesses passive means of defence of quite a different character: its co- lours and markings give it a deceptive resemblance to a dead pupa covered with a fungous growth, such as is often seen ad- hering to trees in damp climates. The deception is perfect, the insect. having on each side of its body a large spot coloured and reticulated like a wing seen through the integument of a pupa. Thus we see here another instance of the widely different means Nature employs, within the same genus, to maintain the exist- ence of her specific forms. Every species exists by virtue of some endowment which enables it to triumph over the infinite diversity of adverse circumstances that surround it at all stages of its life. This concerns us here, inasmuch as the general principle has an important bearing upon the systematic arrange- ment of species, a knowledge of the fact that structures are adapted to the ends just mentioned being necessary to avoid errors in estimating their affinities. Longicornes are greatly subject to these adaptations, those parts of structure being mo- - dified, from species to species, on which we depend for the esta- blishment of genera, thus rendering, in this family, real generic definitions almost impossible. 1. Aithomerus antennator, Fabricius. Lamia antennator, Fab. Syst. Eleuth. ii, p. 288, 36, Ai. clongatus, tenuiter tomentosus, niger vel brunneus, variegatus : elytris inzequalibus, lineis tenuibus argenteo-albis inscriptis, basi elevatis, apud medium subnudis nitidulis. Mas segmento ultimo ventrali simplici: foemina eodem fovea magna impresso. Long. 33-43 lin. 5 Q. Head dark brown. Antenne pitchy brown, the apices of the joints paler. Thorax with two dorsal tubercles in a transverse line with the lateral ones, all four of equal size; the surface. punctured} dark brown or blackish, varied with hghter brown. of the Amazon Valleys». © 119 Elytra with short but strongly elevated and crested centro-basal ridges, the space between the two being also elevated and clothed with a silky fulvous-brown pile; the sides in the middle have each a very large depression: the surface of the elytra is punc- tate-granulate in rows, one of which runs straight along the disk on each side, continuous with the centro-basal ridge ; others are diverted out of their course by the lateral excavations, within which the surface is extremely irregular; the disk near the suture is irregularly punctured ; towards the apex are some eles vated lines; the disk is naked and shining: the colour is gene- rally nearly black, in some specimens silky brown of various shades ; there are also numerous very slender silvery-white lines, two of which, more conspicuous, oblique on the disk, form an inverted V. Body beneath and legs dark brown, covered with a slight pile, and varied with paler shades. Anterior femora dilated ; tibize curved and grooved on the inner side. Antenne capilliform. In the male the apical ventral segment is simple ; in the female it has a large deep transverse fovea near the apex: This species I met with at Para, at Obydos in Brazilian Guiana, and at Santarem ; it is found also at Cayenne. [I have received it from M. Depuiset, of Paris, as M. ruficornis, var. I think there can be no doubt it is the Lamia antennator of Fabricius ; his description (somewhat better than the Fabrician descriptions usually are) seems to suit our insect sufficiently well. I have thought it better to give a more detailed description, for the sake of fixing the Fabrician name with more precision. The white lines are faint or wanting in some examples. 2. Aithomerus rufescens, n. sp. 4. elongatus, tomentosus, brunneo-ferrugineus : elytris inzequalibus, basi elevatis, omnino brunneo-tomentosis: antennis pedibusque ferrugineis. Mas segmento ultimo ventrali apice fortiter bisinuato ; foemina latet. Long. 4 lin. 3. Head rufous brown. Thorax tuberculated as in 4. antennator, clothed with rusty-brown pile, faintly punctured. LElytra with short but strongly elevated and crested centro-basal ridges, the space between them being slightly elevated; the sides in the middle have each a very large depression; the surface of the elytra along the discal portion is impunctate, being clothed with pile, and there is no line of granulations in continuation of the centro-basal ridge: the strongly flexuous line along the disk is present, the lateral ones are broken and confused within the ex- cavation, as in 4. antennator ; the whole surface is rusty tomen- tose and opake ; there are indications of white lines in the same position as in the preceding species. Body beneath, legs, and antenne ferruginous red. ‘The apical ventral segment in the 120 Mr. H. W. Bates on the Longicorn Coleoptera male is strongly bisinuated at the tip. Anterior femora dilated ; tibiee curved and grooved within. Antenne capilliform. : Taken at Santarem. The distinctness of this species from the foregoing depends more upon the structure of the ventral apical segment than on the general colour and clothing, which seem to be variable in these species. 8. Atthomerus Lacordairei, n. sp. Af. subcylindricus, cano-tomentosus, fronte, vertice et thoracis yitta dorsali violaceo-brunneis: elytris utrinque apud humeros macula magna lineata alam mentiente instructis, in medio prope basin fuscis, apices versus canis tuberosis. Long. 6} lin. g 2. Head rather breader, and front more plane, than in the preeed- ing species ; epistome and cheeks hoary white, rest of the head dark brown ; antennz yellowish, partially clothed with fine hoary- white pile. Thorax somewhat rugose transversely; lateral tuber- cles acute, dorsal ones only slightly raised, hoary white, a broad stripe of a violet-brown colour down the centre. Elytra with the centro-basal ridges short, obtuse, punctate-granulate, chiefly in rows, but more confused in the middle towards the base; on each side near the shoulders is a large yellowish spot traversed by the rows of granulations, which are of a darker colour and varied by discoloured punctures in the interstices, the whole producing an imitation of a wing; the basal space between the two spots is blackish; the apical half of the elytra is hoary- white, tomentose, varied with dusky, and having white tubercles in rows continuous with the granulate punctures of the basal part. Body beneath and legs yellowish testaccous, clothed un- evenly with hoary-white tomentum. Fore femora and tibize simple. The antenne in the male are about three times, in the female about twice, the length of the body. Taken at various places on the Lower and Upper Amazons, closely clinging to dead boughs. As I have before stated, this species is the Alphus Lacordairei of Dejean’s Catalogue, accord- ing to French collections. Genus Myoxrnus (Dej. Cat.?), nov. gen. Head narrow across the vertex, the antenniferous tubercles being very prominent and directed upwards. Antenne simple, the basal joint pyriform-clavate, though somewhat slender, shorter than the third. TPalpi with their terminal joints slender and pointed, as in Lamiaires generally. Thorax with the sides furnished with a short simple spine, without conical tubercle ; the disk having three smal] acute tubercles. Elytra with short, strongly raised and abrupt, crested ccntro-basal ridges; their tips rounded. Mesosternum narrowed behind, but broader than eS ee ee ae ee P = a ae ca an of the Amazon Valley. 121 long, its front oblique and bituberculated. Prosternum simply rounded. The narrowness of the head across the vertex, and the con- sequent approximation of the antenniferous tubercles, which at the same time are very prominent, amply distinguish this genus _ from Acanthoderes, as well as from the following, Alphus. It has, in common with Alphus, the comparative slenderness of the basal joint of the antennz ; but this is more pyriform and shorter in comparison with the third in Myoxinus than in Alphus. The form of the thorax and the crested ridges of the elytra con- tribute to give the species a peculiar facies. The name was first given, in Dejean’s Catalogue, to an undescribed species; the genus has never been characterized; the species to which the generic name was applied I have seen in collections, and it appears different from the one I took; both belong, however, decidedly to the same genus. M. Thomson (Classif. des Céram- bycides, p. 337) unites the genus to Alphus. It is more nearly allied to Alphus than to any other genus; but I think the characters given above will show that it should be separated from it. Myoxinus pictus, Erichson. Acanthoderes pictus, Erichs. Conspect. Ins. Peruan. p. 144. I took this species at Ega and St. Paulo. It is sluggish in its motions, and is found on dead branches of trees, to the bark of which the insect is assimilated in colours. I have nothing to add to the excellent description given by Erichson in the place quoted. Genus ALPruus, Thomson, Thomson, Classif. des Cérambye. p. 10. M. Thomson notices the shape of the basal joint of the an- tenne, but, I think, not with sufficient detail to show the differ- ence in that respect between this genus and its allies. In Alphus this joint is very gradually thickened, and is nearly equal in size to the third; therefore it is not pyriform in shape, as is the rule in the Acanthoderite. The genus differs from Myovinus in the greater breadth of the head across the crown ; the head, however, is much narrower than it is in Acanthoderes and the allied genera; the muzzle also is much more obtuse. The genus, in fact, forms a connecting link between the Acanthoderite and the Acantho- cinite, the chief character of the latter group being the great length of the basal joint of the antenna, which exceeds that of the third. The other characters of Alphus which require men- tion are the sockets of the fore haunches, which in most of the species are angulated exteriorly ; the fore tarsi, which are not dilated in the male; and the mesosternum, which is much nar- 122 Mr, H. W. Bates on the Longicorn Coleoptera rowed behind, as in Myoxinus. As the genus is very imperfectly known at present, I add a list of all the described species, in- cluding those introduced in the present memoir. 1. A. leuconotus, Thoms. Classif. p. 10, = sedlatus, Dej. Cat. see, Chevrolat. South Brazil. 2. A. pubicornis, Serville. South Brazil. Oreodera pubicornis, Serv. Ann. Soe. Ent. Fr. iv. p. 21. AEigomorphus pubicornis, White, Cat. Long, Col. Brit. Mus. 8, A. centrolineatus, n.sp. Amazons and Venezuela. 4. A. senilis, n. sp. Amazons. 5. A. scutellaris, n. sp. Amazons. 6. A. canescens (Dej. Cat. ?), n. sp.* South Brazil, 7. A. tuberosus, Germar. Lamia tuberosa, Germ. Ins. Sp. nov. p. 477. 8. A. subsellatus, White. Alphus subsellatus, White, Cat. Long. Col. Brit. Mus. p. 375. The Aidilis griseofasciata of Serville, included by White in this genus, does not belong to it. Its proper position, as shown by the length of the basal joint of the antennz and other cha- racters, is amongst the Acanthocinite. @ 1. Alphus centrolineatus, n. sp. A, oblongus, modice convexus, fusco-ferrugineus, tomentosus, pilis cervinis passim vestitus: thorace fusco bilineato : elytris punctatis, punctis setiferis, apice oblique truncatis, apud medium linea abbre- viata, suturali, communi, fusca ornatis. Long. 5 lin. d 9. Head moderately broad, tomentose. Antenne in both sexes half as long again as the body, dull ferruginous, spotted with hoary tomentum, pubescent, more densely so beneath than above ; the terminal joints more slender and less hairy than the pre- ceding. Thorax with large lateral tubercles, and two impunctate obtuse dorsal ones, the interstices coarsely punctured: on each side of the upper surface is a longitudinal dark brown line. Elytra punctured throughout ; the punctures closer and granu- lated towards the base, each furnished with a short blackish * Alphus canescens, n. sp.—Oblongus, antice leviter attenuatus, tomento cinereo-olivascente vestitus. Caput parvum, fronte inter antennas concava. Antenne corpore duplo longiores, infra dense ciliate, canescentes, articulorum apicibus nigris. Thorax grosse punctatus, supra breviter tricarinatus. Elytra grosse irregulariter punctata, olivascentia, apud medium canescentia, apicibus breviter truncatis, carinis centro-basalibus parum elevatis postice prolongatis. Subtus niger, pilis cinereis yestitus. Pedes cimereo-pubescentes. Long. 7 lin. Rio Janeiro, oe : _ of the Amazon Valley. 128 bristle: the centro-basal ridges are scarcely indicated: the sur- face is dull ferruginous, tomentose, with a few streaks of hoary colour; in the middle of the suture is a short, abruptly limited, dark-brown line. Body beneath black, thinly clothed with hoary pile. Legs ferruginous, clothed with similar pile and also with long pale hairs. The elytra in the male taper towards the apex, which is obliquely truncated, the outer angle being slightly produced ; in the female, the elytra are of equal breadth, and are obtusely rounded towards the tips, which are simply truncated obliquely. This species, which is nearly allied to 4. pubicornis, Serv., of Rio Janeiro, I found at Obydos, in Brazilian Guiana, on de- cayed branches. I have a specimen, 2, also from Venezuela. 2. Alphus senilis, n. sp. A, oblongus, tomento cano-olivascente vestitus: thorace punctato, tuberibus lateralibus productis, dorsalibus tribus acutis: elytris ulato-punctatis, fasciculis pilorum ornatis, apice singulatim rotundatis, regione scutellari fusca. Long. 8 lin. Head punctate, tomentose, slightly depressed between the an- tenne. Antenne half as long again as the body, ashy ; the tips of the joints blackish. Thorax with very acute prolonged lateral ad and three acute and prominent dorsal ones arranged in a triangle; the surface closely punctured. Elytra oblong, mode- rately convex, rounded at the tips; the centro-basal ridges pro- minent, crested with tubercles, the scutellar space between them very thickly impressed with large, regular, oblong punctures ; this space is of a dusky or brown colour ; the rest of the surface is olive-ashy, coarsely granulate-punctate; each elytron has three indistinct incomplete longitudinal ribs, and along each of these is an interrupted row of small fascicles of hair. Body beneath and legs clothed with hoary tomentum. ery - On dead branches, Obydos and Para. 8. Alphus scutellaris, n. sp. A, oblongus, tomentosus, cinereus, thorace brunneo, spatio triangu- Jari apud scutellum violaceo-brunneo : thorace punctato, tuberibus lateralibus productis acutis, dorsalibus tribus obtusis: elytris gra- nulato-punctatis, fasciculis parvis pilorum ornatis, apice singulatim rotundatis. Long. 4} lin. Head punctured, tomentose. Antenne half as long again as the body, ashy; tips of the joints blackish. Thorax with very acute-pointed lateral tubercles, two obtuse dorsal ones, and a third behind, smaller, also obtuse; the surface coarsely punctured, pubescent and brown in colour. Elytra with moderately raised crested centro-basal ridges, the scutellar space between them 124 Dr. A, Giinther on new Species of Snakes densely and regularly punctured, violet-brown in colour; the rest of the surface is ashy-white, sparingly punctured; each elytron has two or three incomplete raised lines, along each of which is a row of very small linear pencils of dark-coloured hair. Body beneath and legs black, clothed with ashy pile. This species I found at Caripi, near Para. It is closely allied to the preceding, and is probably a variety of it; but its much smaller size, different coloration and punctation, give it so di- stinct a character that, in the absence of connecting links, lam | obliged to treat it as a separate species. The present genus terminates the succession of generic forms which lead from the Acanthoderes type to that of Acanthocinus and Leiopus. I shall now return to a series of forms which ap- pear to have branched off from Acanthoderes, especially from those species resembling Pteridotelus in general structure. [To be continued. ] XV.—On new Species of Snakes in the Collection of the British Museum. By Dr. Abert Ginruer. [Concluded from p. 59.] NatRix. Physiognomy entirely that of Tropidonotus. Body stout, ey- lindrical ; belly rounded ; tail rather long. Temple shields of moderate size. Scales smooth, in 19 rows, without apical groove; anal entire, subcaudals two-rowed. Teeth of equal length, not grooved, of moderate length. . Natria levissima. Pl. IX. fig. 4. - We have employed for this new genus an old name well adapted for the snakes of the family of Natricide, but entirely abandoned by later herpetologists, and superseded by that of Tropidonotus. The present species has so completely the phy- siognomy of Tropidonotus, that we may be justified in giving a very short description. The anterior frontals are small, triangular, somewhat pointed anteriorly; two nasals, nostril between; a large loreal ; one anterior and two posterior oculars ; six rhombic temporals, the anterior in contact with the lower ocular only ; eight upper labials, the eye over the fourth, the fifth slightly entering the orbit. Scales quite smooth, rhombic, in 19 rows, Ventrals 175; anal 1; subcaudals 76. Upper and lateral parts uniform blackish ash; ground-colour of the abdomen yellowish ; a blackish band commences at the throat, and, gradually be- coming broader and more irregular, covers nearly entirely the a ee ‘aa “bee ba es, et Oe le ee el a i eile ea a in the Collection of the British Museum. 125 ventral and subcaudal plates, leaving only their narrow outer edges yellowish. Length of the head 1 inch, of the trunk 24, of the tail 9. . _ This snake is probably from the East Indies. _ Spilotes Salvini. PI. IX. fig. 5.° Scales in 19 rows, slightly keeled ; one anterior and two pos- terior oculars ; eight upper labials, the fourth and fifth of which enter the orbit, the sixth very small, triangular, not quite so large as the fourth, the seventh the largest; one anterior and two posterior temporals, the anterior not much larger than, and in contact with, the oculars; the lower posterior temporal is in contact with the seventh and eighth labials, but not with the front temporal. Ilead rather thick ; neck and tail slender ; body compressed. Rostral rounded, rather small; anterior frontals half as large as the posterior; vertical five-sided, with the posterior angle slightly obtuse, not twice as long as broad; occipitals obtusely rounded behind, as long as the vertical; the anterior ocular just reaching to the corner of the vertical; loreal square. Scales on the anterior part of the body much imbricate, in very oblique rows, those of the vertebral line of the anterior part of the body larger than the rest ; each scale with two grooves at the apex. Ventral plates 215; anal entire; subcaudals 130. All the maxillary teeth of equal length. Ground-colour yellow, with broad black cross-bands, which are more regular and distinct from the ground-colour on the posterior half of the body than on the anterior, where they are more confluent, and many scales within the bands remain entirely or partly yellow. Each scale of the yellow interspaces has a black tip. ach shield of the head with black margins; occipitals black, with some symme- trical small yellow spots; suture of the eighth and seventh upper - labials black. Lower parts yellow, many of the plates with black margins. © This species was discovered by O. Salvin, Esq., at Ezabal (Guatemala). Zamenis gracilis. Habit slender. Yellowish-olive, with a single series of large brown round spots edged with black, along the anterior half of the body; the spots become indistinct posteriorly, and only the black edges continue to form cross-bars on the back, being merely spots on the tail; head with two brown black-edged cross-bands, the anterior between the eyes, the posterior on the crown of the head, forming an acute angle on the vertical; the brown spot on the neck is produced forward within the limbs of the band across the crown ; an irregular series of black spots on 126 Dr, A. Giinther on new Species of Snakes each side of the belly, which is uniform yellow. Scales smooth, in 21 series. Upper labials 9, the fifth and sixth coming into the orbit; two anteridr and two posterior oculars; occipitals rounded posteriorly, without larger scale behind, Head rather narrow; body and tail elongate. Rostrai shield moderate; the upper anterior ocular is in contact with the vertical ; the lower is small, apparently a separate portion of the fourth upper labial; the sixth labial forms the lower third of the posterior margin of the orbit. Temporal shields small, scale-like, in four transverse series; the front series is composed of two shields which are in contact with the oculars. The posterior pair of chin-shields are separated from each other by inter- mediate scales. ‘Two very indistinct grooves at the apex of the scales (invisible in numerous scales). Ventral shields 219; anal bifid ; subcaudals 120, Length of head 7 lines, of trunk 17 inches, of tail 8 inches. I have mentioned this species as var. B. of Zamenis ventri- maculatus (Colubr. Sn. p. 106), expressing my doubts as to its being distinct from it, Having found other specimens in the museum at Fort Pitt, said to have come from Western India (Kurrachee), I can no longer hesitate in considering them as a separate species. There are five specimens in the British Museum. Psammophis teniata. . Allied to Ps. sibilans, but having only one anterior temporal in contact with the oculars. Anterior ocular not reaching to the vertical. Yellowish olive, with four green longitudinal bands edged with black ; labial shields without any markings. — - Specimens of this snake have been known to me for several years; but I hesitated to consider it as a distinct species until lately, when I had an opportunity of examining several others - in the Fort Pitt Museum: they quite agree with those in the British Museum, and also come from India, very probably from the western parts. Phragmitophis tricolor. Herpetodryas tricolor, Schleg. = Cyclophis tricolor, Gthr., differs so much in its, physiognomy from the other species of either of the genera to which it has been referred, that it will be better to establish for it a separate genus, for which I pro- pose the name of Phragmitophis. The technical character by which it may be distinguished from Cyclophis is—loreal none, united with the posterior frontal. Cyclophis, Phragmitophis, Dryocalamus, and Hydrophobus form a separate group in the family of Dryadidz, which approaches the Calamaride and Coronellide, either by having some shields Se ae te al in the Collection of the British Museum, 127 of the head united, or by the body being moderately elongate, surrounded by not numerous series of scales. The last of the genera mentioned appears to be undescribed, ° Hyproruosus. Head slightly depressed, broader than the neck; body and tail moderately slender, compressed, the ventral shields being angularly bent on the sides; loreal distinct, two anterior and two posterior oculars ; one nasal, pierced by the nostril. Scales in thirteen rows, smooth, short, rounded, with a single groove at the apex. Teeth equal in length, smooth. Hydrophobus semifasciatus. Pl, IX, fig. 6. - Shields of the upper surface of head regular ; anterior frontals more than half the size of the posterior; vertical five-sided ; oecipitals rounded behind, much longer than vertical; rostral broader than high ; loreal square, the upper ocular does not reach to the vertical. Seven upper labials, the third and fourth en- tering the orbit. Six small temporals, that on the side of the hind portion of the occipital being elongate, twice the size of the others ; two are in contact with the oculars. Two pairs of chin- shields, the anterior being thrice the size of the posterior, The chin-shields are in contact with five pairs of lower labials. Back of the trunk broad, rounded, Ventral shields 232, anal bifid, subcaudals 84. The ground-colour is pure white; back of trunk and tail erossed by fifty dark-brown bands, which are much broader than the interspaces between them, and do not extend downwards to the yentral shields. Upper part of the head brown to the posterior half of the occipital. Length of head 3 lines, of trunk 75 lines, of tail 27 lines. ' A single specimen (locality unknown) has been presented by T. C. Eyton, Esq. Philodryas Reinhardtii. Prof. Reinhardt (Vidensk, Medd. naturh. Foren, Kjébenh. 1860, p. 224) refers Philodryas viridissimus to those snakes the scales of which are provided with two grooves at the apex, whilst Dr. Wucherer of Bahia describes those scales as one-grooved (Proc. Zool. Soe. 1861, Dec, 10.), I was induced by these contradictory statements to examine fifteen specimens of this snake, and found that those from Guiana had two-grooved scales. and those from Brazil one-grooved. This led to a closer exami- nation and search for other accompanying characters, whereby I was fully convinced that two species are confounded under the name Ph, viridissimus, The northern species (Pl, IX, fig. 8) has. 128 Dr. A. Giinther on new Species of Snakes the body much more compressed, and the ventral shields di- stinctly keeled ; the scales on the middle of the trunk are rather short, rounded behind, two-grooved; the rostral shield is more depressed, considerably broader than high; six pairs of lower labial shields are in contact with the chin-shields. Ventral shields 228, subcaudals 128. This is the true Philodryas (Coluber) viridissimus of Linné, who states Surinam to be its native country, and 217 ventral and 122 subcaudal shields. The southern species (PI. IX. fig. 7) has the body more rounded, and no trace of a keel on the ventrals; the scales on the middle of the trunk are lanceolate, one-grooved; the rostral shield (in fact, the whole snout) is more elevated, as high as broad; five pairs of lower labial shields are in contact with the chin-shields. Ventral shields 191-196, subcaudals 108-110. All the five spe- cimens of this species which I have examined are from Brazil (two from Bahia); and I name it after Prof. J. Reinhardt in acknowledgment of his having been the first who introduced this important character into science. Prof. Reinhardt enumerates the isolated instances in which the dots have been observed by herpetologists (p. 220) ; Dendrophis punctulata must be added to them, the grooves having been observed by Dr. Gray, who named this species after the ‘ black dots” visible at the tip of each scale (King’s ‘ Australia’ ii. App. p. 482). The grooves in this species are more distinct than in any other I have seen, being quite of a black colour. Dromicus mentalis. Pl. IX. fig. 9. Scales smooth, in nineteen rows, with two distinct grooves at the apex. Upper labials seven, the third and fourth entering the orbit ; loreal square. Only five pairs of lower labials are in contact with the chin-shields. Five scale-like temporals. Rostral shield oblique, much broader than high, just reaching the upper surface of the crown. Anterior frontals half the size of the posterior, Vertical oblong, with the lateral edges nearly parallel, much shorter than the occipitals, which are slightly rounded behind. The single anterior ocular extends to the upper surface of the crown ; two posterior oculars. The anterior tem- poral shield, which is not much larger than the posterior ones, is in contact with the lower ocular, and very slightly with the upper. Ventral shields 189; anal bifid; subcaudals 112. — Ground-colour brownish olive; a black band from the eye running backwards and joining a black horseshoe-like band on the nape of the neck. A series of large black rhombic spots on the anterior part of the trunk, partly confluent into a zigzag band ; they become less distinct posteriorly, the hind part of the trunk and the tail being nearly uniform blackish brown, with irregular SS ae | OE tae a a 8 se ET ARE EN SE VR in the Collection of the British Museum 129 lighter spots. Lower parts of the head and cach of the 50 anterior ventral shields with one, two, or three triangular black spots ; the posterior ventrals and the subcaudals being uniform brown. This is a West Indian Snake; but from what island, we cannot say. It is readily distinguished by the shields of thehead. D. antillensis and D. rufodorsatus have six pairs of lower labials in contact with the chin-shields, Ruamnoputs (Dendrophide). _ Scales smooth, with a single groove at the apex, those of the vertebral and outer series very large, the others very narrow ; ventral shields slightly keeled. Eyes very large. Posterior maxillary teeth very large and compressed. Rhamnophis ethiopissa. Plate X. Scales in 17 rows, those of the vertebral series elongate, irre- gularly six-sided. Head thick, snout as long as the eye; shields of the head regular; posterior frontals not much larger than the anterior; vertical large, broad anteriorly, tapering behind ; occipitals rounded, not much longer than vertical. Nasal divided, loreal oblong ; anterior ocular high, in contact with the vertical ; two narrow posterior oculars ; eight upper labials, the fourth and fifth entering the orbit ; one large temporal, in contact with both oculars ; two scales, larger than the others on the neck, behind the temporal ; three pairs of chin-shields, the middle twice the size of the anterior, the hind pair divergent. Ventrals 175; anal bifid ; subcaudals 152. Bluish green, iridescent, each scale with a black margin; the green passes into yellow on the tail, and forms there narrow lines along the series of scales. ‘Two blackish spots on the occiput, and a black line through the eye. Length of head nine lines, of trunk 24 inches, of tail 12 inches, West Africa. Diemansia cucullata. Scales in thirteen rows ; upper labials six, the third and fourth forming the lower edge of the orbit, the second labial in contact with the posterior frontal; rostral broad, low, very obtuse superiorly ; shields of the head regular, all more or less rounded posteriorly and slightly imbricate ; vertical twice as long as broad ; one anterior and two posterior oculars ; one temporal is in con- tact with the lower ocular, four or five scale-like temporals behind. 176 ventrals, 1 bifid anal, 47 subcaudals. - Brownish black, belly marbled with a lighter tint; the snout and the lateral parts of the head are greyish, punctulated with black ;. Ann. § May. N, Hist. Ser. 3, Vol, ix. 9 130 . Dr. A, Giinther on new Species of Snakes the crown of the head is black, and is united with the back by a narrow band of the same colour, running along the median line of the neck ; neck with an oblong light-greyish spot on each side of the band. Lower jaws brown, marbled with a lighter tint, — The single specimen sent by Mr. Krefft from the neighbour- hood of Sydney is not in a good condition, half-dried, and appa- rently immature ; it is nine inches long, Diemansia torquata. “Pl. IX. fig. 10. Scales in fifteen rows, smooth. Brownish olive, each scale with a short white line at the basal portion of its outer margin; skin between the scales black ; a brownish-black streak, edged with yellow, across the rostral shield and the loreal region, extendin to the orbit. Posterior oculars yellow ; a yellow streak ed with black from the eye to the angle of the mouth, continued into another similar band across the neck; another yellowish cross-band at some distance behind the former; the space be- tween the two cross-bands dark brown, the whole forming a collar. Chin yellowish, marbled with grey ; belly shining grey, a blackish band along the middle of the anterior half of the belly ; tail reddish olive posteriorly. Head flat; loreal replaced by the conjunction of four shields, as in the typical species ; six upper labials, the third and fourth entering the orbit; two anterior temporals, the upper in con- tact with the lower postocular, the lower intercalated between the fifth and sixth labials. Scales without groove at the apex. Ven- tral plates 206; anal bifid; subcaudals 84. Length of the head 7 lines, of the trunk 16 inches, of the tail 6 inches. | Habitat.—Percy Islands. Hoplocephalus temporalis, PI. IX. fig. 11. Scales in nineteen rows ; six upper labials, the second of which is pointed above, the third truncated; temporal shields small, numerous, in three series ; two temporals are in contact with the post-orbitals, and a third below is intercalated between the two posterior labials. Description.—Body stout, thick ; tail rather short ; head short and broad, distinct from neck; eye small, pupil subelliptical. Rostral shield triangular, nearly as high as broad, rounded above ; anterior frontals small, broader than long, posterior frontals of moderate size, rounded posteriorly; vertical five-sided, much longer than broad, with parallel outer edges, and a pointed pos-- terior angle; occipitals of moderate size; two posterior oculars, one anterior just reaching to the upper surface of the head; the postfrontal, nasal, ante-orbital and second upper labial meet at. in the Collection of the British Museum. 181 a point and replace the loreal. Six upper labials; the first is lower than the following, the third and fourth enter the orbit; The chief character by which the species may be readily distin- guished is the increased number of temporal shields, as stated above. Scales round the neck small. Chin-shields of nearly equal size ; several scales between the hinder chin-shields and the first ventral; 129-132 ventrals, 1 anal, 835-37 subcaudals; a series of four teeth behind the grooved front tooth. Uniform olive-brown or chestnut-brown above, uniform yellowish below. The five specimens in the British Museum are from South Australia (locality unknown); the longest (adult female) is 20 inches, - the head being ? inch and the tail 23 inches long, It feeds on frogs. Hoplocephalus nigrescens, Pl. IX. fig. 12. Scales in fifteen rows; six upper labials, the second of which is pointed above, the third truncated. Uniform blackish olive above ; ventral shields whitish, blackish on the sides; the entire head, superiorly and inferiorly, of the same colour as the back. Description.—Body rather elongate, rounded ; tail somewhat short, not distinct from trunk ; head oblong, depressed, hardly distinct from neck ; eye small, pupil subelliptical. Rostral shield very broad and low, and very obtuse superiorly ; anterior frontals moderate, broader than long, rounded in front ; posterior frontals rather large, five-sided, each with two hinder edges forming toge- ther a right angle; vertical six-sided, longer than broad, with ee outer edges, an obtuse angle in front, and a pointed one ehind ; occipitals oblong, obtusely rounded behind ; superci- liary moderate ; two posterior oculars, one anterior just reaching to the upper surface of the head; the postfrontal, nasal, ante- orbital and second upper labial meet at a point and replace the loreal ; six upper labials : the first is very low, situated below the nasal, the third and fourth enter the orbit; front series of tem- porals formed by two shields, one of which is in contact with the postorbitals. Chin-shields of nearly equal size, several scales between the hinder chin-shields and the first ventral, 173 ven- trals, 1 anal, 37 subcaudals ; the median line of the upper part of the tail is occupied by a series of large hexagonal scales ; a series of small teeth behind the grooved front-tooth. Length of the cleft of mouth 5 lines, of the tail 25 lines ; total length 153 inches. This species was discovered by Mr. G, Krefft, n the environs of Sydney. Callophis nigrescens. Upper parts dark-blackish ash, lower uniform whitish ; head with symmetrical black markings, one of which descends from Q* 132 M..W. Lilljeborg on two remarkable Crustacea the occipital to the angle of the mouth (as in C. trimaculatus) } a black horseshoe-like collar, with the convexity directed forward ; a black line runs from the collar to the tip of the tail, along the vertebral series of scales ; a series of roundish black spots, in- distinctly edged with white, along each side of the anterior part of the trunk. Tail coloured like the body, without black rings. Upper labials seven. Thirty inches long. Two specimens, from the Fort Pitt Col- lection, are in the British Museum. ‘They are said to be from British India, locality unknown. : P.S.—Elapomorphus mexicanus and Hydrophobus semifasciatus (Pl. IX. figs. 1 & 6) are represented twice their natural size. Add to the first list Zretanorhinus variabilis, from Cuba, which has lately been received through the kindness of Prof. Peters. This raises the total number of species in the British Museum to 612, which are represented by more than 4100 spe- cimens. According to a statement of Prof. A. Duméril (Arch. Mus. ix. 1857), the Paris Collection contains 528 species. XVI.—An Account of two remarkable Crustacea of the Order Cladocera. By W. Litisesore*, [Plate VIIJ.] Tur two Cladocera which I am about to describe are of so remarkable a structure, that I have not thought myself justified in delaying their description, as I had previously intended, until Thad an opportunity of issuing a continuation of my treatise on the Cladocera, Ostracoda, and Copepoda. Both are found in our fresh waters, and are widely disseminated. Baron G. C. Ceder- strém, to whom, in this branch of knowledge, we are so greatly indebted, first drew my attention to the one species, and also transmitted to me specimens of the other. The former differs so widely from all Cladocera hitherto known as to form a separate family ; but the latter belongs to the Polyphemidz, although in some respects it strikingly deviates from the other members of that family. That the former has not previously been noticed may be ascribed to the circumstance that it is so transparent as to be seen only with difficulty, although it is larger than any other Cladocera,—on which account it may well be contained in a glass of water without being seen, even with the aid of a lens. The other seems to be very rare, and probably has its abode in deep water. * From ‘ Ofversigt af Kong. Vet. Akad. Forhandl.’ Read May 16, 1860, eae of the Order Cladocera: =~ | 138 Leptodora* hyalina, nov. gen. et sp. Corpus eiongatum, teretiusculum, testa vel cute tenuissima, hyalina, in segmenta 6-7 divisa obtectum. Caput longum, conico-obtu- satum, rostro carens, supra postice gibbum et area ephippiiformi punctata preeditum, et altius quam thorax positum, ita ut postice deorsum inflexum et sub angulo fere recto cum thorace conjunctum sit. Margo anterior thoracis, ubi pedes sunt adfixi, una cum margine inferiore capitis angulum fere rectum format. Ad mar- - ginem posteriorem et superiorem segmenti thoracici postremi apud specimina adulta feminina adest saccus magnus oviferus, vel “ ma- trix,” quee exit ex apertura inter hoc segmentum et segmentum abdominale primumt. Abdomen longum, segmentis quinque, ramis caudalibus exceptis, compositum. Cauda postice divisa et ramos duos supra aculeatos gerens. Corpus totum valde hyalinum, et aqua vix obscurius est, qua de caussa hoc animal ceteris Clado- _ ceris pulchritudine excellit, eo magis quia oculus nitore insigni preestat. Antennz primi paris breves, ad apicem papilliferee, in latere inferiore capitis prope oculum insite. Antenne secundi paris, sive remi, maxime, trunco magnitudine in- solita insigni, ramorum quadriarticulatorum altcr 28, alter 29 setas ciliatas gerens. Apud specimina juniora una vel altera seta deest. : Mandibulee apicem versus attenuate, apice unguiformi et prope eum denticulis duobus et aculeo mobili preeditee. Maxillee desunt. Pedes elongati, prehensiles, ut maxillee servientes minimeque bran- chiales, setis armati, et plerumque quadriarticulati; sex paria, quorum par primum longissimum. Secundum ad quartum par fere eequalia, anteriora tantummodo sequentibus paulo longiora. Quintum par antecedentibus multo brevius, et sextum par omnium brevissimum et tantum articulis duobus constans. Labrum magnum et crassum, valde retractile et os obtegens. La- bium ramis corneis corroboratum. (£sophagus tenuissimus et longissimus, ad extremitatem ventricularem claustro cardiaco in- structus, semperque motus peristalticos preebens. Ventriculus in extremitate posteriore corporis (in segmento antepenultimo et _penultimo) situs, ab cesophago distinctus et quam hic multo cras- sior, parictibus sat crassis preeditus, et fere ad anum sphincteribus constrictum porrectus. . Cor perspicuum, in parte dorsali thoracis situm, suturis et rimis, quarum posteriores sese perspicue pro sanguine aperientes, de- lineatum, et antice in vas sanguiferum productum. Ovaria duo, in segmento primo et secundo vel etiam tertio abdominis sita, in cellulas septis pro ovis disjunctas dispertita. Ova in serie simplici, saltem interdum, posita sunt, et eorum latitudo 0°06 mill. Genus masculinum miuime vidi, neque feminas pullos in matrice * From Aemros, tenuis, and dopa, pellis. + In sacco ovifero ova tantummodo tria vidi. 184 M.W. Lilljeborg on two remarkable Crustacea portantes. Apud specimina juniora matricem minimam observa- vimus. Ova in matrice semper serie simplici posita fuerunt. Oculus magnus, ex magno numero oculorum simplicium compositus, partem anteriorem capitis explens, pigmento fusco-nigro. Pone oculum videmus ganglia cephalica coalita, alterum pone alterum positum, anteriore naturam ganglii ophthalmici preebente. E parte posteriore exit nervus, qui postea in duos nervos, qui cesophagum ad latera circumdant, divisus est. Interdum hic nervus ab initio est divisus. Motus saltatorius, non celeritate insignis. Victus ex animalculis constat. Pullos Cyclopum prehensos pedibus Leptodore vidi. Longitudo corporis cum ramis caudalibus circ. 8 millim. From the long cylindrical form of the body, the numerous natatory bristles on the second pair of antennz, and more especially the long and narrow cesophagus, together with the distinct ventricles, situated in the hinder extremity of the body, and from the situation of the ovarium, Leptodora is distin- guished from all other Cladocera. With the Polyphemide it agrees in not having the body covered with an arched shield, but differs in its long cylindrical form. This family appears, however, to come the nearest to it, on account of the absence of the arched shield, the form of the mandibles, and the absence of a branchial appendage to the legs; and, altogether, it would seem that the here-described Bythotrephes, Leydig, by reason of its long legs and long-extended abdomen, the most nearly resembles it. But the Sida or Daphnella brachyura resembles it most in the form of the head. I have not found in any Cladocer that the digestive canal bore any sign of transition to the form here described; but in the Rotatoria we sometimes find a similar long and narrow cesophagus, with a distinet sto- mach. The ovaria also bore some resemblance to those in the Rotatoria. In younger individuals (PI. VIII. fig. 2) the abdomen had only four segments besides the caudal branches, while in older ones there were five. The Leptodora moves with a long horizontal spring, but is not-remarkably quick. Its extraordinary transparency makes it, while living, a particularly interesting object for observation. The first time I took it, and placed the vessel in which it was kept in the sunshine, I was unable to see the animal itself, but its shadow only, when it moved. Baron Cederstrém took it in a lake at Bolltorp, in East Goth- land ; also in the Ring Lake, in Scania. I have myself taken it in the last-mentioned place ; also in the Malar Lake, where it is pretty numerous. But it is only found in pure water, and at a long distance from the land. of the Order Cladocera. ~ 185 Bythotrephes longimanus, Leydig. Naturgeschichte der Daphniden, p. 244. figs. 73-75. Corporis forma Polyphemo sat similis, abdomine vero magis evoluto et — ad apicem setam maximam et longissimam gerente, et pedum pari primo maximo. Caput omnino capiti Polyphemi simile, paulo deflexum. Organum adfigendi (Leuckart) deest. ‘Matrix sive saccus oviferus maximus, supra thoracem situs, et an- tice vergens. Abdomen pone matricem porrectum et segmentis tribus compositum. Segmentum ultimum setam caudalem con- . tinuam maximam, corpore pluries longiorem gerit. Apud fe- minam adultam hee seta duas dilatationes annulares teste bi- aculeatas preebet. Infra basin hujus setee est fissura analis, et ad fissuree latera aculeus validus. Antenne primi paris minutee, processui communi adfixee et papillas tres vel quatuor portantes. Antenne secundi paris magne, birames, ramo uno tribus, et altero quatuor segmentis, quorum primo brevissimo, composito, Ramus _ trisegmentatus setis ciliatis septem, quarum segmentum primum et secundum unam, et tertium quinque setas gerit. Ramus quadri- segmentatus setis ciliatis octo, quarum segmentum secundum unam, tertium duas, et quartum quinque setas gerit. Mandibulee 0°045 mill. longze, ad apicem inferiorem bipartitee, parte una aculeis mobilibus vel setis, et altera parte dentibus vel proces- sibus acuminatis tribus, quorum uno minimo, armata. Maxillee duze, minutze, lobuliformes, pone os et mandibulas posite, antice vergentes, parte interiore crassiore et aculeis instructa, et parte exteriore apice setifero.. Pedum quatuor paria, omnia prehensilia, ad apicem setis aculeatis armata minimeque branchifera. Pedes primi paris maximi, et ceteris multo longiores, segmentis quatuor compositi, setisque majoribus apicalibus quatuor instructi. Hz sete ad marginem - posteriorem aculeos mobiles portant. Testa segmenti basalis ad marginem inferiorem et exteriorem processum parvum emittit. _ Segmentum secundum intus processum acutum et postice setas sex vel septem, quarum. duas ad apicem inferiorem, gerit, et seg- mentum tertium duabus setis posterioribus instructum est. Pedes secundi et tertii paris, qui etiam segmentis quatuor compositi sunt, ad latus interius segmenti secundi appendicem aculeis apica- libus instructam habent, et quatuor setas majores apicales por- ' tant. Pedes quarti paris brevissimi, tantum biarticulati, seg- mento ultimo setis pluribus, saltem 6 vel 7, quarum una in pro- cessu brevissimo posita, instructo. Labrum magnum, processibus duobus, quorum posterior latior et magis obtusus et ad apicem setosus est. Tubus intestinalis sim- plex et simili modo atque apud Polyphemum formatus. Cor magnum et fere quadrangulum. Motus motui Polyphemi similis, sed ob setam magnam caudalem, quee impedimento est, minus velox. Longitudo corporis ad basin sete caudalis circ. 1-1]? millim. 186. = M.W. Lilljeborg on two remarkable Crustacea, With regard to its structure, Bythotrephes has the greatest affinity to the genera Polyphemus, Podon, and Evadne, and evidently belongs to the same group. From the first two, which it most nearly resembles, it differs in its more perfect abdomen and long caudal bristle. From Evadne it deviates even more widely. It appears to be very rare. Baron Cederstrém took a few specimens in the lakes in Jemtland and in Wombs Lake, in Scania, which were communicated to me; and I have myself taken a solitary specimen in the Malar Lake, near Flottsund. Of this I noticed that it remained at the bottom of the vessel in which it was contained, in consequence of the long caudal bristle being a hindrance to it in swimming. It is therefore probable that, in its free state, it abides less in proximity to the surface of the water than the Polyphemus, and that it is from this cause that it is so seldom obtained. F. Leydig found it in the stomach of Coregonus ‘Wartmanni, taken in the Lake of Constance, in Switzerland. He did not succeed in procuring one alive, whence he supposes that it dwells near the bottom. EXPLANATION OF PLATE VIII. Fig. 1. Leptodora hyalina; a full-grown female, seen from above and somewhat from the side: 6, the antenna of the second pair; k, matrix. | Fig. 2. A younger female, seen from the side: a, an antenna of the first pair; 5, base of an antenna of the second pair; f, gullet; g, sto- mach; h, heart; 7, ovaria; k, matrix; /, head-ganglia. Fig. 3. One antenna of the first pair. Fig. 4. Both branches of one antenna of the second pair. fig. 5. One mandible seen under a glass cover. Fig. 6. Upper lip lifted up (d), under lip (e), and both mandibles in their natural position. Fig. 7. Ovarium. 4 Fig. 8. The front of the body, seen from above, to show the muscles pass- ing to the second pair of antenne: a, antenne of the first pair ; Ff, guilet; , heart; m, the nerve-cord, passing from the back ganglion of the head, which behind separates and encompasses the gullet. Fig. 9. Bythotrephes longimanus; a full-grown female: a, antennae of the first pair: 6, antenna of the second pair; c, a mandible ; d, legs; e, upper lip; &, matrix. Fig. 10, A younger specimen, 1 millim. long; sex unknown: /, heart. Fig.11. A leg of the third pair, seen from the inner side: @, with an appendage provided with prickles or points. Prof; F. M‘Coy on the’ Natural History of Victoria. 187 XVII.—Note on the Ancient and Recent Natural History of Victoria. By Frepvericxk M‘Coy, Professor of Natural Science in the University of Melbourne, and Director of the National Museum of Victoria, &c. To the Editors of the Annals of Natural History. GENTLEMEN, I drew up the following remarks as part of the preface to the local Catalogue of the collection of Victorian objects prepared for the International Exhibition to be held next year in London. As I believe, however, that some of the observations on the de- velopment of life in the geological periods may be interesting to geologists, as well as this first announcement of my identification of the various Canadian compound Graptolites in Victoria, and my recognition of Zamites and Teniopteris in our coal-beds, con- firmatory of my view of their Mesozoic age, published more than a dozen years ago, in your Journal, I beg of you to do me the favour to permit me to occupy a little space once more in your pages. I have the honour to remain, Gentlemen, Your most obedient humble servant, Frepericx M‘Coy. _ The most extraordinary character of the Recent Fauna of Australia is the appearance of isolation from the types inhabit- ing other parts of the world, produced by the great number of species belonging to genera not found in any other country, and by a large proportion of the species not only belonging to ge- nera peculiar to the place, but by these generic groups being fre- quently separated from the genera of animals inhabiting similar latitudes, existing under similar circumstances, and performing the same vital functions elsewhere, by characters of such high ordinal importance as to indicate families, tribes, and even orders not found anywhere else, and sometimes even affording the only examples of strange departure from the general anatomical plan on which all other animals are formed. It is a point of the highest interest to ascertain by the aid of paleontology how far. back in the carth’s history this isolation dates from ; and on this point I propose offering a few preliminary remarks, as the space allowed for the notice on the ancient and modern natural history of Victoria precludes the possibility of entering upon extended specific details. Nearly all the great geological works draw attention to the fact that in the oolitic rocks of England bones and teeth are found, indicating the former existence there of marsupial ani- mals of the same family as the common Bandicoot (Perameles) of. 138 Prof, F. M‘Coy on the Ancient and Recent Australia generally, and of the Myrmecobius of South Australia particularly—such types of general structure of insectivorous Marsupialia existing nowhere now on the face of the earth except in Australia ; and these fossil bones near Oxford are accompanied by myriads of marine shells of the genus Trigonia—a genus not now existing in any other than the Australian seas, where four species of it are not uncommon. Such facts are very commonly received as indicating a continuance to the present day in Au- stralia of the fauna which disappeared in all the rest of the world with the close of the Mesozoic period; and this again carries with it the belief that Australia was the most ancient country in existence, having remained as dry land above the level of the sea for a period corresponding to that in which all the Mesozoic and Cainozoic formations of the rest of the world were being depo- sited. I am enabled to state that there is no sufficient founda- tion for this theory, from the great quantity of fossils which I have lately examined as Paleontologist to the Geological Surve of Victoria; and from evidence of this kind I can offer a skete of the ancient successive changes of organic life in this country. Paleozoic Period. _ The Azoic rocks, I can now state, were succeeded in Victoria, exactly as in Wales, Sweden, North America, and other parts of the world in the northern hemisphere, by a series of rocks en- closing fossil remains of the well-known genera and even specific types of animal life characterizing those most ancient fossiliferous strata termed Lower Silurian by Sir R. Murchison, and Cambrian by Professor Sedgwick. In the slates, north of Melbourne, containing the auriferous quartz-veins of the gold-fields, I have recognized abundance of the double Graptolites for which I formerly proposed the genus Diplograpsus, so characteristic of strata of this age; and, what is curious, I have found of this genus no peculiar or new species, but, on the contrary, theiden- tical forms so abundant in the northern hemisphere: thus the most abundant and widely distributed species in Victoria is the Diplograpsus pristis, perfectly identical with specimens oceurring in the slates of Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Bohemia, Sweden, New York and Canada; the next most common is the D. mucro- natus of Hall, so abundant in the Utica slates of New York, and which I also recognized in the slates in Ayrshire and Radnorshire; the D. rectangularis (M‘Coy) is the next most common Victorian species, and perfectly undistinguishable from those I originally described from the slates of Dumfriesshire ; the D. ramosus(Hall) described by the American paleontologist as from the © Utica slates,” near Albany, but which I also detected in Scotland, is likewise represented by well-preserved specimens in the National eS oe ee oh aM. Natural History of Victoria. 189 Museum from our strata, although a rarer species than the others. The forms called D. folium and D. bicornis in Europe also occur. Of the short leaf-shaped Graptolites allied to the D. folium of Hisinger and D. ovatus of Barrande from those ancient beds in Sweden and Bohemia, for which Professor Hall has recently founded the subgenus Phyllograptus, I can identify in the utmost profusion in several localities north of Melbourne his typical species P. typus, which he describes as so abundant in the similar slates of Canada, in the Decades of the Paleonto- logy ete by him to illustrate this portion of Sir W. Logan’s * Geological Survey of Canada ;’ and it occurs in Victoria in all the extremes of varied form which he describes it to assume in America; several of the specimens, I might add, prove clearly the fact of which he seemed to have some doubt when he first announced it, and which was generally rejected by European geologists—namely, the quadripartite arrangement of the cell- lamin. Of the Twin Graptolites, for which I formerly proposed the genus Didymograpsus (also characteristic of strata below the Upper Silurian), we have in Victoria the D. serratulus (Hall) identical with that from the New York slates; the D. caduceus (Salter), identical with his Quebec examples, is very common ; and the D. furcatus (Hall), identical with the New York “ Utica slate” species, also occurs, though more rarely. Also we have that compound species, the Graptolites gracilis (Hall), exactly identical with the New York and Canada forms, and, more curious still, many of those extraordinary compound radiating forms, the Graptolites Logani (Hall), G. quadribrachiatus, and G. octo- brachiatus (Hall), so recently discovered in abundance in Canada, and peculiar to that country, except for the present announce- ment of their occurring in Victoria, in the slates at Castlemaine. Of the simple, or doubtfully twin, Graptolites, I have also deter- mined the Graptolites Ludensis (Murch.), G. tenuis (Portlock), G. latus (M‘Coy), and G. sagittarius (Hisinger), occurring in various localities within a hundred miles north of Melbourne in abundance of well-preserved specimens identical in every respect with specimens of the same species occurring in the similar slates in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. In Victoria, as in most of the European and American Graptolite localities, the slates containing abundance of these bodies frequently contain no organic remains of Mollusca; one of the exceptions to this rule occurs in the black Graptolite slate of Pen Cerrig, near Builth, in Radnorshire, where, with the Graptolites D. mucronatus and D. pristis, 1 discovered in 1851 an immense profusion of a small Brachiopod shell, which I published under the name of Siphono- treta micula. Kuropean geologists in general will, I have no doubt, be as much astonished as I was to recognize exactly the 140 Prof. F..M‘Coy.on the Ancient and Recent same Graptolites, accompanied by the same little Brachiopod shell in the similar black slates of the “ Deep Creek” section north of Melbourne. The characteristic genus Hymenocaris of these ancient beds in Wales also occurs here in a peculiar spe- cies, the Hymenocaris Salteri (M‘Coy). In many. other neigh- bouring localities I have recognized so many of the ordinary Bala and Snowdon fossils as to enable me to suggest the map- ping of the Bala beds to the Geological Survey; and over them are clear representations of the Mayhill Sandstone: but, con- fining ourselves to the details now first made known of the con- tents of the Graptolite beds, we have the astonishing fact of the specific identity of the marine fauna over the whole world daring the most ancient paleeozoic period. This had already been re- cognized over an extended area in the northern hemisphere; but the extension with the present detail to the southern hemisphere cannot fail to give rise to the most interesting geological specu- lations. I now proceed to give the first distinct announcement, based on specific identifications, of the existence of the Upper Silurian formation in the southern hemisphere; and here, too, geologists will learn with interest the fact that at Broadhurst Creek, in Victoria, the rocks are filled exclusively with a profu- sion of specimens of the Wenlock Shale Trilobite, the Phacops (Odontochile) longicaudatus, so abundant at Cheney Longville in Shropshire and many Wenlock-Shale localities in Britain ; and the cuttings in Johnston-street, in Melbourne, have afforded us the Orthoceras bullatum, so abundant a Ludlow-rock fossil in Wales. Here, again, we can point now for the first time to the marvellous fact of the specific identity of the inhabitants of the seas of the most widely distant points of the northern and southern hemispheres during this second great geological epoch of the zoological history of the earth. 2. Upper Paleozoic Period. Professor Morris, Professor Dana, and myself have formerly pointed out a considerable but more general resemblance be- tween the Upper Palzozoic rocks underlying the coal beds of New South Wales and Tasmania, and the lower part of the Car- boniferous Limestone formation of the whole world (there haying as yet been no distinct identifications to prove the existence in Australia of the intermediate Middle Palzozoic or Devonian formations). Here we have the extinction of the characteristic Trilobites, Graptolites, Corals, and Mollusca marking the Cam- brian and Silurian epochs in Europe and North America, as well as in Victoria, at the close of those periods occurring in the southern hemisphere synchronously with this great change in the northern half of the world; and the new generic creations ——=— a Rad Fre ee ee ae Natural History of Victoria. - ‘141 marking the Upper Palseozoic period succeeding them similarly at this fourth great step in the creative changes of the earth in Australia as at the antipodes. Thus amongst the palzonto- logically important class the Crustacea, the genera Phacops, Odontochile, Portlockia, Calymene, and Beyrichia, which abound in the Lower Paleozoic rocks of Victoria, as in Wales, are re- placed yh Phillipsia, Brachymetopus, and Bairdia—Crustacean genera characteristically distinguishing the Carboniferous rocks in England and Russia from the earlier Lower Paleozoic beds ; again, amongst the Brachiopodous Mollusca, numerous species of the genus Producta characteristically separate at a glance the Carbeniferous formations of Europe and America from the Lower Paleozoic rocks; and exactly the same geological date marks the appearance of the same genus in the rocks of Victoria. Then, again, in the vegetable kingdom, the Carboniferous Upper Paleozoic period is strikingly distinguished from the Lower Pa- lxozoie deposits by the various sections of the great genus Lepi- _dodendron and its related forms. I rejoice to be able to announce that, in Victoria, this period is similarly marked by a large di- stinct species of one of the sections of Lepidodendron, which I identified in a block of sandstone collected (without other fos- sils) by Mr. M‘Millan, from the Avon ranges in Gipps Land. This fossil is of the same species as the only Paleozoic coal- plant ever collected in New South Wales, where it was found by the lamented Leichhardt near the borders of Queensland, on the Manilla river, fully two hundred miles north of the localities affording the plants associated with the coal of the Hunter, and other parts of New South Wales (which I believe to be Mesozoic), and by him given to the Rev. W. Clarke of Sydney, who sent it to me about twelve years ago for determination, during the controversy as to the age of the plant-beds of the Newcastle New South Wales beds, on which occasion I confidently pro- nounced, not only that it was a true Palzozoic coal-plant, but that it never came from the beds in dispute,—in which latter point I now find I was correct. To my friend Sir Charles Lyell, as well as to other geologists, I believe this identification of a true Palzozoic Carboniferous flora in Gipps Land will be of the highest interest, from the ingenious theory which they suggested to reconcile the difficulties arising from Prof. Morris and myself having indicated the strong connexion between the plant-beds associated with the coal of New South Wales and the Mesozoic coal-deposits of Europe, while we both agreed that the under- lying marine beds were clearly Lower Carboniferous (Paleozoic), and the Rev. Mr. Clarke, the local authority, insisted that they were all of one age. The theory was this:—that possibly, owing to the immense geographical distance between Australia and the 142 Prof. F, M‘Coy on the Ancient and Recent typical sections of Europe, the plauts growing on the land might have been those of the Oolitic period, while the sea contained the living inhabitants characteristic of the Paleozoic times. I combated this theory at the time by pointing to the similar Mesozoic coal-plants in Richmond, Virginia, at no great distance from the usual Paleozoic coal-flora of other American coal-fields, both remote from the typical European sections of the two coal- floras, but distinctly maintaining there their old-world peculiar forms. Nothing can, however, exceed the geological interest attaching to the distinct announcement I am now able to make of the land vegetation which first appeared, in the extreme remote- ness of the Upper Palzeozoic times, having been formed absolutely on the same type as that of the same period in the northern hemisphere; and here I am able to advance another step in the comparison between the ancient and modern natural history of Victoria and that of the antipodes, by showing that the wonderful identity in the marine fauna of the two hemispheres during the Palzozoic periods applied also to the productions of the dry land, which latter is also now shown to have emerged at the same period in Australia as the greater bulk of first dry land in Europe and America (the Devonian evidence being small excep- tions to the otherwise first great appearance of dry land during the Carboniferous period) *, 8. Mesozoic Period. The evidence of Mesozoic formations in Australia has been much disputed, resting until lately only on the characters of the fossil plants associated with the coal of New South Wales and Tasmania. This plant evidence is much more forcible now than ever, inasmuch as I have had opportunities of carefully investi- gating the fossil plants associated with coal seams in Victoria, at Cape Patterson and Bellerine, and for this colony I can now not only emphatically repeat the arguments which I used fourteen years ago, when writing on the plants associated with the coal of New South Wales} and Tasmania, namely, that all the genera and some of the species were closely allied to, or identical with, those of Mesozoic coal-beds, and that all the characteristic Palao- * It will be interesting to geologists to know that, up to a few months ago, Mr. Clarke had no stratigraphical evidence to bear out his view of the plant-beds being Paleozoic, or underlying the beds with marine Palsozoie fossils; and no such sectional evidence has been found by Mr. Selwyn, the Government geologist, in his careful surveys of the coal-bearing sections of Victoria and Tasmania; and the only section (Stony Creek, Maitland) now relied on by Mr. Clarke is, I think, clearly a deceptive Soon produced by a fault drawn on a section in which the vertical seale was enormously out of proportion to the horizontal one. + Annals of Nat, Hist, ser, 1, vol. xx, pp, 145, 226, 298. a ee Natural History of Victoria, 143 zote coal genera, asCalamites, Lepidodendron, Sigillaria, Stigmaria, &c., were completely absent, but I can add the very important fact that the Pecopteris australis (certainly identical with an Indian species from the Rajhmahal beds), with the Phyllotheca and other well-known plants of the beds associated with the coal in New South Wales and Tasmania and Victoria, are associated with numerous species of genera and eyen families of plants highly characteristic of the Mesozoic and more recent (as distin- guished from the older) eras. Thus I have characterized four very distinct species of Zamites in the Bellerine beds, one only being rare (the Z. ellipticus, M‘Coy, so called from its broad oyate leaflets), the three others being abundant: of these the most strongly marked is the Zamites Barklyi, which I have de- dicated to His Excellency the Governor, in commemoration of the lively interest he has taken in the geology of the colony; and another the Zamites longifolius (M‘Coy), I have also seen from the New South Wales beds. No Cycadeous plants are known anywhere in true Paleozoic coal-beds. I have also characterized a species of Teniopteris almost identical with the 7. vittata of the Yorkshire (Scarborough) Oolitic coal-beds, and which I have described in a paper before the Royal Society of Victoria under the name Teniopteris Daintreei, after the gentleman who first collected it from the rocks associated with the coal of Cape Pat- terson ; and it also occurs commonly in the two other Mesozoic coal localities near Melbourne, the Barrabool Hills and Belle. rine. As the Baron de Zigno, in his recent writings on the Jurassic fossil flora, adopts my view instead of the Rev. Mr, Clarke’s, as to the Mesozoic age of these Australian plant beds, because, as he says, the early statements of that gentleman, that the various characteristic Palzeozoic genera Lepidodendron, Sigil- laria, &c., occurred abundantly in them, had not been verified *, it will be of high interest to European geologists to learn that up to the moment at which | write no trace of them has ever been found in the beds containing the Glossopteris, Phyllotheca, Peco- pteris australis, the Teniopteris, or the Zamites, and that the only Lepidodendron or characteristic Palzozoic Carboniferous genus found was hundreds of miles from the beds containing the (as I believe) mesozoic plants, and not mixed with them. One ar- gument used by the Rev. Mr. Clarke against the Mesozoic age of these plant-beds was the supposed absence of marine Mesozoie fossils in Australia; but even this argument (of no value, as I pointed out by a reference to Richmond, Virginia) has failed * Not only have they not been verified, but I can confidently state now that any of the supposed recognitions of such genera only rested on mis« sma of portions of the ordinary mesozoic forms previously made own, 144 Prof. F, M‘Coy on the Ancient and Recent within the last few weeks: for a friend of Mr, Clarke’s having collected a number of fossils from Wollumbilla, in the northern part of New South Wales, the latter gentleman sent them to Mel- bourne with a request that I “would determine the geological epoch to which they belonged ;” and here, without at all entering on the description of the species, I can state that they furnish a most complete answer to the objection, and are thé marine equi- valents of exactly the same age as that I assign to the plant beds, i. e., Lower Mesozoic, not older than the base of the Trias, and not younger, I think, than the lower part of the great Oolite. The collection contains large Belemnites of the general aspect of B. giganteus, B. paxillosus and similar Lias and Lower Oolite forms, Pentacrinus, and a number of large species of Serpula, Lima, Pecten, Arca, Nucula, Rhynchonella, &c., having the general facies of Lower Oolitic, Liassic, and Triassic forms*, And thus we reach the next great onward step in our attempt at a comparison of the natural history of Australia and other countries in the ancient periods, the history of whose creations can only be traced by paleontology; and we find that at this the Oolitic epoch to which allusion was made at the commencement of this paper, the whole facies of the fauna of the sea and the flora of the land had undergone just such changes as marked the geologically corresponding creations in India, Yorkshire, Germany, and America. I may remark that in the Wollumbilla fossils there are no Trigonia, although from the remarks in the first para- graph it is obvious that English geologists would expect them ; but im their place I recognized a distinct species of Professor Bronn’s muschelkalk genus Myaphoria, enabling me to suggest, on palzontological grounds, the presence of triassic beds in Australia. 4. Tertiary Period. The next epoch in the Ancient Natural History of Australia, represented by the deposition of the widely spread Tertiary forma- tions, could not have been contemplated by those who indulged in the speculations referred to in the beginning of this paper ; for we find that here, as in Europe, the greater part of the country sank under the sea during the Tertiary period, and every trace of the previous creations of plants and animals was destroyed and replaced by a totally different new set, both of plants and animals, more nearly related to those now occupying the land and sea of the country. This, then, quite puts an end to the * Ina note received from Mr. Clarke since learning my impression of the age of these fossils, I am happy to state he announces his willingness now, as a new view, to consider his ‘* Wianamatta beds,”’ connected with the disputed Coal beds, as Lower Mesozoic, j r PP ee CS TREN Le Natural History of Victoria. 145 speculations based on the supposition that Australia, unlike the rest of the world, had remained as dry land since the Oolitic period, and that the living little Myrmecobius and Perameles or Bandicoots were the associates of those little marsupials which lived at the time of the deposition of the-Stonesfield or Colly- weston slate of the Oolitic period in England. The fact really is, that in Victoria there is a rich Tertiary Dicotyledonous flora, totally unlike the Mesozoic one; and in Victoria, as in New Zealand, India, North and South America, and Europe, the races of animals now inhabiting the land were preceded in the most recent Tertiary or Pleistocene time by gigantie antitypes, as it were, characterized by the same anatomical peculiarities which mark the recent inhabitants of the place. Thus, as New Zealand had her little Kiwis or Apteryx preceded by an equally wingless but gigantic bird, the Moa or Dinornis, and South America had her existing peculiar little Sloths preceded by the colossal Mega- therium and Mylodon, presenting the same peculiarities of ana- tomical conformation, so the Wombat and Kangaroo, the most peculiarly characteristic genera now inhabiting Australia, were preceded by the gigantic Diprotodon and Nototherium, in some measure uniting the osteological peculiarities of those genera; and their bones are found, like those of the extinct gigantic Irish Elk (Megaceros) of the same period, apparently bogged or mired in the mud of the ancient Pleistocene lakes. With these, at Lake Timboon and other localities in Victoria, true Kangaroos (Ma- cropus) are found (M. Titan) of a size greatly exceeding the living ones. With these in some of the caverns, as at Mount Macedon, are found remains of recent species of Hypsiprymnus, Hydromys, and the carnivorous Dasyuri and the Canis Dingo or native dog, the recognition of which latter, I think, settles the point of its being truly an indigenous animal. I have likewise recognized the bones of the Wombat (Phascolomys).in the solid, hard, stony, ferruginous auriferous drift called “cement” by the gold-diggers, at a great depth in the sinkings at Dunolly, the material being so hard that the jaws could only be cleared by a stone-mason’s chisel; this determination enables me to say that the age of the gold-drift of Victoria, like that of Russia, is, as Sir R. Murchison showed for the latter country, that of the “ mammaliferous crag” of England. The marine Tertiary fauna of Victoria is highly interesting in a natural-history point of view, from the extraordinary evidence it affords of the “law of representation, or representative forms,” which it presents. Thus a series of beds about ten or twelve miles from Geelong, which I believe.to be Lower Miocene, and a series of beds on the opposite shore of Ilobsonu’s Bay, between Mt. Eliza and Mt. Martha, which I believe to be Upper Eocene, Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 3. Vol. ix. 10 146 Prof. F. M‘Coy on the Ancient and Recent present the most extraordinary series of species of Voluta, repre- sentative of those of the Eocene clay of Barton cliff in Hamp- shire, and of the Miocene beds of the basins of Paris and Vienna, that can be conceived: the V. spinosa, V. modesta, and V. sutu- ralis of the Europea Miocene beds are so exactly represented by species in the Geelong beds, that it requires a close examina- tion to perceive the difference; and similarly the English and French series of Eocene species, V. luctatrix, V. spinosa, V. lyra, V. ambigua, and V. digitalina are “represented” in the most curious and exact manner by a similar series of species in the Victoria beds, having the same relations of form between them- selves, and specifically almost undistinguishable at first sight from their northern analogues—the likeness being rendered stronger by the recognition of this complete parallel series in each hemisphere: and yet there is a minute difference (considered generic by some writers) separating the two series from each other,—the Eocene Tertiary Volutes of Europe having a regular sharp-pointed spire and forming the genus Volutilites of Swain- son, while the Australian “ analogues” have the distorted mam- millated tip to the spire characteristic of the recent Volutide. Then, again, the common Cassidaria depressa of the Lower Mio- cene of Germany is so exactly represented by an equally common species in our beds of the same age, which I have named Cassi- daria reticulospira, that the two can be distinguished only by the character indicated of a reticulation of the extreme whorls of the spire. The Trivia avellana of the same European beds is exactly replaced by the almost identical Trivia avellanoides (M‘Coy) in the Victoria beds, and so on through a long series of repre- sentative forms, giving us the first distinct proof, in our progres- sive sketch of the development of life in Victoria, of the action of the “ law of representation of specific centres” which plays so important a part in the distribution of organic life on our globe at the present day, but which, as we have seen, apparently had no effect in the more ancient times. As bearing upon that question of great interest to the European geologist, the paleontological evidence of progressive changes of temperature in our earth, geologists will be interested to know that, as the living species in the European Miocene Tertiaries are generally inhabitants not of the neighbouring seas but of more southern warmer latitudes, so I observe exactly the same fact in Victoria, the recent shells mingled with the extinct ones in our Miocene deposits being usually forms not living in our bay or in the adjacent seas, but inhabitants of New Zealand (as the Pectunculus laticostatus, which is common in the fossil state with us, though not now living nearer than New Zealand) and the warmer latitudes of Adelaide and Northern Australia,—thus - Natural History of Victoria. 147 showing here, as in Europe, the gradual cooling of our globe during the Eocene and Miocene periods. To refer again to the mistaken popular theory alluded to in the first paragraph, in which the suggestion is dwelt on of the present existence in the Australian seas of the possibly oolitic Trigonia, I think it of great interest to state that the four living species of Trigonia seem to have been created only during the modern period, and are represented in our Tertiary deposits by a totally distinct species—the Trigonia semiundulata (M‘Coy). 5. Recent Period. As the space assigned to me has been far exceeded, I can only offer a few remarks on the Existing or Recent Natural History of the country, which is so much better known than that which has preceded. The recent Mammalia and Birds of Australia are so fully known from the admirable works of my friend Mr. Gould, that I shall not allude at all to them, further than to correct an error which seems to be universal in books, and. occurs even in the memoirs of Mr, Ronald Gunn, of Tasmania, namely, that the large Dasyurus maculatus is only found in Tasmania, and not on the Australian mainland. I have had seven or eight specimens collected for the National Museum from the Yarra Mountains and other hilly localities within thirty or forty miles from Melbourne. Contrary to my preconceived opinion, I have satisfied myself that the native Dog (Canis Dingo) is truly an indigenous animal, both from its increasing in numbers (with little variety) towards the interior of the continent remote from man, and from having identified its bones mingled with those of recent and extinct animals all in one state of pre- servation in the bone-caverns recently opened beneath the basalt flows at Mount Macedon. Of Reptilia the great Hydrosaurus varius, called Iguana by the colonists, and often 5 feet in length, is the most important of the Lacertilia ; seyeral smaller types are also common near the coast, as the Hinnulia teniolata, Cyclodus gigas, and Grammate- phora muricata; and the G. barbata and Trachydosaurus rugosus (called Dew-lizard by the colonists) become gradually common as you approach the warmer country near the northern boundary of tlie colony, butdo not occur, I believe, south of the dividing range. Of Batrachia the Ranhyla aurea is the exceedingly com- mon Green Frog of the country, and is so unlike Hyla in its habits, which agree completely with Rana, that its generic sepa- ration from Hyla (contrary to the opinion of several able autho- rities) is I think quite necessary. In two other Frogs, species of Lymnodynastes, the unexpected habit is found, in this arid, waters 10* 148 Prof. F. M‘Coy on the Ancient and Recent less country, of habitually living buried to a considerable depth in the sandy ground during the day, coming up to feed by night, when in their turn they furnish food to the snakes on the dry plains. The Chelonian reptiles are not found nearer than the River Murray, where the only species known, Chelodina longi- collis and C, oblonga, are those described by my friend Dr. J. E. Gray, of the British Museum, to whom our National Museum is so greatly indebted for the most valuable and friendly aid. The Snakes of the colony are rather numerous, and all, with one ex- ception, poisonous ; and that exception—the Carpet-Snake (Mo- relia variegata)—is only found in the warmer northern part of the colony. On the other hand, the venomous Snakes, properly so called, with isolated fangs, are scarcely found, the only example of Australian Viperide being the Death or Deaf Adder of colo- nists, the Acanthophis antarctica being extremely rare in Victoria, and only found in the warm districts near. the northern bound- ary. The rest of the Snakes belong to the Colubride; and as the Snakes of Victoria have not yet been enumerated, I may just mention those I have ascertained. The Hoplocephalus superbus * is avery abundant snake near Melbourne, and this poisonous snake is often unfortunately referred to erroneously under the name of “ Diamond Snake” in accounts of experiments on the bites of poisonous Snakes and antidotes,—the true, harmless Diamond Snake (Morelia spilotes) of New South Wales not having as yet been observed in the colony of Victoria. The Hoplocephalus curtus is a still more abundant and. venomous species around Melbourne, where it is usually called “ Tiger Snake” from the brown transverse banding of most specimens ; it differs remarkably from all the others of the genus in its power of dilating the sides of the neck, when irritated, into a broad, flat, leaf-like hood as in the Cobra. These two species become more rare towards the north, not having been observed in the warmer regions. Hoplocephalus Gouldi is extremely rare, 1 having only seen one Victorian specimen, it being here replaced by the only new species I have met with, namely, the Hoplocephalus flagellum (M‘Coy), the. common little “Whip Snake” of the colonists, having 19 and 17 rows of scales as constantly as its representa- tive in W. Australiahas 15. The beautiful little H. coronoides of Tasmania also occurs in Victoria, but is rare. Of Diemansia we have only one species, the D. reticulata, one of the commonest of the small snakes towards the Murray boundary of the colony, but not found in the cooler localities towards the southern coast. The beautiful “ Black Snake” of the colonists (Pseudechys por- phyraicus) is a formidable and very poisonous species, but has become very rare of late years in Victoria. The most dangerous of all the snakes of the colony, both from its size (usually about ‘es Ee a aa A a SEI Oe mr Op mt = ge Natural History of Victoria. 149 five fect), its abundant distribution everywhere through the colony, and the fatal venom of its bite (frequently killing dogs and occasionally men), is the “ Brown Snake” of the colonists— the Pseudonaja nuchalis, closely related to the Naja or Cobra of India. The statement published in Melbourne some years ago of the occurrence of a species of true Boa in Victoria only rested on a mistaken determination of the common Carpet-Snake (Mo- relia variegata),in which the obvious characters which distinguish the Pythons of India, Africa, and Australia from the true Boas, confined to America, were overlooked. In the class of Fishes many species remain yet to be deter- mined. The more important species used as food are the Schnapper ” of colonists (Pagrus unicolor), abundant and often of great size, with large numbers of which the market is regu- larly supplied, and which is caught and dried in great quantities by the Chinese fishermen in Hobson’s Bay, and supplied to their countrymen on the various gold-fields. The next most important species, from its being almost equally abundant at times in the market, and of equally large size and superior flavour, is the great Cod-perch, the “ Murray-cod ” of the colonists—the Grystes Peeli of Mitchell, or Oligorus Macquariensis of modern writers. A very much larger (occasionally five feet in length) and finer fish for the table, only an occasional visitor however, is the “ King Fish ” of colonists, which seems to me completely identical with the great“ Maigre” of the Mediterranean—Sciena aquila. Dr. Giinther, the most recent European writer on ichthyology, in hisGeneral Catalogue of Acanthopterygian Fishes, states that the family Scienide, to which this fish belongs, has never been found in Australia. The fishes commonly called “ Mullet ” (Dajanus Diemensis) and “ Whiting” (Sillago punc- tata) by the colonists are common in the fish-shops for the table, together with three species of “ Flathead,’ Platycephalus nema- tophthalmus, P. tasmanius, and P. levigatus, which are caught abundantly in the bay at all times. Another tolerably good table- fish is known to the colonists, and is found in the market under the name of “ Pike,” though, like all the other fishes bearing the names of English species, it has little resemblance and no affinity to the fish of that name in Europe: it is the Sphyrena obtusata and S. Nove Hollandie. The so-called “ Herring ” of the fisher- men is the Centropristis Georgianus, with which the market is also abundantly supplied. The “ Baracoota,” which visits us regularly, and is in some request for the table, is certainly the Cape of Good Hope Thyrsites atun. The small Ling, the Lota breviuscula, is occasionally procured for food on the coast, but is chiefly remarkable for the old full-grown fish (about a foot long) having, two or three years ago, been stated by some fishermen 150 Mr. A, Adams on new Species of Mollusca to be the young of the great Newfoundland Cod: it was in vain that I pointed out the generic difference in the number of the fins, &c., and that these supposed young were adult ; the “ prac- tical men” carried conviction so far with them, that the merchants of the town subscribed some hundreds of pounds, twice, to fit out a vessel to commence a great cod-fishing, on a supposed cod- bank a few miles out, as a mercantile speculation. The Dory (Zeus Faber) isa rare visitant, but whether as delicious here as in Europe I cannot say, although a party of my scientific friends actually ate one of the three specimens I haye known to occur during the seven years I have been in the colony, in- stead of sending it to the Museum. A Guard-fish (Hemirham- phus), a Tunny (Thynnus), and an Kel (Murena) are also com- ~monly used for food. Amongst useful fishes not good for food, I may mention the common European Sunfish (Orthagoriscus Mola) as not uncommonly caught in the Bay, for its large sup- ply of oil. Of Crustacea few kinds are used for food in Victoria: there are no true Lobsters and no Crabs (Canceride) fit for the table ; but a spiny Crayfish of about the same size and shape as the English species is very common at the Heads, and is supplied abundantly to the market ; it is nearly identical with the H. annu- licornis. The gigantic Murray River Crayfish (the Astacoides ser- ratus) is now sent down alive in great numbers to the market for the table. The smaller River Crayfish (the Astacoides quinquecari- natus) is also often eaten in the country, but is not sent to market; it forms the chief food of the so-called ‘“ Murray Cod,” from the stomach of one of which I took twenty nearly perfect. Melbourne University, 30th September, 1861. XVIII.—On some new Species of Cylichnidee, Bullidee, and Phili- nide, from the Seas of China and Japan. By Antoun ADAMs, F.L.S. &e. i Genus Crricuna, Lovén. 1. Cylichna japonica, A. Adams. C. testa cylindracea, rimato-umbilicata, epidermide fusca tenui szepe obtecta, utrinque rotundata, apice perforato, transversim tota sub- tilissime striata, striis antice distantioribus; apertura lineari, an- tice dilatata; labio tenui, elongato, simplici; labro margine vix recto, postice valde producto et rotundate angulato. Hab. Korea Strait; 46 fathoms: Next to C. arachis, Quoy, which was likewise obtained in the ee ea Pe D. from the Seas of China and Japan. 151 Korea Strait, this is the largest species of Cylichna; it differs from that species in being more elongated and less robust, and in the angle of the outer lip being produced and angulated, extending considerably beyond the apex. 2. Cylichna proxima, A. Adams, C. testa ovato-cylindracea, utrinque rotundata, alba, solida, nitida, subopaca, transversim tota minutissime striata, apice profunde umbilicato ; apertura lineari, in medio constricta, antice dilatata ; labio plica crassa obliqua instructo; labro in medio recto, antice arcuato, postice subproducto rotundato. Hab. Tsu-Sima; 26 fathoms. Resembles C. Sarsii, Phil.; but the aperture is constricted in the middle ; it is also like C. concinna, A. Adams, but is stouter and not produced anteriorly, and the angle of the outer lip is rounded. 8. Cylichna venustula, A. Adams. C. testa ovato-cylindracea, utrinque subangustata, alba, solidula, ni- tida, transversim tota subtilissime striata, apice perforato; aper- tura lineari, antice dilatata; labio arcuato, plica obliqua instructo, _antice vix truncato ; labro margine regulariter arcuato, Hab. Mino-Sima; 68 fathoms. Has the form of C. alba, Brown, and the sculpture of C. con- cinna, but differs from the latter in being more robust, and in the inner lip being furnished with a distinct oblique plait. 4. Cylichna rimata, A. Adams. C. testa ovato-cylindracea, rimato-umbilicata, alba, tenui, nitida, utrinque striata, apice perforato ; apertura lineari, antice acumi- nata, producta, rima umbilicali lata; labio tenui, arcuato, sim- plici; labro postice producto, rotundato ; margine rectiusculo, Hab. Korea Strait ; 46 fathoms. Most like C. umbilicata, Mont.; but the last whorl is not acuminate posteriorly, the aperture is produced in front, and the inner lip is long and arcuated. 5. Cylichna latiuscula, A. Adams. C. testa parva, ovato-cylindrica, antice acuminata, postice latiore, rimato-umbilicata, alba, tenui, levi, nitida, apice profunde perfo- rato; apertura angusta; labio tenui, simplici, areuato; labro pos- tice producto, late rotundato. Hab. Tabu-Sima; 25 fathoms. Most like C. rimata, A. Adams, but is shorter and much wider 152 Mr. A. Adams on new Species of Mollusca posteriorly, and the angle of the outer lip is more rounded ; it wants, moreover, the transverse strize at each end. 6. Cylichna lepidula, A. Adams. C. testa cylindracea, nivea, solida, nitida, polita, in medio vix angus- tata, postice truncata, spice vix perforato ; periomphalo acuto ; apertura lineari; labio calloso, plica valida, distincta; labro mar- gine inflexo. Hab. Tsu-Sima; 26 fathoms. This species differs from all others described, in the periom- phalus, or hind part of the body-whorl enclosing the sunken apex, forming an acute well-defined ridge. It is a small, white, highly polished, opake shell. 7. Cylichna consobrina, A. Adams. C. testa cylindraceo-ovata, vix rimata, alba, solidula, longitudinaliter _ striata, utrinque striata, striis distantibus ; apertura angusta ; labio antice valde plicato ; labro subarcuato. Hab. Mino-Sima; 63 fathoms. Most like C. rimata, but is more solid, longitudinally striated, and wants the conspicuous umbilical fissure of that species. 8. Cylichna parallela, A. Adams. C. testa cylindracea, rimata, albida, solidiuscula, utrinque striata, longitudinaliter strigosa; anfractu ultimo lateribus parallelis ; apertura lineari, antice producta ; labio callo reflexo rimam tegente; labro margine recto, postice producto et angulato. Hab. Tsu-Sima; 16 fathoms. Most nearly resembles C. involuta, A. Adams; but the aper- ture is produced and pointed anteriorly, the sides of the body- whorl are nearly parallel, and the outer lip forms posteriorly a produced angle. 9. Cylichna assimilis, A. Adams. C. testa cylindracea, sordide alba, solida, breviuscula, postice truncata, dilatata, antice acuminata, sub lente obsolete tota transversim striata ; apertura lineari; labio incrassato, plica evanida; labro margine rectiusculo, postice subproducto et rotundato. Hab. Mino-Sima; 63 fathoms. A small specics, somewhat resembling C. involuta, A. Adams, but much shorter, dilated behind, narrowed in front, and with the hind angle of the outer lip rounded. a oe TP oe oe ee sa ae . SP ee a ee a ee ee eee from the Seas of China and Japan, 158 10. Cylichna pumila, A. Adams. C. testa parva, alba, tenui, ovato-cylindracea, in medio subconstricta, utringue rotundata, longitudinaliter substriata; apertura latius- cula; labio tenui, arcuato, simplici; labro margine in medio in- flexo. Hab. Tsu-Sima; 16 fathoms. A small, thin, elongate-oval species, somewhat contracted in the middle. It is very unlike any other hitherto described. 11. Cylichna candidula, A. Adams. C. testa cylindracea, alba, transversim tota confertim striata, postice subtruncata, antice producta et subacuminata ; apertura lineari ; labio subincrassato, antice obsolete uniplicata; labro margine in medio rectiusculo, postice vix producto, rotundato. Hab. Tsu-Sima; 26 fathoms. This species partakes of the character of C. venustula and concinna with regard to sculpture and general appearance, but is elongated and cylindrical. 12. Cylichna inedita, A. Adams. C. testa cylindracea, postice subtruncata, antice acuminata, alba, tenui, longitudinaliter strigosa ; apertura lineari, antice producta; labio elongato, flexuoso ; plica parietali conspicua; labro margine recto, postice subproducto, rotundato. Hab. Mino-Sima; 63 fathoms. A small, thin, strigose species, with the aperture anteriorly produced, and with an elongate subspiral fold at the fore part of the inner lip. 7 Genus Tornatina, A. Adams. In addition to the two species of this genus described below, I have obtained, by deep-water dredging, 7. voluta, Quoy and Gaim.; 7. olivula, A. Adams; T. pusilla, Pfeiff.; 7. simplex, A. Adams; 7. planospira, A. Adams; T. fusiformis, A. Adams ; T. gracilis, A. Adams ; and 7’. truncata, J. Adams ; some of which have also occurred in the Yellow Sea. 1. Tornatina delicatula, A. Adams. T. testa cylindraceo-ovata, alba, tenui, nitida, spira truncata, apice mammillato, longitudinaliter substriata; apertura lineari, antice 154 Mr. A. Adams on new Species of Mollusca dilatata; labio plica obliqua conspicua; labro margine vix ar- cuato. Hab. Mino-Sima; 63 fathoms. In the obtuse subtruncate spire and papillary apex, this spe- cies resembles 7. pusilla, Pfeiff.; but it is longer and more slender, and the aperture is more produced anteriorly. 2. Tornatina succincta, A. Adams. T. testa cylindracea, in medio coarctata, vertice truncato, alba, longi- tudinaliter tota striata, transversim fasciata, fasciis pallidis sub- distantibus ; apertura lineari, in medio angustata, antice dilatata ; labio obsolete plicato. Hab, Tsu-Sima; 16 fathoms: Awa-Sima; low water, In form this species most resembles 7. truncata, J. Adams ; but it is more elongated and much narrower, and marked with indistinct pale bands; the whorls of the spire are visible, but sunken, and the parietal plica is not conspicuous, Genus Vorvua, A. Adams. The animal of this little genus, described by me in 1850, but which is not generally known to conchologists, has hitherto eluded our researches. The shells are only obtained by deep- water dredging, but, judging from their form, sculpture, colour, and texture, appear to belong to the family Cylichnide. During the voyage, I have obtained all the species hitherto described, including V. mucronata, Phil., and V. angustata, A. Adams, from the China Sea, and V. striatula, eburnea, and rostrata, A. Adams, from the Sea of Japan. V. acuminata, Brug., the type of the genus, is called an Ovulum by Hanley, and is an inhabitant of the British seas. I now give brief diagnoses of six new species. 1. Volwula opalina, A. Adams. V. testa elongato-ovali, rimata, alba, semipellucida, leevi, nitida, an- tice obsolete transversim striata, mucrone brevi in angulo pro- ducto labri incluso; apertura angusta; labio tenui, obliquo, in- curvato ; labro regulariter arcuato. Hab. Mino-Sima; 63 fathoms, 2. Volvula spectabilis, A. Adams. V. testa elongato-ovali, postice acuminata, antice rotundata, mucrone brevi non producto, tenuicula, alba, nitida, minutissime trans- versim striata; apertura mediocri; labio tenui, elongato, vix flexu- oso; labro regulariter arcuato. Hab. Tabu-Sima; 25 fathoms. ae sw ae ee Se en ke ee On. a sae a ae ee oe ge from the Seas of China and Japan. 155 3. Volvula cylindrella, A. Adams. V. testa cylindraceo-ovata, utrinque obtusa, transversim tota striata, striis confertis, mucrone brevi acuto non producto; apertura lineari; labio subtortuoso ; labro margine rectiusculo, Hab. Mino-Sima; 63 fathoms, 4. Volvula ovulina, A. Adams. V. testa elongato-ovali, subventricosa, transversim tota striata, umbi- licata, antice gibbosula, mucrone parvo acuto in angulo producto labri incluso ; apertura lata ; labio tortuoso, elongato, antice late reflexo; labro regulariter arcuato. Hab. Mino-Sima; 63 fathoms, 5. Volvula radiola, A. Adams. V. testa subcylindracea, utrinque acuminata, mucrone producto, acuta, alba, opaca, transversim tota striata, striis distantibus ; apertura lineari, antice dilatata; labio obliquo, recto, subincras- sato; labro margine recto. Hab. Tabu-Sima; 25 fathoms. 6. Volvula attenuata, A. Adams. V. testa ovato-cylindracea, utrinque angustata, transversim tota striata, striis distantibus, mucrone acuto producto ; apertura lineari, antice vix dilatata; labio subtortuoso, obliquo; labro margine subareuato. Hab. Tsu-Sima; 26 fathoms, Genus Hamrnea, Leach. Besides the three new species of this genus which I am about to describe, the following were also obtained from the Sea of Japan :—H. rotundata, A. Adams; H. brevissima, A. Adams; H. pygmea, A. Adams; and H. succinea, Conrad. 1. Haminea fulgida, A. Adams. IT. testa elongato-cylindracea, alba, tenui, nitida, subpellucida, utrin- que rotundata, transversim tota striolata, striolis minutissimis con- fertis; apertura angusta, antice dilatata; margine columellari acuto, arcuato; labro rectiusculo, postice producto et angulato. Hab. Shan-tung (Kala-hai). This is a beautiful white, shining, semipellucid species, most like H. curta, A. Adams, but more elongate and narrower, and engrayed with very fine close-set transverse striole. 2. Haminea lucida, A. Adams. H. testa cylindraceo-ovata, vix rimata, utrinque rotundata, diaphana, vitrea, transversim tota striata, striis minutissimis confertis ; aper- 156 Mr. A. Adams on new Species of Mollusca tura angusta, antice producta; margine columellari tenui, arcuato; labro postice rotundato. Hab. Gulf of Lian-tung; Hulu-Shan Bay. Like H. brevissima and pygmea, A. Adams. An examination of the animal shows it to belong to Haminea, the genus which in'all probability includes its above-named congeners. In my Monograph of the family (Sow. Thesaurus, Bulla), they are arranged under Cylichnidee. _ 8. Haminea strigosa, A. Adams. H. testa cylindraceo-ovata, utrinque rotundata, alba, nitida, sub- opaca, transversim tota minutissime striolata, longitudinaliter stri- gosa; apertura angusta, antice dilatata ; margine columellari sim- plici, arcuato ; labro recto, postice producto et rotundato. Hab. Tabu-Sima; 25 fathoms. White, with longitudinal slightly raised streaks, and entirely transversely striated. In form it resembles H. /ucida, A, Adams ; but the aperture is rounded anteriorly, and not produced as in that species. Genus ScarpHanpEerR, Montfort. Five species only of this limited genus have hitherto been described from Europe and America; and I now add brief dia- enoses of six Asiatic species found by myself in the Sea of Japan. The shells, except to a person well acquainted with the family, might be mistaken for species of Philine, but are known by their distinct though sunken spire. They are also, being external shells, stronger and more distinctly sculptured; whereas the species of Philine are thin, more simple, and contained within the mantle of the animal. 1. Scaphander japonicus, A. Adams. S. testa ovata, elongata, postice angustata, sordide alba, transversim sulcata, sulcis subconfertis puncticulatis ; spira occulta ; apertura ~ postice coarctata, antice dilatata; labio tenui; labro postice pro- ducto et obtusim angulato, antice rotundato; margine regulariter arcuato. Hab. Mino-Sima; 63 fathoms. The punctate striee are common to most of the species of this genus. ‘The present species nearly resembles S. lignarius in form, but is much smaller (only half an inch long); it is also less ventricose, and the transverse grooves are puncticulate. 2. Scaphander Cumingit, A. Adams. S. testa oblongo-ovata, postice constricta, albida, transversim obliqne from the Seas of China and Japan. 157 suleata, sulcis confertis puncticulatis; apertura ampla, postice valde coarctata, antice dilatata et vix effusa; labio elongato, ex- terne subreflexo; labro postice producto et acute angulato; mar- gine postice inflexo, antice crenulato. Hab. Mino-Sima; 63 fathoms. Differs from S. japonicus, which it equals in size, in the last whorl being posteriorly constricted, in the close-set oblique grooves, in the narrowness of the last whorl, and in the acute hind angle of the outer lip. 3. Scaphander elongatus, A. Adams. S. testa tenui, alba, clongato-ovata, utrinque angustata, transversim sulcata, sulcis distantibus, punctatis ; apertura antice producta et dilatata, postice coarctata; labio tenui; labro margine regulariter arcuato. Hab. Mino-Sima; 63 fathoms. This species is clongate and narrowed at both ends, and the punctate grooves are wide apart. The spire of this and of all the other species is “ truncata umbilicata,” or “ occulta.” 4. Scaphander sulcatinus, A. Adams. S. testa elongato-ovata, solidiuscula, postice angustata, fulvescente, nitida, transversim sulcata, sulcis simplicibus, distantibus ; aper- tura postice coarctata, antice dilatata; labio simplici; labro mar- gine regulariter arcuato. Hab. Korea Strait ; 46 fathoms. ° This is a small, smooth, rather solid species, transversely sul- cate; the grooves fine, simple, and more strongly marked at the posterior extremity. 5. Scaphander Sieboldit, A, Adams. S. testa parva, oblonga, alba, subtenui, postice coarctata, in medio gibbosula, transversim sulcata, sulcis distantibus, punctatis ; aper- tura ampla, antice valde dilatata, postice angusta; labio postice reflexo, antice tenui arcuato ; labro margine vix recto, postice pro- ducto et valde angulato. Hab. Tsu-Sima; 26 fathoms. The only species at all resembling this is S. pectinatus, from which, however, it differs greatly; it is very loosely convolute, and the last whorl is gibbose in the middle. 6. ‘Scaphander dilatatus, A. Adams. S. testa ovata, postice angustata, laxe conyoluta, alba, tenui, trans- versim striata, striis crebris, simplicibus; spira’ parva ; apertura ampla, postice angusta, antice valde dilatata; labio tenui; labro 158 Mr. A. Adams on new Species of Mollusca margine regulariter arcuato, postice producto et acute angu- lato. Hab. Tsu-Sima; 26 fathoms. This is a slightly convolute, thin, oblong species, with the transverse lines waved but not punctate, and the aperture greatly dilated. Genus Atys, Montfort. This genus is one of the many good ones established by Denys de Montfort, who also gave us Scaphander, Trophon, Phos, and Typhis, and who did his best to illustrate his work by engravings of his own, which are certainly rude and not always accurate. For the better understanding of the genus, I have thrown my Japanese and Chinese species into subordinate but, I think, convenient groups. Subgenus Arys, Montfort. Testa ventricosa, transversim striata. 1. Atys amphorella, A. Adams. A, testa ovoidea, ventricosa, in medio gibbosula, rimata, tenui, leevi, nitida, luteola, antice angusta, postice subacuminata; labio sub- recto, antice v'x truncato; labro arcuato, postice producto, tor- tuoso, rotundato. Hab. Lo-shan-kow ; Shan-tung. Atys tortuosa, A. Adams, is the nearest approach to this spe- cies, which, however, is not striated, and the outer lip has not the spiral twist so conspicuous in that species. My Chinese species is shaped like a little fat Amphora. 2. Atys scrobiculata, A. Adams. A. testa ovoidea, ventricosa, postice angustata, antice acuminata, sordide alba, late et profunde umbilicata; umbilici margine angu- lato ; apertura utrinque valde producta; margine columellari recto, simplici, antice rotundato. Hab. Tabu-Sima; 25 fathoms. The only shell which resembles this singular little species is A. tortuosa, A. Adams; but the great peculiarity of the aperture, which is pointed at both ends and produced beyond the body- whorl, distinguishes it from all others. Subgenus Roxan1a, Leach. Testa solida, ovoidea, transversim lineato-punctata. 3. Roxania punctulata, A. Adams. R., testa ovoidea, solida, perforata, utrinque rotundata, decussatim from the Seas of China and Japan. 159 striata, transversim profunde silcata, sulcis valde punctatis ; aper- _tura angusta, antice dilatata; labio recto, antice truncato ; labro postice producto, rotundato. Hab. Mino-Sima; 63 fathoms. No species hitherto described resembles this: the nearest approach to it is R. Cranchii, Leach. AR. insculpta, Totten, is sculptured rather like it. The shell is solid, very strongly punctate-striate, and deeply umbilicated; and the inner lip is truncate anteriorly. Subgenus Aticuta, Ehrenberg. Testa subcylindracea, transversim striata. 4, Alicula translucens, A. Adams. A, testa eylindraceo-ovata, tenui, pellucida, utrinque transversim striata, striis distantibus, area intermedia glabra; apertura angusta; labio recto, antice truncato; labro margine in medio rectiusculo, postice tortuoso et producto, antice crenulato. Hab. Port Hamilton; 10 fathoms (mud). This species most nearly resembles Alicula succisa, Ehrenberg, from the Red Sea, but is narrower and more cylindrical in form, and is thin and nearly transparent. 5. Alicula secalina, A. Adams. A, testa cylindraceo-ovata, rimata, apice subtruncato vix perforato, cornea semiopaca, transversim tota striata, striis distantibus in medio obsoletis; apertura lineari; labio obliquo, subincrassato ; _ labro in medio rectiusculo. Hab. Tsu-Sima; 25 fathoms. This is a small, grain-like, horn-coloured species, with the apex small and truncate, and the outer lip hardly produced be- yond it. 6. Alicula volvulina, A. Adams. A. testa eylindraceo-ovata, rimata, utrinque acuminata et transversim striata, striis distantibus, alba, tenui, opaca, nitida; apertura an- gusta ; labio obliquo flexuoso, antice incrassato ; labro regulariter arcuato. Hab. Tsu-Sima; 26 fathoms. A little white shining species, acuminate at both ends, like a Volvula, but with the sunken spire and twisted outer lip of an Atys. Subgenus Sao, H. & A. Adams. Testa pyramidata aut pyriformis, postice attenuata, antice gibbosa. 160 _ Mr. A. Adams on new Species of Mollusca. 7. Sao folliculus, A. Adams. S. testa obovata, umbilicata, solidula, basi dilatata, gibbosa, leevi, postice transversim striata, apice profunde perforato; apertura antice dilatata, postice angusta; labio incrassato ; labro postice valde producto et acuminate angulato. Hab. Tabu-Sima; 25 fathoms. The only species resembling this is S. pyriformis, A. Adams, from the China Sea; but that species is much more ventricose, and more attenuated posteriorly, 8. Sao phiala, A. Adams. S. testa cylindrico-pyramidali, antice attenuata, infra periomphalum subconstricta, rimata, utrinque transversim striata; vertice pro- funde perforato; apertura lineari, postice coarctata, antice dila- tata; labio recto, elongato, simplici; Jabro postice valde pro- ducto. Hab. Mino-Sima ; 63 fathoms. The peculiar contraction at the anterior si of the body- whorl just below the apex, the produced angle of the outer lip, and the straight simple inner lip are the chief peculiarities of this species. 9. Sao elliptica, A. Adams. S. testa parvula, alba, tenui, elongato-ovata, antice subdilatata, lon- gitudinaliter strigosa, utrinque transversim striata; apertura li- neari, antice dilatata ; labio recto, in medio calloso ; labro margine arcuato, postice producto, rotundato. ; Hab. Tsu-Sima; 16 fathoms. A small, white, longitudinally strigose, ovate species, differing in form and appearance from any other of the group. Genus Puitinn, Ascanius. 1. Phailine sealpta, A. Adams. P. testa oblongo-ovata, alba, tenui, semipellucida, longitudinaliter subplicata, plicis irregularibus, lineis transversis exaratis undulatis distantibus insculpta; apertura ampla; margine columellari tenui, acuto; labro regulariter arcuato, postice rotundato. Hab. Tsu-Sima; 30 fathoms: Korea Strait; 46 fathoms. Bulla exarata, Ph., or Haminea sinensis, A. Adams, is the only species resembling this in sculpture ; but the form is very dif ferent : the body- whorl in that species is large, and the outer lip narrowed posteriorly and greatly produced. 2. Philine crenata, A. Adams. P. testa ovata, alba, solidiuscula, postice subangulata, transversim Bibliographical Notices. 161 valde sulcata, sulcis transversim excavato-punctatis, eorum mar- _ ginibus crenatis; apertura dilatata; margine columellari antice - oblique truncata; labro semicirculari, postice parum producto et > rotundato. Hab. Tsu-Sima; 30 fathoms: Korea Strait; 46 fathoms. No species has been described resembling this, which is nearly as large as P. Coreanica. The edges of the transverse grooves are conspicuously crenate, and the puncta or pits are transversely oblong. r 3. Philine acutangula, A. Adams. P. testa subquadrato-ovata, alba, tenui, postice subtruncata, trans- __versim sulcata, sulcis excavato-punctatis ; anfractu ultimo lateribus _ subparallelis; apertura aperta; labro margine semicirculari, an- gulo ejus postice incurvato, producto et acuto. Hab. Gulf of Lian-tung; Hulu-Shan Bay. The nearest approach to this species is Ph. scutulum, Lovén; but the produced sharp hind angle of the outer lip will serve readily to distinguish it. 4. Philine striolata, A. Adams. P. testa parva, ovata, alba, tenui, semipellucida, postice rotundata, longitudinaliter plicata, transversim striolata, striolis confertis, subtilissimis; apertura dilatata; margine columellari arcuato ; labro regulariter semicirculari, postice producto, rotundato. Hab, Tsu-Sima; 30 fathoms. In form this little species most nearly approaches Bullea pruinosa, Clark, from the British Seas; but in sculpture it is entirely different, being very finely transversely striated. _ » Shanghai, China, : ~ May 15, 1861. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. Forest Creatures. By Cuartes Boner, Author of ‘Chamois- Hunting in the Mountains of Bavaria,’ &c., &c, Small 8yo. London: Longman, 1861. Tuar an intimate connexion should exist between the chase and the study of natural history is not surprismg. From the time when the conqueror of Arbela bade the Nimrods and Gordon-Cummings of his generation bring their hunting trophies and experiences to the Sta- gyrite sage, this connexion seems to haye lasted down to our own day, which has seen the works of Mr. A. E. Knox and the late Mr. Charles St. John-—men whom one hardly knows whether to regard as scientific sportsmen or sporting men of science, To such a class Ann. & Mag. N, Hist. Ser. 3, Vol, ix. 11 \ 162 Bibliographical Notices. belongs the author of the modest little octavo whose title stands at the head of this article. If Mr. Boner has failed to express himself so happily as the writers we have just named, and to invest the sub- jects and scenes he describes with the absorbing interest that per- vades their works, it is for reasons of which, as critics from a zoological point of view, we need not complain, but prefer leaving his occasional faults of style to our more exclusively literary brethren, The author says in his preface, that he wishes it “to be understood that the book is wholly without scientific pretension ;” but we must remark that its scientific merits are no less present because they are unassumed.. The animals treated of in ‘ Forest Creatures’ are seven in number, namely, the Wild Boar, Roe, Red and Fallow Deer, Capereally (we prefer the spelling of the old Scottish law-books to our author’s ** Capercailie,” or to the more common, more inconvenient, and equally un-English “Capercailzie”’ ), Black Grouse, and Golden Eagle. There is also a chapter headed ‘* Homer a Sportsman,” which might be read with pleasure even by Mr. Gladstone; and another of “Hints,” which might be read with profit even by Mr. Grantley Berkeley. In England we are apt to imagine that none but our own country- men have any right to be regarded as sportsmen. Our vanity has been flattered by amusing sketches and descriptions of fully-armed Frenchmen engaged in the pursuit of skylarks, or of a band of German students discharging a volley at a covey-of partridges, from which, on the consequent fall of a single victim, the whole body of jagers would forthwith burst into a joyous hunting-song, to the astonishment of the British spectator. Mr. Boner’s. book may help to correct these grossly exaggerated notions, and serve to show that there is as much true sportsman-like feeling in Germany as in Eng- land. Indeed, it may be shortly said that sporting is peculiar to n age and to no nation. ! . 35) But we must limit our remarks in this direction, and apply our- selves more especially to the zoological points of interest in the work we are noticing. Mr. Boner’s account of the Wild Boar is especially deserving of attention; for in no modern English works are the pe- culiar habits of that ‘knightly beast”? described. Quite recently also, doubts, apparently well founded, have been expressed as to whether or not our domestic swine have descended from the wild Sus serofa*, which even now has an extensive range throughout Europe, though there is, we believe, no record of its existence in England since the time of the first Plantagenet king, some seven hundred years ago. The Boar seems to be somewhat of a favourite with our author; and a well-executed representation of its head—no inappropriate device at this season of the year—glows on the green cover of his work. We beg leave to draw the attention of physiologists to what is re- corded of the Roe-deer by Mr. Boner. He announces, as “a new wonder in natural history,” a discovery which he says has been * See Mr. Bartlett’s “ Remarks on the Japanese Masked Pig,” reprinted in our last volume (pp. 501, 502) from the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society’ for 1861, pp. 263, 264, mL Bibliographical Notices. 168. made by Professor Bischoff, of Munich, respecting the conception and gestation of that species. It is stated that— _ “The rutting-season of the Roe is at the end of July and in Au- gust, this being the only time when the organs of the male and’ female are in such a state as to make procreation possible. **In a few days, at most, after the rutting, the egg progresses in’ the usual way through certain channels—a process unnecessary to deseribe here,—and then arrives in the uterus; and here, without: undergoing any change whatever, it lies dormant 45 months, _ In this undeveloped state it had always been overlooked by na- turalists ; moreover, as the uterus remains also quite unchanged, the’ belief that the doe was not pregnant seems to be confirmed. ** Ag will be remarked, all the circumstances were such as to mis- _ lead the investigator, and to incline to false conclusions, ** But in the middle of December the germ, which had been lying: so long inactive, suddenly quickens, and, with the same fast progress as is observable in other Mammalia, developes so considerably, that: in from twenty-one to twenty-five days all the parts of the egg and all the organs of the embryo are so formed as to undergo no further change before birth, except an increase in size. . © The different gradations in the development of the embryo, the various appearances which present themselves in the more or less advaneed stages of growth, have been omitted as quite unnecessary, and, to many a reader, wholly unintelligible. These, however, have all been cireumstantially noted down, and drawn with the strictest aceuracy ; and, moreover, the delicate germ and its infinitesimal tendril-like offshoots have been preserved, so that their progress to- wards maturity may be followed day by day and week by week, and the eye of the uninitiated, even, behold and comprehend what once Science alone could see. _ © And for such discovery, and clear display of it, we are indebted to Dr. Louis William Bischoff, at this moment Professor at the Uni- versity of Munich*”’ (pp. 44-46). Now the extraordinary circumstance above related is not entirely new to English naturalists, though it may be so to many of our readers, for no comprehensive work on British Mammals has been published since those of Prof. Bell and Prof. MacGillivray, which appeared, the one simultaneously with, the other but shortly after Prof. Pockel’s paper in Miiller’s ‘ Archiv’ for 1836, wherein attention was: first directed to the subject. Yet, if we are not mistaken, the dis- covery of the distinguished Bavarian physiologist has been noticed in some of our scientific journals; and we believe that the proof of his theory is considered satisfactory. However, we look forward to Prof. Bell telling us all about it in the new edition of his ‘ British Mammalia,’ which is understood to be in preparation. Two chapters are devoted to the Red-deer; and a subject which * «Tn case any of my readers should be desirous of studying the subject with more scientific accuracy than it is possible to do from this sketch, the title of Prof. Bischoff’s treatise is subjoied ;. ‘ Entwickelungsgeschichte des Rehes.’? Giessen, 1854.” 11* 164 Bibliographical Notices. has not, that we are aware of, hitherto received much attention from naturalists is very fully treated. - This is the fact that the ‘slot’ or footprint of the animal reveals to the practised eye a faithful indica- tion of its age, sex, size, and condition. Of course all this is well known to every good forester, but we are ignorant of any work in which the particulars are recorded ; and here numerous illustrations are introduced, serving to explain the differences which may be ob- served. The Fallow-deer comes next in the book, but this theme is less dwelt upon; and then a few pages are occupied by the Caper- cally and Black Grouse, without any new facts in their history being, we believe, alleged, though Mr. Boner graphically describes the scenery of their haunts, and the methods employed of shooting the cocks of both these fine birds in the season of courtship—undoubtedly an unsportsmanlike practice, according to English notions, but one which, from their polygamous habits, may be indulged in without fear of too much diminishing the stock, and which, from the great extent of the German forests, added to the desultory wanderings of the birds at other periods of the year, is almost rendered necessary. We cannot afford space to dwell on the Eagle-nesting exploits of Count Arco, who seems to possess the combined powers of MM.. Blondin and Leotard, so great is his skill in balancing and leaping. An account of this gentleman’s great feat at Rohrmoos has already . been published in the English newspapers*. We can only regret that the custom of Eagle-destroying, which has even now deprived the Highlands of Scotland of so much of the ornithological interest they formerly possessed—and this without any great advantage to the sportsman—has been extended to South Germany. If Eagles’ nests were always placed in the dizzy situation represented in Mr. Boner’s frontispiece, we might rest assured that, in the absence of an enemy endowed with Count Arco’s perseverance and gymnastic accomplishments, they would be pretty safe; but we fear the selec- tion of such almost impregnable fortresses is rather the exception than the rule. ; The illustrations to ‘Forest Creatures’ are well designed by the artist ; but, we are sorry to say, the wood-cutter has done his best to spoil the spirit shown by the draughtsman, by his extremely clumsy execution. Should this little book, as it certainly deserves, attain the honours of a second edition, the publishers will do well to have the figures re-engraved. - Some naturalists there may be who will say that works like this of Mr. Boner’s are of no scientific use, but are merely fit to amuse fox- hunting gentlemen during a frost, or shooting squires in showery weather. With such opinions we decidedly disagree, and recommend to their notice a little anecdote related in pages 219, 220 (whether it is true or not does not in the least signify), which the author in- troduces by the remark, “A trifle, if it be seen by one, even the most uncultivated, who understands the technical peculiarity, and knows what inference is to be drawn from it, may throw sudden light . *® Vide ‘The Field’ for June 8, 1861, Bibliographical Notices. 165 on a subject, and clear up that which was before shrouded in mys- tery.’ Herein lies the explanation of the utility of all field-observa- tions. Report on the Geological Survey of the State of Iowa. By James _ Haxu (State-Geologist) and J. D. Wurtnry (Chemist and Mi- neralogist). Vol. I. Part 1. Geology; Part 2. Paleontology. Towa, 1858. In 1812 was published (in the ‘ Journal de Physique’ for February) the first geological map of the United States of America, by William Maclure; and this was improved and republished at Philadelphia in 1817. Other independent observers, among whom were A. Eaton, L. Vanuxem, 8S. G. Morton, I. Lea, G. W. Featherstonhaugh, and W. Darby, continued to advance the knowledge of the geology and paleontology of the United States until about 1835, when consider- able impetus was given to geological research by two circumstances : —firstly, Murchison’s elucidation and arrangement of the Silurian strata, and the consequent clear systematization of the Paleeozoic rocks in Europe and America ; and secondly, the institution of spe- cial geological surveys by the Governments of several of the States of the North American Union and by the Federal Government itself,— the national importance of geological maps and reports having been recognized by the United States and by the English Governments at about the same time. The geological surveys of the following States were commenced about this period :—Maine (C. T. Jackson), New Hampshire (C. T. Jackson), Vermont (Z. Thompson and C. B. Adams), Massachusetts (E. Hitchcock), Rhode Island (C. T. Jackson), Connecticut (C. U. Shepard and J. G. Percival), New York (W.W. Mather, E. Emmons, L. Vanuxem, J. Hall, J. E. Dekay, L. C. Beck, and T. A. Conrad), New Jersey (H. D. Rogers), Pennsylvania (H. D. Rogers), Delaware (J. C. Booth), Maryland (J. T. Ducatel), Virginia (W. B. Rogers), Ohio (W. W. Mather), Tennessee (G. Troost), Indiana (D. D. Owen), and Michigan (D. Houghton). Most of these State-surveys have been prosecuted with vigour by the geologists above named and others, and have been productive of good maps and memoirs, and of valuable collections and descriptions of fossils and minerals. Sub- sequently the State of Kentucky was preliminarily examined by L. P. Yandell and B. F. Shumard in 1846, and geologically surveyed by D. D. Owen in 1854-55; and Missouri has been reported on by G. C. Swallow. The States of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois were geologically explored by D. D. Owen in 1839-52; Wisconsin by the late J. G. Percival in 1854; and Iowa was more specially surveyed by James Hall and J. D. Whitney in 1855-57, and the results of their labours are published in the Report before us. Previous to making any remarks on this work, we may mention that in the Southern States geological surveys have been established, —in North Carolina (D. Olmsted and E. Emmons), South Carolina (M. Tuomey and O. M. Lieber), Alabama (M. Tuomey), Georgia 166 Bibliographical Notices. (G. White), and Mississippi (B. L. Wailes); that Arkansas has been reported on by the late eminent geologist, D, D. Owen (1857-60); Texas is under examination by B. F. Shumard, and Illinois by A. H. Worthen; and that the geological constitution of the Western Terri- tories of the United States has been learnt chiefly by means of the Various expeditions, exploring, surveying, and military, undertaken since 1840. , - Few of the State-surveys, except those of New York and Penn- sylvania, rival in their results that of Iowa, whether we look to the elucidation of the geology of the country in letterpress, sections, and map, to the description and figuring of the characteristic fossils, or to the style and preparation of the books themselves. _ We have, however, only the first portion of the Report before us; and that is divided into two large volumes,—one devoted to the de- Scriptive geology, and the other to the paleontology, chiefly of the eastern counties of the State of Iowa. Messrs. Hall and Whitney were assisted by Messrs. A. H. Worthen, B. J. Hall, E. H rford, and E. A. Cooley in their geological explorations. They describe the country as being composed of nearly horizontal strata, of Paleeo- zoic age, often covered by heavy drift-deposits of clay, sand, and gravel. The strata have a N.W.-S.E. strike, and dip gently, with undulations, to the N.E. The lowest rock is the Potsdam Sandstone (500 feet seen), exposed in the valley of the Upper Mississippi and its branches, especially the Upper Iowa River: above this follow the Calciferous Sandstone, or Lower Magnesian Limestone of D: D. Owen (200 feet thick) ; the St. Peter’s Sandstone of D. D. Owen (80 feet); Trenton Limestone (100 feet), including the Black-river and Birds- eye Limestones ; Galena-limestone (250 feet) ; Hudson-river Shales and Limestones (100 feet) ; [the Medina sandstone and Clinton rocks seem to be wanting;| Niagara Limestone (150 feet); Leclaire Lime- stone (more than 500 feet); Onondaga-salt Limestones, &e. (180 feet); Helderberg (Upper) Limestones (more than 50 feet); Hamilton Shales and Shaly Limestones (60 feet) ; Chemung Shales and Sand- stones (80 feet): Carboniferous Limestones—Burlington Limestone (encrinital) ; Keokuk Limestone and Chert (Archimedal) ; Warsaw Limestone (Archimedal) ; St. Louis Limestone (coneretionary) ; [the Ferruginous Sandstone of Missouri and the Kaskasia Limestone of Illinois are wanting ;| lastly, the Coal-measures. _ ; The lowest of these rocks occur only in the northern part of the State; the Coal-measures occupy the central and southern portions ; and the whole series can be seen in section along the Mississippi by traversing the entire length of the State, The geological formations of Iowa are those which are found to the eastward in New York and Pennsylvania; but, with one or two exceptions (especially the Potsdam Sandstone), they gradually be- come thinner towards the west. Thus the Cambro-Silurian rocks, from the Potsdam Sandstone to the Niagara Limestone’ inclusive, which are from 8000 to 10,000 feet thick on the borders of New Eng- land, or along the Appalachian chain, have a thickness of only about 1380 feet in Iowa, Fr Biblioyiaiphical Notices 167 - The Coal-measures of the State are geologically continuous with those of Illinois and Wisconsin. They are unconformable to the older Palzeozoic rocks, and overlap the edges of the slightly inclined strata of Devonian and Silurian age. As yet, in lowa the Coal- measures have been proved to the depth of 500 feet only; whilst in Missouri they are 640 feet thick, in the Mississippi Valley 1000 feet, in Pennsylvania upwards of 6000 feet (and, including the Con-. glomerate, nearly 8000 feet), in Cape Breton more than 10,000 feet, and in Nova Scotia upwards of 14,000 feet. Only one or two seams of coal (from 3 to 5 feet or more thick) and a cannel-coal are worked in Eastern Iowa. In Western Iowa the Permian formation is said to be represented by gypsiferous rocks; and the Lower Cretaceous rocks are well- developed both there and in the neighbouring Territories of Kansas and Nebraska. Mr. Hall, from the evidences already collected in the West, is inclined to believe in the existence of an extensive de- velopment of Jurassic rocks along the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. ; - It would appear,” observes the author, ‘ that, from the earliest Silurian times, the Great West, or the region of the Rocky Moun- tains, has been an ocean which successively received the finer sedi. ments derived from eastern lands, or which produced within its own area the caleareous deposits,—but ever an ocean, not only to the close of the Carboniferous period, but still later through the Per- miab, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods ; showing apparently no evi- dences of dry land till about the beginning of the Cretaceous era, or perhaps a little earlier ; while, in later Tertiary periods, the conti- nental fauna and flora have been remarkably developed over the same area. Thus, while the older Paleeozoic formations have been: largely - accumulated in the East, in successive beds, having altogether a thickness of several times the height of our highest mountains (in Towa), they have greatly diminished in the West. At the same time, while the post-palzeozoic formations are very thin or often absent in the East, they have accumulated in vast amount along the line of the Rocky Mountains, from one end of the continent to the other.” ‘p. 141). rhe iyeioal geography of the country is described by J. D. Whit- ney, in chapter 1; the general geology, by J. Hall, in chapters 2 and 3;. the geology of the Desmoins Valley, by A. H. Worthen, in chap. 4; the geology of certain counties, by A. H. Worthen and J. D. Whitney, in chaps. 5 and 6; and the chemistry and economic geology by J.D. Whitney, in chap. 7, It is stated that “the geo- logical structure of the State clearly indicates that her agricultural products, her coal-mines and beds of gypsum will constitute her greatness of resources and her future wealth” (p. 145); and the lead-mines are also of importance. _ Chapter 8 of this work (or part 2 of vol. i.) treats of the paleeonto- logy of the State as far as concerns the following groups of rocks,— Hamilton group, Chemung group, Burlington Limestone, Keokuk 168. Bibliographical Notices. Limestone, St. Louis Limestone, Kaskasia Limestone, and the Coal- measures. These Mr. Hall “considered more important in the pre-' sent state of our knowledge,’’—the Lower and Upper Silurian forma-' tions having been illustrated in Dr. D. D. Owen’s Reports on parts of Iowa and the neighbouring States, and the higher groups, espe cially the Carboniferous Limestones, not having received so much attention. Twenty-nine elegantly engraved plates and numerous wood- cuts illustrate the fossils, among which Brachiopoda and Crinoidea predominate. ) This Report, as far as it extends, appears fully to meet the require- ments of the State-survey organized in 1855, and provides the citizens: of Iowa with clear information respecting their lands. To geologists at large it is also a very valuable work, providing means of compari- son for extensive Paleozoic districts of which previously there was little exact knowledge; and we may look forward to the second volume as being even still richer in ‘‘ comparative geology ;” for it will not only treat of the relations of the Paleeozoic rocks, with which Mr. Hall has had a life-long acquaintance, but also of the Seconda formations of the Western Territories, to the consideration of whic the same eminent geologist will have brought cautious experience and dispassionate acumen. Second Report of a Geological Reconnoissance of the Middle and Southern Counties of Arkansas, made during the years 1859 and 1860. By Davtp Date Owen, Principal Geologist ; assisted by Rosert Peter, Chemical Assistant; M. Leo Lesquereux, Botanist, and Epwarp Cox, Assistant-Geologist. Philadelphia, 1860. This Report completes the preliminary Geological Survey of Ar- kansas ; the First Report, by Dr. D. D. Owen, published in 1858 (the result of explorations in 1857-58), having treated of the northern counties of the State. Our knowledge of the geology of this exten- sive tract of country has hitherto been very vague. One of the most western of the States, Arkansas has been one of the latest in being systematically surveyed by professional geologists. The Survey was placed in excellent hands; for few, if any, were so well acquainted with the soils and rocks of the central area of North America, tra- versed by the Mississippi, as the late Dr. David Dale Owen. Un- fortunately this gifted and energetic geologist has lived but long enough, and scarcely that, to take a general view of the geological structure of Arkansas, and to point out its chief features, mineralo- gical and stratigraphical. But this was no light task, even with the aid of the gentlemen mentioned above as his assistants, as well as Mr. Jos. Lesley, his topographical assistant, working with him as friends only can work—with zealous co-operation. In the sad duty of preparing for the press that portion of the Report which existed only in the form of field-notes at the time of Dr. D. D. Owen’s decease, his brother (Dr. Richard Owen) was cordially assisted by Messrs. Bibliographical Notices. 169 M. W. Smith, J. P. Lesley, and E.T. Cox. The last-named offers, at p. 402, afeeling memorial to the energy and worth of his esteemed friend. In the Introduction to the Report (p. 7), and again at pp. 16, &c., we find some lucid remarks on the value of a general survey of the logy of a new country, and particularly of Arkansas. Besides establishing the chief axis and trend of the strata, that give not only the contour to the topographical features of the district, but afford a elne to the great folds or troughs in conformity with which some of the strata, appearing at one time in elevated position in the mountain- ranges, sink beneath the surface to reappear, perhaps, on the opposite side of some wide valley, such a geological reconnaissance supplies an approximate knowledge of the boundaries of the formations, enabling the geologist to predict what valuable minerals may be found within their limits, and what it would be useless waste of time to search for within the same. Thus the State-geologist here is enabled to speak ‘with more or less certainty of the locality, nature, and origin of the brine-springs and mineral-waters, the coal-beds and lignites, the iron-, zine-, manganese-, lead-, and copper-ores, the limestones, marbles, clays and marls, slates, hone-stones, and building-materials, paints, nitre-earths, crystals, &c., of Arkansas, “Yet Arkansas,” wrote the hopeful geologist, in the introductory portion of this his posthumous Report, “is a young State ; and her eological survey is in reality only fairly commenced. If thus early in this work we are able to report such flattering prospects, what may not be anticipated by thorough and minute detailed surveys ?”” In the Agricultural Survey, numerous analyses of the soils of this State were made, which mduced Dr. Owen to believe that its soils generally are equally rich in fertilizing ingredients with those of the neighbouring States, and. that its best bottom-lands are, in truth, richer. More mountainous than Iowa, Wisconsin, and part of Min- nesota, Arkansas has a greater abundance of timber, and a shorter winter. Pine-timber is of very general growth in this State, due probably (says the author) to the diffusion of silicate of potash in the soil. “‘So peculiarly indigenous does the yellow pine appear to be to the Arkansas soils, that you will even find it growing in river- and creek-bottoms, side by side with the Gum, and, on the argillaceous slopes, associated with the Beech.’’? Poplar-timber is said to be en- tirely absent, except on quaternary soil at one locality. The Creta- ceous soils of the south-west counties of the State, highly charged with lime, are peculiarly congenial to the Osage Orange or Bois d’Are. ‘M. L. Lesquereux enumerates eight species of Grape (p. 353) as having been found in Arkansas, in some localities with fine growth ; but the people do not seem to appreciate the Vine (p. 329). Protruded masses of igneous rocks (granitic, hornblendic, and augitic), of small extent aud distant from each other, occur on the waters of the Fourche (Pulaski county), in Saline county, and at Magnet Cove, in Hot Spring county; these lie on a N.E.-S.W. line. The general strike of the stratified rocks is stated to be most probably nearly E.& W. These are greatly disturbed and altered near this 170 Bibliographical Notices. granitic axis; and not only here, but over a very wide area removed from this locality, the shales, sandstones, and limestones occur in a greatly metamorphosed state, highly tilted, and often traversed by mineral veins*. The tilted edges of the sandstones and shales are crossed along the roads for miles, and, though there are reversals in the dip evident in places, they must be of immense thickness. “They all seem to be of the age of the Millstone-grit, or, at least, not lower than the base of the Subcarboniferous group, because they overlie rocks of Devonian date, and have intercalated, towards their base, limestone and black flint, which, though often brecciated and meta- morphosed into a black-veined marble, are undoubtedly of the same age as the black limestone and flint of Wiley’s Cove and Shield’s Bluff, which belong to the date of the (Productus-) Archimedes- Pentremital beds of the Subcarboniferous group.’ They appear to immediately underlie the true Coal-measures. The -induration of these strata in Arkansas the author attributes to the highly heated gases, vapours, and alkaline siliceous water,—the various degrees of change observable arising from differences in the intensity and phases of such agencies. The pervious sandstones are much more altered than the impervious shales. The latter are, for the most part, only locally indurated into hard slates, undergoing rapid disintegration on exposure. Sometimes they are permeated with veins, and network of veins, of milky quartz. Rarely the siliceous shales become good roofing-slate. ‘The sandstones, over many wide areas, are not only indurated, but often completely changed in structure, passing into quartzite, chaleedonic chert, flint, and novaculite. South of the parallel 34° 30’, in Hot-Spring, Saline, Montgomery, and Polk counties, there is less limestone intercalated with the slates, and these have more quartz-veins, generally running at an acute angle with the strike, which most frequently is W. 20° S. and E. 20° N. The Coal-measures of Arkansas are more fully treated of-in the First Report, 1858. They belong to the Millstone-grit, and lie below the horizon of ‘No. 1 Coal” of the Kentucky sections. One or two hundred feet of shale overlie massive conglomerates or thick-bedded sandstones ; and these overlie reddish and dark-coloured shales, up- wards of 300 feet thick, which, in their upper part, contain thin seams of coal. The shales appear to have been thrown into wide troughs before the deposition of the sandstone. The Arkansas Coal- field is traversed by the Arkansas River; the strata are nearly hori- zontal; it contains several thin seams of coal, and there are some from 4 to 5 feet thick. From these Coal-measures M. Lesquereux has obtained upwards of forty species of plants, belonging to twenty- five genera; also the wing of an Insect (Blattina vetusta, Lesq.). These fossils are described by M. Lesquereux, and figured in five elegantly engraved plates. * Another granitic axis, reaching the surface on a branch of the Spavinaw Creek, beyond the north-western limits of the State, probably underlies the lead-bearing Subcarboniferous Limestone of the north-west counties of Arkansas and the south-west counties of Missouri. Bibliographical Notices. 171 - As in the attempted delineation of the older rocks of Arkansas, so also in the supposed area of the Cretaceous strata, the published maps are very incorrect. “I have not been able to detect (says Dr. Owen) any symptoms of Cretaceous strata, even in deep wells, any further north in Arkansas than Clark county, about two and a quarter miles north-west of Archidelphia, 7. e. near the line between townships 7 and 8 south, in about latitude 34° 6’. At the fine section exposed on the Arkansas River, at the ‘White Bluffs,’ i.e. about latitude 34° 27', beds of Quaternary date occupy the higher part of the bluff, while the lower 50 or 60 feet, extending down to the low-water mark of the Arkansas, is most decidedly Tertiary shell-marl of Eocene date, affording the following species:—Cardita densata, Fusus magnocostatus, F. Fittonii, Corbula Alabamensis, Monoceros vetustus, and others undetermined. Even at a point on the river- bank where a considerable disturbance and tilting of the strata are conspicuous, nothing lower in the geological series can be seen than Eocene Tertiary.” ~ Tn Southern Arkansas immense numbers of very large oyster-shells lie strewn on the ploughed lands, where the Cretaceous strata come to the surface—Hxogyra costata, sometimes weighing upwards of four pounds, and Ostrea vesicularis. These are collected and made into a superior lime. Bones of sharks and saurians are also found. Dr. Koch collected many bones here, and removed them to Berlin. Two plates (7 and 8) of Cretaceous fossils, some of which are un- described, accompany the Report. The ‘Tertiary beds are best seen in section at the White Bluffs: they yield some limestone for lime-burning, and abundance of shell- marl, good for manure; also, in some places, gypsum, large masses of iron-ore, and thick beds of lignite. The last, as well as some lignites occurring in the Quaternary deposits, yield, by distillation, from thirty to forty-five gallons of crude oil to the ton of 2000 lbs. ; and for this purpose the lignites are likely to be more profitable than as fuel. A plate illustrating the kind of leaves (of dicotyledonous trees) found in the Tertiary lignites of the “‘Chalk-banks ” of the negra and the red shales of Tennessee is given by M, Lesquereux (pl. 6), who here figures and describes three new species of Magnolia, Quercus, and Rhamnus. Plate 9 illustrates some of the Tertiary shells and fish-teeth. To the Drift or Quaternary age are referred numerous and exten- sive drift-deposits, composed mostly of quartz, sandstone, and hard shales and slate ; sometimes these are very thick, consisting of coarse material, and containing large blocks. These Drifts have no con- nexion with the Northern Drift, though possibly partly contempora- neous with it; but have been due, in Dr. Owen’s opinion, to the repeated and long-continued movements of the rocks one upon an- other, during periods of disturbance and upheaval ; and some of the Drift may be ‘of comparatively recent date, perhaps as new as the date of the rise of the Quaternary beds of the Western States out of the great lake-like expansions of fresh water in which they were accumulated.” 172 Bibliographical Notices. The agricultural geology of the State (pp. 42, &c.) has received considerable attention from Dr. Gwen and his assistants ; and the soils have been extensively analysed. Dr. R. Peter’s report on the chemical analysis of soils, subsoils, under-clays, clays, and nitre- earths, with some general observations on soils, occupies pp. 163- 294, The thermal waters of Hot-Spring county are fully treated of at pp. 18, &c., and at pp. 101, &c. Silica and carbonate of lime are their most abundant mineral constituents. Their temperature ranges from 100° to 148° Fahr. ' They issue, with much free carbonic acid, mostly from a snowy-white chalcedonic novaculite (the ‘ Ouachita oilstone,”’ or ‘Arkansas whetstone’), in upwards of torty springs, on a ridge (Whetstone Mountain) about 250 feet above the valley, and deposit much calcareous tufa. ‘The novaculite varies in character, is much fissured and veined with quartz. In Montgomery county, some twenty miles distant, the sandstones are less altered, but have their joints and planes of stratification filled with fine clusters of crystals of silex, as much as 5 or 6 inches in length, and of unsur- passed purity. The valley below the springs is occupied with silicified slate, traversed by veins of serpentine. No igneous rock is exposed nearer than ten miles off, at Viga Creek, on the borders of Magnet Cove, famous for its magnetic iron-ore and great variety of minerals, including titanic acid (Brookite or Arkansite), . . Artesian wells are treated of in chap. 3, including those of Louis- ville and St. Louis,—the former 2086 feet, the latter 2199 feet deep. Mention also is made of several of the best-known in Europe. . This Report is illustrated with a chart of the principal hot springs in Hot-Spring county, with several plates and woodcuts illustrating the topographical features, and with the engraved plates of fossils already noticed above. M. Leo Lesquereux’s Report on the Botany and Paleontology of the State (pp. 295-399) comprises a systematic catalogue of the plants of Arkansas, with useful notes appended. There is also a good index to the whole book. This useful work must have been very welcome to the inhabitants of Arkansas, and is full of interest to geologists abroad and at home. Its getting-up does credit to the State, whose late Governor, his Excellency E. N. Conway, appears to have warmly and judiciously patronized the Survey. The geological results of the reconnaissance are worthy of the veteran geologist and his assistants; and it is fer- vently hoped that the detailed survey of the State will be strenuous] proceeded with under equally good auspices as soon as peace shall have again calmed existing disturbances in the distracted States of North America. Royal Society. 173 PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. ROYAL SOCIETY. Noy. 21, 1861.—Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie, Bart., President, in 2 the Chair. “The Lignites and Clays of Bovey Tracey, Devonshire.’ By William Pengelly, Esq., F.G.S. _ The village of Bovey Tracey, in Devonshire, is situated on the left bank of the river Bovey, a small tributary of the Teign, about eleven miles south-westerly from Exeter. A considerable plain stretches away from it, for about nine miles, in a south-easterly direction, and terminates three and a half miles north-west of Torquay. It appears a lake-like expansion of the valleys of the Bovey and Teign, and is surrounded on all sides by lofty hills of granite and other rocks. Excavations in various parts of this plain, especially in the north- western part of it, known as Bovey Heathfield, have disclosed, beneath an accumulation of gravel mixed with clay and sand, a regular series of strata of lignite, clay, and sand, well known to geologists as the * Bovey deposit,” whilst the lignite is equally familiar as ‘ Bovey coal.’’ The most important of the excavations is that known as the #6; -pit,”. whence lignite is extracted, which is used, in small quantities, at a neighbouring pottery, and also by the poorer cottagers of the immediate neighbourhood. The deposit has long attracted the attention of both the scientific and commercial world, and many authors have given descriptions -and speculations respecting it. In 1760 the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Milles sent a paper on it to the Royal Society. Tis aim appears to have been to prove the mineral origin of the lignite, in refutation of Professor Hollman, of Géttin- gen, who had described, and assigned a vegetable origin to, a similar substance found near the city of Munden.. In 1794 and 1796 Dr. Maton described the deposit, and mentioned the existence of a large turf bog, near the pit, in which whole trees were often discovered, but ‘‘none of them bearing the least resemblance to Bovey coal.” In 1797 Mr. Hatchett brought the subject before the Linnean Society, in a paper in which his object seems to have been the refu- tation of the mineral theory of Dr. Milles. In his ‘ History of Exeter,’ published in 1802, Mr. Brice next gave an account of the deposit, and the state of the lignite workings ; he supposed the basin to have formerly been a stagnant lake or morass into which trees were suc- cessively transported from the neighbouring slopes. The twelfth letter in Parkinson’s ‘ Organic Remains,’ published in 1804, appears to have been written by Mr. Scammell, of Bovey Tracey, and is de- voted to the lignite ; from it we learn that the coal had been worked upwards of ninety years, and that the trees found in the bog, men- tioned by Dr. Maton, were of the fir kind. Mr. Vancouver, in his General View of the Agriculture of the County of Devon,’ pub- 174: Royal Society :— lished in 1808, supposes the lignite to have been the product of pine forests which grew where it is found, and that clay and other moveable matter must have been poured over them, in a fluid state, at different periods, from the craggy eminences around. Mr. Austen, in his ‘Memoir on the Geology of the South-east of Devonshire,’ states that the Bovey beds rest on a gravel equivalent to the lowest tertiary deposits, and is thus the first writer who addresses himself to the chronology of the formation. He makes the overlying gravels post-tertiary, but belonging to the “ period prior to the most recent changes of relative level of land and water and of climate.” Sir H. De la Beche, in-his ‘ Report of Cornwall, Devon, &c.,’ expresses surprise and regret that, excepting the lignite itself, no orgauie remains have been detected in the deposit, so that we are deprived of any aid by which it may be referred to any particular geological date ; and adds that ‘if the wood be, as has been supposed, analogous to oak and other existing trees, we should suppose the Bovey beds to have been formed towards the latter part of the supracretaceous period.” In 1855, Dr, Hooker read a paper before the Geological Society of London, “ On some Small Seed-vessels (Folliculites minu- tulus) from the Bovey Tracey Coal,” which was the first announce- ment of the discovery of identifiable fossils in the deposit. Besides the fossil just named, Dr. Hooker described a cone of the Scotch fir, Pinus sylvestris, said to have been found in one of the uppermost beds of lignite, and from it he came to the provisional conclusion that the Bovey beds belong to the Post-Pliocene epoch. In 1856, Dr. Croker, of Bovey Tracey, sent to the same Society a paper in which he men- tioned the oceurrence of large “ flabelliform leaves,’’ together ‘* with tangled masses of vegetable remains in some of the higher beds,’’ » In 1860 Sir Charles Lyell and Dr. Falconer visited Bovey, and returned with the impression that the formation belonged to the miocene age. The latter introduced the subject to Miss Burdett Coutts as one which it was eminently desirable to have fully and carefully investigated. Miss Coutts having soon after visited the district with the author, requested him to undertake an investigation of the deposit, which he accordingly did ; and at once engaged Mr. Keeping, the well-known and experienced fossil-collector of the Isle of Wight. | Sections of the deposit at the coal-pit show a series of beds natu- rally dividing themselves into three parts, namely,— Ist, or uppermost, a bed of sandy clay, containing large angular -and subangular stones, chiefly of Dartmoor derivation, unconformably covering the lower beds. No stones occur below this. 2nd. A series of twenty-six beds of lignite, clay, and sand, the base of which is a bed of ferruginous quartzose sand, in some places 27 feet thick, in others less than one foot, but which everywhere oceurs as a well-marked feature in the pit-sections. Excepting this bed, sand is almost entirely confined to the uppermost part of the division. 3rd. A set of forty-five beds of regularly alternating lignite and clay. The stones by which it is characterized, and its unconformability, Mr. W. Pengelly on the Lignites and Clays of Bovey Tracey. 175 show that the uppermost division could not have been formed under the same conditions, nor probably in the same geological period as the two lower series. This view has been confirmed by the identifi- _ cation of certain fossil leaves found in the clays of the uppermost series. The two lower series are strictly conformable, and dip 124°, towards S. 35° W. (mag.). Five beds—one of clay and four of lignite—in the second series, and nine—one of clay and eight of lignite—in the lower, a total of fourteen, have yielded fossils, all of them remains of plants only, A few only of these beds require par- ticular mention. The seventh bed is, in many places, a mat of the débris of a coniferous tree, the Sequoia Couttsie, and fronds of ferns, chiefly Pecopteris lignitum. The seventeenth bed contains a large number of dicotyledonous leayes. The twenty-fifth is that in which the so-called “ flabelliform leaves” of Dr. Croker occur; they haye been decided to be large rhizomes of ferns. The twenty-sixth, a bed of clay, is richer than any other in the number and variety of its fossils, which consist of dicotyledonous leaves, seeds of various kinds, and débris of Sequoia stems, leaves, fruits, aud seeds. Remains of the last occur, in well-marked specimens, in the fortieth and sixty-third beds; so that it ranges throughout the formation, both divisions of which, therefore, belong to one organic period. The forty-sixth bed abounds in the seeds described by Dr. Hooker as Folliculites minutulus, but which Professor Heer has recognized as Carpolithes Kaltennordheimensis. . The lignite has frequently a “charred”? appearance ; and it is diffi- eult to believe that it has not undergone true combustion in the beds, the ignition being spontaneous. Coal has been found upwards of 170 feet below the surface of the plain, and there are reasons for believing that the deposit.is fully 300 feet in depth. On the advice of Dr. Falconer, the fossils have been submitted to Professor Heer of Ziirich, who has found amongst them 49 species of plants, eight of which were found by himself during a personal inves- tigation of the deposit. Many of these are entirely new to science, whilst the others are well known as continental representatives of the lower miocene age. In addition to these, four species have been identified in the uppermost or gravel division, as belonging to the diluvial period, ‘‘ that is, a period when the climate of Devon- shire was colder than at present.” The deposit is eminently freshwater, and must have been formed in a lake, the bottom of which is, at present, at least 30 fathoms below the level of ordinary spring-tide high water. It appears pro- bable that the waters of this miocene lake were separated from the ocean by a barrier which crossed the present tidal estuary of the Teign, and over this the surplus waters passed to the sea; or that they formed a lower outlet in the valley between Newton and Tor- quay ; the first seems, from the physical characters of the two valleys, to have been the most probable course, During the investi- gation a search was made for fossils at the clay-works of Aller, Kingsteignton jand Decoy, all near Newton Abbot; nothing was 176 Royal Society. found except at the last place, where astem of Sequoia Couttsie was met with, thus showing that the deposit is identical with that at . Bovey Heathfield. “The Fossil Flora of Bovey Tracey.’ By Dr. Oswaid Heer, Professor of Botany and Director of the Botanical Gardens in Ziirich. The surface-covering of the Bovey plateau consists of a light- coloured quartzose sand, which contains here and there considerable beds of white clay. By the plants contained in it this formation is assigned to the Diluvium. Immediately under it come the beds of clay and lignite, which belong to one formation, far older than that of the overlying white clay; the plants found in them determine them as belonging unques- tionably to the miocene period. Hence the formations must be treated of separately. A. The Miocene Formation of Bovey. Of the forty-nine species of plants hitherto discovered in the lignite beds of Bovey, twenty occur on the Continent in the miocene formation. Those beds are therefore undoubtedly miocene. When tabulated, it is seen that fourteen of the twenty species occur in the Tongrien étage, thirteen in the Mayencien, five in the Helvétien, and eight in the C£ningien; hence the Bovey lignites must be ranged in the under miocene, and in the Aquitanien étage of it. ~ Moreover, the new species at Bovey are closely allied to well-known Continental forms on this horizon. | It is remarkable that Bovey has no species in common with Ice- land, although the tertiary flora of the latter belongs to the same period, and two of its species have been found in the miocene de- posit of Ardtun Head in Mull. The Bovey flora has a much more southern character, manifesting, indeed, a subtropical climate. It has certainly some points of connexion with the eocene of the Isle of Wight, but on the whole possesses an essentially different character. The fact that but one species is common to it and Alum Bay, whilst it has so many in common with the more remote miocene formations of the Continent, satisfies us that it belongs to a different horizon. Among the twenty-six new species found at Bovey, several inter- esting forms are found. The first place belongs to Sequoia Couttsia, a conifer which we can illustrate by branches of every age, by cones and seeds. It supplies a highly impértant link between Sequoia Langsdorfii and S. Sternbergi, the wilely distributed representatives of S. sempervirens and 8. gigantea ( Wellingtonia), whose occurrence in the present creation is confined to California. Of great interest also are two species of Vitis, of which the grape- stones lie in the clays of Bovey. Three remarkable species of Fig, the seeds of three new species of Nyssa and two of Annona, one new water-lily (Nymphea), and many highly ornate Carpolithes impart to our knowledge of tertiary plants a most essential extension. -- It is highly probable that, at the period of the lower miocene, the Zoological Society. 177 Bovey basin was occupied by an inland lake. The entire absence of freshwater shells, and, indeed, of aquatic animals generally, is cer- tainly very extraordinary, and so is the absence of fruits of the Chara, so abundant elsewhere in miocene freshwater deposits; the Nymphea seeds, however, furnish a secure indication of fresh water. We must not omit to notice that the parts of the basin hitherto explored were towards the middle of the lake, and, in the case of the under beds at least, at a considerable depth, which explains the absence of bog-plants as well as of mammalian relics. The lignite beds consist almost entirely of tree-stems (probably belonging in great measure to Sequoia Couttsie) which have appa- rently been floated hither, not only from the circuit of the immediate hills, but doubtless also from greater distances. The twenty-sixth bed in the series, immediately above the “thick bed of sand,” is a soft clay with numerous leaves of plants, and ripe cones and seeds of Sequoia Coutisia ; the bed was probably formed in autumn, and the plants it contains are due to the driftings of that season. Higher up follows the bed (twenty-five) with fern rhizomes, and occasionally pinnules of Pecopteris lignitum. The latter appears in great abundance with branches of Sequoia still higher. As this under miocene formation is immediately succeeded by that of the gravel and white clay, we have here a great hiatus: either the middle and upper miocene, as well as the pliocene, periods must have passed without the formation of deposits in this place, or they must have been removed again in the diluvial period. B. The White Clay. While the lignites and their alternating clays present us with a subtropical vegetation, the plants of the White Clay exhibit a totally different character, and must have had their origin in an altogether distinct period. Four species—three of Salix and one of Betula—have been found in this overlying mass, no one of which appears to differ from species now living. The presence of the Betula (B. nana) is conclusive for a diluvial climate, that is, a colder climate than Devonshire has at the present day ; for this dwarf birch is an Arctic plant, which has no British habitat south of Scotland, and which occurs in Mid Europe only on mountains and sub-alpine peat mosses. The evidence of the willow-leaves is to the same effect, indicating that at this period Bovey Heathfield was a cold peat-moor. ZCOLOGICAL SOCIETY. June 25, 1861.—Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., V.P., in the Chair. NOTES ON THE SEA-ANEMONES OF MADEIRA, witH Descrip- TIONS OF New Srecizes. By James YATE JOHNSON. In the following notes I have given an account of such Sea-Ane- mones as have occurred to me after much diligent search in the neighbourhood of Funchal, the capital of Madeira. The dredge Ann, & Mag. N. Hist. Ser.3. Vol.ix. - 12 178 Zoological Society :— would doubtless bring other species to light, and possibly something additional would be discovered by an examination of the shore in other parts of the island. As to the nomenclature of the genera, | have considered it right to follow Mr. Gosse, to whom all students of this tribe of Zoophytes must feel much indebted for his pains- taking book on the British species. A Cornulariais included ; for although not, strictly speaking, a Sea- Anemone, it closely resembles one in external appearance. Order ALCYONARIA, M.-Edw. CoRNULARIA ATLANTICA, sp. n. Basal band narrow, inconspicuous, creeping irregularly, and bear- ing the polypes at uncertain distances. Column of a pale flesh- colour, subcylindrical, rather wider at the middle than above and below ; destitute of spicula, but invested by a thin epidermis con- taining particles of sand ; when retracted, forming a fleshy hemisphe- rical button, one-fifteenth of an inch high ; when expanded, the co- lumn has a length of about three-tenths of an inch, with a diameter of one-twelfth of an inch. Eight pinnate tentacles, in one series, at the margin of the shallow cup forming the disk, the pinne of about twelve pairs, ringed, as if showing a tendency to further division. Tentacle-stem subulate, about one-fourth of an inch in length, the bases of the tentacles broadening and coming in contact one with another on each side. When the animal is fully displayed, the ten- tacles and the upper part of the column are nearly colourless, and have the appearance of a transparent film. Abundant on stones near low-tide mark ; sometimes attached to sea-weed. ; Order ZOANTHARIA, M.-Edw. Suborder Actinrarta, M.-Edw. Fam. Actiniuip#, M.-Edw. SaGarTia parasitica, R. Q. Couch, sp. This species is invariably seated upon shells inhabited by Hermit Crabs, Cassis sulcosa, Dolium perdix, Triton nodiferus, §c. SAGARTIA AFFINIS, sp. 0. This species is closely allied to the last, and like it is always found upon shells of which Hermit Crabs have taken possession, some- times in company with it, sometimes alone. Its base is capable of great extension ; and its column rises pillar-like, of a diameter very much less than that ofthe base. When contracted it will often lie so flat as to be scarcely thicker than a sixpence. The ground-colour of the column is yellow; and there are five broad, more or less fus- cous longitudinal bands, which, when the body is contracted, lie star-like upon it. Sometimes there is an irregular whitish transverse band placed nearer the disk than the base ; and in some specimens a number of white longitudinal streaks have been observed near the base. The inside of the mouth is orange. The disk itself is yel- lowish, the tentacles grey, numerous, in four or five rows. The a a ee ae ee Mr. J. Y. Johnson on the Sea-Anemones of Madeira. 179 average size of this species is less than that of S. parasitica, the largest specimens of which I have never seen equalled by any of S. affinis. Near neighbours in habit and mode of life as these two ma be, I have never observed any passage from one form to the other, although a good many specimens have been met with. It is an eager and voracious feeder, and bears captivity very well. It will some- times transfer itself from the shell to the bottom of the tank, and after a while, lo! it is seated on the shell once more, the shell being all the time the abode of a restless Pagurus. PHELLIA VESTITA, sp. n. Base adherent to rocks, less than column. Column cylindrical when expanded, clothed with a dense, brown, closely-adherent skin, rough like wash-leather, which when forcibly stripped off discloses the true skin beneath, which is smooth and of a pinky red. The animal is able to protrude the lower part and the upper part of its column from beneath the epidermal covering, which seems to consist chiefly of mucus and fine mud blended together. In a contracted state it is wrinkled transversely, but not warted. Disk smooth, red- dish, with radiating marks of brown and white. Tentacles numerous, in three rows, crowded near margin of disk, of moderate length, the innermost row the longest; retractile, conical, rather broad at the base, pate red, more or less ringed and spotted with opake white : sometimes the dilated bases have a dark neutral-tint band, and below this a white band round them. Mouth not raised on a cone, bu sometimes puffed out. Acontia emitted sparingly. This Sea-anemone is able to take considerable variety of shape ; sometimes it is contracted, sometimes swollen out at the middle, and when irritated into a state of complete contraction, it has a very ru- gose appearance. When detached from any support, I have seen it contract its base so much that a small hole only was visible. It has the power of expanding or distending both the lower and upper parts of its body, the expanded portions becoming semitransparent, and assuming the appearance of bladders, whilst the rest of the column retains its rough opake coating. This coat adheres so strongly, that I have in vain endeavoured to remove it with my finger-nail from a healthy animal. From a specimen, however, which had been severely wounded in removing it from its native rock, I succeeded in peeling off the coat in patches. The animal is not timid, it will keep its tentacles expanded until it is touched ; but in the day-time it seldom pushes them out to their full stretch ; they are usually held curved over the margin of the disk. It is rather fond of as- cending the side of the tank until it nearly reaches the surface of the water ; then, attaching itself by part of its lower disk, it will bend its body loosely downwards at an angle of 45°. It is hardy in the aqua- rium, rather sluggish in its habits, and adheres firmly to its support. It is not uncommon under stones in pools amongst the rocks covered at high tide. The size is not great ; the largest I have seen measured about half an inch in height when contracted, and expanded to a. length of about an inch and a half. 12* 180 Zoological Society :— Arprasta Coucutt, W. P. Cocks, sp. Not very common : usually found under loose stones near the level of low tide. It preserves at Madeira all the chief characters and habits possessed by its British sisters—restlessness of disposition, flexuosity of tentacles, power of lengthening and contracting the column, love of attaching itself to the side of the tank near the sur- face of the water, the column hanging downwards with the disk and tentacles widely expanded ; lastly, eagerness in seizing and swallow- ing its food. Sometimes it will abandon all support and suspend itself freely in the water, base uppermost, remaining thus for several hours without moving, save in being continually employed in distend- ing the column laterally. The distention began to show itself at the disk, and travelled slowly along until it reached the base ; when this had been effected, the animal stretched itself out and then recom- menced the operation. One of my specimens, now living ina glass of sea-water, presented itself one day as a globular vesicle three-quarters of an inch in diameter. The disk and tentacles had been retracted, and the tips of some of the latter were just visible at the bottom of a depression resembling that seen at the top of an apple. ANTHEA CEREUS, Johnston. This species is by far the most abundant of the Madeiran Acéi- naria, being found in almost every pool on the rocks between tide- marks. It is undoubtedly the animal described in Dana’s great work under the name of Actinia flagellifera (Comactis flagellifera, M.-Edw.). ACTINIA MESEMBRYANTHEMUM, Ellis & Sol. This species stands next in regard to abundance. The commonest variety is coloured a red-purple, with numerous black dots on the column. Sometimes the spots are greenish grey, sometimes the marginal spherules are red-purple instead of being azure. The animal is frequently of an umber-brown ; and a few specimens have occurred which had a brown body and disk, with red-purple base and tenta- cles. Two specimens have been met with which had a dull-green body and tentacles, with a white base, blue marginal spherules, and a blue line at the junction of the column with the base. At the time I possessed these two Actinie a third specimen was obtained, slightly different from them ; and this was placed in the same glass. On looking at them after the lapse of a few hours, I found that the new comer was in contact with one of the others, and that six of the mar- ginal spherules of the latter on the side of contact had expanded into large, colourless, ovate vesicles, retaining only their original blue colour at the tips. The upper part of the body of the animal was separated at this time from the tentacle-bearing disk by a deep fosse. Subsequently more of the blue tubercles expanded, until ten in this state were counted; after a while the disk expanded laterally, the vesicles contracted, and the fosse disappeared. Whilst the vesicles existed, the tentacles in their neighbourhood became much reduced in diameter, so as to be filiform. I am not aware whether a similar phenomenon has been observed by others. Mr. J. Y. Johnson on the Sea-Anemones of Madeira. 181 ACTINIA VIRGATA, Sp. n. Base of a deep flesh-colour, adherent to stones, not much exceed- ing the column when the tentacles are expanded ; when these are withdrawn and the column is depressed, it frequently spreads out into an enlarged irregular oval. Column delicately smooth, imperforate, non-adhesive; substance fleshy, marked by numerous (45 to 50) pairs of straight, purplish-blue lines, which extend from the margin of the disk to the angle of the column and base, where there is a circum- ferent line of the same colour. Each of these lines is about half as wide as the space between any two ; sometimes a line is broken up into dots. When the animal is in a contracted state, the lines are brought so close together, and their colour so deepened, that it appears nearly black. The disk has the margin closely set with azure tubercles, about thirty in number; it is smooth, of a pinkish flesh- colour, often puffed out into a cone, at the top of which is the mouth. Tentacles about eighty in number, crowded in three or four rows, placed near the margin of the disk, moderately long, with little differ- ence between dimensions of those in the several series, conical, of a pale-brown colour, with a slight purple tinge. When contracted, of a dark sepia-brown. Mouth with an azure-blue spot at the oppo- site angles. Acontia, none observed. Size from half to three-quarters of an inch in height, and from one-third to one-half an inch in height. Found on the underside of stones in pools near low water-mark. This pretty species is not very common: it is of very quiet habits, and dislikes the light. When in the aquarium it hardly ever expands its tentacles in the day-time, and at night, if brought within the in- fluence of light, the animal immediately takes alarm.. A specimen is now living in one of my tanks. - A few days ago, on looking at it after an interval of four or five hours, I found, to my surprise, that it had in the meantime surrounded itself with a progeny of fourteen be ones, the average size of which was one-tenth of an inch in eight and diameter, though some were smaller and some nearly twice as large. They were of a dull flesh-colour; but on the larger ones the purplish-blue marks began, in the course of a few hours, to show themselves as rows of dots, with irregularly arranged dots filling up the spaces between the rows of each pair. Some of them dis- played their tiny tentacles in a ludicrously old-fashioned manner. As to the mother, she had contracted her tentacles until they were little more than papillee ; the disk was puffed out much beyond their tips ; and the mouth was gaping widely, displaying a red throat ; the base was quite free, and was altogether concealed by the contraction of the body. Bunopes Lister}, sp. n. Base adherent to rocks ; its diameter about equal to the height of the column. Column, when expanded, usually from half to three- quarters of an inch in height ; but one specimen extended itself to the length of an inch and a third, with a diameter of four-tenths of aninch. Surface red, beset with longitudinal rows, about twenty- 182 Zoological Society :— four in number, of small white tubercles, which have a spot or streak of red at their apices. There are from ten to sixteen tubercles (taking different specimens) in a row; these tubercles can be employed as suckers, and by them I have seen the animal adhere to the bottom or side of a glass in which it was living ; the alternate rows some- times cease with the third or fourth from the disk. Disk frequently cup-like, without marginal spherules, very transparent, with a row of small white spots at the inner base of the innermost series of ten- tacles: sometimes there are white spots between the tentacles. Mar- gin of disk uneven, by reason of the highest tubercles of the column forming part of the outline. Mouth with a pale ring around it. Tentacles numerous, in about three rows near the margin of the disk, those of the innermost row longer, and these are as long as the dia- meter of the column, decreasing in size outwards, pale flesh or brown, but sometimes bearing white opake spots, very pellucid, coni- cal, simple, readily retractile, and usually brown, curled at the tips. This pretty species is very distinct from all the other Madeiran species that have occurred, but it seems to be closely allied to the British Bunodes Ballii. The pale-red, diaphanous tentacles become in some cases, when contracted, of a red-purple colour, in others of a brown hue. In one specimen, which was brought to me much wounded, the red tubercles of the column were ringed with greenish yellow. The animal is rather impatient of light, and is only seen fully expanded at night. It adheres very firmly to the object it is seated upon, and will submit to be torn rather than loosen its hold. I have named this species in honour of Dr. N. Lister, of Funchal, to whom I am indebted for much sympathy and assistance in my investigations. ALICIA, gen. n. Base adherent at pleasure; greatly exceeding column. Tentacles simple. Margin of disk simple, without spherules. Column beset with stalked appendages. ALICIA MIRABILIS. Base pale brown, adherent apparently by means of minute round suckers scattered over it, capable of great dilatation, and sometimes having a diameter of between 4 and 5 inches; very transparent, so that the appendages on the column could be seen through it. The outline undulate; the surface marked with about a hundred radi- ating furrows, meeting in the middle, and causing the margin to be crenate. Column apparently imperforate, pillar-like, when fully expanded measuring 2} inches in height and diameter ; surface deli- cately soft, pellucid, pale brown, marked with longitudinal furrows corresponding with those on the base; beset with stalked appendages. At the base these appendages are small, nearly sessile, and bear at their summits a single wart of hemispherical outline and of a dull- purple hue ; they become larger in proportion to their height above the base, until those next the oral disk have stalks half an meh high and ;%, of aninch in diameter, which divide and redivide, each ulti- mate division always crowned with a wart. As many as sixty warts sa O° Mr. J. Y. Johnson on the Sea-Anemones of Madeira. 183 might be counted on one of these appendages, the appearance of which when half-contracted, had some resemblance to a head of cauliflower. In most cases the common stalk was of an opake white colour, but Fig. 1. Alicia mirabilis, as seen with the base detached and uppermost, the ten- tacles lying on the bottom of the tank. Figs. 2 and 3. Two of the appendages of the column, of the natural size. Fig. 4. One of the warts of an appendage, enlarged. The outer coat is colourless and transparent ; the top of the interior body is dull purplish, the lower part yellowish brown, and the interspace colourless. in other cases it was orange ; and there were two of this colour stand- ing higher up the column than the rest, and placed over against each other. When the animal was in its state of greatest contrac. 184 Zoological Society :— tion, no part of the column was visible, on account of the warted tops of the appendages forming an unbroken coat ; when fully ex- panded, the soft delicate body was seen between the separated ap- pendages, and the upper part near the disk was extended quite clear of them for a considerable space. Under the microscope the purple warts were seen to consist of an exterior, transparent, colourless coat enveloping a body which was purplish at the tip and pale brown below. Disk destitute of marginal spherules, not lobed nor extending beyond the column, pale brown, transparent, slightly cupped. Ten-~ tacles pale brown, simple, subulate, elongated, rather slender, often curled, numerous, compactly set in three rows near the margin of the disk, beset with minute papille. Mouth half an inch across; lips usually somewhat puffed out, and divided by deep furrows into six longitudinal ribs on each side; destitute of warts and tentacles. Throat of a pretty full brown. No acontia observed. But one specimen of this very curious animal has occurred ; it was brought to me alive in the month of April last, and was said to have been found in one of the cane-work baskets which are sunk to the depth of a few fathoms in the Bay of Funchal, chiefly for the purpose of taking red mullet (Mullus surmuletus, L., and M. barbatus, L.). When I first saw it, only just covered with a little water, it was in a contracted state, and my first impression was that a compound Asci- dian was before me. After keeping it for three weeks in a small tank, I attempted to bring it with me to England in order to show it to those interested in this tribe of animals; but being unfortu- nately unable to attend to it in the earlier part of my voyage, it perished, to my great regret. ne ; As to its habits during the time it livedin my tank, I may say, that it bore confinement very well, and took its food (the flesh of Patella) with considerable readiness,, It frequently shifted its position in the tank, and on one occasion it was seen floating base uppermost ; when attached, its upper part was seldom destitute of motion, but that motion was exceedingly slow. The tentacles were usually more or less displayed ; but it has been observed with them so completely withdrawn that it was not easy to discover the precise situation of the disk and mouth. The tentacles possessed the power of stinging ; but, though the skin was made red, the pain was not great. Fam. Certantuip&, M.-Edw. SACCANTHUS MADERENSIS, Sp. n. Column lengthened, worm-like, with a conical imperforate base ; skin smooth, apparently without suckers or loopholes; of a pale chestnut-brown colour ; enveloped in a loose non-adherent tube ~ secreted by the animal, open at both ends. Disk without marginal spherules, cup-shaped, capable of being expanded so as to have a diameter twice as great as that of the column. Tentacles of two kinds : 1st, marginal, twenty-four in number, in one series, but often arranged, when fully displayed (and then bending inwards and out- wards alternately), so as to have the appearance of being placed in two rows; these tentacles are slender, tapering, uniform, longer Miscellaneous. 185 than the diameter of the column, and are coloured brown with pale rings: 2nd, short filiform tentacles, about twenty-five in number, ar- | ranged in two or three irregular circles round the mouth, coloured a uniform brown ; these labial tentacles hardly equal in length the radius of the disk. Only one specimen of this interesting animal has fallen in my way. When first brought to me, its appearance was that of a mass of dirt which had a certain convoluted shape, and out of which protruded at one place a reddish semitransparent body (the base), and at another some tentacles, which partly folded up on being touched. At first sight I took the animal for an Annelid; but during the night it shuffled off its muddy coating and displayed itself in its true character. It was then seen to have a length of about 23 inches, with a diameter of about a quarter of aninch. The column was quite smooth, cylindrical, and of a brown colour approaching to auburn or chestnut. When examined with a lens, some fine longitudinal lines were perceived, dividing the body at regular intervals, and being about +4, of an inch apart. Faint angular transverse lines were also visible, pretty closely set. It seemed shy, and never expanded its tentacles completely, except in the dark, when it contracted them if the light of a candle fell upon it. The power of fully withdrawing them seemed to be wanting. They were more than an inch in length when entirely dis- played. The next day I perceived it lying in the angle at the bottom of the glass containing sea-water, enveloped in a glaucous semitrans- parent film of mucus looking like a stout spider’s web, in which it moved as a worm moves in its case. It had expanded to a length of 4} inches, but on being touched immediately contracted so as to measure only 1? inch. It possessed the power of swelling out portions of the column; sometimes the swelling appeared near the middle of the body ; sometimes near the base. On some occasions it lay with the lower part of the body bent into a hook ; at others it quitted the protection of its tube and floated at the surface of the water. The animal was never observed to wriggle or glide through the water like a worm ; all its motions were extremely slow. It was captured at the bottom of a pool in the rocks near Funchal. MISCELLANEOUS. Note on Physa acuta (Draparnaud). By the Rev, ALrrep Meruie Norman, M.A. To the Editors of the Annals of Natural History. GENTLEMEN,—In February last I described in your Journal the well-known European Mollusk, Physa acuta (Draparnaud) as having been met with in our Islands. It was mentioned in my paper that the species had been found in a tank at Kew Gardens, and also in a ditch in the immediate vicinity of London.” This last locality was a “brook near the Hampton Wick entrance to Bushy Park ;” and the species was presumed by Mr. Choules to have been intro- duced from this habitat, along with water-plants, into Kew Gardens. Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 3. Vol. ix. 13 186 Miscellaneous. Spee mens sent to me as from the brook were identical with the tank species; and therefore, not seeing any reason to question the correct- “ ness of the information received, I did not hesitate, in accordance with Mr. Choules’s wishes, to publish the species. It is with much regret that I have now to state that it would seem I have been mis- informed by Mr. Choules, and that the species does ot occur in the brook in Bushy Park. Physa acuta must therefore be presumed to have been introduced into Kew Gardens from an exotic souree. Believe me to be, Gentlemen, Your obedient Servant, Sedgefield, Dec. 30, 1861. Aurrep Merite NORMAN. On the Reproduction of Porpita. By M. Lacaze Duruters, At the end of August and about the. middle of September, strong gales from the north-west threw upon one of the beaches near La Calle some Porpite in good condition ; some of them, preserved in my aquaria, displayed their fringed tentacula, moved from place to place, and soon let fall to the bottom of the vessel a great number of small ovoid bodies marked with a white cross. Having seen the small Medusee of the Velelle, I soon, by the aid of the lens, ascertained that I had before me exactly similar objects : under the microscope no doubt was possible. The Medusee of Porpita present the form of a little bell, of which the margin is furnished with a delicate membrane, and the summit bears a mass of brownish matter formed of large globules or cells. Starting from the bottom of the bell, four bands of a very dead white run almost to the margin of the orifice ; the rest of the sur- face is as transparent as crystal. In the thickness of the tissues are lodged some small white bacilli, which give their colour to the bands; and outside these are scattered wide apart some large neurato-cysts, which raise the surface, and almost project from it. The movements of contraction are exactly similar to those per- formed by all the Acalephs of this form; they are brisk and inter- mittent. When the contraction is effected, the water which fills the bell is driven out, and pushes before it the little membrane which borders the orifice. These little Medusee are easily recognized, with a lens, from their movements: the arms of the little white cross formed by the bands separate from and approach each other in the dilatations and con- tractions. I could not get these young Porpite to live more than ten days ; and all the changes which I could observe in them were limited to the almost complete disappearance of the large brown granulations at the summit of the bell, the increase of some yellowish granular cells which are observed on each side of the white bands forming the cross, the disappearance of some neurato-cysts, and, lastly, the formation at the summit of the bell of a cellular nipple, the further transformations of which could not be traced. The little bodies just described detach themselves from the ver numerous tentacles which surround the central trunk and clothe all Miscellaneous. 187 the lower surface of the disk from the filaments covered with barbules which occupy the circumference. Each of these proliferous tentacles forms a regular raceme, of which the grains are small Medusee in different states of development; they are suspended from a pedicle by the pole opposite to the orifice — bell. The extremity of the tentacle is inflated, and presents an orifice. A little later, about the 15th of September, the same winds blow- ing, I again met with Porpite, but this time very much damaged ; nevertheless they still bore bunches of little Medusze; and some | Velelle which I collected in better condition, in the same locality, furnished me with very numerous little medusiform corpuscles. In relation to the period of reproduction, this fact is worthy of remark. In 1858, during the month of May, I obtained great quantities of Medusze from Velelle, which I was able to observe for a considerable time. If, therefore, the reproduction takes place in Africa as in Corsica, we may conclude that the production of the little medusi- form corpuscles goes on for a long time.—Comptes Rendus, Nov. 11, 1861, p. 851. On some Points in the Anatomy of the Apteryx australis. By Prof. Hyrrt. The lumbar artery of this bird, when it arrives at the popliteal flexure, is divided (as it is generally) into two tibial arteries—an anterior and a posterior. The first of these, after having passed the interosseal tibial space, passes back over the plane of extension and the articulation of the knee to supply the anterior muscles in the femoral portion of the leg. The other artery also passes through the intertibial space, to come in front of the tibia, leaving behind it a very feeble branch, sufficient for the supply of the scarcely deve- loped post-tibial muscles. The main branch runs downward between the extensors of the toes to the back of the tarsus, where it ramifies into digital arteries. Between the middle of the tibia and the centre of the tarsus, this artery is surrounded on all sides by an arterial plexus (rete mirabile), divided into a number of delicate branches, leaving a distinct impression on the corresponding portion of the tibia. If carefully examined, no doubt similar impressions might be found on the tibia of Dinornis, Notornis, and other extinct forms, whose only still extant representative is the Apteryx australis.— Imp, Acad. Vienna, Meeting, Oct. 10, 1861. On a gigantic Cutile-fish, found in the Atlantic Ocean, between Madeira and Teneriffe. Several instances are on record of the occurrence of enormous Cephalopoda, which almost seem to warrant the belief, formerly pre- valent in Scandinavia, in the existence of the Kraken. M. Milne- Edwards quotes Aristotle as speaking of a great Cuttle-fish five- fathoms in length, and refers to other observers, such as Péron, who found, in the waters surrounding Tasmania, a Squid, of which the 188 Miscellaneoie. arms measured 7 or 8 inches in diameter, and 6 or 7 feet in length ; Quoy and Gaimard, who collected in the Atlantic, near the equator, the fragments of an enormous mollusk of the same kind, the weight of which they estimated at 100 kilogrammes ; and Rang, who saw, in the same waters, a Cephalopod of a red colour, with a body the size of a large cask. A specimen of one of those monstrous Cuttle- fishes was thrown upon the shores of Jutland in 1853: its body, which was cut up by the fishermen for bait, furnished loads for several wheel-barrows; and the pharynx, which was preserved, is as large as a child’s head. This animal was described by M. Steenstrup under the name of Architeuthis dux ; and M. Moquin-Tandon men- tions that M. Steenstrup showed M. Auguste Duméril a portion of one of the arms, as thick as a man’s thigh. Fragmentary specimens of a similar nature are contained in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons in London, and in that of Utrecht; those in the latter have recently been described and figured by M. Harting. A specimen of one of these enormous mollusca has just been seen by the crew of a French man-of-war, and escaped capture only by’ leaving a part of his tail behind him. On the 30th November last, at two in the afternoon, the French steamer ‘ Alecton,’ being then about 40 leagues N.E. of Teneriffe, fell in with a gigantic Cuttle- fish, of a brick-red colour, which appears to have been disporting itself at the surface of the sea. The captain gave immediate orders to attempt its capture; but a strong gale which was then blowi caused the ship to roll much, and rendered its handling difficult, whilst the monster, apparently foreseeing the fate that was pre- paring for him, displayed great intelligence in avoiding the vessel. He was, however, hit with several bullets, and at last struck with a harpoon, and seized by a cord with a slip-knot. At this moment, when every preparation was being made to secure it, the animal, by a sudden violent movement, drew the harpoon out of its soft flesh, and at the same time the noose slipped over its skin down to the caudal extremity, where it held; but in hoisting the animal out of the water the part thus seized broke off, and only a fragment, weighing about 20 kilogrammes, was brought on board. Both sailors and officers were anxious to have a boat lowered in order to go in pursuit of the creature; but the captain, fearing lest some harm should happen to the boat’s crew in their struggle with so novel an opponent, declined this step, and left the mutilated mollusk to its fate." *<*" Be The ship was brought sufficiently near the Cuttle-fish to enable one of the officers to make a drawing of it. Its length was 15 or 18 feet ; and its eight arms, covered with suckers, were estimated at 5 or 6 feet long. Its eyes, flush with the surface of the head, were of enormous size, and their fixity is described as giving them a frightful aspect. ‘The mouth, resembling the beak of a parrot, might be nearly 18 inches [in diameter]. The body was fusiform, much thickened in the centre, and its weight was estimated at 2000 kilo- grammes (above 4000 lbs.). The fins formed two large, rounded, tleshy lobes.—Comptes Rendus, 30th December, 1861, p. 1263. THE ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY, [THIRD SERIES.] No. 51. MARCH 1862. —_ _ XIX.—On an apparently new Form of Holothuri ia. By Joun Anperson, M.D.* [Plate XI.] In the autumn of 1859 I dredged, from 5 fathoms of water in Bressay Sound, Shetland, the Holothuria which forms the sub- ject of this memoir (PI. XI. fig. 1). It was clinging to the inside of a dead and half-open Modiola vulgaris. When captured, it was of a cream-colour slightly speckled with brown ; but since it has been in confinement, it has sensibly deepened in colour. During the first months of its imprisonment it was very lively, especially at night; during the day, when exposed to the light, it always contracted itself into a little ball, con- fining itself to one spot, and that the one exposed to sun-light. The tentacles were always exposed at night, but were imme- diately retracted whenever any attempt was made to examine them. About the beginning of the second month of its confinement it became more sluggish, and remained for days contracted, never displaying its tentacles even at night. The body contr acted so firmly upon itself, that many of the feet by which it was attached gave way, and were left sticking to the sides of the glass vessel in which it was confined. After remaining in this condition for some time, the integument about the centre of the body at last ruptured, and through the opening a portion of the viscera were protruded, which ultimately sloughed away ; at the same time a considerable portion of the external skin desquamated, the ani- mal not appearing to suffer much from the process, for the opening healed shortly afterwards. ‘The animal has been kept * Communicated by the Author, having been read citi the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh, Jan. 22, 1862, ; Ann. § Mag. N. Hist. Ser.3, Vol, ix, 14 190 Dr. J. Anderson on an apparently new Form of Holothuria. in a small shallow vessel of sea-water, with only a little piece of sea-weed in it to keep the water in good condition. During by far the greater part of the nineteen months of its confinement it remained contracted, seldom moving from one spot. The only food it could possibly have obtained must have consisted either of microscopic animalcules or the spores of Alge. The animal is stil] alive; and I am therefore not in a position to say anything regarding its internal structure. The dorsal region of the body, when the creature is contracted, is of a deep purplish-brown tint, but the ventral surface is of a paler hue. The dorsal surface, when the creature is distended, approaches very much to the colour of the ventral aspect when in a state of contraction. When contracted, it is little more than a quarter of an inch in length, and about the fifth of an inch in breadth; but when distended and moving about, it becomes double this length, and its breadth also is slightly increased. The five double rows of sucking-feet are unsymmetrical, the two dorsal rows being irregular in their distribution. The dorsal feet are much less numerous than the ventral, which they greatly exceed in size, and from which they differ very much in their undilated tips, and by their being seated in some instances upon rounded eminences or tubercles of considerable size. These feet are capable of complete retraction into the tubercles. Though the two dorsal rows of feet differ very much from the ordinary arrangement of these organs in the Holothuriade, we can never- theless trace faint indications of the double character of the rows. The three double rows of ventral sucking-feet are fully deve- loped; the feet are placed opposite to one another, and are dilated at their tips, but are only partially retractile. The ani- mal walks upon the three well-developed rows; and if turned upon the aborted ones, it immediately recovers itself, and turns round to what appears to be its ventral surface. In the anoma- lous genus Psolus, as is well known, the locomotive organs are restricted to a small flattened ventral disk, on which the three developed rows of feet are disposed. : The arrangement of the feet in the animal under considera- tion is another instance of a like specialization of function, and indicates the tripod nature of the Holothuria. Viewed thus, this little animal is fraught with interest, and may serve to connect, by its gradation of form, the genus Holothuria, with its five well-developed rows of locomotive feet, and the genus Psolus. The tentacles (PJ. XI. fig. 2) are ten in number; eight of them Dr. J. Anderson on an apparently new Form of Holothuria. 191 are long, pedunculated, and alternately branched ; and the other two are short and divided at their tips. They are all of a pale- yellow colour, very pellucid, and are about a fifth of the length of the body when it is fully extended, The two short tentacles correspond to the two tuberculated rows of feet of the dorsal aspect. + The body of the animal is covered with calcareous plates of an irregular form, perforated by nearly circular apertures (fig. 4), The plates found in the feet of the three ventral rows (fig. 7) are spindle-shaped; but they change their form in the feet imme- diately surrounding the head (fig. 8), and become in appearance very similar to the plates found on the body-skin. The plates of the dorsal tubercles and feet (fig. 3) resemble in their irregu- larity the plates of the body of the animal; and the same may be said of the plates occurring in the tentacles (fig. 6), in which they may be found extending to their ultimate divisions, The very delicate structure of the feet enabled me to ex- amine them microscopically in the living animal; and when so examined, a continuous circulation of a minutely granular fluid may be seen, the current consisting of two streams—one passing along one side of the foot to the sucking-disk, and the other flowing back from this structure to the body of the animal, This little creature evidently belongs to Linnezus’s genus Holothuria, which Van der Hoeven has lately revived with the following signification :— “Feet of twofold structure and figure, some cylindrical, di- lated at the tip, usually occurring in the abdomen only, others situated on the back, not dilated at the tip, emerging from warts on the back. Body cylindrical or flattened in the abdomen.” Having only found one specimen of this Holothuria, it would be premature, it appears to me, to describe it as a new specics, EXPLANATION OF PLATE XI. Fig. 1. Holothuria, three times the natural size. Fig. 2. Buccal extremity and tentacles, Fig. 3, Calcareous plates of dorsal feet. Fig. 4. a 3 body-skin. Fig. 5. s = dorsal feet near head. Fig. 6. ” ” oral tentacles. Fig. 7. porhon of yentral foot, showing the form and arrangement of the plates. Fig, 8. Calcareous plates from feet surrounding the head. 14% 192 - ~——*‘Dr. B. Seemann on the Bignoniacese. © XX.—Remarks on the Natural Order Bignoniaceee. By Bertuorp Seemann, Ph.D., F.LS, Mr. Miers, in concluding his “ Observations on the Bigno- niacee” in this Journal (ser. 3. vol. viii. p. 120), stated that having learnt my intention of continuing inquiries in that family, and wishing to avoid contravention, he had been induced to cede to me the priority, reserving, however, to himself the right of re- suming the subject at a future time. I am fully sensible of the courtesy shown, but feel rather sorry, and I am sure the publie will share my feeling, that Mr. Miers should, even for a time, have sus- pended his investigations of a natural order so much in need of a thorough revision, after having already thrown so much light upon it by a series of valuable observations and deserip- tions. The Bignoniaceze have hitherto been handled so super- ficially by many authors, that even the labours of Don, Martius, DeCandolle, and Fenzl, important as they are, can scarcely be regarded as more than landmarks to guide us through a region of bewilderment and chaos, where there is room for more than one pair of eyes to observe, and more than one mind to draw conclusions. It is not my intention to open my scries of papers on the Bignoniacez by an elaborate criticism of Mr. Miers’s “ Observa- tions on the Bignoniacez ;” but as the result of his inquiries would seem to invalidate the characters upon which I and others maintained Crescentiacese and Bignoniacee as distinct orders, or, at all events, tribes, lam compelled to say a few words respecting them. The principal character dividing Crescentiacee from Bignoniacee proper is that the former have an indehiscent, the latter a dehiscent fruit. The genus Tanaecium I placed amongst Crescentiacese, because it is everywhere described as haying an indehiscent fruit; and I had seen only flowering specimens of T. albiflorum and T. crucigerum, which form my first section; whilst of 7. lilacinum and T. parasiticum, belonging to my second section (Schlegelia), I had seen, and in one instance eaten, the ripe fruit. Now, there are at the British Museum some loose fruit without any other remark save that they had come from Jamaica; and, though “these fruits are not accompanied by any dried specimen of the plant from which they were ga- thered,”’ Mr. Miers referred them to Yanaecium albiflorum. 1 cannot admit the justice of this proceeding, and beg to recall to mind that by far‘the greater part of the confusion now existing in Bignoniacez has been caused by loose fruits and seeds being re- ferred to plants with which they had nothing whatever todo, Mr, Miers has been led to form several erroneous conclusions by not being aware to what extent this has been done. For instance,when Dr. B. Seemann on the Bignoniacex. 193 he says that “in Fridericia the structure of the capsule and seeds completely agrees with that of Jacaranda,” he was unaware that simply a genuine Jacaranda fruit had been figured with Fridericia,—a blunder made by Martius, but long ago rectified by Fenzl and DeCandolle. Again, when speaking of the fruit of Spathodea campanulata, he calls it, on the authority of a plate (t. 28) in Palisot de Beauvois, ‘F1.Owar.,’ 4-celled, and “ having numerous orbicular lentiform sceds with a narrow wing.” The plate referred to represents a wretchedly drawn fruit, which we are told must either belong to Spathodea campanulata or S. levis; and, on the strength of this, Fenzl was tempted to remove Spa- thodea to Crescentiaceze. But, as we now know the fruits of both those species, neither of which bear the slightest resemblance to that represented in the plate, we must look elsewhere, and have no difficulty in referring it to Kigelia pinnata—a plant very common in the whole region inhabited by the two Spathodeas named. Indeed, Mr. Miers was very nearly drifting towards the same conclusion, when his ready eye detected certain details agreeing with the figure of the fruit of Kigelia given in Deles- sert’s ‘ Icones.’ Caution, and an ardent wish not to increase the existing con- fusion, compel me therefore to reject the assumption that the loose fruits preserved at the British Museum belong to Tanaecium albiflorum. They may belong to Adenocalymna, a genus of which nobody but Mr. Miers has seen the fruit. Should, however, at a future period, evidence be adduced that the fruits in question really belong to Tanaecium albiflorum and its nearest ally, I am quite prepared to admit the justice of separating generically my two sections of Tanaecium; but the materials at my disposal left no choice save that of combining them under one genus. The belief that the fruit figured by Palisot de Beauvois be- longed to Spathodea, instead of Kigelia, has led Mr. Miers into the further error of conjecturing the relationship of Parmentiera and Spathodea—two genera which agree in nothing save their spathaceous calyx. It is also a matter of regret that Mr. Miers assumed that I had copied my character of the genus Parmentiera from DeCandolle’s account of the fruit of P. edulis, a description framed entirely upon the drawing and descriptions of Mocino and Hernandez. Mr. Miers forgets that I was the discoverer of the famous Candle-tree (Parmentiera cerifera, Seem.), and does not seem to know that I lived for some weeks in forests com- posed of it. The singularities of this strange production early attracted my notice, and I made numerous notes on the spot, which, with the specimens brought home, served as the basis of what I have written upon the subject. There is not the slightest tendency in the fruit towards becoming dehiscent and “evidently 194 Dr. B. Seemann on the Bignoniacez. 2-valvular.” The fruit, when fully ripe, simply enters upon a state of putrefaction. I must therefore object to the opinion that “the genus ought at once to be consigned to Bignoniacez.” Mr. Miers is doubtful what part of the fruit is eaten by cattle. I stated that cattle, if fed with the fruit, soon get fat, and of course meant not a certain part, but the entire fruit. If, then, all Crescentiaceze have an indehiscent fruit, they must also have apterous seeds; for, as Lindley has justly remarked, no instance is known of the existence of winged seeds in inde« hiscent pericarps, as that would neutralize the object for which winged seeds seem to have been created. Yet Mr. Miers, again relying upon the correctness of figures when they are partly erroneous, assigns winged seeds to the Crescentiaceous genus Colea. “The several details,” he says, “ of C. Mauritiana (Bot. Mag. t. 2817), of C. Telfairia (ib. tab. 2976, and of C. floribunda (Bot. Reg. vol. xxvii. t. 19) all prove most distinctly the presence of a broad membranaceous wing around the seeds, as in Bignonia;” and “if,” he continues in a foot-note, “ the presence of a wing on the seed of C. Telfairia be questioned, there can no be doubt of its existence in C. floribunda.” Neither the figure nor the de- scription of C. floribunda in ‘Bot. Reg,’ vol. xxvii. t. 19 indicate the presence of a membranaceous wing; on the contrary, in that place, Lindley endorses the opinion that the division of Bigno- niacee and Crescentiacese is founded upon important physio- logical and anatomical characters. With regard to the figure of C. Mauritiana in the ‘ Bot. Mag.,’ it was taken from a drawing made abroad, by hands evidently not excelling in analyses; and in copying it again on stone, the lithographer, perhaps wishing to give greater distinctness to an obscurely drawn figure, may have made the seed appear almost winged. Bojer, who quotes this plate, and who had the plant growing in the Mauritius Garden, says most distinctly that, in common with C. floribunda and Tel- fairia, it has apterous seeds. It was also a positive mistake when, in a drawing of Colea Telfairia, transmitted to Sir W. J. Hooker and published in the ‘Bot. Mag.,’ a winged seed was introduced. This has been subsequently corrected ; and in quoting t. 2976 of the ‘ Bot. Mag.’ in my ‘ Synopsis Crescentiacearum,’ I excluded fig.2, as DeCandolle had done before me. Colea Telfairi@ has a fleshy indehiscent edible fruit, and is extensively cultivated in Madagascar, on account of its nutritious qualities and agreeable flavour. If it had a dry woody fruit like the Bignoniacez, how could it possibly be eaten? I therefore claim the genus Colea, on account of its indehiscent fruit and wingless seeds, as a genuine member of Crescentiaceze. Besides, in most Culeas the flowers grow out of the trunk and old wood, which to my mind — is perfectly convincing that the fruit is of more considerable vere Dr. B. Seemann on the Bignoniaccee. 195 weight than the dry woody capsule of a Bignoniacea. The heaviest fruit borne by trees are always developed from flowers springing from the trunk and old wood. I instance Crescentia, Theobroma, the large-fruited Myrtacee. Mr. Miers occasionally witnessed the same mode of floral development in some species of Tecoma, “whose racemes grow out of the old leafless axils of the stem.” — I am well aware that several of the digitate Tecomas flower after all the leaves have fallen off, as, for instance, my 7. Guayacan from Panama; but I have never seen blossoms on the trunk, or springing from the old wood, as happens in that section of Colea which I have termed “‘Colee genuine.” With regard to Phyllarthron, which Mr. Miers, notwithstand- ing the positive testimony of Bojer that it has an indehiscent fruit, also wished to expel from Crescentiacez, I obtained some additional information during my late visit to Mauritius. Mr. Duncan, of the Botanic Garden, showed me a drawing of the fruit of P. Comorense, made by his son years ago, according to which it is as fleshy and indehiscent as that of Parmentiera; and it is converted into sweetmeats in Mauritius. I regard it simply as a /apsus penne when Mr. Miers says that I stated Tripinnaria to belong to Kigelia, as I classed it with Colea. It will therefore be seen that there is no reason why a good natural division should be set aside, and why any genus of Crescentiaceze enumerated by me should be transferred to Big- noniacez. If Adenocalymna has really no wings, it would sim- ply form an exception to the generality of Bignoniacee; and, in drawing up a diagnosis of the order, the word “ plerumque ” used in connexion with “semina alata” would remedy the diffi- culty. But unless I see the fruit actually attached to the speci- mens, I should hesitate to admit that Adenocalymna had wingless seeds. All the other genera having more or less apterous seeds require yet to be studied more closely. Oxycladus, Miers, which I think will prove to be identical with Reyesia, Clos, I could never bring myself to regard as Bignoniaceous ; and Henriquezia, Benth., with its ally Platycarpum, H.B.K., by their semi-inferior ovary, five fertile stamens, and (in Henriquezia) stipulate leaves, would seem to be much better placed between Rubiacee and Loganiace, forming a natural transition from one to the other. I have seen Fagreas with a corolla much more irregular than that of Henriquezia. As my principal object in this communication has been to vindicate the independence and integrity of the Crescentiacez as circumscribed in my Synopsis, I shall only touch slightly upon other statements made by Mr. Miers. Dolichandra is not marginicidal in its fruit, as Mr. Miers supposes; it is locu- Jicidal, as stated by Chamisso, and must be classed with the Catal- 196 Dr. B. Seemann on the Bignoniacese. pee and Pleostictides. The authentic specimens in Berlin leave no doubt on this point. It is a climber, the only Catalpea having tendrils! 1 do not consider Bignonia glutinosa a con- gener of it. That species is an erect shrub, and has a different calyx and corolla. Mr. Miers is quite right in referring Delostoma to Catalpex. After the publication of the fine plate of Codazzia speciosa, Karst. et Trian. (identified by me in 1859 with Delo- stoma integrifolium, Don), no one could doubt it.