.'V' a,,s V / << i W* Journal OF THE Royal Microscopical Society; CONTAINING ITS TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS AND A SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO zooXiOG-^sr -A-3sriD B o T .A. nsr ^2- (principally Invertebrata and Cryptogamia), PRANK CRISP, LL.B., B.A., One of the Secretaries of the Society and a Vice-President and Treasurer of the Liftttean Society of London ; WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE PUBLICATION COMMITTEE AND A. W. BENNETT, M.A., B.Sc, I F. JEFFKEY BELL, M.A., Lecturer on Botany at St. Thomas's Hospital, \ Professor of Comparative Anatomy in King's College, S. O. RIDLEY, M.A., of the British Museum, and JOHN MAYALL, JuN., FELLOWS OF THE SOCIETY. .-VOL. III. TiHrtlL PUBLISHED FOR THE SOCIETY BY WILLIAMS & NORGATE, LONDON AND EDINBURGH. I 885^ \jol- 3 )p BI-MONTHLY. SE^ \ Vol. III. No. 4.] AUGUST, 1880. [ "^ p^ce 487'' f Ai. Journal OF THE Royal Microscopical Society; CONTAINING ITS TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS, AND A RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, &c. Edited, tinder the direction of the PiMication Committee, by FRANK CRISP, LL.B., B.A., P.L.S., One of the Secretaries of the Society; WITH TUB ASSISTANCE OP A. W. BENNETT, M.A., B.Sc, j F. JEFFREY BELL, M.A,. Lecturer on Botany at St. T/umias's Hospital, | Professor of Contparaiive Anatomy in King's College, AND S. O. RIDLEY, B.A., F.L.S., Of i/ie British Mtisctim, \ FELLOWS OF THE SOCIETY,,.- WILLIAMS & NORGATE, M LONDON AND EDINBURGH. ^i^l PRINTED BV WM. CLOWES AND SONS, UMITkD,] [STAMrORD STKBET ANf CIIARJNO CRO..S. ( 2 ) JOUENAL OF THE EOYAL MICEOSCOPICAL SOCIETY. VOL. III. No. 4. CONTENTS. Tbansactions of the Society — paob XVI. Notes on Aoinetina : Trtchophrya epistylidis, and Podo- PHRYA QUADRiPARTiTA. By John Badcock, F.R.M.S. (Plate XIV.) 561 XVII. On the Visibility of Minute Objects mounted in Phos- phorus, Solution of Sulphur, Bisulphide op Carbon, and other Media. By J. W. Stephenson, Treasurer R.M.S., F.R.A.S .. 664 XVIII. On the Development and Retrogression of Blood-vessels. By George Hoggan, M.B., and Frances Elizabeth Hoggan, M.D. (Plate XV.) 568 XIX. On a Parabolized Gas Slide. By James Edmunds, M.D., M.R.C.P. Lond., F.R.M.S. (Figs. 52 and 53) .. .. 585 Record of Current Researches relating to Invertebrata, Cryptogamia, Microscopy, &c. ,. .. .. .. 587 Zoology. Bevelopmeut of the Vertebrate Eye 587 Embryology of Batrachiuns 587 Vital Properties of Cells 589 Coalescence of Amoeboid Cells into Plasmodia 590 Structure and Development of Dentine 590 Ovary of Mammals 591 Influence of Saline Solutions on Protoplasm 591 " Law of Association' 592 Degeneration 594 Animal Development 597 Colours of Animals 598 Organisms in Ice from Stagnant Water .. 598 Fertilization of the Ovum 599 Renal Organs of Invertebrata 600 Phylogeny of the Dibranchiate Cephalopoda COl Aptychi of Ammonites 604 Development of the Pulmoimte Gaderopoda 005 Generative Organs of (he Young Helix aspersa 608 Gasteropoda from the Troas 608 Gasteropoda from the Auckland Islands 608 Marine Polyzoa 609 Fresh-water Polyzoa 609 Larva of Bowerhankia 611 Enldi minaria ducalis 611 ( « ) Beoord op Current Kbskarohes, &c. — continued. PAQB Nervous Collars of Arthropods 611 Nerve-endings in Muscles of Insects .. 612 Habits of Ants 613 Bespiratory and Circulatory Apparatus of Dipterous Larvx 615 Blepharoceridse 616 Tracheal System of Larval Libellulidm 61(j Hemains of Branchias in a Libellulid: Smooth Muscle-Fibres in Insects .. 618 Metamorphosis of Prosopistoma 618 Piercing Organ of the Lepidopteran Proboscis 619 Generative Glands and Sexual Products in Bombyx mori 620 Development of Forficula 621 Adora sestuum from the Shore at Heligoland 621 Destruction of Noxious Insects by Mould 622 Development of the Araneina 622 Peculiar Modification of a Parasitic Acarian 624 Structure of Trombidium 625 Central Nervous System of the Crayfish 627 Influence of Acids and Alkalies on Crayfishes 628 Head of the Lobster ., .. 629 Shoiiened Development in Palxmon potiuna 630 Toilet-appendages of the Crustacea .. .. ,. 631 Anal Btspiration of the Copepoda 632 Parasitic Corycxidse 633 Parasite of the American Blue Pike 633 New Crustacea 634 Genital Glands and Segmental Organs of the Polychseta 635 Development of the Spermatozoa of the Earthworm 63G Embryology of Ligula 637 Nervous System of the Trematoda 638 New Turbellarian , .. .. 640 New Nemerteans 640 New Genus of Echinoidea 641 Fossil Tertiary Echini 641 Mediterranean Echinoderms J 642 Remarkable Ophiurid 642 Intracellular Digestion in Ccelenterata 642 Nervous System of Beroe . . . . 643 Pleurobrachia pileus 644 Anatomy and Histology of tJie Actiniae 645 Structure of some Coralliaria . . . . 648 Antipatharia of the ' Blake ' Expedition 649 American Siphonophora ., 649 Origin and Development of the Ovum in Eucope before Fecundation ., ., 650 Proportion of Water in the Medusm 652 A Fresh-water Hydroid Medusa 652 Physiology of the Fresh-water Medusa 657 Sponges of the Leyden Museum 661 Structure and Affinities of the Genus Protospong id, Salter 661 Batschli's Protozoa 662 Amaebiform and other new Foraminifera ., 662 Vumpyrella lateritia ., .. .. 664 Acinetx l°65 Botany. Disengagement of Carbonic / 'I from Boots 665 Sensitiveness in the Acacia 665 Copper in Plants 666 Action of Ozone on the Colouring-matters of Plants 667 Bed Cohuring-matter of the Leaves of tlie Virginian Creeper 667 Chemical Composition of Aleurone-grains 667 *' Ci stoma" 668 Apical Growth with several Apical Cells 668 Structure of the Fructification of Pilularia * . . . . 6(59 British Moss-Flora 670 ( 4 ) Kkoobd op Current Eeskabohbs, &c. — continued. PAGE British Characese 670 Formation of Fat in Fungi 671 Secretion from a Fungus 671 Anthracnose of the Vine 671 Urocystis Cepulx 672 Sterigmatocystis and Nematogonum 672 Mycotheca Marchica 672 Ceriomycesterrestris 673 Vine-pock , 673 Prehistoric Polyporus 673 Relationship of Ozonium to Coprinus , . . . 673- Dieease of the Apple-tree caused by Alcoholic Fermentation 674 Saecharomyces apiculutus 674 Plasmodia of Myxomycetes 674 Epiphora 675 Lichens of Mont-Dare and Haute-Vienne .. .. 675 Morphology of Floridex 676 Bilateralness in Floridem 677 Fructification of Chsetopteris plumosa 678 Fructification of Squamariem . . 678 Fresh-water Algse of Nova Zemhla 679 Thermal Anahmna 679 Polycystis xruginosa, a cause of the Bed Colour of Drinking-water .. .. 680 Bain of Blood 680 Endochrome of Diatomacese (Fig. 54:) 680 Belgian Diatomacese , . . . . 687 New Deposit of Diutomaceous Earth 688 Preservation of Solutions of Palmelline 688 Microscopy. Localities for Fresh-water Microscopical Organisms 689 Collection of Living Foraminifera 690 Cleaning Foraminifera 692 Wax Cells 692 Carbolic Acid for Mounting 693 Double-staining of Vegetable Tissues . . . . 693 Wickersheimer's Preservative Fluid and Vegetable Objects 696 Hardening Canada Balsam in Microscopic Preparations by Hot Steam . . 696 Ringing and Finishing Slides 696 Cleaning Cover-glasses 698 Preparing Sections of Coal 698 Cutting Bock Sections 699 Simple Mechanical Finger . . ., 700 Slides from the Naples Zoological Station 700 Homogeneous-Immersion Lenses 701 Fluid for Homogeneous Immersion .. .. 701 Errors of Refraction in the Eyes of Mieroscopists 701 Micrometre or Micromillimetre . . 702 Micrometry and Collar-adjustment .. . . 702 Zeiss' s Microspectroscope (Fig. 55) 703 Boss's Improved Microscope (Pl&te X.YI.) 704 Professor Huxley's Dissecting Microscope (Fig. 56) 705 Nachet's Chemical Microscope (Fig. 57) 707 Tiffany's Prepuce Microscope 709 Tolles-Blackham Microscope-stand .. .. ,, .. , 709 Weber-LieVs Ear Microscope (Fig. 58) 710 Trichina-Microscopes — Hager's, Schmidt and Haensclis, Waechter's, and Tescftwer's (Figs. 59-63) .. .. 711 Matthews' Improved Turntable (Figa. 64: and 65) 716 BiBIJOGRAPHY .4 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 718 Peoobbdings of the Society .. .. .. .. .. .. 733 JO URN. R.MICR. SOC.VOL.III.pl. XIV, (I H.^Mmx7ar Co lith AemetmaJriehopLrya episLylidis ^Podophrya quadripar^ita JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. AUGUST, 1880. TRANSACTIONS OF THE SOCIETY. XVI. — Notes on Acineiina: Trichojylirya episfyliclis, and Podo- jplirya qiuidripartita. By John Badcock, F.R.M.S. (Bead 10th March, 1880.) Plate XIV. Eakly in November 1879 I found on some filamentous Algae in one of the ponds in Victoria Park, a curious amoeboid form of what seemed to be an Acineton, and which I subsequently found had been originally discovered by MM. Claparede and Lachmann, and named Trichophrtja epistylidis. They found it parasitic on the Epistylis, and being struck with its singular character, con- sidered it entitled to rank as a new genus under the above name. They give a somewhat brief account of it. It is, however, very singular that those authors should have contrasted this form with Podophrya quadripartita (originally discovered by Baker, and subsequently found by Stein). Stein had argued in favour of the theory of the ^cme^a*-state in the life-history of many of the Infusoria, and among others had described P. quadripartita as the Acineta of Epnstylis plieatilis, because they were generally found together, and Claparede and Lachmann say that for the same reason T. epistylidis might be inferred to be similarly related to the Epistylis, for " The one, hke the other, seems in eflfect to lead the life of a parasite, almost exclusively on the branches of EpistyUs." It would be a curious commentary on the disputes of those high authorities on these matters if it could be shown that Ti'i- chophrya epistylidis and Podo'phrya quadripartiia are one and the same species in different stages, and that EpistyUs has nothing to do with either. Such I believe to bo the case, as the following observations will show, if not conclusively, yet as probable in the highest degree. I do not think that the identity of the organism which I found * This theory has since been abandoQcd by Stein. VOL. III. 2 r 562 Transactions of the Society. (PI. XIV., Fig. 1) with those of Claparede and Lachmann will be disputed, as both the figures and descriptions prove it, with one or two exceptions which are not essential. Thus, as to parasitism, I did not find mine on the Ejpistylis, but on filamentous algae : neither have I seen the faint outline of any embryo as described by them. Having placed my first find in a small zoophyte trough, for the purpose of daily watching it, I soon noticed that the sides of the glass were covered with very much smaller bodies than those on the algse, and, though having the same Acineta-like character, were much more varied in form as well as being very transparent (see Figs. 2, 2a, and 3). These were very interesting objects of observation, as one could plainly see the contractile vesicles, the suctorial character of the tentacles, and their slowly spiral move- ment of protrusion and retraction. They were not of slow growth, but came suddenly as though a vesicle or similar body had been ruptured and its contents shot forth, which coming in contact with the glass would produce just the appearance noted. The contractile vesicles were similarly irregular, both as to position and number. In fact, it was impossible to find any two bodies alike in shape or organic differentiation. Only one common character pervaded them, they were all bright, shining patches, semi-fluid, transparent, and acinetiform. As the winter advanced the pseudopodia or tentacles disap- peared, and also the contractile vesicles and other signs of active life, leaving only small lumps and patches of what may be called protoplasm. These had nothing of the appearance which death produces. They were simply bits of quiescent matter, looking more like shining crystals than anything else. I had not expected to be able to make any further observations until another season, when the following incident attracted my attention. I had given some of the algae to my friend Mr. Cocks, with the animal forms on it in abundance, which he placed in his aquarium. This he has recently found to be covered with the very beautiful forms represented in Figs. 4 and 5, or in other words by Podophrya quadrijKcrtita. On seeing these at first, and taking note of similarity in some points notwithstanding difierences in others, my suspicions as to tlieir being the same were mate- rially strengthened, if not confirmed, by comparison with one form which I had drawn last November (Fig. 6). This was found with the others, but not presenting the same special appearance, I had not considered it in its true character ; and my view now is, that as in all forms of life some few more vigorous, or favoured by other circumstances, will remain after the majority have passed away, so these solitary individuals remained. There can be no doubt, I think, of the identity with Figs. 4 and 5. Notes on Acinetina. By John Badcock. 563 This being so, Nos. 1, la, 2, and 3, are the immature stages in the life-history of the perfect form now recognized as Podoplirya quadripartita ; and consequently the new genus Tricliophrya of Claparede and Lachmann must be abandoned. One of the forms here figured illustrates the so-called Acineta of Epistylis. Fig. 7 is the Ejnstylis with the Acineta here and there upon its branches, and on first observing it under the Microscope with Mr. Cocks we were inclined to think it a con- firmation of Stein's theory, when my son, whom we had asked to sketch it, remarked that it was not a portion of the Epistylis, but only attached to it. It was somewhat difficult to see the attachment, however, but we were confirmed as to its nature by subsequently seeing it on Carchesium and Ophrydiu7n, as well as by its abnormal position on the sides of the branches of Ejnstylis. Since writing the foregoing I have been able to make some further observations of an interesting nature, which I will briefly state. I have traced the life-history of one form with tolerable clear- ness. I had often noticed several small round ciliated bodies moving about the field of view, sometimes rapidly spinning round, and then springing with a jerking bound from place to place. On pursuing one of these bodies it was found finally to settle down on a filament of the alga, and gradually to develop a peduncle; then the ciliate character simultaneously changed to that of the Acineta, and finally it gradually branched out to the three- or four-cornered perfect form of Podojjhrya qiiadripartita* These ciliated forms correspond to the description usually given to Megatricha imrtita, and in their further development — attached and with a pedicle — to Podophrya fixa. Further I have obseiTed that in the Megafrieha-stsLte they multiply by self- division. May we hazard the inference, in view of these observa- tions, that as not only these, but many other similar forms of life, pass through several life-cycles, in each of which they " increase and multiply," this peculiarity has been the fruitful cause of num- berless new genera and species having been too hastily adopted ? * This I have seen in many instances since, and found tlicni to develop on the glass as well as on the weed. L' P li 564 Transactions of the Society. XVII. — On the Visibilitij of Minute Objects mounted in Phos- phorus, Solution of Sulj>hur, Bisulphide of Carhon, and other Media. By J. W. Stephenson, Treasurer E.M.S., F.K.A.S, CSead 9th June, 1880.) The theory that there is a " loss of aperture on balsam-mounted objects " was enunciated more than twenty years ago by more than one writer, and although never accepted without question, it has been maintained with more or less frequency until a comparatively recent date, when Professor Abbe's demonstration of the theory of microscopic vision rendered it absolutely untenable. It is not only untrue that there is a loss of aperture under such circumstances, but it is positively the reverse of the truth in every case in which it produces any effect whatever. It has already been pointed out in the Society's Journal,* how this mistaken notion probably arose, viz. by failing to distin- guish between a diminution of angle (which of course takes place in the case of balsam-mounted objects) and a diminution of aperture, two entirely different matters, as a small angle in one medium (as oil) may be capable of embracing more diffraction spectra than a large angle in another medium (as air), the small angle having in fact the larger aperture and vice versa. The loss of aperture by transmitted light is therefore on objects mounted in air, and this can only be prevented by mounting in balsam, or some other medium which has a refractive index equal to, or greater than, the numerical aperture of the immersion objec- tive employed. This loss from " dry mounting," as it is called, arises in all objectives which have an equivalent angle exceeding 180°, which is the case with so many of the modern immersion objectives, and notably so in those on the homogeneous principle. It is this fact which has induced me to bring the subject of mounting in different media before the Society this evening, as it is obviously of little use to obtain objectives of the large apertures with which we are now familiar, if by employing them on objects surrounded by air we reduce their effectiveness to the common level of 180" (= 1 n. a.). I have said " surrounded by air " because when an object is in physical contact with the cover, the loss is, by its adhesion on one side, reduced to one-half, just as in an object mounted in balsam the whole aperture is preserved by the contact of both its sides with the medium in which it is mounted. But in mounting diatoms (and some other objects) in Canada balsam, we find that although we have secured the full aperture of * See this Journal, ii. (1879) p. 774. On the Visibility, &g. By J. W. Stephenson. 565 the objective, and therefore its fall resolving power, we have done so at the expense of the visibility of the resultant image, which has become fainter by the nearer approximation to equality of the refractive indices of the diatomaceous silex and the Canada balsam in which the object is mounted ; the markings, whatever they may be, are less pronounced than they would have been in air had the structure been sufficiently coarse for resolution in that medium, a result which Professor Abbe has shown to be attributable to the paler diffraction spectra yielded by the balsam-mounted object — hence we see that it may be possible to resolve an object in balsam which would be impossible in air, but that if resolvable hi hoih it would be more visible in air than in balsam. It may be demonstrated that the visibiHty of very minute structures is ijroportional to the difference between the refractive indices of the object and the medium in which it is mounted {n-ni). It follows from this that when this diiference = 0, or is very small, the structure is invisible. This is the case, as most of us know, when diatoms are immersed in strong suljihuric acid, and it may therefore be inferred, as was pointed out some years ago, that the refractive index of diatomaceous silex is about 1 • 43, which, without any pretence that it is exact, I shall assume as its true value in the following observations. As the visibility of minute structures is proportional to the difference between the refractive indices of object and medium, it is necessary to give a short table of the refractive indices of those substances to which I shall refer, and fi'om which the differences of the indices are to be deduced. Table of Indices. Air =1 Water = 1-33 Diatomaceous silex and sulphuric acid = 1'43 Canada balsitni = 1'54 Bisiilpiiide of carbon = l'G8 Solution of sulphur in bisulphide of carbon (approximately) . . = 1-75 Sulphur = 2-11 Solution of phosphorus in bisulphide of carbon (approximately) =2 10 The first case we will consider is that of the visibihty of a diatom in air, which, although it is otherwise excluded from consideration in consequence of the lo.-^s of aperture involved, is nevertheless valuable as a standard of comparison. The index of diatomaceous silex being taken as 1 • 43, and that of air being 1, we have as a measure of the visibility of a fine diatom in air the number "43. Taking now the various media in succession, and connucncing with water, of which the index is I '33, the index of diatomucious 566 Transactions of the Society. silex being, as before, 1 * 43, the difference, being tbe measure of visibility of a diatom in ivater, is represented by 'lO. The next in order is Canada balsam, with its index of 1 ' 54 ; deducting the index of silex, 1 '43, we obtain the difference of •!!, which is the measure of visibility of the same object in balsam, and almost identical with that of water. The next in succession is bisulphide of carbon,* index 1*68, diatomaceous silex 1 • 43, giving as the measure of visibility in hisuljihide of carbon ' 25, which it will be observed is about two and a half times as great as that obtainable in water or balsam. This result may however be exceeded by dissolving sulphur in the bisulphide of carbon, although to what extent I am unable at this moment to say, but as sulphur has an index of 2* 115, and is moderately soluble, I think I am safe in assuming that the index of the solution is 1 • 75 ; deducting from this 1 ■ 43, we obtain • 32 as the measure of visibility in solution of sul^jhur, which is nearly three times as great as that of balsam. The last in the list is phosphorus, but as this, from its crystal- line character, cannot be conveniently used in its solid form, it is also dissolved in bisulphide of carbon, the solution being just short of that point at which crystals appear. From the extreme inflammability of phosphorus and other diffi- culties it is very improbable that it will ever be used to any great extent, although there is to my mind great scientific interest in the experiment. If we take the solution of phosphorus as having an index of 2*1, and deduct that of the silex, 1*43, we obtain '67 as the measure of the visibility of fine diatom markings in solution of 2)hospJiorus, which is six times as great as that of the same object in balsam, and no less than 50 per cent, higher than its visibility in air itself — whilst the greater brightness of the diffraction spectra will make the more refrangible rays effective, and thus give a greater power of visual (as distinguished from photograjyhie) resolution. Summarized we get the following results : — Table showing the Visibility of Fine Diatoms when Mounted in the FOLLOWING Media, securing the full Aperture of Objective. Water 10 Canada balsam 11 Bisulphide of carbon 25 Solution of sulphur in bisulphide of carbon . . 32 Solution of phosphorus in bisulphide of carbon .. 67 The practical result of the investigation appears to be that it is essential, if the whole aperture of an objective is to be utilized, to mount minute structures in some medium other than air. * Oil of cassia gives almost exactly the same result. On the Visibility, &e. By J. W. Ste])henson. 567 That although the full aperture and resolving power are secured by mounting in balsam, it gives nevertheless nearly the faintest image of all. That a solution of phosphorus is, as far as visibility is con- cerned, by far the most effective, but the difficulties attending its use must render it unpopular. The next best is a solution of sulphur in bisulphide of carbon (although pure bisulphide is very good), and with these there is no technical difficulty whatever. A ring of the aqueous solution used by Mr. Browning in making his bisulphide prisms being formed on the slip, and a drop of the sulphur solution or pure bisulphide being placed in its centre, nothing is necessary but to place over it the thin cover with its adhering diatoms, press it down on the still moist ring, running round it a somewhat copious margin of the cement, and the thing is done. In a short time the glutinous cement sets and finally becomes dry, when, in order to protect it from the water of the ordinary immersion lenses, it is desirable to give it a coat of gold size, or shellac varnish, although for mere keeping purposes this is un- necessary. The same course may be adopted in mounting in phosphorus, except that the solution must be run in from the edge of the thin cover to avoid the phosphoric acid which rapidly forms on its surface, and destroys the effect wherever it comes in contact with the object. I have found varnish made of the best red sealing- wax (which is better than pure shellac) as useful as Browning's aqueous cement above referred to, but as it is brittle when dry it should also be protected by a coating of gold size. There are now on the table objects mounted in phosphorus and bisulphide of carbon, which I exhibited in 1873,* and they still remain unchanged notwithstanding the volatile nature of the materials. On that occasion I fell into the error of saying that there was a loss of aperture (instead of angle) with dry objectives on objects mounted in phosphorus and bisulphide of carbon, when in fact the aperture remained unchanged. * See 'Mon. Micr. Journ.,' x. (1873) p. 1. 568 Transactions of the Societtj. XVIII. — On the Development and Betrogression of Blood-vessels. By George Hoggan, M.B., and Frances Elizabeth Hoggan, M.D. I^Rectd Uth April, 1880.) Plate XV. At the present day it is not necessary to hold pessimist ideas in histology in order to admit that our knowledge of the manner in which blood-vessels are formed is still unsatisfactory; and. although for the last thirty years the most eminent histologists have sought to elucidate the question, it may fairly be said that the very latest opinions enunciated, differing as they do from all previous ones, are in no way more satisfactory. Although many of these opinions appear diametrically opposed to each other, they are principally so, it seems to us, in being too exclusive in their application; and with the view of reconciling them, we desire to put on record a series of clearly ascertained facts or appearances which certain new histological processes devised by ourselves have enabled us to obtain. In our opinion, the general disagreement among histologists upon this question is caused, in the first place, by the unsuitability of the tissues in which it has been studied, and in the second place, by the mode of preparation employed. Paradoxical though it may appear, we have learnt from experience that the worst place in which to study the development of any special tissue is the em- bryo itself. There the embryonic cells are so little differentiated from each other in shape, the intercellular substance or matrix is so extremely scanty, while the process of developmental growth is so rapid, that it is almost impossible to obtain a clear demonstra- tion. The membranous expansion of the tail of a living tadpole, which has been so often employed for this kind of research, and from which so diametrically opposed views have been deduced, is espe- cially unsatisfactory, because in the living cell no nucleus is visible, and the polar star of the histological explorer being invisible, all true ideas of direction and course of development are naturally enough shrouded in obscurity. For our part, we have found nothing so suitable as the growing broad ligament of pregnant rats and mice, more especially during a first pregnancy, for there we have a fringe of developing capillaries lying in a thin, rapidly distending membrane, in which the gelatinous matrix is so plentiful and clear that every vessel-forming cell stands out in distinct relief. In that membrane, moreover, the silvei? method of fixing and marking can be applied most favourably, in order to show the junctions of the cells forming, or about to form, the blood-vessels, in the position and shape they possessed when alive. JOURK.R.MICR. SOC.VOL m.PL.Xy. iVtst Mtvrrnar &• Cv Uth Develoxinient &Ket.T-»car»essi on oP Blood- vessels. Development, &c., of Blood-vessels. By G. and F. E. Uoggan. 569 The animal (by preference a house mouse) ought to be only moderately well nourished, as both extremes of nutrition defeat our object, either by obscuring the developing vessels by fat-cells, or preventing the vessels from being formed. It ought first to be gently anaesthetized by chloroform under a jar, and as soon as it is insensible, it ought to be drenched with the anaesthetic, and then left to die. We never lose time by injecting the animal and after- wards allowing it to cool, as by that process not only do the cells alter in shape, but the injection interposes an annoying obstacle to vision when it has filled the vessels. As soon as it is dead, we open up the abdomen along the linea alba, so as to completely expose the gravid uterus, and then seizing the uterus of one side with fine pointed forceps, we raise it out of the body cavity, so as gently to distend the membrane or broad ligament which attaches it to the abdominal wall. On one side of this membrane we place the smaller of a pair of the histological rings invented by us, and already described in this Journal ; * and without allowing it to glide or rub over the surface, we place the larger of the two rings upon the smaller. In this way a miniature tambomine is formed ; and after the two rings have been carefully jammed one on the other, by a slight circular movement, the excess of membrane can be snipped ofi" external to the rings, and a one- half per cent, solution of silver in distiUed water poured upon either or both surfaces, without preliminary washmg ; but after a few minutes exposure to a dull light, the whole may be gently washed with ordinary water. In our piece of membrane not only are the cells fixed in their living shape, but, as the blood-vessels were full of blood when the one ring was jammed upon the other, the distending blood was thus retained within them, and the silver solution now fixes them in this condition, and makes also the outlines of the cells, which alone form them, distinctly visible. The membrane is now ready for staining, the best of all methods for this purpose, according to our experience, being the one invented and published by one of us. By this method the membranous portion of the tambourine is first soaked for a few minutes in methylated spirit, a teaspoonful in a watch-glass or small saucer being suflicient. This is then pourtxl away, and in its stead a few drops of a 2 per cent, solution of per- chloride of iron in spirit is filtered upon the membrane. After a few minutes a 2 per cent." sohition of pyroi^'allic acid in spirit is next filtered upon it, and allowed to remain tlu're from a few seconds to a few minutes, according to the depth of tint reipiireil, and then the whole is well washed with ordinary water, and tho staining process is complete. A few drops of glycerine may then be phicecl u[)on tho membrane to clarify it, and the preparation • Sec vol. ii. (I87'.i) !». W.u. 570 Transactions of the Societtj. may be studied at once under the Microscope, or mounted on a slide as a permanent preparation. It may with equal facility be rendered transparent by alcohol and an essential oil, and mounted in balsam or copal varnish, but it then possesses all the disadvantages of a balsam preparation. Under all circumstances, the membrane must be clarified before it is excised from the rings, to prevent unequal contraction. It is easily excised by running the edge of a knife round the outer rim of the inner ring, and having prepared a slide previously with a drop of glycerine upon it, the disk of membrane remains in place when applied to it ; the glass cover may then be put on and sealed, as we do it, by hot sealing-wax dropped round the edges, and trimmed with a hot wire while the whole is compressed by a paper- clip. We have thus a preparation mounted in glycerine, in which no undue distension has taken place, to whose surface no injury has been done during the whole course of preparation, and whose progress at every stage could be examined under the Microscope without damaging it. Moreover, when mounted in glycerine the blood leaves the vessels when the disk is excised, and is washed away at the edges with the excess of glycerine, so that all the vessels appear as rigid, hollow tubes, the thickness of whose walls and the joints and nuclei of the cells composing them, can be equally well seen by the silver and pyrogallate of iron processes we have used. As an admirable little review of the opinions already arrived at by difterent observers on the question of the development of blood- vessels, has lately been given by Dr. George Thin in ' The Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science ' for July, 1876, we think it inadvisable to lengthen out this paper by any recapitula- tion of them. With regard to even the latest views. Dr. Thin states : — " The conclusion to which I have therefore come is, that the cellules vasoformatives of Eanvier are spaces in the omentum, to which, I submit, the term ' cell ' is not applicable. The develop- ment of blood-vessels takes place by an escape, first of fluid, and finally of the formed elements of the blood from the vascular system into these spaces. The establishment of the blood current is speedily followed by the formation of a membranous wall around the current, which is impermeable for an injection mass or the blood, and the process is complete." We are careful to give Dr. Thin's views in his own words, as they are the latest, to our knowledge, which have appeared in English. They are opposed to the views of all previous observers, and they are equally opposed to all the facts we have ascertained and are about to state in this paper. Indeed we fail to understand how, if he has used the silver process, he has overlooked the fact Development, dte., of Blood-vessels. By G. and F, E. Hoggan. 571 that portions of capillaries show the junction markings of the hollow cells composing them, before ever they have become con- nected with the circulation. We have found that a new development of blood-vessels takes place solely by the aid and addition of the wandering cells.* In the membranous sheet under consideration, the only cells present, apart from the layers of endothelium covering the two surfaces of the rapidly growing tissue, are the wandering cells. They may be seen here in at least three conditions. They may be found wandering purposeless over the free surface of either layer of endo- thelium, or through the soft gelatinous matrix forming the mem- brane between these layers. If the tissue has been properly prepared, they are generally found branched in the latter locality, although on the free surfaces they have retracted into a globular or circular form, being surrounded by no matrix to retain them in the branched condition when the silver is applied to fix them. If the animal has been injected and left to cool before it is opened, and the silver solution be then applied, they will probably appear round in shape within the matrix, and very plentiful on the free surfaces in the same form ; or they may be found developing into fat-cells in the neighbourhood of the blood-vessels, in which condition they may either appear round or with matiij branches, according to the condi- tions of preparation already referred to. They may have more than one nucleus in the purely wandering condition, but they have not more than one nucleus as a rule when developing into a fat-cell. Again, they may be found placing or having placed themselves in position to form or to strengthen a blood-vessel in course of deve- lopment. The methodical manner in which this is effected would almost argue an instinct or intelligence worthy of higher animals ; and although the directions the cells move in when forming the new vessel may be manifold, they seem to follow a regular course throughout. They may either plant themselves at a point in a blood-vessel where a connection is to be formed, and prolong their protoplasmic cell substance to join hands with another cell liuk in the chain of capillary development, as at a, Fig. 9 (Plate XV.), and e, Fig. 8, or, as is more common, they may appear external to the future point of junction, and, stretching towards it their proto- plasmic arm, thus complete the connection. This peripheral position may be either in direct linear continuation of a new vessel, as at d, • Wc tliink it unnecessary that we should aguin enter at any lengtli into the rcasims we have jdready piven in our furnior nrtiolu on tlic Fut-cell, for rejecting tlic liypotliesis that tlio fixctl cc-\U of the connective tinsue have any Bliare in tlio fornialion of blood-vo8.s. Is, fat-cclLs, &c. We cannot admit tiiat any fixed cell of any tis.sue can normally devcloj) directly into the fixed cell of any other tissue. A "ciinecr cell may indeed impress its charact the nucleus appears to be separated from the cell protoplasm, and floating loosely hke a distorted blood-corpuscle within the fluid of the vacuole. On the other hand, in a, Fig. 3, we have several bodies floating within the fluid of the vacuole, but they are far too minute to be mistaken for blood-corj)nscles. It has also been suggested that vacuolation is merely the formation of fat within cells ; but this is certainly not the case with the vessel- forming cells, or indeed with any other vacuolating cell we are acquainted with. Apart from the fact which we have shown, that osmic acid blackens the fat formed in cells and leaves the vacuolar fluid transparent, we have also ascertained that in a developing fat- cel] the nucleus is always surrounded by the protoplasm, however thin the layer may be. The fat is therefore formed in the proto- plasmic substance itself, and not between it and the nucleus, which, Development, (&c., of Blood-vessels. By G. and F. E. Iloggan. 577 moreover, is never found floating within the fat-globule, so that neither chemically nor physically is there any resemblance between the fat-cell and the vacuolating cell. Nor have we ever seen, as stated by Schaefer, a vessel-forming cell of a round form vacuolate and subsequently elongate itself. Without calling his statement in question, we may say that we have never met with even the com- mencement of a vacuole in a vessel-forming cell, until after it had elongated itself and clearly made up its mind to enter into the construction of a blood-vessel. Of course, if the cells are not fixed in the living form by the precaution we have referred to, they are almost certain to retract into the round form. This, indeed, occurred in some of the preparations we made for this research, from which drawings were made before we detected the &ct that the cells had all retracted in the process of preparation ; but here there was no question of subsequent elongation. Bearing in mind what we have remarked in the above, let us proceed to trace the process of vacuolation in vessel-forming cells. At i, Fig. 12, we have seen that the vacuole may begin and be formed almost entirely in the substance of the cell protoplasm, and so close to the end of the cell nucleus that, were it not for the other examples, it would be difficult to decide whether or not it touches it. In such a case the nucleus remains evidently undisturbed upon the protoplasm, and the same is true of the nuclei at a and d, Fig. 7. In other cases the vacuole may form so as to sever the connection between nucleus and cell protoplasm, as seems to have taken place in cell g. Fig. 12. In a, Fig. 3, on the other hand, the cell evidently possessed more than one nucleus, or the one nucleus has broken up into its separate constituent bodies, as shown by Pouchet, the one condition in fact being only less advanced than the other. At all events, four bodies are seen within the vacuole, all very much smaller than blood-corpuscles, but one of them, from its staining less intensely than the other three, seems to be fixed or spread out normally on the vacuole wall, or in other words on the cell protoplasm, while the other three appear to be globular in shape and floating loosely within the fluid of the vacuole, whence they would probably float off into the general circulation when connection with it was established. This is possibly the same process as that described by Kanvier and Schaefer, by which blood-corpuscles are formal within cells, a hypothesis, however, the correctness of which we arc not prepared to admit, for those floating bodies are certainly not blood-corpuscles ; and when blood-corpuscles are found within cells or tubes, as in Figs. 13 and IG, we are prepared rather to accent the alternative explanation offered by the former histologist tn£.t such cavities are really retrograding blood-vessels, in portions of which blood' corpuscles have become, so to speak, shut up or imprisoned. VOL. iir. 2 Q 578 Transactions of the Society. It is easy to imderstand the condition seen for example in Figs. 6 and 7, where the nuclei still remain normally attached to their cell protoplasm which is to form the wall of the future blood- vessel. But what is to become of ff, Fig. 12, when its nucleus floats away ? Will a new cell take its place when the circulation is established, or will the unnucleated protoplasm remain in the same position ? This we are unable to detennine, bnt the varied conditions seen in the different examples we offer lead us to sup- pose that, up to a certain stage, there is an analogy between the physiological and the pathological vacuolation of cells. In the vessel-forming cell, however, the accumulating vacuolar fluid finds an escape into the circulation before much damage is done to it ; but there is no vent for the pathological vacuolar fluid, and it there- fore ends by destroying the cell. We have already referred to the appearances sometimes, but not always, seen where a line of elastic fibre marks out the track subsequently to be occupied by a loop of blood-vessel. Such an appearance is shown under a low power at A, Fig. 12, where, however, the tint of the fibres has been purposely exaggerated for the sake of distinctness. It is not our intention to enter into the question of the development of elastic fibres, of which so little that is satisfactory is known at the present day, but rather to inquire into the relation which may exist between them and the cells e, f, h, and y, which lie along the fine of fibre or fibres and represent the only links as yet in the future chain of blood-vessel. After premising that these fibres are only a few of the many elastic fibres which exist at that spot, but which, as they do not interest us at present, we have not drawn, lest they should confuse the appearances, we have first to ask if those fibres existed before the cells placed them- selves upon them, and if so, how was it that fibres came to be placed so exactly in the line of the future blood-vessel ? Were even this answered, are we then to suppose that the cells e, f, g, and h clamber along the fibre from the nodal points a, h, and c, in the existing blood-vessel, in order to place themselves where they are especially wanted ? All these and a host of other questions may be asked on this subject which our present knowledge does not enable us to answer; and we ourselves, after much study and examination of these and analogous appearances, have come to one hypothetical conclusion which seems to apply to them all. We do not believe that the fibres existed there before the cells, but we beheve that they were made by the cells as these passed into position ; that just as a slug leaves a trail of slime behind it, those wandering cells may leave a trail behind them of a substance which is known afterwards as elastic fibre, and that this tendency accounts for the infinite shapes, sizes, branches, and positions occupied by such fibres. We distinctly oiler the foregoing merely Development, &c., of Blood-vessels. By G. and F. E. Hoggan, 579 as a liypothesis, but a hypothesis which seems to fit all the various conditions. In some cases, as at d, Figs. 5 and 7, the terminal vessel- forming cell is not continuous with a fibre, while in other cases, as at a, Fig. 1, the ceil is distinctly continuous with or prolonged into a fibre. This difierence may yet be found sufficient to decide whether the cell came centrally from the vessel or peripherally to it. The further growth in size and calibre of newly developed capillaries into veins and arteries, as may easily be conceived, takes place by the interposition of wandering cells between or upon the already existing cells of the wall. >So much on the question of development. Retrogression of Blood-vessels. While the process of formation of blood-vessels may be held to follow the same course under all circumstances, retrogression may take place from several causes and under difierent forms. These forms may be classed under the two great heads of physiological and pathological forms of retrogression ; but it is not our intention to enter at present into the consideration of the changes which may take place under the latter head, regarding which it may be sufficient for us to say that, under pathological conditions, the cellular elements of the vessel walls may undergo either degenera- tion or malignant changes, which entirely alter their morphological appearances and destroy their physiological properties. Confining ourselves, therefore, to physiological causes and forms of retrogression, we shall direct special attention to changes which result from, 1st, developmental, and 2nd, nutritive causes or conditions. Ketrogression, as the result of insufficient nutrition, can best be studied in connection with the great groups or tracts of fat-cells to which innumerable blood-vessels are supplied within the same serous membranes where we have already studied their development. As the tracts of fat-cells disappear by physiological absorption, either from want of food in a young and active animal or through deficient power of assimilation of food in a very aged animal, so likewise do the blood-vessels which supply them break up and disappear when their presence there is no longer necessary. In both these instances no disease is present, and the resulting retrogression of blood-vessels -is therefore purely physiological, and unconnected with any pathological condition. After the fat has Ijeen absorbed i'rora all the cells, and these cells themselves are passing away, we find notable changes taking place in the whole of the blood-vessels passing to or snp|)lving a fat-tract. The changes taking place in the arteries are of two kinds. If the artery is directed solely towards the fat-tract, we find innumerable irregular constrictions of its lumen, the muscular coat 2 Q 2 580 Transactions of the Society. at some parts having contracted so as to nearly obliterate that lumen, leaving moniliform groups of dilatations enclosing numerous blood-corpuscles along its course. Very often, however, the afferent and efferent vessels passing to and from the capillary plexus of a fat-tract are destitute of muscular elements in their walls, except at the point where the afferent vessel begins as a branch passing off at right angles from an artery of considerable size. In such a case a coat of muscular fibres extends upon it for a distance of five or six diameters from its point of junction with the artery, so that when it is no longer necessary for a nutrient current to pass towards the fat-tract, this sphincter-like muscular coat contracts, and thus shuts off the blood current. The changes in the veins or vein-like afferent vessels are not less strongly marked. These vessels contract their lumen by causing the one layer of cells which form their wall to contract laterally, and at the same time to become much thicker, so that when we focus the Microscope upon the plane of the centre of the vessel, we find the lumen obliterated, and the cells of the wall, instead of having their nucleus standing in relief from the inner surface of the vessel, now appear with a considerable thickness of their protoplasm covering the nucleus on the internal as well as upon the external surface of the vessel wall. This contraction does not seem to be due to any nervous influence, but may in great part be due to the pressure externally of the gelatinous matrix in which the vessels lie embedded, and partly to their own proto- plasmic contractile nature, these actions being permitted by the absence of the distending fluid within them. It is, however, in the capillaries that the best marked changes are to be observed. While the whole capillary plexus supplying or ramifying in a tract of empty fat-cells contracts the lumen of the vessels throughout, it is only the loops of capillaries forming the outer border or edge of the plexus which first retrograde and break up. In such cases we may observe constriction, or what really ought in most instances to be called a withering, at one or more points on the course of the loop, the capillary wall appearing to become much thinner, as at h, h, Fig. 15, and losing the plump cylindrical appearance seen in well nourished capillary walls. At the same time the withered portion seems to lose its faculty of being stained by certain staining agents which colour satisfactorily those portions of the capillary intervening between the withered- like constrictions. Finally, the capillary breaks at one or more places, and the process of disintegration is carried on at the extremities of the free ends, one cell after the other breakmg off, as at a, Fig. 19, and appearing to move away, by means of long delicate processes or branches, from the seat of its former functions as an individual element in a capillary wall. Develojp merit, <&c., of Blood-vessels. By G. and F. E. Hoggan. 581 The thinning or withering of the wall which we have referred to, is evidently a process of absorption of the excess of protoplasm which the cell had accumulated after it had taken its position as a part of the capillary wall at its first development During this absorption, moreover, particles of a peculiar fatty-like substance show themselves, as at e. Fig. 19, on the absorbing protoplasm, which refuse to stain with colouring reagents ; but when logwood has been used it appears of a yellowish-brown colour, in strong contradistinction with the blue or purple tint of the healthy nuclei or protoplasm. More peculiar still is the relation which the intercepted portions of capillary bear to the blood-corpuscles, numbers of which in many cases become shut up in such intercepted portions, as in Figs. 17 and 19. For the purpose of studying tlie changes under- gone by those blood-corpuscles, we especially recommend the pyrogallate of iron staining process, for while the nuclei and pro- toplasm of the healthy elements are very well shown by it, the blood-corpuscles seem to have a special affinity for the colouring matter and stain intensely black, so that there is no difficulty ia watching their behaviour until they have become completely ab- sorbed. This faculty of staining intensely is probably due to the great amount of iron which they normally contain, but whatever the cause may be, the fact is very evident. The change which takes place in these elements can be easily followed, even if it cannot be explained. The corpuscles enclosed in a portion of capillary undergoing the thinning or absorbing of its protoplasm, are seen to become paler and transparent, as at h, Fig. 11), and smaller in size, until a point is reached when they can no longer be detected, as if they had dissolved away within the absorbing protoplasm of the capillary cell, and no vestige of them remained behind. It is highly probable that the yellowish fat-particles, c c, Fig. 19, already alluded to, are really composed of a modification of the blood pigment from the corpuscles, a point we have not the necessary instruments to determine. This reference to blood-corpuscles within intercepted portions of capillary, leads us to the much debated question of the presence of blood-corpuscles within cells already referred to, and of the signification of those appearances in what have been named vaso- formative cells by Professor Kanvier, with regard to which we have also given Dr. Thin's opinion that they are merely spaces in the omentum to which the term cell is not apjilicable. This question also brings us to the consideration of the retrogression of blood- vessels })hysiologically in connection with the development of an animal. Professors Kanvier and Schutfer independently announced the discovery of cells containing blood- corpuscles, the one having Ibund them in the skin of embryo rats, ana the other in the serous 582 Transactions of the Society. membranes of embryos or newly born animals. Both of these histologists described these cells as ultimately becoming connected with or forming part of the circulation, but the former has specially studied them in this relation and given to them the name they now bear of " vasoformative cells." It is unnecessary for us at present to enter into his arguments for considering these structures as connected with the development of blood-vessels, as we are more concerned with certain remarks which he makes at page 633 of his ' Traite d'Histologie,' where he advances the hypothesis, only to reject it, it is true, that having regard to the great changes continually taking place in the circula- tion of the embryo, and after birth more especially in connection with the obliteration of the branchial arches, the ductus arteriosus, &c., it may be plainly argued that those cavities containing blood-corpuscles are really portions of the circulation becoming obliterated, and that the intercepted portions are really parts of pre-existing capillaries. However startling such a hypothesis may appear at first sight, we are surprised to find Professor Eanvier reject it as being inapplicable, at all events, to most of the examples he has studied. For our part, we subscribe fully to it, not as a hypo- thesis, but as a fact, for there is certainly in this research no fact easier of demonstration than it is. Our reasons are the followinof : O In the first place, there is complete identity between these vaso- formative (so-called) cells containing blood-corpuscles, and the intercepted portions of retrograding capillaries containing blood- corpuscles, in animals where nutrition has been insufiicient. In the second place, if one studies the omentum of newly-born kittens, as recommended by Kanvier, nothing can be clearer than the fact that retrogression and develoj)ment of blood-vessels are going on side by side, and that the two processes are so distinct that there is scarcely any possibility of confounding the one with the other. We give a drawing of such an example, Fig. 13, where retrograding and developing vessels are lying parallel and close to each other, so that a glance ought to be sufiicient to distinguish between them. In this camera lucida drawing a, a! are terminations of branches still in connection with the original channels of the chculation, and 6, h' are what are called vasoformative cells, containing blood-corpuscles, but which in reality are portions of the capillary which originally stretched from a to a', and are now identical with Figs. 15, 17, and 19, from a rat which died of old age and inanition. In Fig. 13 we also see a new vessel c, from which three new branches d, d', d", are being developed, in conformity with the process we described in the early part of this paper. It is therefore evident that the physiological retrogression of blood-vessels follows the same course, whether it be due to insuffi- Development, dc, of Blood-vessels. By G. and F. E. Eoggan. 583 cient nutrition or assimilation of food, on the one hand, or to changes in the development of an animal, on the other, the only peculiarity being that while in the latter case development and retrogression go on simultaneously and side by side, in the two former cases only retrogression goes on at one time, there being no room or reason for development, just as during development of blood- vessels in the adult there can be no retrogression at the same time. Bearing in mind, therefore, the small bodies sometimes seen in vacuolating cells during the formation of blood-vessels, as in Fig 3, these bodies being in general too small to be mistaken for blood- corpuscles, we have come to the conclusion that the vasoformative cells are neither cells nor cavities, but are only intercepted portions of a retrograding capillary or larger vessel, as the case may be, and still containing the blood-corpuscles which lay within the vessel before it broke up into fragments. The results of this research may be summarized in very few words. When new blood-vessels are necessary, the wandering cells come and plant themselves in position according to a definite plan ; through these, when hollowed out, the circulation of the blood is established or permitted. When the blood-vessels of any part are no longer necessary, they break up into their individual cells, and these separated links of the broken-up chain move off in their original condition of wandering cells. A simple cycle of life, or functional phase ; much simpler, indeed, than the cycle we have described in the life of the fat-cell (a companion study already pub- lished in this Journal), but none the less evident because it is simple. EXPLANATION OF PLATE XV. (Drawings and preparations by the authors.) The first fourteen figures illustrate the development of blood-vessels, and Figures 13 and 15 to 19 illustrate their retrogre.ssiun. Figures 11, 13, and IG are from the omentum of the newly born kitten ; Figures 15, 17, and 18 are frum the broad ligament of the r.it ; the re;. Fig. G. — A similar condition where the vacuoles in two ct ll.s a and (/ have joined to form one cavity before forming a communication with a tliinl cell, vacuole h intervening between tlieni and the capillary. Th ■ i.s. ijated cell / 1<> the right of Fig. 1 belongs to this figure. [Fio. 7 584 Transactions of the Soaietij. Fig. 7. — A similar condition, where the junction of two cells a and d and their vacuoles forming one cavity is very plainly marked by silver lines. The dotted line represents the continuation of the silver marking on tlie lower surface of the tube formed. A third cell c has placed itself, according to rule, against the joint formed by a and d, but communication has not yet been effected with the lumen of the capillary. Fig. 8. — Shows the formation of a capillary plexus. The vacuoles in a and d, having formed one cavity, are about to establish a communication with the blood- vessel 6. Three cells by their processes are forming a junction at g. Cell e is stretching out a process to form a communication with a wandering cell /, which has not yet begun to elongate its protoplasm. Fig. 9 shows a junction being formed at an acute angle by cells a and d, so as to construct a loop between two capillary loops, but only cell d has vacuolated, and it has not yet connected its cavity with the circulation. Fig. 10. — A similar loop between two capillary loops g and h, being formed by three cells a, b, and c, none of which has as yet begun to vacuolate. Fig. 11. — A branch capillary developing in accordance with the plan seen in the preceding figures, cell a having vacuolated, and the vacuole being about to become connected with the lumen of the blood-vessel 6. This figure is to be compared with Fig. 1(3, which apparently represents retrogression, both figures being taken from the same field of the Microscope in a preparation of the omentum of a newly born kitten. Fig. 12 represents the formation of a largo capillary loop or plexus. At A the whole plan has been drawn under a low power of 100 diameters, while the special points of interest have again been drawn at tlie same high power as the rest of the drawings. The nodal points in the existing capillaries to be connected are formed at a and at h and c, wliile c, f, g, and h represent some of the links on the future chain. Of these links, g is formed of tliree cells joined togetlier in the usual plan, and of these, g and g' are vacuolating ; a nucleus-like body, resembling also a blood-corpuscle seen edgeways, appears to float free in the vacuole of g. Fig. 13 shows development and retrogression of vessels going on at the same moment and in the same field of the Microscope, owing to changes in the circula- Intion at birth, a a', terminations of a retrograding vessel still connected with the circulation ; b b' portions of tlie blood-vessel formerly continuous from a to a' and still containing tlie blond-corpuscles e e, which remained in them at the moment of separation ; c newly developed vessel with three branches d, d', d'', in course of development ; //, nuclei of the cells of the wall of the capillary. Fig. 14 shows a developing loop a becoming connected with the circulation at b b', the component cells of which follow the rules already noticed. Fig. 15 shows retrogression of blood-vessels in old age, and failure to assimilate food, which was plentiful. The loop a is about to break off from the circulation at 6 6', being exactly the converse of Fig. 14; blood-corpuscles at ee; nuclei of the cells forming capillary wall at //. Fig. 16. — A drawing under higher power of 6' Fig. 13, representing a so-called vasoformative cell, but in reality a portion of a retrograding blood-vessel. Compare with developing capillary in Fig. 11, from the same preparation. Fig. 17. — A small portion of a long capillary loop in retrogression (from a rat which had evidently died of starvation), being the portion still attached to the plexus, but shut to the circulation, e e, blood-corpuscles ; //, nuclei of cell wall. Fig. 18. — A similar portion of retrograding capillary, collapsed throughout, and undergoing absorption. It is about to break up into its constituent cells a a. From the same preparation as Fig. 17. Fig. 19, from the same animal as Fig. 15, shows a portion of retrograding capillary from which one cell a is about to separate itself. That cell contains two blood-corpuscles 6, nearly absorbed, c, granular matter of the nature of fat or of blood- pigment ; dd, other blood-corpuscles still normal ; e e, nuclei of wall of capillary. Fig. 13 is drawn to a scale of 170 diameters ; Figs. 17 and 18 to 280 diameters ; all the others under the same power of 330 diameters, by the aid of the camera lucida. ( 585 ) XIX. — On a ParahoUzed Gas Slide. By James Edmunds, M.D., M.K.C.P. Lond., F.K.M.S. dBead 9th June, 1880.) This is a simple and inexpensive contrivance which has been made for me by ]\Iessrs. Beck for the purpose of examining bacteria, blood-globules, &c., while gases or vapours of various kinds are projected into an annular space from which they rapidly diffuse into an object which is being observed under the Microscope. The slide * (Figs. 52 and 53) is constructed of a shp of optical crown glass 3 inches by l^, and in thickness from three to four sixteenths of an inch. An annular zone eleven- sixteenths of an Fig. 52. inch in diameter and nearly one-eighth inch deep is turned out of the slide, so as to leave a central pillar three-eighths of an inch across, and the top of this pillar is then turned down, so as to Fig. 53. leave a . li 1 area nearly a quarter of an inch in diameter, and exactly on a level with the general surface of the slide. The out- side of the central pillar is then smoothed into an approximately paraboloidal surface, and brought to an optical polish. A straight groove of the same size and depth as the annular zone is then cut out of the slide parallel to its long side and at a tangent to the annulus. Into the longitudinal groove of the slide two fine glass tubes are cemented. One of these is left projecting beyond the end * Fi". 52 sliowH flie iippor (isj^cpt f>f il!ar. aii«l the dtftr central area left on a level with the top of the sliile. Vv^. 5;{ ;,'ive.s :i longitudinal ROction of the slide drawn through its centre, and nhowin>^ the annular gas uhaunel, the central paraboloid, and the thiu cover. 586 Transactions of the Society. of the slide, so as to be connected with a slender elastic tube through which gases or vapours may be projected, and which, after traversing the annulus, escape by the other tube. A ring of olive oil is set around the annulus upon the surface of the slide, and the cover containing on its centre the drop of liquid to be examined is then so placed over the annulus that a film of fluid less than a quarter- inch in diameter lies between the top of the central paraboloid and the cover, while the margin is sealed by the oil. Thus the object may be examined, firstly by itself, and afterwards while various gases are passed through the surrounding annular space, and the changes produced, say on blood-disks by dry or moist air, alcohol vapour, ammonia, acetic acid, carbonic acid, &c., can be watched and repeated at pleasure. If light be thrown into the central area from beneath by means of a two-inch objective, the object is seen negatively upon a bright field, while if the condenser be decentered the light is thrown upon the parabolic surface and is totally reflected into the object at such angle as to give a positive image upon a black background under a dry eighth or sixteenth, as with the immersion paraboloid. The glass tubes may be cemented into the groove by means of dough, putty, jDlaster of paris, shellac, &c. If very hot sealing-wax be used the slide is apt to crack, unless previously heated in water. Diaphragms of black paper or tin-foil may be gummed on to the lower sm-face of the slide, so as to stop out the central area when black-field observations are wanted. Both as a gas slide and as a simple form of the immersion paraboloid, it works conveniently and efficiently. ( 587 ) EECOED OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO INVEETEBEATA, CEYPTOGAMIA, MICEOSCOPY, &c.* ZOOLOGY. A. GENERAL, including- Embryology and Histology of the Vertebrata. Development of the Vertebrate Eye.f — Professor Lankester directs attention to the myelonic or cerebral eye which the Ascidian tadpole possesses in common with all Vertebrates. All other animals which have eyes develop the retina from their ectoderm. It is easy to understand that an organ which is to be affected by the light should form on the surface of the body where the light falls. It has long been known as a very puzzling and unaccountable peculiarity of Vertebrates, that the retina grows out in the embryo as a bud or vesicle of the brain, and thus forms deeply below the surface and aioay from the light. The Ascidian tadpole helps us to understand this, for it is perfectly trans- parent and has its eye actually inside its brain. The light passes through the transparent tissues and acts on the pigmented eye, lying deep in the brain. We are thus led to the conclusion — and ho believes this inference to be now for the first time put into so many words — that the original Vertebrate must have been a transparent animal, and had an eye or pair of eyes inside its brain, like that of the Ascidian tadpole. As the tissues of this ancestral Vcrtebrato grew denser and more opaque, the eye-bearing part of the brain was forced by natural selection to grow outwards towards the surface, in order that it might still be in a position to receive the influence of the sun's rays. Thus the very peculiar mode of development of the Vertebrate eye from two parts, a brain-vesicle and a skin-vesicle, is accounted for. Embryolog^y of Batrachians.;}: — These 'New Researches' of Professor Van Eambeke consists of two jiarts : (I.) on the envelopes of tlio egg and external embryonic changes of Tritons and Axolotl, and (II.) on the cleavage of the egg in Batrachians generally. I. 1. Having in a previous essay described the egg proper (vitel- line splicro or globe) the author now distinguishes its five envelopes as (1) the vitelline membrane, (2) chorion, (3) inner capsule, (-i) outer capsule, and (5) adhesive layer. The first is thin and structureless, * i^' It sliould bo understood that the Society do not liold thonisolveH respon- sible for tlic views of the autliors of the luipers, &e., referred to, nor fi>r the manner in wliicli tliose views may be expressed, the objiet of the Kecord Ix'inj^ to present a siimnmry of the pajjcrs us acbialhi published. Objections and corrections shouhl therefore, for tlie most pait, be address( d to tiie aullii>rs. + 'Degeneration: a rhapter in Darwinism ' (8vo, I/indon, 1S80). X ' Arch, dc Biologie,' i. (1880; pp. 305-380 (4 plates). 588 RECOBD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO closely fitted to the yolk, with little projections on its inner surface, corresponding to the vitelline pores, and a fold applied to the first meridional groove. The chorion, also trans2)arent and homogeneous, tightly invests the inmost membrane, like which it may be a mere transformation of the outer substance of the yolk ; or is it not rather a product of the granulosa, since it takes no share in the act of cleavage? The chorion is separated from the inner capsule by a liquid in which the egg moves freely, touching the capsule by its lowest part. Frequently the egg of Triton, still within the oviduct, has its vitelline sphere of an elliptic figure (persisting after extrac- tion), the space about the chorion being at this time filled with jelly. In Triton the liquid is often bistre-coloured and the inner capsule is much thinner than in Axolotl, where its optic section displays a fibrous aspect. The liquid of Axolotl at first contains brilliant granules and little opaque clots which subsequently disappear. The outer capsule is transparent as glass, elastic, very resistant, bluish when seen against a dark ground, and homogeneous or but feebly striated parallel to its surface ; elliptic in Triton, it is spherical in Axolotl. Like the inner capsule it is rapidly deposited in the first moiety of the oviduct. Here begins also the formation of the adhe- sive layer, to be completed in the further portion of the duct. In Triton this layer is thin, easily detached from the outer capsule ; not so in Axolotl, where it is much softer, swelling by contact with water and resembling a viscous mass. Minute depressions, arranged with tolerable regularity, are often seen to mark a part of the thick- ness of the adhesive layer. These are probably the stigmata left by diatoms, Avhich in other places occupy spots of corresponding diameter. I. 2. Professor Van Bambeke distinguishes seventeen stages between fecundation and the exit of the embryo from the egg. Stage I., ending with the beginning of cleavage, he has treated in a previous memoir. Stage II., from cleavage to the commencement of epiboly, is discussed in the second Part of this essay. Stages III.- XVII. are here duly described. II. The author has studied cleavage of the egg in three species of Triton {alpestris, punctatus, and palmipes), in Axolotl, Pelobates fuscus, and the common toad. The latter is here referred to but cursorily, for its strongly pigmented eggs offer peculiarities to be explained in a future memoir. Six stages, ending with the formation of the morula, are fully described and illustrated. An historical sketch is added in which the results detailed are compared with those of Goette, Biitschli, O. Hertwig, Scott and Osborn, and Benecke : the researches of Salensky on the sterlet, with the more general views of Flemming, Fol, and Mayzel, are also noticed. The whole demands an attentive study. We give the author's own " conclusions." 1. Cleavage is set up by the first embryonic nucleus (der erste Lehenskeim, Goette), placed in the upper hemisphere, at the limit of the ccto- and endodermic segments. The axis of the egg, which originally passed through the centre of the germinal depression, now INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 589 traverses the embryonic nucleus and abuts peripherally at a point where the first meridional groove will appear ; in other words, the upper or active pole is disi:)laced. 2. The nucleus undergoes transfoimations comparable to those observed in the egg of most organisms (cleavage-amphiaster ). There are three principal phases, to the last only of which the descriptions and figures of Goette apply ; so that the egg-nucleus of Amphibians makes no exception to the general rule. 3. As Goette has shown, a clear rim, which I call cleavage plate, precedes the appearance of the peripheric groove. It is most clearly indicated in the plane of the future equatorial cleavage, thus esta- blishing a marked separation between the ectodermic spherules and the endodermic mass. It has manifestly for its seat the line of separation between what I term the ectodermic and endodermic ex- tremities of the egg. 4. The meridional grooves arise as pale, strongly marked gutters along the pigmentary cap of the upper hemisphere ; afterwards, by effacement of the cleavage-spherules, the gutter becomes a simple groove. The i:)igmentary line of separation then belongs, at least for the most part, to the cortical layer. 5. In the endodermic extremity, the meridional divisions increase in activity from the centre towards the periphery. Accordingly, at any given moment, the cleft portion covers a still undivided region, represented in sections by an ellipse whose base corresponds to the lower pole of the egg. 6. Certain phenomena, such as the impulsion of cortical pigmen- tary masses towards the interior of the egg, the irregularities in the planes of division observable in some phases, &c., arc explicable only by admitting the existence of contractions of the protoplasm of the egg dui'ing cleavage. 7. The roof of the segmentation-cavity, at first monoderic, be- comes polyderic. There is here no diiierence between the eggs of Anoura and Urodela. Vital Properties of Cells.* — M. Eanvier directs particular atten- tion to the appearance of nuclei in dead cells ; taking for example the lympliatic and " fixed " cells of the cornea, he points out that, during life, no nuclei can be made out in them, but that these appear after the death of the cells. The reason of this appears to bo that, during life, the nuclei are not apparent because their refractive power is very much the same as that of the surrounding protoplasm. At death, changes take place in the protoplasm, so that they then become apparent. In illustration of this ho has performed the following experiments : — - (1) Two corneae were carefully removed from a frog, and were both placed in damp chambers, exactly similar in construction ; one, in a room of 23^, was submitted for ten seconds to the action of an electric current ; this was sufficient to kill some of the cells, and their nuclei became apparent two minutes afterwards. The other was ♦ ' Comptos Rori'liiH.' Ixxxix. (187^) p. .S18. 590 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO submitted to the same current, at a temperature of 2° ; 45 minutes elapsed before the nuclei became apparent. (2) Somewhat similar experiments were undertaken with eyes from a frog, which were respectively submitted to a temperature of 33° and 80°, together with an electric current ; in the former the nuclei appeared within an hour after the experiment ; in the latter not at all. (3) The cornea of a frog was submitted to an induction current sufficiently strong to kill the cells, and was then kept for two hours in a damp chamber at a temperature of 33° ; it was then found that the nuclei were broken up into fragments or small spherical granules. The action in this case appears to have been that the currents broke up the nuclei, and the work thus commenced was completed by "autodigestion." Coalescence of Amoeboid Cells into Plasmodia.*— The coagulation of the perivisceral fluids or the blood of Invertebrata as studied in the air-tight chamber presents, as Mr. Geddes shows, some significant phenomena. Thus the amoeboid corpuscles of the earthworm's perivisceral fluid, those of the gill of Pholas, the corpuscles of Patella and Buccinum, during coagulation become aggregated into groups, which rapidly become individualized, and themselves send out pseudopodia. Of the two kinds of corpuscles possessed by Pagurus, the elongated, coarsely granular ones do not possess this power, which however belongs to the finely granular ones, which may enclose the former kind in their clot ; the same distinction is observed in Carcinus mcenas and Cancer pagiirus. The corpuscles, with their looped pseudopodia, of the common starfish send out pseudopodia, as in the previous cases, from a united mass. The Echinoidea, as exemjilified by Echinus sph(era, show the phenomenon most strikingly. The clear perivisceral fluid contains coarsely and finely granular corpuscles similar to those of Paguriis, besides coloured ones. The clot com- mences as a cloudiness of the liquid ; the cloud gradually becomes denser until a small brown pellet is the result. This is formed entirely of the finely granular corpuscles which run first into small heaps, these uniting into larger ones until a large mass is formed containing the nuclei and granules in an endoplasm, and sending out generally filamentous pseudopodia from a hyaline ectoplasm which is clearly differentiated from the former ; the pseudopodia sometimes lengthen to an immense extent. A comparison of these cell-formed clots with those of the Myxo- mycetes appears to demonstrate a true homology between them ; and the possession of the same power by the Ehizopods, Microgromia, Bhaphidiophrys, PJionergafes, &c., shows it to be at any rate a very widely spread function of amoeboid cells. Structure and Development of Dentine. t — M. Magitot gives a short account of his investigations on this structure, which have led him to the conclusion that it is not, as some writers— Duvernoy e. g. — * 'Proc. Roy. Soc.,' xxx. (1880) p. 252, and 1 plate, t ' Couiptes Rcndus,' xo. (1880) p. 1298. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 591 have imagined, a secreted product, but that it is a living tissue ; this view, however, is now old, and appears to owe its origin to Professor Owen, who* pointed out the striking similarity which obtains between dentinal and ordinary osseous tissue. Ovary of Mammals. t — Dr. Jules Macleod (of the Ghent Histo- logical Laboratory) describes the ovaries of the bat (pipistrelle), mole, and stoat. Successful results were obtained by the method of double coloration. The ovary and oviduct are very closely connected by means of their serous investment, as in other mammals except man. The parenchymatous zone of the stroma is not resolvable into the separate layers (cortical, subcortical, and follicular), distin- guished by His. In the stoat this zone, with its peripheric lobules, is copiously developed and sharply limits the included medullary vascular stroma ; while in the mole and bat these two portions of the stroma lie side by side, the one not being wrapped round the other. In the bat their structure is nearly identical. The ovary of the adult mole offers seasonal diflferences as to size, structure, and orien- tation, which are not constant, and merit further study. The serous endothelium of the bat passes gradually into the adjoining ovarian epithelium. The cuboid epithelium of the mole is very distinct from the endothelium of the serous layer, which, as in the bat, is excep- tionally extended over most of the ovary. In the stoat the epithelium is nearly cyliudric. The adult intertrabecular ovarian stroma of these three mammals is largely made up of elements comparable to the Plasmazellcn of Waldeyer, whose interpretation of the Graafian • follicles also coincides with the description of their structure and development here given. Finally, the ovary contains medullary cords, v/hich the author, following Balfour, regards as homologues of the male seminiferous tubules. These cords are especially abundant in the mole, less so in the bat ; in both the contiguous ovarian surface is closely invested by its capsule, as is the testicle by its albuginea. Influence of Saline Solutions on Protoplasm. | — The researches of M. Costerus were stimulated by the results obtained by Professor de Vries in examining the influence of acids on vegetable substances. The solutions employed by the former contained chiefly chloride of sodium or nitrate of potash, and the object of examination was most frcc^ucntly the red beet-root. The following was his method of investigation : — In glass capsules, about 3 cm. high, he placed some very thin slices of beet- root, which were covered over by water ; similar slices were immersed in a 10 per cent, solution of sea-salt. It resulted from those experi- ments that, at the end of a few days, the slices in the salt-solution comj)lctely lost their colour, whereas thf)so in pure water for some considerable time after, retained their colour. Similar results were obtained with solutions of nitrate of potassium. To what was this efl'oct due ; is more oxygen absorbed by water * ' ComptcH RpikIuh,' ix. p. 784. t ' Aroli. (Ic liiolo^'io," i. (1880) pp. 241-278 (2 platfs). X ' Arch. NeiTl. Sci. o.\nct. ( t iiat.,' xv. (1880) p. 148. 592 KECORD OF CUERENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO when the salts are absent from it? To resolve this question the author, instead of using thin slices, experimented on pieces 1-2 and 5 mm. in thickness, and 5 mm. in length and width. The access of air beincf thus hindered, it was, obviously, possible to see whether the already observed diiferences were altogether to be ascribed to the greater difficulty of respiration in salt-solution ; and these observa- tions led him to the conclusion that, when less air penetrates, the diiFerence between cells in pure water and in salt-solution is less distinctly marked. The next thing was to subject the slices of beet- root to an air-pump, before commencing the investigation ; pieces thus treated showed a remarkable result, inasmuch as the balance was after fifteen days in favour of the pieces immersed in the salt- solution. Other results confirm a conclusion which may be thus formulated ; the cells of the red beet-root, when air has free access to them, are injm-iously aftected by salt-solutions, while when the air is removed or is only present in small quantities these solutions have a sustaining effect. The former point is the only one which the author at present attempts to explain, and this explanation is found in the fact that saline solutions absorb less gas than pure water, and that the co- efficient of absorption decreases in proportion as the solutions become more concentrated. "Law of Association." * — M. Edmond Perrier considers that the oft-repeated objections to the theory of evolution leave the funda- mental principles of that doctrine untouched. Having gone over the various organisms from lowest to highest, seeking out, not the differences, but the points of similarity between them, he believes he has ascertained that a simple and very general law presided over their formation, that they were derived from one another by a constant process, and that he has succeeded in adding a few arguments to the theory of the genealogical relationship of species. This law M. Perrier terms the " law of association." The process by which it has produced the majority of organisms is the " transfor- mation of societies into individuals." Ever since it was shown that every living being was composed of microscopic corpuscles more or less resembling one another — that similar corpuscles capable of leading an independent existence consti- ~ tuted of themselves the simplest organisms — it has been thought that the most highly organized animals and plants were comparable to vast associations of distinct individuals, each represented by one of these living corpuscles or cells. In the same organism the life of each cell is so independent of that of its neighbours, that it is possible to destroy one set of cells without affecting the others. Despite the common bond which unites them, these cells, sometimes very dis- similar, retain their individuality and perform their different functions for the wellbeing of the whole community, like the various members of a populous town. By " association," however, is not meant that the individuals band * ' Revue Scientifique,' Dec. 1«79, p. .'iSR. Soo ' Pop. Sci. Rov.,' iv. (1 SSO) p. .SO. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 593 together like bees or other gregarious creatures ; and to illustrate this law it is necessary to refer to forms lower down in the scale in which the component individuals are united to each other by a common tissue. Accordingly, M. Perrier turns first to the Hydroids, and, after referring to the budding of the Hydrce, shows that in compound forms such as Cordylophora lacustris, and in most of the marine Hydroids, what is only occasionally produced in Hydra becomes normal. But a new phenomenon occurs — a veritable system of division of labour is effected between the members of the same colony. At first all were similar, all performed the same functions in the same manner, but speedily each individual became specialized. One devotes itself exclusively to the capture of food, another to the elaborating of the nutritive material, and a third to reproduction, so that in the end all these individuals, which originally had no need of one another, become mutually necessary. Among the Hydractiniae we may reckon no fewer than seven kinds of individuals fulfilling different functions. It might seem to be an exaggeration to attribute the quality of individuals to the different parts. We have here, it might be said, simple organs ; but organs of what ? They are just as independent of each other and of the nutritive individuals as the latter can be of one another. Hence they are not organs of those polyps. Are we to see in them organs of the colony ? This is at once to recognize that the colony has an individual character, and consequently to assume the transformation we seem to demonstrate. But how has a colony been able to acquire such organs ? Whence can they have arisen if not from a transforma- tion of the individuals composing it ? The author considers that there is no occasion for hypothesis in order to demonstrate that these colonial organs are the equivalents of true individuals. The buds which give origin to the different kinds of individuals in a colony of Hydractinifc, all originate in the same way, and are for a long time so similar that there is nothing to enable them to be distinguished. In Podocoryne the humble sac which represents the sexual individual is replaced by a Medusa much higher in organization than the Hydra itself, which detaches itself on its arrival at maturity. The same train of reasoning is applicable to the Siphonophora and also to the Coralliaria, which are more highly organized and exhibit a more complete amalgamation of the component individuals, each of which in the Coralliarian polyp may be considered as a number of Hydroid polyps rolled into one. This transforming of a number of individuals into one individual can likewise be traced out in the Worms. Van Bencdcn established that each of the joints of a tape-worm is the equivalent of a Trematode; and, at a yet earlier period, naturalists considered the segments of wonns and insects to be equivalent units, each having an actual individuality, which they called zoonitcs. Sea-urchins and star-fishes have also been looked upon as colonics of worms united by their heads. Can we say the same of the Mollusca and Vertebrata, all the parts of which seem to be so intimately fascd together? This is what VOL. III. 2 R 694 BECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO lias still to be investigated ; but whatever the result arrived at, the generality of the principle of association will not be at all invalidated, for if in this case simple individualities never existed, we should have to compare the Mollusca and the Vertebrata with the primordial individuals, the combinations of which produced the other types. How did these individuals themselves originate ? The Hydrce and other analogous organisms, the author thinks, furnish the answer ; and after dealing with these, he says : — " Thus, even if it be shown that the Vertebrata and Mollusca do not result from the fusion of simpler beings once capable of an inde- pendent existence, they will not, any the less, be colonies of cells. The ' law of association ' will consequently lose none of its generality, and will remain the fundamental law of the development of the animal kingdom, including and governing those laivs of grotdli, organic repetition, and economy, that for a long time past have engaged the attention of physiologists," while it explains hitherto inexplicable homologies. The author then passes to the consideration of protoplasm, and from the incapacity of the protoplasmic masses to exceed a certain size, draws the conclusion that all creatures that exceed this size must be formed of several distinct masses of protoplasm — that is, are colonies. " Thus the generality of the law of association is shown to be a consequence of one of the fundamental properties of protoplasm." Degeneration.* — Professor E. Eay Lankester has published, as a separate volume, the lecture which he delivered on this subject at the British Association meeting in 1879. In attempting to reconstruct the pedigree of the animal kingdom, and so to exhibit correctly the genetic relationships of all existing forms of animals, naturalists have hitherto assumed that the process of natural selection and survival of the fittest has invariably acted so as either to improve and elaborate the structure of all the organisms sub- ject to it, or else has left them unchanged, exactly fitted to their condi- tions, maintained, as it were, in a state of balance. It has been held that there have been some six or seven great lines of descent — main branches of the pedigree — such as those of the vertebrates, molluscs, insects, star-fishes, and so on ; and that along each of these lines there has been always and continuously a progress — a change in the direction of greater elaboration. Each of these great branches of the family tree is held to be independent. They all branch ofi" nearly simultaneously from the main trunk. The animal forms constituting the series in each of these branches are supposed to gradually increase in elaboration of structure as we pass upwards from the main trunk of origin and climb further and fui-ther towards the youngest, most recent twigs. New organs have, it is supposed, been gradually developed in each series, giving their possessors great power, enabling them to cope more successfully with others in that struggle for existence in virtue of * ' Degeneration : a chapter in Darwinism.' . (8vo, London, 1880.) INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIAj MICROSCOPY, ETC. 595 •wHch these new organs have been little by little called into being. At the same time, here and tliere along the line of march, certain forms have been supposed to have " fallen out " — to have ceased to improve ; and being happily fitted to the conditions of life in which they were long ago existing, have continued down to the present day to exist in the same low, imperfect condition. It is in this way that the lowest forms of animal life at present existing are usually explained, such as the microscopic animalcules, Amoehi^ and Infusoria. It is in this way that the lower or more simply-made families of higher groups have been generally regarded. The simpler living Mollusca have been supposed necessarily to represent the original forms of the great race of Mollusca. The simpler vertebrates have been supposed necessarily to represent the original vertebrates, and so on. That this is, to a certain extent, a true exjilanation of the existence at the present day of low forms of animals is proved by the fact that we find, in very ancient strata, fossil remains of animals whicli difter over so little from particular animals existing at the present day; for instance, the Brachiopods Lingula and Terehraiula, the king- crabs, and the pearly nautilus are found living at the present day, and arc also found with no appreciable difference in very ancient strata of the earth's crust, deposited so long ago that most of the present forms of life had not then been brought into existence, wliilst other most strange and varied forms occupied their place, and have now for long ages been extinct. Whilst we are thus justified by the direct testimony of fossil remains in accounting for some living forms on the hypothesis that their peculiar conditions of life have been such as to maintain them for an immense period of time in statu quo unchanged, loe have no reason for applying this hypothesis, and this only, to the explanation of all the more imperfectly organized forms of animal or plant life. It is clearly enough possible for a set of forces such as we sum up - under the head " natural selection " to so act on tlie structure of an organism as to produce one of three results, namely these : to keep it in statu quo ; to increase the complexity of its structure ; or lastly, to diminish the comiilexity of its structure. We have as possibilities either halance, or elaboration, or degeneration. Owing, as it seems, to the predisposing influence of the systems of classification in ascending series proceeding steadily upwards from the " lower " or simplest forms to the " higher " or more complex form — systems which were prevalent before the doctrine of transformisni had taken firm root in the minds of naturalists — there has been up to the present day an endeavour to explain every existing form of life on the hypothesis that it has been maintained for long ages in n state of balance ; or else on the hypothesis that it has been elaborated and is in advance, an improvement upon its ancestors. Only one naturalist — Dr. Dijhrn, of Naples— has put forward * the hypothesis of dege- neration as capable of wide ajiijlication to the explanation of existing forms of life ; and his arguments in favour of a general application * ' Der Ursprung dor WirlxUliion' mid das Princip 8 Fmiclions-wjclisolH.' (Lcip/iR, 187r).) 2 11 2 596 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO of this hypothesis have not, Professor Lankestcr thinks, met with tho consideration which they merit. Naturalists have long recognized what is called retrogressive meta- mori^liosis in the case of parasitic animals, and it is the more i-emark- able that the same hypothesis should not have been applied to the explanation of other simple forms of animals. The hypothesi-s of degeneration will, it is believed, render most valuable service in pointing out the true relationships of animals which are a puzzle and a mystery when we use exclusively the hypothesis of Balance or Elaboration. Eeferring to tho lizard-like creatures Se/ps and Bipes, which have lost the locomotive organs once possessed by their ancestors, it is pointed out that this very partial or local atrophy is not what the author means by Degeneration ; but if this atrophy is extended to a variety of important organs, we shall then have a thorough-going instance of it. Degeneration may be defined as a gradual change of the structure in which the organism becomes adapted to less varied and less complex conditions of life, whilst elaboration is a gradual change of structure in which the organism becomes adapted to more and more varied and complex conditions of existence. In elaboration there is a new expression of form, corresponding to new perfection of work in the animal machine. In degeneration there is suppression of form, cor- responding to the cessation of work. Elaboration of some one organ onay be a necessary accompaniment of degeneration in all the others. In fact, this is very generally the case ; and it is only when the total result of the elaboration of some organs and the degeneration of others is such as to leave the whole animal in a lower condition — that is, fitted to less complex action and reaction in regard to its surround- ings than was the ancestral form with which we are comparing it (either actually or in imagination) — that we speak of that animal as an instance of degeneration. Any new set of conditions occurring to an animal which render its food and safety very easily attained, seem to lead as a rule to degenera- tion ; just as an active, healthy man sometimes degenerates when he becomes suddenly possessed of a fortune. The habit of parasitism clearly acts upon animal organization in this way. Let the parasitic life once be secured, and away go legs, jaws, eyes, and ears. The active, highly-gifted crab, insect, or annelid may become a mere sac, absorbing nourishment and laying eggs. Some examples of undeniably degenerate animals are examined, amongst which are Sacculina, which infests hermit-crabs, and from its young (nauplius) stage with legs, has become a mere sac filled with eggs, and absorbing nourishment by root-like processes ; Lernceocera, the parasite of the gills of fishes, which has lost the well-developed legs of its early stage and become a worm-like creature ; the cirrhipedes (barnacles), the mites, and the ascidians. Special attention is given to the latter, the author's object being to show that their structure and life-history may be best explained on .the hypothesis that they are instances of degeneration, and in fact are INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOaAMIA, MICROSOOPYj ETC. 597 degenerate vertebrates, as the barnacles are degenerate crustaceans. The identity of the tadpole of the ascidian and the tadjjolc of the frog is illustrated by figures representing the external ai)poaranco and the chief internal organs, together with others, showing how the degenera- tion proceeds which the ascidian tadpole has to go through to arrive at the adult structure. The chief causes of structural degradation are (1) parasitism, (2) fixity or immobility (as in the adult bai'nacle and ascidian), (3) vege- tative nutrition (as in the green Planarian worms), and (4) excessive reduction in size (exemplified in the Rotifers, Ostracoda, and Polyzoa). Where the conditions are present degeneration may be suspected even in the absence of any confirmatory embryological evidence. Degenerative evolution is not limited to zoology, but is applicable to botany as w'cll, as it clearly offers an explanation of many vegetable phenomena, and is already admitted as the explanation of facts con- nected with the reproductive process in the higher plants. The yeast- plant is in all probability a degenerate floating form derived from a species of Mucor. Animal Development.* — Professor Schafer, in his lectures on Animal Development delivered at the Royal Institution, thus formu- lates some of the general results arrived at from a consideration of the facts discussed : — (1) If we compare the processes of development of any two animals, from sponges upwards, we find complete correspondence up to a certain point ; from which point they may diverge from one another. This point is sometimes placed near the bottom of the development-scale, sometimes near the top ; or it may be in any inter- mediate position. (2) Development is essentially localization of function and con- comitant or consequent modification of structure ; such modification being accompanied by segregation of the cells concerned with the function localized. (3) The i)ath of development of all the more important of these BCgi'cgated parts is the same up to a certain point in the development of each segregation. From this point it may, in any animals or group of animals, diverge from the rest, or may remain stationaxy, whilst in the others specialization and modification progress further. (4) The various stages or phases of development of an animal, as well as of its specialized parts, are often found to correspond with cither permanent or transient conditions of animals lower in tho scale. (5) Since the phases of development of individual animals are often seen to be rejnesentations of the permanent conditions which are met with in a serius of animals belonging to lower grades of organization, it is impossible not to infer that these successive phases in the deve- lopment of the individual represent simihir i)hases in the process of formation or development of the race to which tho individual belongs. * 'Qiiiirt. Joiirn. Mirr. Si-i.,' xx. (ISiO) [>. 202. (Coiitiiiiiing Ihc bubstuiico ol" the luiil two of the twelve Iccturei;.) 598 RECOED OP CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO To revert to a former simile, we may safely say that the developmental telescope of the individual is the same as that of the race, but with the tubes shortened or shifted one upon another so that in many cases their original order is no longer recognizable. The history of the development, then, of any individual animal from the egg is an abridgment of the history of formation in time of the race ; or, to state the matter in as few words as possible, " development represents descent." We conclude, therefore, that the ancestors of every animal have successively exhibited structural conditions which are rej)resented in a more or less modified form by the successive stages of development of the individual. This is the only logical conclusion to which the study of animal development leads. Modifying slightly the words of Darwin, " to take any other view is to admit that the structure of animals and the history of their development form a mere suare laid to entrap our judgment." Colours of Animals.* — Dr. Camerano, in a brief notice of a larger work to be published hereafter, divides colours into internal and external. In animals the latter have of course the chief importance, and he classifies them morphologically as Hypodermic and Epidermic, and physiologically as (1) Useful, including those which are pro- tective (allowing escape), attractive (to the prey of the animal), deviatory, as the eye-like spots of some insects, which distract attention from vital parts; (2) Indifferent; (3) Budimental, the remains of a previous more extensive coloration ; (4) Accidental, as melanism and albinism, arising out of special circumstances peculiar to the individual, Passing from the consideration of the nature of some colours, he reviews the condition of the different gi'oups of the animal kingdom in their relation to colour, taking certain species from each as examples. He distinguishes sexual coloration from that which depends on the time of year, &c. The referees on the paper (Signers Cornalia and De Sanctis) believe that the interpretations of the meaning of the intensity, quality, or position of a colour need further examination in many cases ; for though one type of coloration running through several species many perhaps be exi^licable ; yet when several species agree- ing in other respects — as volume, habitat, food — are foimd to differ in the matter of colour, it is diiScult to account for the fact on utilitarian principles. Organisms in Ice from Stagnant "Water.f — Mr. M. A. Veeder has made microscopical investigations with regard to the purity of ice gathered from stagnant water in canals and ponds. Only those frag- ments were taken (from the interior of blocks) which appeared clean and transparent to the unassisted eye. On melting them and examining the water thus obtained with various powers up to 900 diameters, bits of vegetable tissues and confervoid growths are * ' Atti R. Acead. Lincei (Traubuut.),' iv. (1S60) p. loO. t 'Am. Nat.,' xiv. (1880) p. 388. rNVERTEBRATAj CRYPTOGAMU, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 599 usually recognisable at once. Animaloula were not found in an active state in water from ice that just melted, but upon allowing such water to settle and become warm at the ordinary temperature of a room occupied for living purposes, the sediment deposited is found to contain, after some hours, monads whose movements are easily discernible with a magnifying power of from 200 to 400 diameters. Upon allowing the water to stand still longer, Mr. Veeder found the Confervae growing thriftily, and in some instances forming clusters or bundles frequented by minute animalcula, the entire ajipear- ance in this case being very similar to that presented by the nests occupied by the young of the common Paramecium seen in stagnant water. As the result of these investigations, it appears that freezing does not free water from filth due to the presence of sewage or decaying vegetable matter, and further, that it is probable that the germs from which animalcula are developed, if not the animalcula themselves in a quiescent state, are present in very much of the ice fciken from stagnant water, so that the use of such ice in drinking water is hazardous to say the least. B. INVERTEBRATA. Fertilization of the Ovum.* — Professor Schneider calls attention to his observation in 1873, on Mesostomum and Disfomum, tliat the nucleus and germinal vesicle become elongated and break up into strands, which ultimately become arranged into a rosette, under- going further changes. The grouping of the granules of the proto- plasm of the cell into a star-shaped form was described in 1847, by Derbes in the sea-urchin's egg, and by Eeichert in the sj)erm-cells of Nematodes, &c., and similar facts by Kowalevsky in 1866. Biitschli's observations on the " directive vesicles " are not beyond criticism. These are really cells, and consist of part of the germinal vesicle with some protoplasm. Professor Schneider's own recent observations,! carried out on Nematodes, Hirudinea), and Asteracantldon ruhens, show that the sperm- nucleus has no existence. lie agrees with Fol with regard to Astera- cantldon in the main. A very small portion of the germinal vesicle is extruded with the directive vesicle ; the rest sends out ameboid pro- cesses in all directions, wliicli are, however, very ditlicult to demon- strate. The tliickncss of the ovum often gives very misleading views of these relations. This ditfusion of the substance of the nucleus in the ovum renders it almost impossible for tlio entering siKrniatozoou to miss it. The stellate mass described as surrounding the latter at its entrance probably belongs to the germinal vesicle, attracted by tho stimulus of tho male clemenl. At the cleavage the two stellate masses of the amjjJiiastcr go to diflercnt parts, and then both approach tho ♦ ' Zool. Anzcig.,' iii. (1880) p. 2r)2. t He observes tliat lie liaa loniul acetate of cnruiino (mudo by saturating boiling acetic acid of 45 per cent, strength with carmine, and fiUoring) very iiscfnl. It isuHed either diluted to a 1 per cent, solution or by placin;,' a drop of the ori^iu.d boluliou uuilcr the cover-;^labd. 600 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO cleavago-plane. The ovum, contrary to Biitsclili and Hertwig, is entered by the siiermatozoon wliile still in the ovarian follicle, not when in the egg-capsule. In the Nematodes fecundation takes place in the oviduct. In Aster acantldon ruhens the directive vesicles emerge from the micropylc. At the ends of the thirty or more thin amoeboid processes of the germinal vesicle aj^pear transitorily stellate figures. The consequences of fertilization may be carried out in sea- water in immature as well as mature eggs. The formation of embryos does not take place if the egg-membrane has not been sufficiently expanded before segmentation. Healthy embryos may be produced from ova into which as many as eight spermatozoa have penetrated. The spermatozoon and the yolk-membrane are connected by a fine process, even before actual contact takes place ; this appears to originate from the former. After the entrance of the spermatozoon a ball of substance appears at the point of entrance ; it originates from the yolk, and swells up to a round bead, larger than a directive vesicle. When sj)ermatozoa enter immature eggs, this swelling has the form of a long stripe, whose end branches out stellately : no segmentation takes place in this case. Aulostomum and Hirudo require several years for the genera- tive products to arrive at maturity ; in Nephelis and Clepsine this occurs in the spring of the second year. In them all the sperm- cells penetrate to the ova while these are still enclosed in their follicles ; in Nephelis a ring is formed by them in the middle of the mature part of the ovary. In Nephelis they may enter the yolk and continue to move there ; they also penetrate and remain under the yolk-membrane, but are absorbed when the albumen is developed, as also in Aulostomum, where eight roll about with a screw-like motion in the yolk. In Nephelis the germinal vesicle continues to move after fertilization, sending out two or three stars. The germinal vesicle is visible in Aulostomum when the ovum leaves the ovary ; it then becomes an amphiaster, which is concealed by^dark granules. Renal Organs of Invertebrata.* — In the course of an interesting essay on this subject, Dr. Krukenberg gives a valuable table to show the character of the renal excretion, and the organ of the animal in which it was found ; other columns give the authority and biblio- graphical references. We can here only cite some of the more interesting of these. In the AdinicB guanin is found in the mesen- terial filaments (Cams), and the same compound is in Porpita found in a whitish layer on the inferior surface of the mantle (Kolliker). Selenka found no uric acid in the " Cuvierian tubes " of the Holo- thuroida. Bodies closely allied to xanthin or guanin were found by Sommer in the water-vascular system of Tcenia. Uric acid has been detected in some Tunicata. The organs of Bojanus have been frequently seen to contain urea or uric acid. In some Arthropoda similar compounds have been found in the excreta or in the fatty bodies, where green glands and Malpighian vessels are absent. * 'Vergl.-Physiul. Stutl.' (Ki-ukenbcrg), ii. (ISSO) p. 14. INVEBTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIAj MICROSCOPY, ETC. 601 MoUusca. Phylogeny of the Dibranchiate Cephalopoda.* — In a contribu- tion to this subject, Dr. Brock points out how little has been done since the contributions of Professor Owen, now some forty years old, in aid of our knowledge of the anatomy of the group ; embryologists have done their best to unravel some of the problems of develoijment, and it is now necessary to make some attemj)t at their comparative anatomy. Shell. — It seems to be quite certain that the Octopoda arc derived from shell-bearing forms ; Argonauta has in the young the rudiment of a shell-capsule, and Cirrhoteiithis, which is no true Decapod, has an internal shell. Musculature. — The examination of this system is attended with very considerable difficulties ; but when done comparatively it exhibits some interesting relations, as the following table will show : — (1.) I. The median retractores capitis are neither fused with one another, nor with the lateral muscles — Enoploteutlus. II. The median retractors begin to be fused with one another — Onycliotcuthis. III. Complete fusion of the median retractors with one another, and partial fusion with the lateral muscles — Ommastrcphes, Sepioleuthis, Loligo. IV. Fusion complete — Scpiola. V. lietractors enclosed in a muscular hepatic capsule, which is widely open posteriorly — Sepia. VI. The capsule completely closed, and the deprcssorcs infundibuli attached to it — Octopoda. (2.) I. A cephalo-cervical articulation developed ; the collaris muscle is inserted into the cervical cartilage — CEgopsida (except Loligopsis), Sepiotcutkis, Loligo, Sepia. 11. Articulation lost. The collaris forms a closed ring — Sepiola. III. The infundibular articulation rudimentary or absent ; the external layer of the collaris fused with the dorsal portion of the mantle — Octopoda. This table gives evidence of a jirogress from the simjile to the more complex, and of the relations which obtain between some of the Dibranchiata and Spirula and Nautilus ; the latter point is argued out in detail. With regard to that interesting structure — the valve of the iu- fundibulum — the author points out that it is clear that its loss is au indication of the attainment of a liighcr stage ; biit he urges that this loss may have been brought about iudcijcndeutly in the Loligopsida and in the Octopoda, and that it docs not therefore have any weight in fixing their respective affinities. Tlie central nervous system of the Dibranchiata appears to be eminently formed on one type ; in all CT^gopsida the ganglion - 'Muri'Lul. Jahibucb,' vi. (ISSO) p. ll>5. C02 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO bracbialo lias the same elongated form, as was signalized by Albany Hancock in Ommastrcplies todarus ; the same holds good for the suiira-pharyngcal lobe of all the Octopoda. In various parts of the peripheral system stages of differentiation can, on comparison, be made out ; the ganglion stellatum, for example, did not apparently belong primarily to the mantle, but lay in the visceral sac whence it sent olf nerves to the mantle ; this arrangement is still to be seen in Loligopsis guttata. From this position two series of changes may occur : the nerve and its ganglion may pass to the mantle, or the pallial nerve may separate from the ganglion. This, seen at its earliest in most of the CEgopsida, is carried further in O. todarus and SepiotctUhis, till in Loligo it is carried to an extreme. Other changes may occur in various other forms, and in the short, compressed body of the Octopoda i^art of the pallial nerve is very considerably reduced. The commissure between the brachial nerves was found to be simple in all the Decapoda that were examined ; in Cirrhoteuthis a nervo descends from the brachial nerve to the commissure, while in the rest of the Octopoda the primitive commissure forms a closed ring,, connected only by branches with the nerves. After treating of the visceral nerves, different stages in which are described, the author passes to the Excretory System. — In all known Decapod Dibranchiata there arc two symmetrically disposed orifices, which appear to be primarily placed in the angle of the branchifc, and thence to jiass more or less upwards, and inwards ; in the Nautilus, in all CEgopsida, and in SejjiotcutJiis the orifices of the urinary sacs are simple and slit-shaped ; in the higher Myopsida and in the Octopoda more or less elongated papilhc are there developed ; and these papillae, again, exhibit different stages. Passing over the water-system and the digestive organs, we come to the ink-bag, which is ontogcuctically a part of the hind-gut. From the simple embryonic condition two series of differentiations can be made out ; one jiasses through the Decapoda to Sepia, the other through the Octopoda to Octopus and Eledune. The former is principally effected by changes in size, without any chauge from the original position. Compared with Enoploteuthis and Sepioteuthis it is much longer in Ommaslrephes, Loligo, and OnychoteutJiis ; others have a rudimentary efferent duct. In Chiroteuthis Veranzi it is triangular in form ; in Sepiola it is trilobate. It is in Sepia only that this ink- bag becomes connected by a long efferent duct with the anus. In the Octopoda change of position is the first point that we note ; the ink- bag tends to pass dorsally behind the diaphragm, and to enter into closer topographical relations with the liver. In Trcinoctopus carence it is smaller, and the duct is shorter than in T. violaceus. The heart of the Myopsida appears to be a further development of that of the CEgopsida, while the still more highly differentiated organ of the Octopoda is evidently related to that of the Myopsida ; no certain comparison can be made with Nautilus or Spirilla. Little or no assistance is given by the male generative organs to the resolution of phylogenetic questions ; great differences, suffi- INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 603 cient to fill more than a page, even when stated in a tabular form, arc to be found in the female organs. Dr. Brock sums up his results in the following fashion : — (1) All typical ffigopsida possess two symmetrical oviducts. (2) The same is true of all typical Octoijoda. (8) The forms in which one oviduct is wanting (Myopsida) arc in all points the most ditterentiatcd ; so that it follows that the double oviduct is the oldest form of the female generative apparatus, and that all forms with one only have lost the other by reduction of the l)arts. The following tables will exhibit the leading diiicrcnccs between some of the most important genera : — Nidamcntal glands Oviducts .. Kitdiila Anal appondagcs Infnndibular valve "8i)lcou" .. Omniastrcplios. + 2 Complicated Asymmetrical + 0 Euoploteutliis. 0 2 Simi)lc Symmetrical + + ChivotfuUiis. Lo igopsia. 0 0 1 ? ? ? Symmetrical ? 0 0 + ? Owciiia. II. Shell ACCCSS017 hearts .. Nidamcntal glands Arms Oiuinastrcphcs sagittatus. Onycbotcuthis. Witli phragmocoue With phragmocono Absent + With suckers Enoploteutbis. (Without phragmo- t, cone, brnnches of the (Developed on the \ cephulic and posterior aorta). + I 0 /With hooks and\ ,,,.., , , , 1 «npl.-,.v. h ^Viih hooks onl suckers One of tlic next important questions is the meaning of the shell of Sepia ; in other points — musculature, radula, loss of superior salivary glands, forna of liver and of ink-bag, absence of connnissure between the ganglia stellata and in the fusitm of the accessory nidamental glands — this form appears to be one of the most dilierentiated of tho Decapoda. Why, then, docs it retain its shell? In other words, Has Sepia been derived from Loligid forms, and had the simple horny shell furtlier developed ? — or (2) Did Sepia separate very early from the Dibrancliiatc stem, and get its various other characters ind(!i)endently of the other forms? — or (3) Is Sepia the direct de- scendant of the Belemnitcs, and have the oDshoots each independently lost their calcareous shell V The first h3'pothesis is opposed by jialicoiitidogy ; no evidence supports the second. Tho third view is the mol. txp. ct gen.,' viii. (1880) p. 2:53. G3G RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO them an external border, wliicla is concave, and by wliich tliey arc attached to the wall of the body, and a convex border which is free and directed towards the ganglionic cord. The anterior extremity is convex, and is always closed ; though the posterior extremity appears to be glandular in character, it is not really so ; the appearance is due merely to its great contractility, and it is at this end that the gland communicates with the exterior. This communication is eficcted by a circular pore, of some size, which is only difficult to see on account of the rich supply of muscles with which it is provided. In addition to this communication with the interior, the pouches also communicate with the "visceral chamber" by an orifice placed near their anterior extremity ; the whole of the interior is provided with very long cilia, which work towards the exterior orifice. In structure, these organs may be regarded as being composed of a wall, and of an epithelium. The wall is formed of muscular fibres, and of connec- tive tissue ; the former are most abundant in the region of the posterior orifice. The epithelial layer is composed of spherical cells, filled with yellow granules ; the most superficial are ciliated and deej^ly pigmented. The walls are highly vascular, but there is no indication whatever of any glandular structure. The author is of opinion that not only in structure, but also in function, these bodies are to be compared with the molluscan organ of Bojanus. Turning next to the segmental organs, we find that we have an organ, the tissue of which is completely transparent, and which is largely supplied with blood-vessels ; these bodies are connected with the organ of Bojanus, and open by a wide orifice into the body- cavity. By means of this orifice, the tubes are easily enabled to act as the efferent ducts for the generative products. Connected with the segmental organs, and like them arranged in six pairs, we find the ovaries or testes: these are racemose in form, and their products, which escape young, fall first of all into the body-cavity. The student of this subject will see that the results here given are very far from being in accordance with the views of Williams ; the comparison which the author institutes between them can only be referred to, as it is impossible to give any abstract of his review. Development of the Spermatozoa of the Earthworm.* — Mr. Blomfield commences with a careful account of the position and appearance of the testes of the earthworm, which is of value, as the much more prominent seminal vesicles are often mistaken for them. He describes them as pure white, translucent bodies, irregularly quadrangular in form, and rarely more than -^^ inch in diameter. By the assistance of Mr. Bourne, the author is enabled to explain how it is that the seminal vesicles are ordinarily taken for testes. In order to demonstrate the truth of Hering's account of the arrangement of these parts, Mr. Bourne examined a scries of earthworms, and was able to demonstrate that in full-grown forms, such as are ordinarily chosen for dissection, the vesicles are so fully developed that the true testes arc completely hidden from view. In immature specimens, these * 'Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci.,' xx. (1880) p. 70. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 637 vesicles form six small outgrowths on the septa of the ninth- tenth, tenth-eleventh, and eleventh-twelfth segments, respectively ; the anterior pair grow forward so as to project into the ninth ring, tlie second grow backward into the eleventh, and the third into the twelfth ring ; " the ciliated rosettes " of the seminal ducts are found in the tenth and eleventh rings, and by these the developing sperm- cells of the testes pass into the seminal reservoirs or vesicles, which become gradually larger as sexual maturity apjiroaches. After an account of the minute structure of the seminal vesicles, the author passes to his more immediate subject. Development of the Spermatozoa. — " If a portion of the contents of a seminal reservoir are examined in salt solution, a great many of the stages of the developing spermatozoon are exhibited in one field." In his account of this subject, the author makes use of some terms suggested to him by Professor Lankester ; the spcrmatospore is a term applied to the " constituent cells of a testicle, derived from tho primitive germ-epithelium " ; these cells, by the division of their nuclei, give rise to " spermatospheres" or " sperm-polyplasts." " Each constituent of a sperm-j^olyj^last is a spermatoblast, and when the process of division is over each spermatoblast becomes a sperma- tozoon. It does not, however, hai:)pen that the whole spermatosjihere is converted into spermatoblasts ; there remains a passive portion, which in the earthworm occupies a central position ; this is tho " sperm-blastophore," or " blastophoral cell." The author then enters into a careful account of the development of the bodies thus defined, which is illustrated by his own drawings, and comes to conclusions which are best stated in his own succinct resume : The nucleus of the spermatospore in the young testis is of unusually large relative size ; the second nuclei to which it gives rise stand out around tho central mass (blastojihore) of tho generating spheroid with very little protoplasm clothing them. The nucleus undouhtedhj becomes the rod-like head of the earthivorm's sperma- tozoon, and tho filament is as undeniably formed from non-nuclear protoplasm. The sperm-blastoplioro of tho earthworm is, however, non- nucleated, while in the frog and salamander the corresponding boily is nucleated. This diflfercnce is, it is suggested, duo to the fact that in the earthworm the spermatoblasts are further developed, not in testes, but in the seminal reservoirs, while in tho vertebrates just mentioned a portion of the blastophoro alone passes oil', while the rest remains ready to resume its activity. In fact, what hai)pcns in the eartli- worm is the remarkable i)henomcnon of tho primitive testis-cells passing into another organ in order to xmdorgo their development. Embryology of Ligula.* — M. Moniez, in correcting and adding to tlio recent accounts of this phenomenon given by MM. Duchanip and JJunnadieu, points out that before develo])ment conunenccs tho egg consists of a single egg-ccU (which has been taken for a germinal vcsiclo) ; this lies in tho midst of nutritive globules of various sizes, * ' l?iill. Sci. IKp. N.ird,' iii. (ISSQ) p. 112. 638 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO which generally conceal it. Segmentation takes place in the midst of the nutritive yolk, the egg-cell not issuing from it previously, as in Tcenia. As it increases in size it drives the yolk-globules to the periphery, where they often present the appearance of polygonal cells. After segmentation the egg consists of finely granular cells, but slightly connected with each other ; it undergoes delamination in the same way as in TcBnia ; the central part forms alone the six-spined embryo, the external part becoming clothed with cilia, and constituting the " embryophore," within which the embryo lives free. The latter and its capsule emerge from the egg on the disappearance of the egg- operculum, and rapidly (in one or two seconds) become far greater in size than the egg itself. This is owing to the absorption by the embryophore of a large quantity of liquid, converting it into a finely granular and very delicate reticulum. The cilia now rotate the whole ; they are short and uniformly distributed ; a slight pressure expels the embryo, which after abandoning the embryoj)hore, creeps about by amoeboid movement, showing its constituent cells plainly. It is therefore the embryophore — and not the embryo, as stated by M. Donnadieu — which moves as if it was ciliated, and the existence of the cilia upon it, pointed out by Leuckart and others, is beyond all doubt. Nervous System of the Trematoda.* — Dr. Lang's second com- munication on this subject commences with an account of the nervous system of the Tristomida. After reviewing the works of earlier writers, among whom Blanchard, Kolliker, and Taschenberg (1879) have been the most conspicuous, he proceeds to give an account of his own inves- tigations on Tristomum molce. The best subjects for investigation are the smaller specimens, on account of their greater transparency ; the principal parts of the nervous system can be made out in the living examples, for the pale nerve-cords are composed of coarse fibres, just as in Planocera Graffii among the Dendrocoelous Turbellaria. The flattened body of these creatures has its periphery almost round ; at the anterior end of the ventral surface there are two oral suckers, and in their neighbourhood the margin of the body is so indented as to give the appearance of a quadrangular median lobe. The abdominal sucker is very large and powerful, and is connected by a short thin stalk with the body. On either side of, and not far from the pharynx, there are two vesicles belonging to the water- vascular system. The cerebrum lies anteriorly and superiorly to the j^harynx and mouth ; in form it is a short, pretty broad transverse band, with a concave posterior edge. There are connected with it four small pigment spots. On each side of the cerebral mass there are given off four nerves, which are thus distributed. The most anterior pass to the region between the oral suckers, where they branch and anastomose. The succeeding nerves supply the oral stickers themselves, and have con- nected with them the third pair of nerves, part of which cross over, however, to the oj^posite side of the body. Where they unite in the middle line, an unpaired nerve passes forwards to the cephalic lobe. * • Blittli. Zool. Stat. Neapel," ii. (1880) p. 28. INVEKTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 639 The arrangement tlius brought about is not unlike that which obtains in P. Grajfii, where all the nerves given off from the brain are con- nected together by a circular commissure ; but in Tristomum there is not any direct continuation between the commissures in the posterior region. The foui'th pair of nerves passes furthest backwards ; and these may be seen to consist essentially of a feebly developed dorsal, and of two well-developed ventral nerves on either side. Of the ventral trunks, one is peripheral and external, the other internal ; these again unite in the region of the great ventral sucker. After describing in detail the distribution of these nerves, the author passes to the consideration of the minute structure of the nervous system ; the examination of which is greatly aided by the large size of the ganglion-cells and of the nerve-elements, as well as by the dis- tinctness of the nerve-tracts. A good transverse section of a ventral longitudinal nerve exhibits par excellence the spongy character of these fibres ; of these there is a network, and in the midst of them there are a number of lumina of various sizes ; these all contain some coagulated protoplasm, and in the larger ones nucleated cells are also to be distinguished. Careful examination of a number of sections reveals the existence of a number of tubes {neurilemma), and of nerve- fibres enclosed in these tubes. It would seem that, during life, the fibre completely fills the tube. It is concluded that, histologically at any rate, the cerebrum is nothing but a specially and highly developed transverse commissure, which indicates its relation to the central nervous system by being composed largely of ganglion-cells. The eyes, which are extremely simple, consist of (1) an aggrega- tion of pigment covering in (2) a spherical or oval refracting body, which in the anterior eyes is directed backwards, and in the posterior forwards. Connected with this there is (3) a typical ganglionic cell which forms the retina. (4) A spherical bundle of the dorso-ventral muscles appears to act as muscles for the eye. Small peripheral nerve-centres appear to be represented by large cells which, scattered through the body, are best developed in the neighbourhood of those regions in which the musculature is best developed. Pleurocotijle scombri. — The nervous system of this creature is the next subject of Dr. Lang's investigations. No eyes are hero develojied ; the cerebral mass is delicate, and is made up of finer fibres ; the most distinct nerves belong to four series : — (1) A pair which pass forwards to the suckers. (2) A i)air which i)ass upwards — dorsal nerves — but which could not be traced for any great distance. (3) A i)air, which pass outwards and upwards, and are soon lost ; and (4) A pair, better develoijed, of longitudinal trunks, which take a backward course along the ventral siii-fuce. JJislomida. — The examples of this group which were examined were Uistoinum nijrojlavum, and 1). hcjxilicum. The ceutiuil nervous Bysteni of the former has the tyi'ieiil position, between the oral sucker and the pharynx. From its ujtptr portion tliero is given oU'dorsally on either side a nerve for the oral sucker, and a nerve which j>asecs GIO RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO backward ; from the lower surface a delicate nerve goes to tlie ventral surface of the oral sucker, while there are also two ventral longitudinal nerves which, soon after their origin, give off a branch which takes a dorsal direction. Very similar arrangements are to be found in J), hepaticum, the results of his observations on which, by means of sections, the author carefully describes. In conclusion, the author states that, with regard to the large cells, principally found in the suckers of these creatures, he is not able to afiirm that they have any connection with the nerve-fibres which are distributed to the same parts. But he is of opinion that they are homologous with the cells of similar character in Tristomum, and he thinks that they should be regarded as ganglionic cells. New Turbellarian.* — Dr. Arnold Lang describes a new parasitic Ehabdocoele Turbellarian, but without giving it any name ; it seems, however, to be closely allied to Graffilla muricicola ; it is found in numbers on the foot of Tetliys, but hardly appears to reside there jiermancntly. Spindle-shaped when extended, and whitish in colour, they are almost completely dense ; little even can be made out when they are compressed. The epithelium of the integument is ciliated, and the cells are polygonal ; no sagittocysts are developed, but here and there there are pores for the tegumentary glands; below the integument there is a rudimentary muscular layer, which is so feebly developed that it can only be detected in very thin sections ; in this region there are a large number of unicellular pyriform glands, which are specially developed in the anterior region of the ventral surface. The pharynx, and its musculature, are very feebly developed, and the former appears to be devoid of a sheath. The intestine, which is aproctous, forms the greater part of the animal ; its lumen varies in width owing to the development of inwardly projecting processes, and its walls are formed by very long tubular cells, distinctly separated from one another, and, as it seems, inserted directly into the integument. No peripheral nerves, special sensory organs, or water-vessels were detected. The female organs were well developed, but in no specimen was the author able to find the male glands in anything but a rudi- mentary condition. New Nemerteans.l — Dr. Hubrecht, in a first appendix to a paper already noticed, :j: points out that among the Palteonemertini we- may either find the system of resj)iratory furrows represented by a number of small grooves (Polia), or there may be only a simple trans- verse furrow {Ceplialotrix), or no furrow at all. He then describes a new species, Carinella inexpectata, which seems to be intermediate between the two forms with simple or compound grooves ; for here we have to do with a transverse groove, provided with a set of small secondary grooves, very much as in Polia ; from which, however, it differs, and agrees with the simpler forms in having no third pair of lobes to its cephalic ganglion. The other new species described belongs to the genus Cerebratulus, and is dedicated to Dr. Eisig, of * 'Mitth. Zool. Stat. Ncapel,' ii. (1880) p. 107. t ' Notes R. Zool. Mus. Netherlands,' ii. (1880) p. 93. J Ante, p. 438. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 611 Naples, to whom tlie author owes so much. Tho spccimeu on which the description was founded was sent to him alive from Naples ; it is distinguished by the presence of longitudinal stripes on its proboscis, and by its dark olive-green colour. Ech,inoderm.ata. New Genus of Echinoidea.*— Under the name of Palceolampas, Professor Jeffrey I5ell describes an irregular Echinoid allied to Conoclypeus and Echinolampas, but distinguished from them by the possession of certain more archaic characters ; tlie pores of the ambu- lacral arese are arranged in pairs as far as the ambitus of the test, while the outer row of each pair extends regularly to the actinostome. The pores of each pair are not yet connected with one another by grooves ; those of the inner rows are still fairly circular, but many of those in the outer rows are slit-like or comma-shaped, and indicate the commencement of the formation of the groove connecting the pairs of pores. Two of the ocular plates are interesting on account of their still retaining indications of their primitively double nature. The whole test is regularly covered with primary tubercles, and there are no bare bands even near the mouth, at which, also, the bourrelets are but feebly developed. The generalized, or feebly differentiated, characters of the form arc curiously enough spoken to by the fact that nearly all naturalists who examined it hastily thought that they had seen it before ; one, how^ever, thought he had a specimen belonging at any rate to the same genus ; it was only some time after the reading of his paper that Professor Bell was enabled to see the specimen in question ; of this he has since given a sliort account to the Zoological Society, and we are enabled to say that he tinds himself compelled to regard it as an immature specimen of the more highly specialized genus, Echinolampas. If this be the correct view, it affoi'ds another example of the resemblance of the young forms of differentiated species to the adult forms of less differentiated creatures, and aids in compelling us to accept the aphorism : " The development of the individual is a compressed epitome of the history of the race." Fossil Tertiary Echini, f — Dr. Martin has arrived at tlie very interesting conclusion that a considerable percentage of these fossil Echinids, from Java, are still represented in the Indian Ocean ; the tertiary species were described by Herklots as new, and these deter- minations the present writer now revises. The author gives a valu- able table of the species found, and shows what arc still living, and what are their allies, either extant or fossil. He arrives at the important result that even in the tertiary period the tropical oceanic fauna ajjpears to have been "quite as ilistinct as it is in the present day, for they contain no fossils which have yet been found in extra- tropical tertiary deposits. This, as a second table shows, is indicated also by other groups of the Invcrtebrata ; but in none perhaps is it • 'Proc. Zool. Roc.,' 1880, p. 4H. + ' Nolort R. Mils. Nothcilnn^Ol p ~:i voT,. in. '2 r 642 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO more evident than with tlie Ecliiuoidea, 57 per cent, of wliicb are identical in the present time and in tertiary deposits ; the Crustacea, indeed, give a percentage of 67, but we know of only 9 fossil species of this order, whereas 19 Echinoidea have been discovered. 6 Foraminifera, 1 Cephalopod, and 1 Brachiopod have been found fossil, and none of these are identical with recent forms. Remarkable Ophiurid.* — Herr v. Martens gives a description of a new species, Opldotliela cUvidua, from Algoa Bay. The species was six-rayed, but was remarkable for the fact that in the large number of specimens examined, the arms of each individual were always unequal in size, and that the longer arms all lay on one side of the disk ; there might be three large and three small, or two large and four small arms. It would appear, therefore, that the creature had under- gone transverse division, and that the smaller arms were newly formed. These specimens afford some support to the doctrine on Avhich the author has j^reviously insisted : that when star-fishes have more than five arms, it is, as a rule, in consequence of the animal having budded them off after division or injury. Mediterranean Echinoderms. f — In the present essay, Dr. Hubert Ludwig gives a brief account of Antedon pTialangium, and points out the differences between it and A. rosacea ; and of Astropecten squamatus, of which he has been enabled to examine Miiller and Troschel's type-sj)ecimen, and with which he associates Philippi's A. aster. He then describes a new species of the Ophiurida, OpMoconis hrevispina, of which genus as yet only two species were known. In giving an account of Thyone aurantiaca he jioints out that the presence of a male genital papilla appears to be very common among the Deu- drochirotfe ; and he concludes wdth a notice of a Mediterranean species, Holotliuria mammata, which was described by Grube in 1840, and appears to have been never again observed. Ccelenterata. Intracellular Digestion in Coelenterata.J — Professor Metschnikoff considers that this phenomenon, already demonstrated by Jeffrey Parker in Hydra, must be regarded as the rule in most of the true Coelenterates. It has now been observed in the Hydroids Plunmlaria, Tubularia, the Hydromedusfe Eucope, Oceania, Tiara, as the intrusion into the endoderm cells of solid alimentary particles ; also in Pelagia, Praya, Forsluilia, Hippopodius, in the Ctenoj^horan Beroe, and in the Actinians Sagarfia and Aiptasia ; it has not been noticed in the Trachymedusse. In the Hydroidea and Oceanidfe almost the whole endoderm has this property (in Eucope the genital organs, the wall of the circular vessel, and the base of the tentacles were thus penetrated), but it is usually limited to certain cylindrical thickenings; in the Siphono- phora it is exerted only by the thickenings of the median division of the stomach ; in Actinice the mesenteric filaments must now be * ' SB. Ges. Natnrf. Freund. Berlin,' 1879, p. 127. t 'Mitth. Zool. Stat. Neapel,' ii. (18S0) p. 53. X ' Zool. Anzeig.,' iii. (1880) p. 261. INVEETEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 643 regarded as digestive organs owing to the same ocenrrencc in their ordinary entoderm cells, thus explaining Lewes and Kruken- berg's observations of the complete absence of any free digestive secretion ; on the other hand, the Hert wigs' interpretation of the abundant gland-cells which abound here, must be rejected, and they must be regarded instead as mucus- glands. The Coelenterate ento- derm cells are ranked among the araceboid epithelia, taking in as they do, their food by pseudopodia-like processes ; this is well seen in Praya diphyea, whose cells are long and envelope food-particles in a Plasmodium, formed of the fused pseudopodia ; a similar fusion of the ends of the cells occurs in the Ctenophora and Adinice. In Cteno- phora the food-particles pass into the wandering cells of the mesoderm, as in sponges. Considering that representatives of all the chief groups exhibit this phenomenon, it would appear to be a primitive endowment of the Ccelenterate type, and — the same being the case with the lowest worms, the Turbellarians — also of the Metazoa in primitive times. As the method does not demand a sjiecial digestive cavity, this last would appear, where present, to be of secondary origin. Probably some points in the development of Coelenterata, which as yet appear at variance with the gastrsea-theory, may be explained by these considerations. Nervous System of Beroe.* — Dr. Eimer recajntulates the present condition of our knowledge of the nervous arrangements in the Coelenterata. He points out that in an earlier work he had insisted on the fact that the nervous system of Beroe ovatus was not distinctly localized, but was represented by a number of nerve- cells which were distributed over the whole surface of the body, and were numerous only in the region of the anal pole ; no true nerve- cords, such as are seen in the higher animals, are to be found in this Ctenophore. Very similar results have been shown among the Meduste ; here there is a lamellar central nervous system distributed over the body, and attaining its greatest development in the Craspedota in the region of the margin of the umbrella (Cycloneura), and in the Acras- pedota in the region of the marginal bodies (Toponeura). In both these groups the nervous elements may be frequently connected with the epithelium. In these, just as much as in Beroe, it is difficult to distinguish the nerve-cells as morphological elements, but this is, of course, in complete agreement with the a priori consideration that characteristic tissues are no more suddenly developed than are distinct fimctions. Pliysiological experiments on the Medusa? have confirmed these views : it now remains to apply the same test to Beroe. Experiment A. — Specimens were so operated on as to divide them into three equal parts, representing rcspcctivuly the anal polo, the oral pole, and the median portion of the body ; wlicn this was done it was foinid that all the ctcnophores ceasod their activity; after a sliort time, however, this again reapi)eared in the parts connected with the anal pole ; after four hours nearly all the parts wore in * ' Ar.-l,. Mikr. Annt..' xvii. (Is7!)) p. 2VX 2 r 2 644 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO movement. On this, small pieces were cut off from different parts of the body ; at first without movement, in two hours after they were quite active. In the second area, exhibitions of movement were very common. In the third, all the parts and pieces were quite active. In the median portion the ctenophores of one row exhibited a contrary direction to the rest. These experiments conclusively demonstrate that parts disconnected from the anal area are capable of independent movement. Experiment B. — A row of ctenophoral plates was separated by incision, and a division transverse to its long axis at a distance of about 2 centimetres from the anal pole was made ; for a moment the movements of all the ctenophores ceased ; then the uninjured plates began to move, then the distal portion, and last of all the proximal (oral) portion of the injured plate exhibited activity. In the last two the movements were independent of one another. These experi- ments throw into marked relief the extraordinary capacity which the different parts of the injured Beroe have of performing separate move- ments, just as though they were distinct animals. The author further found that the movement of the injured animals was in the same direction as that of the uninjured, and that the same power of direction was possessed by them after and before the experi- ment. Looked at generally, tliese remarkable observations afford con- clusive support to the doctrine that the " central region " at the apical pole is not really the centre of the nervous energy of the animal, while they show that nerve-cells are at any rate scattered over the whole of the body, however more numerous they may be in one region, and, moreover, these nerve-cells may be functional centres for any given part of the body. The facts here detailed are completely paralleled by the results already obtained from the study of the Medusfe, and we may safely assert that " a distinctly localized central nervous system is not present inBeroe; its central cells are distributed over the whole body and are only more closely aggregated in the region of the anal pole." Pleurobrachia pileus.* — In a few notes on this animal, no specimen of which was found in a sexually mature condition, Herr Hartmann points out the presence on t^vo lobes of two roimd, red, granular pigment-spots ; these, which it is possible were rudimentary eyes, are not to be confounded with the ctenocyst, or auditory vesicle. The oesophagus-like portion of the digestive canal was connected with the stomach and the funnel by an orifice surrounded by a circular projection, and provided with circular and longitudinal muscles. At the oral pole he detected ganglia which gave off nerve-filaments to the ctenophoral plates, and to the parenchyma of the body, and which were further connected with one another by transverse commissures. The branches of the tentacles were beset with a number of rounded tubercles, between which there was diffused, in the primary portions of the tentacle, a reddish pigment ; these tubercles were provided with a number of urticating capsules. * 'SB. Gcs. niiturf. Fromi.l. B.rlin,' 1S79, p. 25. INVERTEBKATA, CEYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 645 Anatomy and Histology of the Actiniae.* — In continuation of our account of tlie paper of the brothers Hertv\'ig,| we direct attention to their history of Cerianthus, Edicardsia, and Zoanthus, which is not so elaborate as the preceding portion. With regard to Cerianthus, the most important observations are those which deal with the layer of muscles subjacent to the nervous system. Forming bnt a thin layer in the tentacles, they form a more considerable stratum in the oral disk, and here each muscular band has, as a sujiporting lamella, a thin homogeneous layer, which presents a free edge towards the nervous layer, and is, as compared with the same part in the Actinice, much better developed. In the tentacles the elements of the muscular layer are isolated. The middle layer of the body is distinguished by the simplicity of its characters, and the complete absence of si)ecial connective-tissue cells. The endodcrm, also, presents points of diiierence, for its cells are not, as in the Actinice, provided with a single flagellum, but with a tuft of delicate cilia. Parasitic cells are here completely absent. The a-sophagus is, as compared with that of the Actinice, extremely short ; there is only one oesophageal groove, and we are therefore enabled to distinguish a ventral and a dorsal aspect ; when, however, we inquire which is the dorsal and which is tlie ventral, we find that our authors are in opposition to Haacke,"): and that they regard the side on which the groove is developed as being the ventral one. In the walls of this oesophagus there is developed a special muscular lamella. The septa of Cerianthus are only feebly ditferentiated from one another, and this simjjlicity in character extends even to their histological details. After pointing out the leading characters by which they are here dis- tinguished from the Actinice, the writers proceed to an account of the generative organs ; these are very numerous, as they are developed on every septum, at the point at which that process ceases to be invested by the oesophagus ; bath ova and spermatozoa may be found to be enclosed in a capsule of connective tissue, and the testicular follicles are not only set between each of the ovarian but are also found to be aggregated into special bands. The most interesting characters in Edicardsia affect the important question of the morphology of the septa ; in these creatures there are, as Quatrefuges showed, only eight septa ; these are all inserted into the Oisophagus, and they are all extremely muscular ; they aro arranged in an exactly symmetrical relation to the two oesophageal grooves. Contrary to what obtains in all allied forms, the tentacles aro not numerically similar to the septa ; in other words there aro more than eight, and the number present is not even always a multiple of that number. Passing from these details to a general part, the authors eommenoo with a chapter on the classiticatiou of the Ctelenterata ; to make this cofuplete they aro compelled, after dealing with the systematic rela- tions of the forms already described, to enter upon the relations of these to tlie other Anthozoa, and to an account of the generative ♦ 'Jen. Zcitsilir. Nutiirwu^s..' xiii. (1S80) p. SfW. t -^ntc, pp. ^.')l-l:.7. X Sec this Journal, ii. (.1879) p. 8'J2. 646 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO organs of the Cliarabydoicla, Discopliora, and Calycozoa ; into these details we cannot enter, but we give a brief resume of their general conclusions. Putting aside the very distinct group of sponges, it is possible to divide the rest of the Ccelenterata into two great gi'oups ; (1) Ectocarpa, (2) Entocarpa ; ia the latter are all the Anthozoa and Acraspedota (with also the Charabydeida and Lucernarida), and in the other the Hydromedusse (including the Siphonophora) and the Cteno- phora. The most important difference between these two groups lies in the fact that in the former the generative organs are derived from the ectoderm, and in the latter from the endoderm ; in one, therefore, the organs are exposed, and in the latter they are placed in j)rocesses of the gastro-vascular system. Other minor differences remain to be noted ; in all the Entocarpa the matured generative products lie separately in the mesoderm ; in the Anthozoa they are invested by fibrous connective tissue, and in the Acraspeda by gelatinous capsules. This is not the case with the Ectocarpa. Nor, again, is the mode of emission similar in the two divisions ; in the Entocarpa the products pass into the gastro- vascular system, while in the Ectocarpa, with the possible exception of the Ctenophora, they pass directly into the water. The two groups may be thus conveniently and succinctly defined : — The Entocarpa are Ccelenterata, in which the generative cells are developed in the endoderm, and pass when mature into the mesoderm ; they are provided with a special secreting apparatus (the mesenterial filaments). The Ectocarpa are Ccelenterata, in which the generative cells are developed in the ectoderm, where they remain ; they do not possess any mesenterial filaments. Other differences may be noted between these groups, but passing to their common origin, it may be noted that the original ancestor was doubtless very similar to Hydra, though somewhat more gene- ralized in character, and with a much less marked differentiation of ectoderm and endoderm. The generative products had no defined seat of origin ; when this began to obtain two distinct phyla were initiated ; one led by the Hydroid Polyps to the Ctenophora, the other to the Scyphistoma-creatures, in which the generative organs had an endodermal origin, and in which the gastric cavity was interrupted by four longitudinal septa ; this division broke up into the Anthozoa and the Acraspeda. Some few points as to the histological details of the AdinicB remain to be summed up : — (1) The organs are chiefly developed from the ectoderm. (2) There is a striking similarity between the histological elements of the ectoderm and endoderm. (3) The neuro-muscular system is made up of three sets of cells, muscular, sensory, and ganglionic, and these are connected into one system by nerve-fibrils. (4) The muscular fibres seem to have been primitively arranged in lamellfe. They grew inwards, and became separated into bundles by the investing connective tissue. (5) Where no special optic organb arc developed, some, at any INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 647 rate, of the sensory cells of the ectoderm must be sensitive to luminous imj)ressious. In conclusion, attention is directed to the bearing of the facts detailed on the germ-lajer theory. The authors give a sketch of the change in thought which has had for its effect to give a general mean- ing to the words ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm ; but this change has hardly been completely accurate. Let us take as an example the term mesoderm. The students of the embryology of the higher animals apply the word to a layer of embryonic cells ; and they show that these cells become converted into definite tissues and organs. On the other hand, in the Coelenterata, the word is applied to a definite layer of tissue, which is developed between the inner and outer epithelial layers. The matter may be best put thus : In the lowest divisions of the Metazoa there are only two layers, the ectoblast and endoblast ; in the higher there is a third embryonic layer, the mesoblast. These three terms should be confined to the layers of the embryo, and should only be regarded as exhibiting topo- graphical relations. The terms endoderm, &c., should be thus used : By endoderm and ectoderm we mean the outer and inner layers of the developed body, which have been developed from the ectoblast and endoblast of the germ, and have retained their jirimitive position ; the term mesoderm is applied to the sum of all the tissues and organs which are interpolated between the bounding layers, and these may be cither dcrivates of a special mesoblast, or have taken their origin directly from one of the two primary germ-layers. With these defini- tions we can formulate the two following laws : — (1) As an animal increases in complexity of organization the size and complexity of the mesoderm increase, while the ectoderm and endoderm become more simple. In the Ccclenterata the ectoderm and endoderm fulfil the most varied functions of the animal, but in the rest these functions are taken on by the mesc derm. (2) All the organs which in the higher orders are mesodermal, belong in the lower animals (with the exception of the vascular system, &c. — direct dcrivates of the mesoderm) to the two primitive cell- layers. The facts detailed in this paper would, even if unsupported by other similar facts, be suiTicicnt to demonstrate that, when we examine the question of the homology of the layers within the difiercnt divisions of the animal kingdom, we find that the germ-layers undergo different kinds of differentiation. This docs not affect the general homology of the layers ; how docs it bear on the <|uestion whether the twu layers have always the same relations to the tissues derived from them ? After a review uf a number of tlie facts which bear on the question, the autliors come to the conclusion that the germ-layers are neither organ(dogical nor liistological unities. Wo cannot argue from what we know of the develoiunent of an organ in one pliylum as to its history in another.* The steni-form — the gastriea — must not bo regarded as orgauologically and histologically indifferent ; its descendants may have had tlieir tissues and organs * Compare witli this M. FolV views, mitr^ p. (iO"). 618 IvECOKL) OF CUIiKENT RESEAKCUES KELATJNG TO diflferciitiated in various ways ; just as individual cells vary iu their characters, so too may the germ-layers give rise iu various ways to the tissues and organs. The work now to be done is to define for each class of animals (1) how the primary layers of ectoblast and endoblast are converted into the definite layers and organs ; and (2) how the cells are histologically differentiated in the separate layers. Structure of some Coralliaria.* — Among the Coralliaria the Actinioi have been the best studied. The almost total deficiency of facts concerning the microscopical structure of the other groujDS decided M. C. Merejkowsky to undertake a special study of some species common in the Bay of Naples. The following are his results. The ectoderm is shown to consist of the following elements : — 1. Ordinary ectodermic cells of very elongated form, excessively depressed and dilated at the upper extremity which is invariably furnished with only a single cilium. 2. Cells like the last but trans- formed at their base into an excessively long and slender filament, sometimes provided with several inflations which may be called the nervous Jilaments. 3. Epithelio-muscular elements composed of cells like the first (but shorter and broader), united at their base to musculai- fibrillas. 4. Nematocysts of two kinds, the larger ones often surrounded by protoplasm with a nucleus and a long filament (nervous) in the posterior part, the smaller ones of a different form and always furnished with a long posterior filament ; the filament bears at j^laces small knots. 5. Glandular cells always pyriform and with coarsely granular contents. The mesoderm is an elastic and structureless membrane, varying in thickness iu the different parts of the body. It forms longitudinal protuberances upon the faces of two mesembryenthal septa which unite at the surface of the stomach. The muscles which spread in a single layer over it are longitudinal in the interior of the animal and disposed in horizontal rings on the exterior. They are either long, slightly flattened filaments, the relations of which to the other histo- logical elements it is not easy to ascertain, or they are fibrillfe form- ing a part of the ej)ithelio-muscular elements. Another very citrious element consists of cells of comparatively large size, and excessively flattened, which ramify greatly and unite with each other by their ramifications, and are filled with granular contents, with nucleus and nucleolus. They are arranged in a layer and rest immediately upon the outer surface of the elastic membrane. From their form, habit, and position, the author has no doubt but that they are nervous ganglia in which the numerous fibrillse of the different ectodermic cells terminate. The entoderm is composed almost exclusively of very typical epithelio-muscular cells. The epithelial cell is not so strongly elongated as in the ectoderm, but Avith the base much dilated, and with a single cilium at the extremity. The muscular fibril is very * ' Comi'tcs Eeudus/ xc. (1880) p. 1086. mVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 649 refractive, fusiform, and nearly tlircc times as long as the coll itself. Glandular cells not essentially diftering from those above described are also met with. Mesembryenthal Filaments. — ^The surface of the stomach is not smooth, but covered with longitudinal elevations, very rich in glandular cells, each of which corresponds to the place where a septum unites with the stomach. At the extremity of the stomach the protuberances form the free edges of the mesembryenthal septa ; there is therefore an unbroken continuity of these longitudinal pro- tuberances at the surface of the stomach with the mesembryenthal filaments, and this fact explains the complete unity in the structure of these two organs and shows that they can only act as an organ of digestion. The filaments are solid, and have no interior cavity. There is no canal passing through the septa and uniting the chambers formed by them. Antipatharia of the ' Blake ' Expedition.* — Twelve species of this interesting group taken in the Caribbean Sea (1878-79) are described by L. F. Pourtalcs. In determining the species an attempt has been made to use the diftcrences in the shaj)e of the polyps, as well as the disposition and form of the sjjines, to draw characters for a much-needed revision of their classification. It would seem as if there were at least two difterent types of spines ; the triangular com- pressed and the more cylindrical. These latter are generally more densely set, even assuming sometimes a brush-like appearance, as in Antipathes humilis, a new and wonderfully spinous species, figured but not described. These cylindrical spines are also unequal on the two sides of the pinnules, being longer on the side occupied by the polyps, with a few very mucli longer around the polyi^s. In one species, how- ever, A. Dcshonni, the spines are in regular verticils. There would appear to be a connection between the shape of the polyps and the shape and dis2>osition of the spines. Those si)ecies with triangular spines have polyps with longer tentacles than those with cylindrical spines, and the tentacles have a greater tendency to become regular in shape. In many sjiecies the tentacles are simply contracted ; in a very few they were found retracted, as figured by Lacaze-Dutliiers ; and in somo they arc probably not retractile at all. Eight out of the twelve named are cither desci'ibed or figured as new species. A. spiralis is a very interesting si)ccies, formerly referred to A. Dcshuiini D. and M. The polyps are alternately largo and small, with very large digitiform tentacles much longer than have been figured of any Antipdlhes before. In the spaces between successive polyps the ccenosarc shows transverse canals, and those ou the back part of the branch are more transparent than the rest. American Siphonophora.f — Mr. J. W. Fewkcs gives a sketch of the developuuiit of the tentacular knob of Phijsophora hifdrcslafica. Tho growth of this knob is here more complicated tlian in any » 'IJull. 'Slws. Comp. Zof.l. Camb.,' vi. (1880) p. US. Sec 'Nature,' xxii. (1880) p. IKl t Il'i.l.. p. 127. Stc 'Nuluro.' xxii. (1880) p. 11:5. 650 RECORD OP CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO other Siplionophoro ; commencing as a bud on the ciliated base of the feeding polyp, it is at first only composed of an ectoderm and cndo- derm. The ectodermic wall divides into two layers and gives rise to the involucrum ; within this the sacciilns becomes coiled np, and shortly appears as a complicated organ armed with lasso-cells ; mean- while the basal jjortion becomes so enlarged as to give an asymmetrical form to the whole knob. As the fully grown stage is reached, this enlargement forms a simjile tube along the side of the knob, and tho complete condition is arrived at. It is interesting to note that in some allied genera we find arrangements of the parts of the knob which are only temjjorary in the species under description. The mantle-tubes of Apolemia uvaria and Gleha h'ppopus are also described, and the tubes in the larger necto-calyx of Abyla pentagona ; he adds some critical remarks on the genera Halistemma, Agalma, and Agalmopsis, and concludes with a notice of the forms of Siphonophora and VelellidiB to be met with on the eastern coast of the United States. Up to the present few forms of either of these groups have been described from American waters. They seem to be only occasional visitors blown into the neighbourhood from mid-ocean, and brought there from the tropics by the Gulf Stream. The wealth of such species that one meets with in the Mediterranean is unknown on the New England coast; while, as the author says, in one day at Nice he has taken eight different genera of Siphonophora, yet at Newport he has but rarely taken as many as two genera in the length of a summer's day, and a whole summer once passed, during most of which he was almost daily on the water without one species being seen. One or two species of Phijsalia are, however, more common on the United States coasts than in the Mediterranean. The only member of the long-stemmed Siphonophora provided with a float or air-bladder found heretofore on the New England waters is Agalmopsis cara. Mr. Fewkes can now add A. elegans, and he thinks that extended observation in the southern bays of the country will bring to light some of the well-known forms common to all oceans, such as Apolemia, Ahyla, Phijsophora, and Gleha. Some of these have already been taken in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Bhizophysa, found in the same localities, might also be expected to be brought to Eastern American coasts by oceanic currents. Origin and Development of the Ovum in Eucope before Fecunda- tion.*— This subject has been studied by C. Merejkowsky, who gives the following as the results of his researches. The ovaries of the Medusa, in the interior of the bell, have the appearance of four small sacs, due to an evagination of the gastro-vascular cavity. In the walls of the ovaries, from without inwards we find a layer of ectodermic cells, the limits of which are not well defined, and the entoderm composed of several layers of better defined cells. Tho innermost layer of the entoderm, that which covers the inner surfiice * ' Comptes Remliit^,' xc. (1880) p. 1012. INVEBTEBRITA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 651 of the ovtiiy, is composed of the same cells (furnished with a vibratilc cilium) as the eutoclerm of the radial canals. Towards the base of the ovary, where it becomes confounded with the lower surface of the bell, the entodermic layer is as yet only formed of a single stratum, as in the radial canal ; but in proportion as we advance towards the interior of the ovary we see the entodermic cells divide in a direction perpendicular to their length, and thus form two superposed layers of entoderm ; the division of the cells continuing in all directions, we thus hud the entoderm grow thicker and thicker. Between these two lamellaB of entoderm and ectoderm forming the ovary, is a third more delicate, structureless lamella — the intermediate lamella — sharply separating them and assisting us to define with certainty which layer produces the ova. These ova are always found under the intermediate lamella, and being thus separated from the ectoderm by that lamella can only be developed from the entoderm. This is further borne out by observing directly all the graduated transitions between the ordinary entodermic cells of the young ova. The changes in an entodermic cell destined to be developed into an ovum consist in the increase of the vohime of this cell and the trans- formation of the nucleus into a germinal spot. In the entodermic cells lining the radial canals the protoplasm is perfectly transparent and devoid of granules ; the nucleus appears as a clear round spot containing a central round and denser nucleolus. The cells with their nuclei and nucleoli subsequently increase in size, and the protoplasm becomes more and more granular. The nucleolus, at first simple and furnished with a small vacuole, commences to divide. It lengthens, becomes constricted in the middle, curves into the form of a horse-shoe, and finally divides into two parts, each possessing a central vacuole ; each half again divides into two parts, but in a direction perpendicular to the first, and so on. These phenomena, constant and normal in the Medusfe of the White Sea, are the exception in those from the Bay of Naples. In the latter the division of the nucleus takes place in a different manner. AV^hen the nucleolus, after elongation, presents a median constriction, it does not divide into two parts, but simi)ly elongates in the form of a band twisted upon itself; constrictions then foi-ming at several parts, it becomes a long moniliform ribbon rolled up in several turns. Each division of the chaplet is fusiform and round ; it regularly contains in the middle a very small vacuole, and is united to tlio neighbouring divisions by a thin and sometimes rather long articulation. Sometimes tliis band, which reminds us of tlio nucleus of some of the Infusoria (Sicnior, Sjnrosttimnm), splits into two. Finally the articulations of the chaplet separate, and instead of a nucleolus, there is formed at the centre of the nucleus a group of several dozens of small round balls which collect into a si)hero placed at simic distance from the walls of tlie nucleus. These balls continue to divide until they reach several hundreds in number. During all this time the ovum enlarges and attains its definitive diameter, which surpasses nearly twenty times that of tho entodermic cells from wliicli it originates. 652 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO The perfectly mature ovum before fecundation presents the aspect of a sphere of granular protoplasm with a central and perfectly uniform nucleus showing not the slightest trace of a nucleolus. The hundreds of granules into which the nucleolus has been divided have been dissolved in the protoplasm of the nucleus. Proportion of Water in the Medusae.* — Dr. Ki-ukenberg has already shown that a large specimen of Hldzostoma Cuvieri contained 95* 392 per cent, of water, with 1 • 608 of organic and 3 • 0 of inorganic substances. In order to test the statement of Mobius that Aurelia aurita from the Bay of Kiel had been found on analysis to contain 99*82 per cent, of water— a proportion leaving the solid materials at only Jg- of the amount determined in a Triest specimen — a single specimen of the same species was analyzed, and also two other Aurelice together. The result showed the solid matters to exist in the pro- portion of from 4 '21 to 4' 66 jier cent., the water in that of from 95 '34 to 95*79. Chrysaora hyoscella gives between 95*75 and 96*3 per cent, of water, and from 3*7 to 4*25 of solid bodies. Pro- bably most other Medusae agree with those selected in these points, so that no marine animal exists having the large proportion of 99*8 per cent, of water as a constituent of its tissues. A Fresh-water Hydroid Medusa. — One of the most startling zoological discoveries of recent years was made in June last in the warm-water tank in which the Victoria regia is grown at the gardens of the Eoyal Botanical Society, London. The water (which has a temperature of 85° to 90° F.) was found by Mr. Sowerby to be literally swarming with little Medusfe of a new genus, about ^ inch in transverse diameter. No true fresh-water Medusa has hitherto been known, the one living in the discharging canal of the Cette salt-works t being the most recent case of the discovery of a species not actually inhabiting the sea. The Medusae were examined by Professor Allman, and subsequently by Professor Lankester, and were described by the former under the name of Limyiocodium victoria (Xifivrj, a pond, and kojSwj/, a bell) in a paper read at the meeting of the Linnean Society on Jime 17, and by the latter as Craspedacustes Sowerhii (in allusion to the relation of its otocysts to its velum) at the Eoyal Society on the same day. From Professor Allman's paper J we extract the following : — The Medusae are very energetic in their movements, swimming with the characteristic systole and diastole of their umbrella, and in the warm-water tank were apparently in the very conditions which contributed most completely to their well-being. The umhreUa varies much in form with its state of contraction, passing from a somewhat conical shape with depressed summit through figiu-es more or less hemispherical to that of a shallow cup or even of a nearly flat disk. Its outer surface is covered by an epithelium composed of flattened hexagonal cells with distinct and brilliant nucleus. * ' Zool. Auzcig.,' iii. (1880) p. 306. t See tliis Journal, ii. (1879) p. 582. j 'Nature; xxi.(li-80) p. 178. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 653 The manubrium is large ; it commences with a quadrate base, and when extended projects beyond tlie margin of the umbrella. The mouth is destitute of tentacles, but is divided into four lips, which are everted and plicated. The endoderm of the manubrium is thrown into four strongly-marked longitudinal plicated ridges. The radial canals are four in niunber ; they originate each in an angle of the quadrate base of the manubrium, and open distally into a wide cii'cular canal. Each radial canal is accompanied by longi- tudinal muscular fibres, which spread out on each side at the junction of the radial with the circular canal. The velum is of moderate width, and the extreme margin of the umbrella is thickened and festooned, and loaded with brownish-yellow pigment-cells. The attachment of the tentacles is peculiar. Instead of being free contrnuations of the umbrella margin, they are given off from the outer surface of the umbrella at points a little above the margin. From each of these points, however, a ridge may be traced centri- fugally as far as the thickened umbrella margin ; this is caused by the proximate portion of the tentacle being here adnate to the outer surface of the umbrella. It holds exactly the position of the " Man- telspangen " or peronia, so well developed in the whole of the NarcomedusaB of Haeckel, and occurring also in some genera of his Trachomedusae. Its structure, however, diifers from that of the true peronia, which are merely lines of thread-cells marking the path travelled over by the tentacle, as the insertion of this moved in the course of metamorphosis from the margin of the umbrella to a point at some distance above it, while in Limnocodium the ridges are direct continuations of the tentacles wliose structure they retain. They become uaiTower as they approach the margin. The number of the tentacles is very large in adult specimens. The four tentacles which correspond to the directions of the four radial canals or the perradial tentacles are the longest and thickest. The quadrant which intervenes between every two of these carries, at nearly the same height above the margin, about thirteen shorter and thinner tentacles, while between every two of these three to five much smaller tentacles are given ofi" from points nearer to the margin, and at two or three levels, but without any absolute regularity ; indeed, in the older examples all regularity, except in the primary or perradial tentacles, seems lost, and the law of their sequence ceases to be apparent. No indication of a cavity could bo found in the tentacles ; but they do not present the peculiar cylindrical chorda-like endodcrmal axis formed by a series of large, clear, thick-wallod cells which is so characteristic of the solid tentacles in the Trachomedusrc and Narco- mcdusa). From tlie solid tentacles of these orders they ditfer also in their great extensibility, the four perradial tentacles admitting of extension in the form of long, greatly attenuated filaments to many times the height of tlie vertical axis of the umbrella, even when this height is at its maxiumm ; and being again cajjablo of assuming by contraction the form of short thick clubs. Indeed, instead of pre- r,((nting the Cdiuparatively rigid ami imperfectly contractih; character 654 KECOIID OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO which prevails among the Traehomedusa? and the Narcomcdusae, they possess as great a power of extension and contraction as may be found in the tentacles of many Leptomeduste (Thanmantidas, &c.). These four perradiate tentacles contract independently of the others, and seem to form a different system. All the tentacles are armed along their length with minute thread-cells, which are set in close, somewhat spirally arranged, warts. The lithocysfs or marginal vesicles are, in adult specimens, about 128 in number. They are situated near the umbrellar margin of the velum, between the bases of the tentacles, and are grouped somewhat irregularly, so that their number has no close relation with that of the tentacles. They consist of a highly refringent spherical body, on which may be usually seen one or more small nucleus-like cor- puscles, the whole surrounded by a delicate transparent and structure- less capsule. This capsule is very remarkable, for instead of pre- senting the usual spherical form, it is of an elongated pyriform shape. In its larger end is lodged the spherical refringent body, and it thence becomes attenuated, forming a long tubular tail-like extension which is continued into the velum, in which it rims transversely towards its free margin, and there, after usually becoming more or less convo- luted, terminates in a blind extremity. The marginal nerve-ring can be traced running round the whole margin of the umbrella, and in close relation with the otolitic cells. Ocelli are not present. The generative sacs are borne on the radiating canals, into which they open at a short distance beyond the exit of these from the base of the manubrium. They are of an oval form, and from their point of attachment to the radial canal hang down free into the cavity of the umbrella. Some of the specimens examined contained nearly mature ova, which, under compression, were forced from the sac through the radial canal into the cavity of the stomach. While some of the characters described above point to an affinity with both the Trachomedusfe and Narcomedusfe, this affinity ceases to show itself in the very important morphological element afforded by the marginal bodies. In both Trichomedusfe and Narcomedusse the marginal bodies belong to the tentacular system ; they are meta- morphosed tentacles, and their otolite cells are endoderraal, while in the Lcptomedusfe, the only other order of craspedotal Medusae in which marginal vesicles occur, these bodies are genetically derived from the velum. Now in Limnocodium the marginal vesicles seem to be as truly velar as in the Leptomedusae. They occur on the lower or abumbral side of the velum, close to its insertion into the umbrella, and the tubular extension of their capsule runs along this side to the free margin of the velum, while the delicate epithelium of the abum- bral side passes over them as in the Leptomedusa3. It is true that this point cannot be regarded as settled until an opportunity of tracing the development is afforded ; but in very young specimens which Professor Allman examined he found nothing opposed to the view that the marginal vesicles were derived, like those of the Lcptomedusa", from the velum. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 655 If tliis be the case, Limnocodium will hold a position iutermetliate between the Leptomeclusce and the TrachomedusEe ; but as the greatest systematic importance must be attached to the structure and origin of the marginal vesicles, ils affinity with the Leptomedusa3 must, Professor Allman considers, be regarded as the closer of the two. Professor Lankester * considers that the animal is one of the sub- class Hydromedusas or Medusfe craspedotae, and presents the common characters of the order Trachomedusfe (as distinguished from the Narcomedusas) in having its genital sacs or gonads placed in the course of the radial canals. It agrees with all Tracholina2 (Tracho- medusai and Narcomedusa)) in having endodermal otocysts, and it further exhibits the solid tentacles with cartilaginoid axis, the centri- petal travelling of the tentacles, the tentacle rivets (Mantelspangen), the thickened marginal ring to the disk (Nessel ring) observed in many Tracholinre. Amongst Trachomcdusae, it finds its place in the Petasida), which are characterized as " Trachomedusfe with four radial canals, in the course of which the four gonads lie, with a long tubular stomach and no stomach-stalk." Amongst Petasidaa it is remarkable for the great number of its tentacles, which are all solid ; and for its very numeroiis otocysts. Further, it is remarkable among all Hydromedusfe (velato Medusas, that is, exclusive of Charyhtlcea) for the fact that centrifugal radiating canals pass from the otocysts into the velum, where they end ccecally." The characters of the genus are given, and it is pointed out that the presence of velar otocystic canals constitutes the chief peculiarity of the genus, and may necessitate the formation of a distinct family or sub-order for its reception. The sole character which can be given as specific over and above the generic characters is that of size. The diameter of the disk does not exceed one-third of an inch. It is exceedingly difficult to trace the introduction of the animal into the tank in the Regent's Park, since no plants have been recently (within twelve months) added to the lily-house, and the water is run off every year. Probably a few specimens were last year or the year before i)reseiit in the tank, and have only this year multiplied in sufficient abundance to attract attention. Clearly this Medusa is a tropical species, since it flourishes in water of the high tem])craturo of DO^ Falir. Mr. Sowerby has observed it feeding on JJaphnia, which abounds in the water with it. Professor Lankester sul)sequeutly published t a fuH prelirainaiy memoir of the animal, illustrated by woodcuts and jdatcs, in which ho shows that, contrary to the conclusion of Professor Allman, the ten- tacles of Limnocodium do resemble those of the Tnu-hyliuu IMedusa) in their insertion and in the possession of true (tliough rudiniuiitury) pcronia, also that the statement that the so-called litliocysts or marginal bodies have essentially tlie saniu structure as those of Tracliyline IMcdusai (being modified tentacles with an endodonnal axis) is warranted by their develoinnental history. Consequently ho adheres to the original determination of the affinities of the new * L.K^'. fit., J.. U7. t ' ^) p. 218. C(J8 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO present. The grains contain hemialbumose in considerable quantity. The grains of Ricinus present a complex structure. They consist of a mass of grouud-substauce of proteid nature, enclosing a crystalloid of proteid substance and a globoid which consists of inorganic matter. The groxmd-substance is found to be composed, like the grain of the lupin, of the two globulins and of hemialbumose. The chemical nature of the crystalloid is not so clearly made out. It is slowly soluble in 10 per cent. NaCl solution, and readily soluble in 20 per cent., or in saturated NaCl solution after treatment with alcohol. The crystalloids of several plants were investigated with the view of ascertaining their relative solubility in solutions of this salt. Those of Viola elatior and of Limim usitatisshnum were found to resemble those of Bicinus in this respect ; those of BefthoUetia and of Cacurhita are readily soluble in 10 per cent, and saturated NaGl solutions ; those of Mtisa ensete and HilUi, and those of Sparganium ramosum are either insoluble or only partially soluble in these solutions. The points of more general interest are the action of alcohol in promoting the solution of the crystalloids of Bicinus in 20 per cent, and in saturated solutions of NaCl, and the fact that long-continued exposure to alcohol does not render the vegetable globulins insoluble in these solutions. The author finally expresses his opinion that the caseins which Eitthausen has extracted from various seeds consist to a considerable extent of precij)itated hemialbumose. " Cistoma." * — Under this term Gasparrini formerly described a membranous sac which he claimed to have observed beneath the semihmar guard-cells of the stoma, continuous with the cuticle of the epidermis and of the guard-cells. Other botanists not having confii-med this observation, A. Mori has endeavoured to set the ques- tion at rest by a very careful examination, chiefly made on the stomata of Cereus peruiianus, Ficus elastica. Yucca aloeifolia, Aloe vulgaris, Euphorbia officinarum, Anthurium Scherzerianum, Agave ame- ricana, and other plants. His observations tend to the conclusion that the description of the " cistoma " is founded on a mistake. He finds the cells at the bottom of the stomatic cavity destitute of any cuticular lining, the walls of these cells consisting entirely of cellulose, and being in immediate contact with the air which pene- trates the stomatic cavity. The cuticle which is continuous with the superficies of the epidermis invests the stomatic cavity only. Apical Growth with several Apical Cells.! — Various authors have ascribed a number of apical cells to the roots of Marattiaceae and Ophioglossacese, the apices of the stems of Selaginella, and the branches of Fucaccfe. According to the accurate definition of the apical cell given by Schwendener, only a single or several equivalent cells can be so regarded which are grouped immediately around the centre of the apical point, and which maintain this position dm-ing the apical growth. But some of the daughter-cells which result from the * ' Nuov. Giorn. Bot. Ital.,' xii. (1880) p. 148. t ' SB. Ges. iiaturf. Frciinrl. Berlin,' 1879. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 669 division of apical cells lose this position, and are not correctly regarded as apical cells, even if still situated near the centre. The number of ajiical cells may indeed be more than one, but as can be proved on mechauico-gcomctrical grounds, not so large as Kussow claims for the roots of Marattiacea). This writer states that he has, on a longitudinal section, observed as many as from seven to ten apical cells ; Schweudener never foimd more than two in Marattia, lying right and left of the median line. The complementtxry trans- verse section shows altogether four apical cells. Eussow appears not to have observed the true apex of the root, but a section of the root- cap. The four apical cells do not touch at one point, but two of them form an edge. Foliage shoots of Juniperus communis, seedlings of Pinus inops, P. Laricio, P. sijliestris, and Abies alba, also show four apical cells, two opposite ones forming again an edge. B. CRYPTOGAMIA. Cryptogamia Vascularia. Structure of the Fructification of Pilularia.* — According to recent researches of Jm-anyi, the fructification of Pilularia globulifera is a leaf-segment of peculiar form. At the time of its formation, in addition to the simple sterile foliage-leaves, other bifid leaves are formed, the anterior segment of each of which becomes a sporangium, the posterior segment developing in the ordinary manner of foliage- leaves, appearing at an earlier stage as a lateral lobe of the fertile segment. The chief ground for this opinion is that the tissue of the pedicel of the fructification always passes over at once into that of the leaf situated behind it. The first ai>ix;arancc of the entire yovmg fructification is that of small cylindrical masses of tissue, which subsequently assume au obtuse fusiform shape, the thin-wallcd cells being filled with strongly refractive protoplasm. In the centre of this tissue the procumbial bundle can soon be detected, out of which the vascular buudle oi the fructification is developed. At first tliis mass of tissue grows in leugth nearly uniformly ; but subsequently the lower side grows more rajjidly, in conseciuencc of which tlie apex of the structure is elevated, and appears concave on the side wliich faces the sterile leaf. With this curvature it assumes a club-like form, and forms the pedicel of the now developing sporocai'p. On this are formed subse- quently four sickle-shajjcd leaf-segments, from which the principal part of the fructification is developed, and which form its valves. They arc placed in opposite pairs, in such a way that their concave side faces the centre, the convex side lying on the outside. At an early period the apices of the separate leaf-segments can be distinguished, and soon afterwards the cavities (lacuna) sorales) in which the sporangia are formed. The margins of the two growing loaves finally coalesce, while their free apices still continue their growth. After the coalescence of tbe segments the young fructification is pear-shaped. ♦ 'SIJ. UiiRar. Aka.i. d. W'iau.,' 18711, No. :>. i>. Ill (Hiiiigiiriun). Set- ' |{..(. CVutiall)!.,' i. (18S0) p. 207. 670 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO The line of coalescence of tlie inner margins of the leaf-segments coincides with the central axis of the mature fruit. The four crossed rows of cells which are visible on transverse section, and the signifi- cation of which has hitherto been obscui-e, are, according to this view, simply indications of the coalescence of the adjacent leaves. By the thickening of the walls of the superficial cells of the fructification, which finally becomes nearly globular, the soral cavities having closed up, the lines of contact of the leaf-segments become at length completely obliterated. Muscinese. British Moss-Flora. — Dr. E. Braithwaite, of well-known bryo- logical reputation, has commenced the publication of monographs of the families of British mosses, each complete in itself and illustrated by plates of all the species, with microscopical details of their structure. Part I. includes the Andreaeacese, and Part II. the Buxbaumiacese and Georgiacese, each with two plates, drawn by the author. The cell-structure of the leaves, so important in the distinction of genera and species, receives due attention both in the figures and descriptions. The records of localities for all but the common species are intended to be numerous, and the bibliography ampler than any that has hitherto appeared in a British work. The arrangement of the families and genera is principally in accordance with that suggested by Professor Lindberg,* the most natural that has yet appeared. In this the Cleistocarpous mosses are regarded as imperfectly developed forms of various Stegocarpous families, with which they agree in everything but a separable operculum, and the genera are framed on a broader and more rational basis, just as our best botanists now deal with Phasnogamous plants. Professor Lindberg's terms for the position of the reproductive organs are also adopted. Bryologists well know how much a work of this kind is re- quired, Wilson's ' Bryologia Britannica' being unobtainable except at a largely enhanced price, and being now altogether insufficient as a guide to our recently much-extended Moss-Flora. Characese. British Characeae'.f — Messrs. H. and J. Groves have compiled a much-needed monograph of the British species of Characese, accom- panied by four good plates. The total number of species (besides two doubtful ones) is nineteen, all previously described. The order is first divided, as is usually done, into the two sections Chareaj and Nitelleae (called by Groves Charse and Nitellse — objectionable terms, as being simply the plurals of the generic name), each including two genera, Chara and Lychnothamnus, Tolypella and Nitella. Of Chara nine British species are described, divided into three series, * ' Utcast till en naturlig Gruppering af Eiuropas Bladmossor med toppsittande Frukt,' 1878. t ' Trimcu's Journ. Bot.,' ix. (1880) p. 97. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 671 Triplostich^, Diplostichfc, and Haplostichae, characterized by the stem having respectively three times, twice, and the same number of cortical cells as branchlets in the whorls. Lychnothammia includes only one, Tohjpella numbers three, and Nitella six British species. Fungi. Formation of Fat in Fungi.* — The fat formed in vegetable cells is known to be of the nature of a secretion, and not a product of fer- mentation ; it is found in quantity varying with the activity of the growth and of the oxygen-respiration (? assimilation) of the plant. It may probably originate from the splittiug-up of proteids in the cells of Penicillium and other fungi. The relation of the formation of fat to the nutrition of the i^Iant remains still altogether obscure. A recent scries of experiments by Nageli and Loew on Penicillium has been directed chiefly to investigate the degree in which various nutrient substances affect the formation of fat. These they arrange in this respect in the following series, advancing from those less to those more favourable : — (1) ammonium acetate ; (2) ammonium tar- trate and succinate, and asparagine ; (3) leucine ; (4) peptone ; (5) ammonium tartrate plus sugar ; (6) leucine plus sugar ; (7) peptone plus sugar. Secretion from a Fungus-j — M. Eug. Fournier has observed on a species of Polyporus ("i^robably P. cuticularis) growing on a plum-stem in his garden at Auteuil, an acid viscid secretion, which begins to be exuded daily as soon as the pileus is exposed to the full rays of the sun, about 9 a.m., and continues through the day until and beyond sunset. In 100 parts of the fluid were found to be contained, on chemical analysis, 0-545 parts of organic matter, and 0 '065 parts mineral matter, in all 1-21 parts of residue. Of albuminoid sub- stances coagulated by heat there were 0 • 03 parts, and of glucose 0 • 32 parts. The residue on calcination was strongly alkaline, and eflervesccd with acids. It consisted of lime and potassa in combination with sulpliuric, hydrochloric, and phosijhoric acids. Anthracnose of the Vine.| — This disease, known in France as " briileur noir " and in Germany as " Brenner," and widely spread through the south of Europe from Portugal to Greece, has been made a subject of careful study by 11. Prillicux. He identifies it with tlie various organisms described under the names of Spltacchmia ampdinum by Do Bary, Itamularia ampclopliaga by Passerini, Phoma uvirula by Arcangeli, and Gloiosporinm ampeluphnr/um by Saccardo, this lust pro- duciii'^ tljc disease known in Italy as " vajuolo." The disease is indicated by very detinito characters : spots of a dark brown colour, somewhat depressed in the centre. Tluse sjxtts api)ear in great numbers on the young branches, tendrils, leaves, and berries; they pouctrato and completely destroy the tissue in tho places where thoy are developed ; they increase at their circumference, * 'Jnnrti. prnkt. Clam.,' xx. p. 97. See 'Journ. Chcni. Soc.,' Ab.slr. xxxviii. (IHSO) p. H'M. t • Bull. Soc. Bot. France/ xxvi. (187:») p. 324 t Ibid., p. TOS. 672 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO and frequently coalesce with one another. Ultimately the ends of the branches present the ajipearance of having been burnt ; the berries shrivel up or drop. The spores are produced in great abundance, and are colourless, transparent, and oblong in shape. They germinate very freely in water. Prillieux adopts for this fungus Saccardo's name Gloeosporium ampelophagnm. He is inclined to think that it is not identical with the fungus which produces the well-known " black rot " of the American vines, Phoma uvicola, and that it is probably not due to American importation. In commenting on the above observation,* M. Cornu disputes Prillieux's statement that the disease has been known both in Germany and France for a long period, even a century. He is disposed to identify it with the American " black rot," and to consider that it has been introduced into Europe with American stocks. M. Prillieux, in a subsequent communication,! gives further reasons for doubting the identity of the anthracnose with the American " black rot." Urocystis Cepulse.J — M. Cornu has made some further observa- tions on the fungus which causes the disease so destructive to the onion crop in America, in addition to those already recorded.§ In reference to Dr. M. C. Cooke's identification of the sj^ecies with U. Colchici, he points out that a number of instances are known in which the same host-species is attacked by two or more species of fungus all belonging to the Ustilagineae. M. Cornu finds that the parasite cannot attack the tissue of the host when the plant has attained to any considerable size ; but that it would be in danger of spreading with alarming rapidity by attacking very young seedlings if the crop were grown year after year on the same soil. This he believes to be the reason why it has been so destructive in America, and has not yet attained any great dimensions in Europe. The safety of the croj) depends on the transplantation of the seedlings, and the destruc- tion of all that appear weakly or sickly. Sterigmatocystis and Nematogonum.H — M. G. Bainier gives a detailed account of the structure of these two genera of fungi. Of Sterigmatocystis he describes seven comparatively large species, in which the sterigmata are very much shorter than the basidia, including one new one, S. carbonaria ; and five minute species in which the sterigmata are equal to or larger than the basidia. All these were found on various di'ugs. The description of Nematogonum aurantiacum is taken from specimens found on the clippings of a shoemaker's shop. Mycotheca Marchica. — Under this title, Zo^jf and Sydow are publishing a myco-flora of the province Brandenburg in Prussia, the * ' Bull. Soc. Bot. France,' xxvi. (1879) p. 319. t Ibid., xxvii. (1880) p. 34. J Ibid., p. 39. § See this Journul, ii. (1879) p. 921, and ante, p. 307. II 'Bull. Soc. Bot. France,' xxvii. (1880) p. 27. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 673 first century of wliicli is already issued. Six new species are de- scribed, viz. Cyphella pezizoides, Puccinia Sydoiviana, Sclerotinia Batschiana, CJuctomium botrychodes, Entyloma bicolor, and Thielav'ia hasicola. In addition to a complete enumeration of the myco-flora, the work will contain also a treatise on the classification of fungi. Ceriomyces terrestris.* — The fungus previously described under this name by Schulzer of Miiggenburg, and referred by him to Corda's genus Ceriomyces, is stated by the same authority to have been erro- neously so referred, and to belong in reality to the genus Dcedalia. He has now found it in three distinct forms, differing greatly in appearance and habit, but always retaining a uniformity in the size and form of the sjiores, nearly spherical, and from 3 to 7 mm. in diameter. From this peculiarity he proposes for it the amended name Dcedalia lyolymorplia. He considers it to be a transitional form between the Clavariacei and the Pileati. Vine-pock.t — Under the name of " Pocken-kraukheit " is known a disease of the vine caused by the parasitic fungus Gloeosporimn ampelophagum, which has appeared since 1876 in Italy and the southern provinces of Austria, and which often destroys a fourth or even a half of the crop. The fungus forms brown spots, with a grey or reddish bloom in the centre, which are at first nearly circular, but subsequently often coalesce. They consist of several layers of pale brown polyhedral cells, which are colourless above, and are there narrowed into short sterigmata or conidiophores. The conidia (spores) are short, elliptical or ovate, colourless, 5-6 mm. long, and 2 '5-3 "5 mm. broad. The development and rapid spreading of the fungus depends on the conditions of moisture. It is recommended to remove and burn the infected parts. Prehistoric Polyporus.| — Von Thiimen describes a piece of a Polyporua collected, among other prehistoric objects, in the pile- dwelling station in the neighbourhood of Laibach. The state of the jireservation was sufficient for the structure to be made out without difficulty, and for the fungus to be identified with the existing Poly- porus fomentarius. It may have grown on a tree in the station itself, or have been brought in from outside by the inhabitants to be used for the purpose of tinder. Relationship of Ozonium to Coprinus.§ — 0. Penzig has care- fully investigated tlie hintory of the structure known as Ozonium Lk. ; and has come to the conclusion that under the name of Ozouiinn auricomnm have been united a lunubor of bodies all of which consist of sterile mycelia of various stages of Coprinus, wliich greatly resemble one another, but which exhibit minuto differences in their size, tlio diameter of the hyphao, tlie transverse septation, &c. From among them ho proposes to establish a new species, Coprinus intermcdius. * 'Ocator. hot. Z.itHchr.,' xxx. (ISSn) p. 144. + 'Dio rockon Falniso,' \K\vt, p. 11. X ' HncMllftric'ii.' p. T^. § "Biit. /,. Kiimt. (kr Clilninphylla-FiirbstunV," 'But. Zcit.,' July, IMiT. 682 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO liave nevertheless been confirmed by the spectroscopic observations of M. Nebelung in his study of the colouring matters of some fresh- water Alga3.* It was reserved for MM. Kraus and Millardet j to make known the true nature of the pigment of the Diatomaceae. They succeeded, by means of benzine, in separating from the alcoholic solution of diatomiue two colouring principles ; one giving a fine golden yellow solution and possessing all the properties of phycoxanthine, discovered by the same authors in the Algfe of another group ; the other giving a green solution having properties identical with tliose of chloro- phyll Kraus and Millardet drew this conclusion from their obser- vations, that diatomine is formed of a mixture of cldorophjjll and -pliycoxan thine. When an alcoholic solution of diatomine is filtered, a fact very simple in itself gives a proof of the presence of two colouring principles. If the filtering paper used is allowed to dry, we see a broad coloured border formed round the margin ; the outer part being tinted yellow while the inner is green. To conclude the historical part I will cite the direct spectrum analysis made in 1869 by Professor H. L. Smith of New York,J by means of the microspectroscope. The spectrum obtained with the small portion of endochrome from a single diatom, a Navicida, showed the absorption-band in the red and complete absorption of the second part of the spectrum, without intermediate bands. This spectrum would seem to correspond with that of phycoxanthine. (Fig. 54, No. 2.) (3) Diatomine. — Let us now see what are the physical properties of diatomine and of each of the elements of which it is composed. A concentrated solution of diatomine, prepared according to the process indicated above, has a green colour verging on brown if examined by transmitted light. This colour may be more or less deep. We shall see further on to what cause must be attributed this variation in the tint. By reflection the same solution has a carmine red fluorescence nearly resembling that of chlorophyll. Concentrated sulphuric and hydrochloric acids give to the solution of diatomine a tint of an intense bluish-green, and different from that which the solution of chlorophyll takes with the same reagents. Ammonia gives no apparent reactions. Lime-water, and especially baryta-water, render the solution of diatomine turbid, without produc- ing any precipitate similar to that obtained with the solution of chlorophyll.§ If a concentrated solution of diatomine is examined by the spectro- * " Spectrosk. Untersuch. des Farbstof. einig. Siisswasser-Algen," ' Bot. Zeit.,' June 21, 1878, pp. 394-395. t " Etudes sur la matiere colorante des phycochromacees et des diatomees." (Extract from ' Me'm. Soc. Nat. Sci. Strasbourg,' vi. 1868.) X ' Sillimaii's Journal,' vol. xxxviii. (1869) p. 83. § Sec for furtlier details Ad. Weiss, 'Zum Bau uud dcr Niitur der Dia- tomaceeu,' p. 115. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 683 684 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO scope, it will be seen that its spectrum closely approaches that of chlorophyll (Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5). Through a layer of two centimetres' thickness a wide black band can be seen (I,, Nos. 3-5), with well-defined edges, in the red from 107 to 112 between the B. and C Fraunhofer lines, and three small bands less marked and softened off at the edges, one (II.) in the orange between C and D, from 97 to 102, another appearing very faint 'y (III.) near the yellow from 89 to 91, and finally one in the green (IV.) on the left of E, from 78 to 81. The second part of the spectrum is completely absorbed as far as F, that is, to the limit of the blue and green. The .sensible difference between the spectrum of diatomine and that of chlorophyll relates to band I. ; with diatomine the red band is withdrawn as far as 113, whilst with chlorophyll this band stops at 111-5. A very thick layer of the solution allows nothing to pass but the rays of the extreme red, and a few of the yellow ones near to D. The spectrum which I have just described is that which is most frequently met with ; but it may happen that the bands III. and IV. are not seen in the spectrum, although bands I. and II. are clearly marked. These differences result, as will be seen, in a variation in the composition of diatomine. (4) Separation of the two Colouring Principles. — To separate the two colouring principles which comi^ose diatomine, Kraus and Mil- lardet employ the following process * : — Some diatoms are macerated in alcohol, as has been mentioned above. " After some days, when the alcohol is well saturated, the solution is filtered, and into it is poured from two to three times its bulk of pure benzine. It is necessary to use 36 per cent, alcohol, as in this case the two liquids do not mix, as would happen if absolute alcohol were used. The whole is put into a flask, and strongly shaken for a minute or two, and then allowed to settle. The yellow colouring principle, being more soluble in the alcohol than the green, remains dissolved in it, whilst the benzine takes up the green. After decanting, the alcoholic solution is treated with a fresh quantity of benzine, again shaken, allowed to settle, and decanted ; this operation is repeated until the benzine ceases to be coloured green." To isolate the two colouring principles it is suffi- cient to evaporate the solutions. The process of Kraus and Millardet has the inconvenience of requiring a great deal of time, for which reason I prefer to employ the following process, which leads more rapidly to the same result. I take a solution of diatomine, prepared with 90 per cent, alcohol, and I dilute it with an equal volume of distilled water to diminish the strength of the alcohol ; the solution does not become turbid. To this mixture I add chloroform in quantity equal to one-third of the total volume. After shaking it for a minute or two I leave it to settle. In a few hours the separation is complete; the chloroform takes up the green colouring principle, and sinks to the bottom of the flask, whilst the yellow, which is more soluble in weak alcohol, remains in the superficial part. After decanting, I again wash with * Loc. cit., p. 2(5. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 685 chloroform in tlie same way as before. Usually this second washing suffices to remove all that remains of the green colouring princii)lc. If the supernatant portion is turbid its transparency will be restored by pouring into it a small quantity of 90 per cent, alcohol. We then have the two colouring principles separately, and it suffices to evaporate the solutions to obtain the principles in a solid state. Green Colouring Matter — Chlorophyll. — The solution of the green colouring matter possesses a fluorescence of a wine-red colour ; by transmitted light it has an emerald green tint, but this tint may bo more or less deep. The properties of this colouring matter show a very great analogy with those of chlorophyll. Its spectrum (Fig. 54, No. 3) is altogether similar to that of chlorophyll (No. 1) ; the band III. above is less marked. We may therefore conclude with Kraus and Millardet {loc. cit.) that the green colouring matter extracted from diatomine, either by benzine or by chloroform, is no other than the chlorophyll of the higher plants. A proof of this opinion may be found by collecting the gas which escapes during the respiration of diatoms exposed to the light. It is easy to prove that this gas is oxygen, which evidently arises from the decomposition of the carbonic acid by the chlorophyll under the action of light. Yellow Colouring Matter Phi/coxanthine. — The alcoholic solution of yellow colouring matter has a brick-red fluorescence, less intense than that of diatomine. By transmitted light it shows a fine golden yellow tint, which disappears after a short time even in di ft used light. If this solution is diluted with twice its bulk of distilled water it neither precipitates nor becomes turbid. Concentrated sulphuric and hydrochloric acids communicate to this solution a greenish-blue tint, exactly similar to that of certain Oscillatorieaj. If we examine by the sjiectroscope a solution of yellow colouring principle, concentrated and completely freed from chlorophyll, wo find (Fig. 54, No. 2) a very black band in the red from 108 to 113, and the second part of the spectrum is absorbed as far as the middle of the green at 65, decreasing as far as 70. The band I. is displaced towards the extremity of the red, and docs not agree with that of chlorophyll. All the physical and optical properties just cited show that there exists a great analogy between the phycoxanthine of Kraus and Millardet and the yellow colouring matter of diatomine ; there- fore I do not hesitate to consider them identical, as do these two authors.* Kraus a)ul Millardet have proved the scarcely perceptible presence of band II. in the spectrum ot i)hycoxiinthiiio ; the cau.sc of tliis result must be attributed to the process ciui)loyed by these two observei"S, the benzine not succeeding in eliminating the last truces of chh)ro- phyll. M. Nebelung,t in using the same process to scjiarato the two colouring princijiles, was also able to sco with groat difficulty band II. * Loc. (it., \). 'S2. t l'"*"- •"'• . p •'"••'^- 686 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO I have never succeeded in seeing this second band, even with a very thick layer of solution diluted with chloroform. (5) Relation hetxceen the two Colouring Principles. — We will now consider to what cause is due the more or less deep tint of the different species of Diatomacete. Chance having aided me in my researches, I have succeeded in gathering pure species, and comparing inter se the results obtained. I found first, in March 1878, very pure Diatoma elongatum in the ditches of the forest of Bondy; secondly, in May, Nitzschia tenuis and linearis, with some N. sigmoidea in the watercress-beds of Mitry; thirdly, in September, my friend Dr. Leuduger Fortmorel brought me from Saint-Brieuc a large collection of very pure Melosira nummuloides ; and fom-thly, I was able to collect in June 1879 a large and very pure quantity of Navicula (^Schizonema) ramosissima on the rocks of Dieppe, where, at low water, the fronds can be removed one by one. It is the spectra obtained with the solutions of diatomine resulting from these various gatherings that are represented in Fig. 54, Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7. When the colouring principles are separated by means of chloro- form it is seen that the chloroform assumes a dark green colour with the solutions furnished by Melosira and Navicula, whilst it only acquires a pale green tint with the solutions from Nitzschia and Diatoma elongatum. The spectra of the solutions furnished by Melosira and Navicula show the four bands of chlorophyll, whilst the solutions from the two other species only show bands I. and II. The first two species, therefore, contain more chlorophyll than the two others, and as they have a browner tint it must also be concluded that this dark tint is caused by the abundance of the chlorophyll. This observation clearly shows that the plasma of Diatomaceaa has not an equal capacity for chlorophyll, whilst their capacity is nearly the same for phycoxanthine. Thus the relations between the two colouring principles may vary enormously from one species to another. This fact also confirms the opinion of M. Borscow,* that the variation of colour in the different species is due to the excess of one of the two pigments over the other. Certain diatoms often take a pale green tint without any evident cause [Navicula viridis, Fragilaria virescens). I incline to the oijiuion of M. Borscow, who attributes this colour to the almost entire disappearance of phycoxanthine under the action of a cause still unknown. The colour of the Diatomaceas varies sometimes in a sensible manner, and especially it becomes darker towards the time of the act of division, afterwards resuming its normal tint. It would seem, therefore, that the proportion of chlorophyll increases in the plasma at the epoch at which it attains its maximum of vital force. The plasma assumes a still deeper tint shortly before the formation of the auxospores, but resumes its natural tint as soon as the silicification of the cell is about to begin, as I have succeeded in * ' Die susswas. Diatomaceen dea Siid-Westlichens Russlands,' p. 67, note 15. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, IIICROSCOPY, ETC. 687 proving in the specimens gathered in the pond of Saint-Cucufa in February 1877. Besides these transient changes, the plasma usually preserves a colour of its own. Thus, Navicula in general, Melosira, Pleurosigma halticum, Bhabdonema, &c., present a very dark brown colour, whilst Gocconeis, Nitzschia, Siatoma elonijaium, AmpMprora alata, &c., only show endochrorae of a very pale yellowish-brown. If we examine the spectra furnished by the different solutions of diatomine we shall see that the bands I. to IV. of chlorophyll appear when the latter exists in larger quantity than the phycoxanthine. On the other hand, the bands I. and II. only are seen, and not bands III. and IV., when the chlorophyll exists only in small quantity. In the latter case it is the spectrum of phycoxanthine which domi- nates, because the absorption of the second part of the spectrum extends to 63 and decreases to 68. (6) Conclusions. — It will be readily understood from the preceding that certain Diatoraacea3, particularly the darkest, Melosira, Navicula, &c., may become green by desiccation. In this case the jjhycoxan- thine, which is very unstable . in the light, disappears first, whilst the chlorophyll persists much longer. The green tint which the Diatomaceae take under the action of acids is communicated to them by phycoxanthine, which turns green when in contact with acids. The action of alcohol, and consequently that of glycerine, may be explained by the often observed fact that phycoxanthine, being more soluble in alcohol than chlorophyll, is separated from the latter, which remains longer inside the frustules without dissolving. Per- haps also the alcohol effects a simple molecular change in diatomine, and separates, by isolating them, the yellow and green colom-ing principles, which were intimately mingled. To sum up : the endochrome of the Diatomaceae contains a colour- ing substance, diatomine, which has much analogy with the chlorophyll of tlic higher plants. This colouring principle splits up into phy- coxanthine and chlorophyll ; but the proportions of these two colouring substances varies in different species. The Diatomaceae which are the darkest in colour are those which contain the most chlorophyll. Finally, the spectrum of diatomine shows a great analogy to that of normal chloroi>hyll." Belgian Diatomaceae. — Dr. H. van Ileurck, of the Botanic Garden of Antwerp, has published, with the aid of Hcrr A. Grunow, the 1st part of a Synopsis of the Diatomaceae of Belgium, which will consist of 6 parts, with heliographic plates. (Parts 1 and 2, Ilaphidea3 ; Parts 3 and 4, Pseudo-Rai)hiderc ; Parts 5 and 6, Crypto- Raphidcae.) Tlio author points out the favourable situation of Belgium as regards these Algae : the North Sea coast furnishing nearly all the marine species described by English observers ; the Ardennes, a f ooil number of the European Alpine species, and tlio central parts of Belgium, the fresh-water species forming the foundation ," 1880, ]\ I'M. + ' Ain. M Mii-r. J,.nrn.,' i. (1880) p. 81. 694 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO double-staining vegetable tissues, the conclusion he has arrived at is, that no rules can be given which will ensure success in every case. The process is familiar to every working microscopist, but the limited number who have fairly succeeded in differentiating the tissues is somewhat surprising. In his own experience he has met with some sections which obstinately refused to act as they should under the operation of the two colours, but even these, with patient manipula- tion, can be induced to show some results, even though they may not exhibit that sharpness and purity which it is the aim and object of the mounter to obtain. A writer in ' Science-Gossip * has come nearer to the true laws governing the process than any one who has written on the subject ; he has at least indicated the direction in which the practical worker must look to attain success. The theory of the present author is slightly different, and consequently his process varies somewhat, but in the main it is the same. The capacity for staining tissue resides more in the colours than in the tissue itself. A stain may be per- manent, unless it is driven out. It may be driven out by some solvent, by some bleaching process, or lastly by some other colour. Some tissues hold the stain more tenaciously than others, probably on account of their varying density. Thus the spiral and bass-cells will retain a colour longer under the influence of a solvent than the softer and more open parenchymal cells. He endeavours to take advantage of this property by giving the whole tissue all of one colour that it can be induced to take, and then driving it out of the parenchymal tissue by a stronger colour, stopping the process at the moment when the second colour has completely replaced the first colour in the soft tissues, and before it has begun to act upon the more dense cells. If a section be stained with roseine and then be left long enough in a solu- tion of Nicholson's blue, the whole section will be blue, with no visible trace of red. If it be taken out before the blue has permeated the entire tissue, the red will show, in some parts, quite clear and well- defined among the surrounding blue tissues. Following out this prin- ciple, that exact point must be determined when the blue has gone far enough. In practice the theory is carried out as follows : A two-grain neutral solution of eosin is used, and in this the prepared sections are preserved until the operator is ready to use them. They keep per- fectly well in this solution, and are always ready to undergo the final process, which requires but a very short time before they can be placed, fully fiinished, under the covering glass. After taking them from the eosin solution, they should be passed through 95 per cent, alcohol, merely to wash off the superfluous colour, and then placed in a half- grain solution of Nicholson's blue made neutral. The time required in the blue solution varies with different tissues, and in the nice adjust- ment of this time lies the whole success of the operation. Three or four sections of each kind are generally spoilt in determining the exact time required. A section is taken from the eosin, holding it lightly in a pair of forceps, rinsed off rapidly in alcohol, and then immersed in the blue, still in the forceps, while ten can be counted with moderate INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 695 haste. Then quickly place it iu clean alcohol, and brush lightly with a camel's-hair brush. This immersion in clean alcohol seems to check the operation of the blue instantly. It should then be examined under a 1-inch objective to determine whether the exact point where the blue and the red remain distinct has been reached. If the blue has not occupied all the softer cells, another section should be taken and put through the same process, counting twelve, and so on, until the proper point is reached ; or, on the other hand, decreasing the count if the blue has infringed upon the red in the more dense tissue. Having thus determined the count for the sections of that particular material, the remainder of the sections are passed through tlie blue into the alcohol, merely counting off the immersion of each section. Then place the sections for a few moments in absolute alcohol, which seems to fix the colours, then through oil of cloves into benzole, and moiint in dammar and benzole. It is sometimes advisable, with delicate tissues, to merely rinse off the blue in 95 per cent, alcohol, and fix the colours at once in absolute alcohol, but every operator will learn the minor details for himself in the manipulation. Of course, with the " rule of thumb " method of counting off the time slight variations will occur which will mar the beauty of the finished product ; besides which minute differences in the thickness of the section will affect the result, and even a distance of a quarter of an inch iu the same stem will make a difference in the density of the tissue, which will be obvious in the sharpness of the colours under the objective, so that the operator should not be disappointed if out of a dozen slides only four should be worth preserving. The others can go into the borax-pot to be cleaned for another operation. The beauty of those which do pass inspection will amply repay for the labour on the spoiled ones. Tlie writer says that he has perhaps been needlessly minute in the description of the process he has employed, but he has been so often hampered by the lack of minuteness in descriptions of processes by others, vvliich he has been endeavouring to carry out, that he deems it better to err upon the safe side, even at the risk of being considered dry or prosy. A no*e is added as to the uso of cosin. He was attracted to it by its exquisite purity of colour under transmitted light, and its perfect transparency. Sections preserved iu its solution were found always to retain their transpai'eney, and did ncjt become clogged or tliiek with colour, so that when taken out after months of innnersion the most dense cells were no deej)er in colour than the solution itself. So far as regards its hold upon the tissues, it is as strong as roseine, or any of the heavier colours. He cannot testify as to its permanence, but has some slides that were prepared over a year ago, and appear to bo as bright and pure as when they were mounted. Contrary to tho experience of some otliers, he has not found that tlie benz«do has any bleacliing effect, and it has b^en used with dammar in preference to the usual balsam. Slides prepared with dammur, however, should have a thick ring of vaiiiish run around them, as the danim.ir is brittle, and sliould not 1)(; trusted ub^nt,' to Jk^M tiic covering glass. 696 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO Wicker sheimer's Preservative Fluid and Vegetable Objects.* — Dr. K. Prantl describes the results of his cxperiraeuts with this fluid,f which, though so valuable for animal substances, he judged beforehand would not be applicable to parts of plants. The density of the fluid removes the turgidity of the cells without harden- ing the protoplasm quickly ; hence the delicate parts of the plant lose their firmness, and consequently their relative jiosition, even in the fluid. The flowers of Tropoiolum, for examjile, collapsed after being a few hours in the fluid, and became unrecognizable. The lamellae in the pileus of different Agnrici were greatly distorted, not only after being taken out of the fluid, but whilst still in it. Those parts of a plant which possess sufiicient consistency alone preserve their shape, as Ferns rich in sclerenchyma {Blechnum australe), and the leaves of Conifer^e, objects which can be preserved as well dry. If pine branches, however, arc laid in the fluid, the falling off of the acicular leaves in drying is prevented, but this can be done just as well by concentrated glycerine. Further, the fluid kills the protoplasm, hence the colouring matter held in solution by the cell-sap comes out in a short time. Chlorophyll has hitherto been retained, but changed into a brownish tint. Hardening Canada Balsam in Microscopic Preparations by Hot Steam.l — The inconvenience arising from the slowness with whicli Canada balsam hardens, especially in summer, has been felt by all engaged in making permanent preparations. M. Passauer describes a small and simple apparatus which he made for the purpose of over- coming this objection. It consists of a round vessel of tin, about 18 cm. in diameter and 6 cm. deep, with a tin cover 19^ cm. square (for convenience in placing the slides), to the under surface of which a circular rim about 1^ cm. decji is sohlered and made to fit easily into the vessel. On the upper side the cover is also furnished with a rim about 5 mm. deep. In one corner of the lid, but inside the lower circular rim, a tube 6 cm. in diameter and 10 cm. long is soldered and passes through the lid. In using it the vessel is half filled with boiling water, covered with the lid, and the prej^aration to be hardened laid on the latter, and the temperature of the water kept at boiling-point by a lamp placed under the vessel. Special care must be taken that the steam does not become too hot, otherwise bubbles would be produced in the balsam and the prejjuration be spoilt, hence the small chimney is provided, through which part of the steam can escape. By this means the balsam can be hardened in 1 to 1^ hours. Ringing and Finishing Slides.§— The following article by Dr. C. Seller gives some useful hints : — " A gi'cat deal may be said in favour of and against the careful finishing of microscopical slides, but nobody will deny that a nicely-ringed preparation looks better in a cabinet, * ' Bot. Centralbl.,' i. (1880) p. 26. t Ante, p, 325. t ' Zeit.sclir. f. Mikr.,' ii. (1880) p. 194. § ' Am. Jouin. Micr.,' v. (1880) p. 94. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. G97 and is better taken care of by its owner and his friends, than one which is not thus embellished, and which shows a greater or less amount of balsam irregularly distributed around the edge of the cover, I will, therefore, jot down a few remarks on the ringing and finishing of slides. After tlie object has been mounted in balsam and the cover apjilied, it will be found that there is always a greater or a less surplus of balsam which comes out from under the cover. This should be allowed to dry, and when thoroughly hard it can be scraped off with a knife. If a round cover has been used, the slide is then centered on a turntable, and the cover cleaned with benzoic, which is best done by dipping a soft linen rag in the benzole and applyiug the wet place with the forefinger to the centre of the cover- glass ; the turntable being revolved, the finger is quickly drawn toward the edge of the cover and the rag removed. One or two such wipings of the cover will be found sufficient to remove all traces of balsam or extraneous dirt. The slide itself may then be wiped also with benzole, and it is then ready for the application of a ring. The best ringing medium for balsam mounts is dammar dis- solved in chloroform, because if it is inclined to run under the cover it will readily mix with the mounting material without leaving a visible trace behind. I find it best to apply the brush to the edge of the cover almost dry, the slide on the turntable sj)iuuing rapidly around, so as to make a track in which the dammar solution will readily flow. The second application is to be made immediately following the first, with the brush full, so that there will be a small drop of solution on the end, which is allowed to touch the edge of the cover without letting the brush itself come in contact with the glass. This is repeated until the ring is bnilt up to the proper size. It should be borne in mind, however, that in drying, the ring of dammar will shrink considerably, and thus it is necessary to make another application after a few hours' drying. Dammar or balsam dissolved in benzole or benzine is objection- able, because the solution will evaporate too quickly to allow of a proper building up of the ring, and if such is attempted the re^^ult will be a ring full of minute air-bubbles. White zinc cement, Brunswick black, asphaltum varuisli, and other coloured cements may be employed to cover the first ring of dammar ; but they should never be used alone, as they are sure to run in sooner or later, no matter how hard tlie balsam may be. I think that the glass-like ring obtained with dannuar gives a better appearance to the slide and is more durable than any of the rings made with coloured cements. When glycerine mountings, or objects mounted in a watery medium are to bo ringed, -it is necessary to first get entirely rid of any glycerine which might be on the cover or slide. To do this I apply a spring clip to the slide, which serves to hold the cover iu position after it has been centered, and then wasli off the surplus glycerine with a stream of water from a syringe. The slide is then set on end to dry, and a ring of a waterproof cement is applied around the cover. Such a cement may be bouglit under the name of Bell's cement, the composition of wlnVli is a t^ecrct. A bitter and less 698 RECOBD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO exj)ensive cement may, however, be made by dissolving 10 grains of gum-ammoniac in 1 ounce of acetic acid (No. 8), and tben by adding to this solution 2 drachms of Cox's gelatine. The resulting liquid flows easily from the brush and is waterproof, especially so if, after the ring has set, it is brushed over with a solution of 10 grains of bichromate of potash in 1 ounce of water. But what especially recommends this cement is its great adhesive power to glass, even if there should be a little glycerine on the edge of the cover. After the gelatine ring is dry, any other cement may be employed to cover it, according to the fancy of the preparer. When a considerable number of different objects are being pre- pared at the same time, it is of great imjiortance to be able to tell one from the other, so as finally to label them correctly without subjecting them to a careful microscopical examination, A pajier label, under the frequent necessary handling of the slide, becomes soiled, and the writing frequently illegible ; while a figure or even a full label, written with a pen upon the glass slide, will remain intact throughout the manipulations of cleaning and ringing, and at the same time can easily be removed by a little rubbing with a rag dipped in water. In order to facilitate the finding of slides in a large collection, it is advisable to place the label bearing the name of the object always on the same end, and if two labels are used to place the one with the prejjarer's name on the right hand, and the other bearing the description of the object on the left." Cleaning Cover-glasses.* — Dr. E. U. Piper, of Chicago, has suggested a very simple method of cleaning cover-glasses without breaking them. Upon a glass plate 2x3 inches are cemented, in the form of a V, two thin strips of glass. A cover-glass may be laid U2)on the glass plate, inside of the V, and cleaned by rubbing freely, being held in position from slipping by the sides of the V. Preparing Sections of Coal. — Mr. E. T. Newton, the Assistant- Naturalist of the Geological Survey, who has successfully examined the microscopical structure of many varieties of coal, gives f the follow- ing description of the methods employed by him in making his preparations : — " One important point to be noticed at the outset is that nothing like emery powder can be used for the grinding, as the grains embed themselves in the softer substance of the coal, and, when the section is finished, will be seen as minute brip;ht sj^ots, thus giving to the section a deceptive appearance. For the rough grinding an ordinary grindstone may be used, and for the finer work and finishing a strij) of ' pumice-stone ' (or corundum stick), and a German hone (or Water- of-Ayr stone). The form of these which has been fouud most con- venient is a strip about 1^ inch wide and about G inches long ; the thickness is immaterial : one of the broader surfaces of these must be perfectly flat. * ' Ain. Nut.,' xlv. (1880) p. 465. t F. Rutlcy's ' Study of Rocka ' (8vn, LoJiduii, 187'J). \\ 71. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 699 Having selected a piece of coal with as few cracks as possible, cut off a piece with a saw about three-quarters of an inch square and perhaps one quarter of an inch thick. One of the larger surfaces is then rubbed flat on the pumice-stone, keeping it well wetted with water, and then polished upon the hone, also moistened with water. Some- times it is found to be advantageous to soak the piece of coal in a very thin solution of Canada balsam in chloroform or benzole, as directed for softer rocks, or in a solution of shellac in spirits of wine ; in either case allowing the specimen to dry thoroughly in a warm place. The polished surface is next cemented to an ordinary microscopical glass slip (3 inches by 1 inch) with the best marine glue ; and this process requires care, for it is not easy to exclude all the air-bubbles, and if they are not excluded the section is very apt in the last stages to break away wherever they occur. The piece of coal is next reduced to about one-sixteenth of an inch by means of a grindstone ; some of the softer kinds may be cut down with a penknife. Care should be taken not to scratch the glass in the process of grinding, for most sections of coal, when once ground thin, are too fragile to allow of their being removed from the glass, but have to be covered and finished off upon the same slide. The pumice-stone or corundum stick is next brought into use. The section being turned downwards, hold the glass slide between the middle finger and thumb, whilst the forefinger is placed upon the centre of the slide. In this manner the section may be rubbed round and round over every part of the pumice, using plenty of water, until it is sufficiently reduced in thickness ; experience alone showing how far this process may be carried. The section is finally rubbed in a similar manner upon the hone (or Water-of-Ayr stone). It is sometimes found necessary to use the hone even while the section is absolutely opaque, for many coals are so brittle that they crumble to pieces upon the pumice long before they show any indications of transparency. "When sufiiciently transparent the section may bo trimmed with a penknife and the superfluous marine glue cleaned off. The section is now to be moistened with turpentine, a drop of ordinary Canada balsam (not too hard) placed upon it, and covered in the usual way. Whatever heat is necessary should be carefully applied to the cover-glass by reversing the slide for a moment or so over a spirit lamp, otherwise the marine glue may be loosened and the section spoiled. Balsam dissolved in benzoic must not be used for mounting, as the benzole softens the marine glue, and a good section may in this way be destroyed." Cutting Rock Sections. — Mr. Hanks considers it a mistake to cut a rock section so thin as to be wholly transparent. In some cases this is necessary; but, as- a general ruh', the section should be hft as thick as possible, and strongly lighted by the aid of a parabolic reflector. The beauty of many specimens is destroyed in tho eflbrt made to fit them for observation by simple transmitted light. Mr. Attwood's plan * to cement tlio section to a glass slide, and to examine it from time to time under the Microscope as tho work progresses, is very important, as it will enable the student to stop at • Ante, i>. 325. 700 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO tlie exact j)oiut wlien light can be passed tbrougli it, but before many of the most interesting features are destroyed by over-cutting. Simple Mechanical Finger.* — The devices hitherto employed as " Mechanical Fingers " depend, Mr. M. A. Veeder writes, upon the lengthening of the part which supports the substage apparatus by means of a tube specially fitted for the purpose, or by means of the para- boloid, so that by a rack movement the slide may be lifted free from the stage into contact with a hair or fine wire, which is held by the stage forceps or by some contrivance designed especially for the purpose. Contact having thus been established, the slide may be lowered, leaving the object adhering to the hair, or by moving the sliding stage the object may be pushed in any direction desired. There is, however, another plan, which he finds to be simpler, and even more effective in certain respects. With many Microscopes a condensing lens is supplied, which is fitted to the limb of the instru- ment by a ball-and-socket joint and sliding stem-rod. Unscrew this lens and put in its place a piece of cork through which a needle passes at a right angle to the stem. It is well to have two or three pieces of cork fitted with needles having difi'erent points ; one, for instance, may have a human hair projecting slightly beyond its point, the hair being kept in place by winding with fine thread and coating with gum ; another may have a flat point, made by breaking off and grinding the fractured end ; other forms will suggest themselves as experience may determine. The ball-and-socket joint should be clamped or wedged, so as to move quite stifiiy. Bring the point of the needle into view under the objective, and it may be made to touch the slide, or be lifted away from it by simply turning the stem-rod. Objects which are seen to adhere to the needle are lifted at once, and another slide, slightly moistened by breathing on it, may be sub- stituted for the one on the stage, to which the objects may be made to adhere at any desired point by turning the stem-rod as before. By moving the mechanical stage while the point of the needle is in contact with the slide, objects may be pushed wherever desired on the slide. In this case it is a decided advantage that both needle and object remain within view however the stage is moved. Thus dirt may be scraped away with the greatest ease. It is evident that such a contrivance, consisting essentially of a ball-and-socket joint, and a sliding stem with a button attached to the latter, so that it may be readily turned, might be fitted to the stand of an ordinary bull's-eye condenser, and thus become available for use with any microscope-stand. Slides from the Naples Zoological Station. — At the June meet- ing of the Society some slides were exhibited (for the most part illustrating the early stages of Invertebrates t), sent by the Zoological Station at Naples through Mr. A. W. Waters. Microscopists will be glad to hear that the Station have commenced a department under the management of Mr. Fritz Meyer for the preparation of microscopical objects on a large scale, a list of which they intend shortly to issue. * 'Am. M. Micr. Jouru.,' i. (1880) p. 88. t See Uat, iwst, p. 736. INVEKTEBEATA, CRTPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 701 If the slides are generally of the character of those exhibited the supi)ly must, we are afraid, for some time fall short of the demand, as there will be few biologists who will not desire to add some of the slides to their cabinet. Homogeneous-Immersion Lenses.* — Mr. A. A. Biagdon, referring to the strong impression prevalent among microscoj^ists that objectives having high interior angles, say 90° and upwards, are of no use except to amuse diatomists, says that this is by no means the true state of the case. On comparing the definition obtained with a water- immersion objective of 105° interior angle (by Tolles) with other lenses having 120° or 140° air angle, the image with the latter was shown to be imsatisfactory. And again on comparing the water- immersion with the same maker's recent homogeneous-immersion having 127° interior angle, the advantage was decidedly with the latter. He refers to the series of microphotographs by Dr. J. J. Woodward f of A. pellucida mounted in balsam, with Zeiss's ^^^ and \ oil-immersions, together with other notable objectives for comparison of their respective merits. Among these lenses were a i and -^jj inch by Spencer, glycerine-immersion, and a -jig -inch oil-immersion by Tolles, and says that " it is only necessary for any unprejudiced person to examine this series of photographs to decide at once as to the superiority of the homogeneous-immersion lenses in defining power." Mr. Bragdon approves of Mr. Tolles retaining the screw-collar with homogeneous-immersion lenses for these reasons, — that it affords a means of using water as an immersion medium when several preparations are being mounted of one kind, and it is desired to make a cursory examination of them at once with high powers before any change shall have taken place, and without waiting for covers to become fixed by hardening of the balsam ; the collar-adjustment is also useful, even with the homogeneous-immersion, to obtain the best image with diifercnt lengths of draw-tube. Fluid for Homogeneous Immersion. J — Mr. Bragdon finds that the best medium for homogeneous immersion is glycerine brought up to the required index by making a saturated solution witli it and sulj)ho- carbolatc of zinc : there is only one, and that not a serious, objection to its every-day use, viz. that it is just a little too thick. Dr. Blackham also says § that, " good heavy glycerine is the best immersion medium he has found out of many ; it docs not evaporate, soften cement used in mounting objects, nor smell badly, is not poisonous nor irritant, and is in every way satisfactory." Errors of Refraction in the Eyes of Microscopistsll— Dr. J. C. IVIorgan points out tliat the requirements in construction and adjust- ment of glasses and the results of work done must vary greatly with * ' Am. M. Micr. Journ.,' i. (1880) pp. 89-93. t Poo this .Tournnl, ii. (IHTK) p. C,~2. X 'Am. M. l\Iicr. Jotirii.,' i. (ISSO) p. 92. § ' Eu) p. 503. t See tliirf .lunniul, ii. (187;») p. lUO. X 'St. lionii IMfil. iin(l Surj;. Joinii.,' xxxviii. (1880) pp. ,^87-'J. Sec olau ' Loiiiavillc Med. Her.,' ii. (18H0) p. :tO. 710 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO firmly by hand, B being merely a clamping-screw to hold the substage apparatus in position, and is but seldom needed, though of great importance under certain conditions. Weber-Liel's Ear-Microscope.* — The following is the description given of this instrument in the ' Berlin Microscopical Journal ': — To the many and varied adaptations of the Microscope an addition has lately been made, the possibility of which was formerly thought to be extremely doubtful, viz. the inspection of internal parts of the human body which are difficult of access. Although such parts, as the oral cavity and auditory passage, have previously been examined by means of a lens and illuminating mirror, the low magnifying power of the apparatus set narrow limits to the examination. Now, however, the instrument of Dr. Weber-Liel has made it possible, afc least for the ear, to detect the finer abnormalities of structure and in many cases to discover and remove the cause of disease. The Microscope, which is shown in Fig. 58, consists of three prin- cipal parts : — (1) The Microscope proper. (2) The mirror with illuminating lens. (3) The pneumatic chamber and flexible tube. The body of the Microscope Tj has a conical piece 0 attached to its lower extremity, several of which of different sizes are supplied with each instrument so that one may be screwed on which is adapted for the particular case and will entirely fill up the auditory passage. Above this is a chamber into the side of which an indiarubber tube opens, having a mouth-piece at its other extremity ; this chamber is closed at the upper part by the mirror K which fits air-tight so that when the instrument is introduced into the ear no air has access except through the tube. The Microscope T^ with the eye-piece T slides into the txibe T2, the eye-piece having a micrometer at m. The mirror which closes the pneumatic chamber is inclined at an angle of 45° to the axis of the tube, with its reflecting surface turned towards the illuminating lens G. The reflecting surface has its coating removed in the centre so that a clear view down the axis of the Microscope is obtained through it. The magnifying power of the instrument is about twenty diameters, which is strong enough for viewing the small parts of the ear, as the malleus, stapes, &c. Besides the parts above figui*ed and described, there should be also the ordinary speculum and two lenses. One of these lenses, magni- fying about five diameters, is fixed in a short tube and inserted at Tg for making a preliminary examination and (what only could hitherto be done) seeing the position of the parts. The second lens, which magnifies about three diameters, is used in making the operations. To give room for the instruments in the latter case, the cone 0 is rejjlaced by one somewhat longer, which is open at the side; this of coui'se interferes witli the complete shutting-in of the pneumatic chamber, a matter, however, of no consequence as this chamber is not wanted during an operation. * 'ZeitbcLr. f. Mikr.,' ii. (1880) p. 175. INVEETEBRATAj CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY^ ETC. 711 If whilst the Microscope is in position the air in the external auditory passage is slightly condensed or rarefied by apjilying the mouth to the tube, it will be seen how the tympanic membrane and the manubrium of the malleus are respectively set in motion ; and a more definite judgment can be „ _„ formed as to anomalies of tension in pathological alterations of tissue. This can be exactly measured by connecting the tube with a mer- curial manometer. A most im- portant feature in connection with the instrument is the fact that by means of it the caj^acity for vibra- tion of the acoustic ajjparatus can be studied in living persons. For this purpose, the tympanic mem- brane, or if this is wanting as well as malleus and incus, then the stapes must previously be sprinkled over with powdered starch, by blowing a little into the auditory passage. The starch particles appear under an intense light as strongly reflect- ing points. On speaking or singing loudly in the mouth-piece of the tube, it will be seen that particular particles of starch are drawn out into small lines, from which the capacity for displacement of the powdered parts, as regards tlie action of sounds, can be measured by means of tbu lui. eye- piece. The small mobility possessed by the other segments of the tympanic membrane compared with those of the posterior portions, then becomes very apparent, and especially in certain pathological con- ditions we arc able to detect how the mobility of the parts is not reduced, but considerably increased contrary to what is usually assumed. The instrument will in general lead to conclusions respecting changes of diagnostic importance such as could in no way be supposed with the ordinary mode of examination with intense sunlight ; for instance, accumulations of secretion behind the tympanic membrane, which would otherwise be invisible, can be plainly seen. Trichina-Microscopes— Hager's, Schmidt and Haensch's, Waech- ter's, and Teschner's. — The number of Trichina-Microscoiies invented in Germany is continually on the increase. The following are four forms which do not aj^pcar to havo been hitherto described in this country : — Hagcrs * is shown in Fig. 59, and is said to be very useful, not * H. Hagir, ' Diis Mikroskoi* ' (8vc, Iloiliii, l^TJ). A- in the 712 KECOKD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO Fig. 59. only in tlie case of Trichince, but also for vegetable tissues. It is a Microscope combined with a compressorium. The latter consists of a metal ring c, wliich is pressed upon the stage by a spring /, and can be released by pressing the lever d. The ring being raised, the object to be examined (placed between two glass plates) is laid upon the stage, and the ring is then allowed to descend gently upon the plates. Schmidt and Haenscli's (shown in Figs. 60 and 61) also includes a combined stage (E) and a compressorium (C) (acted upon by two screws), but has in addition a special arrangement for coarse and fine adjustment of focus. The inner tube carrying the eye- piece and objective, which slides within the outer tube attached to the pillar of the Microscope, is provided with a projecting pin which moves in a slot cut obliquely in the outer tube like the thread of a screw, so that by rotating the milled rim (B) of the inner tube it is made to slowly as- cend and descend as desired. It is claimed * for this plan that it obviates a defect in centering found to exist in Microscopes with the ordi- nary sliding adjustment, with which it constantly happens that after the tube has been drawn up to change the " powers, a suspicious spot which it was desired to examine is found to have disaj^peared from the field of view. The objection to the arrangement will probably be found in the tendency of the tube to " run down " ; at least that was found to be so in the case of an arrangement somewhat analogous in principle, proposed by Mr. Fiddian some years ago. The second improvement claimed is the movement of the stage in two rectangular directions by the lever A and rack and pinion D. It is pointed out that it is impossible even for a practised micro- scopist to move the object in the absence of mechanical apjiliances without missing any portion of the surface. By means of a test plate consisting of a photograph (a square German inch in size) of the numbers 1 to 700, small enough to be clearly legible under a high power, it was found that the error was as much as 30 per * Sco ' Imliishie-lilaltcr,' xvi. (1879) p. 289. INVERTEBKATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 713 Fig. cent., and as the figures were more readily distinguishable Trichince, the error in the latter case will jn-obably be still greater, and a matter, therefore, of some importance. The construction and advantages of this mechanical stage are described by the inventors somewhat on first prin- ciples (much in the same way as the matter would have been dealt with fifty years ago in this country), and appear to show a greater want of fa- miliarity with mechanical stages than we should have supposed to exist. With the Microscope are supplied the two long strips of plate glass shown in the figure, between which specimens of the meat to be examined are placed. The lower and thicker one has five squares drawn upon it, each measuring a square (German) inch. Waeclders. * — The describer of this form suggests that, ingenious as the construction of the one previ- ously mentioned is, it possesses several drawbacks, one of which is that " it is than Fig. 61. ' I'liariiiiiccutiaclif (.Vntialliullc,' i. (1880) \k 102. 714 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO rather complicated and if used daily for several Lours would be likely to want rci)airing," and another, that it cannot be used as an ordinary Microscope. In the new form, shown in Fig. 62, the slide is composed of two Fig. G2. circular glass plates, 5 mm. thick and 8 cm. in diameter, which are pressed firmly together by a metal knob at their centre. They thus form a compressorium at the same time. The under plate, which may of course be thickly covered with the preparations, is divided into four sections, which are numbered for identification. To prevent any INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 715 fluid coming away, the under plate may be made a very little larger than the upper. These plates are turned with the finger about their axis (which is fixed to the stage so as to move from behind forwards, and vice versa), an arrangement which allows the examination of a continuous series of preparations lying in the ijcripheries of different circles 18 to 24 cm. in circumference, whilst by the instrument last described a continuous line of only aboxit 3 cm. in length can bo examined. When one periphery has been examined (which is indicated by a catch-spring), a rack and pinion moves the plates in a radial direction (as a rule it is best to begin with the inner circle), and they are again Fig. (Jo. revolved ; and so on until the last periphery has been examined. There is hero the great advantage that in adjusting a fresh circle the size of the field corresponding with tlie power used can be taken into account. Thus tho lowest power recjuires the rack to bo moved three teetli, the medimn jjowcr two teeth, and the highest jiower one tootli forward. \Vh(!n tlio plates are r-enioved from the stage the instrument can be used as an ordinary ]\Iicrosc(jj)e. Ti'schurs * is a simpler form, of tho design shown in Fig. 63. It has a wide inclined stage, on which is a bar attached to two supports, after the manner of a parallel ruler. ]5y means of tho adjusting screw h, the bar can be moved to and from the aperture * 1"'. W. llufltrt, ' MikiObkopiBchc Flcibchboschau ' (8vo, Leipzig, lip. 287-91. Pouchct. — The Origin of the Red Blood-corpuscles. [^Traasl. from 'Revue Scienfifique.'] Quirt. Junm. Micr. >'ci., XX., pp. 331-50. Rawitz, B. — On the Structure of the Spinal Ganglia. Plate 15. Arch. Mikr. Anat., XVIII., pp. 283-301. Scuenk. — On the Influence of Colour on tiie Development of Animals. 3IT. Kmhrijol. hist. K.-K Univ. Wicn, I., pp. 205-77. Sedgwick, A.— On the Development of the structure known as the "Uloinerulus of the Hcad-kidiicy " in the Chick. Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci., XX., pp. 372-4. Slatek, J. W. — The " Laws of Emphasis and Syinmefry." ./vurn. of Sci., II., pp. 434-8. SoLGEK, B. — Further Researches on tho Anatomy of the Lateral Organs of Fishes. III. The Lateral Organs of tho Osseous Fishes. Arch. Mikr. Anal., XVIII., pp. 304-90. Vincnow, H. J. P. — Vessels of the Vitreous Bo!.-Mcd. Oc.cH. Wiirzbur;), XIV., SH.. pp. .\x.-xxii. Waili.y, a. — Hybrids and Di gcnernry. Eutmnnl., XIII., pp. 151-8. \Vii,.MON, II. C. — On tlic Development of tho Human Skin. Fliitrs 2r)-(!. MT. Embruol. Inst. K.-K. t'nir. Win,, I., pp. 255-64. VOL. III. 722 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF B. INVERTEBRATA. AsPER. — Contributions to the Knowledge of the Deep-water Fauna of the Swiss Lakes (concld.). , Zool. Anzeig., III., pp. 200-7. MoUusca. Bareois, T. — Notes on the Glands of the Feet in the Family of the Tellinidae. Ball. Sci. Dep. No'rd, III., pp. 193-7. Call, R. E. — Polymorphous Anodonfce. Am. Nat., XIV., pp. 529-30. Crosse, H. — On the Identity of the Genera Hainesia, Bacrystomn, and Mascaria. Journ. de Conc/i., XX., pp. 135-140. „ „ Description of the new Genus Pyrgophysn. Fig. 5 of Plate 4. Journ. de Condi., XX., pp. 140-2. „ „ Description of undescribed Mnllusca [4] from New Caledonia and New Britain. 4 figs, of Plate 4. Journ. de Conch., XX., pp. 142-9. „ „ Diagnoses Molluscorum novorum [3] iu insula " Nossibe " dicta et in provincia Paraensi colleetorum. [Latin.] Journ. de Conch., XX., pp. 149-50. Dall, W. H. — American Work in the Department of Kecent MoUusca during the year 1879. Am. Nat., XIV., pp. 426-36. EsMARE, B. — Essay on the Distribution of Land and Fresh-water MoUusca iu different parts of Norway. 2 figs. Nijt Mag. Naturvid., XXV., pp. 215-23. Etheridge, R., jun. — Notes on the Gasteropoda contained in the Gilbertson Collection, British Museum, and figured in Phillips's ' Geology of Yorkshire.' (/« part.) Ann. ^ Mag. Nat. Hist., V., pp. 473-85. Hudleston, W. H.— Contributions to the Palaeontology of the Yorkshire Oolites. (In part.) Plates 8-9. [Mollusca.] Geol. Mag., Yll., -pp. 28Q-98. Jeffreys, J. G. — On a new Species of Chiton [^scabridiis] lately found on the British Coasts. A7in. ^- 3Iag. Nat. Hist., VI., pp. 33-5. Kirk, T. W. — Additions to the List of New-Zealand Marine Mollusca. Ann. 4- Mag. Nat. Hist., VI., p. 15. Lankester, E. E. — Dr. C. Rabl on the Pedicle of Invagination in Pulmonate Gasteropoda. Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci., XX., pp. 376-7. Morlet, L. — Supplement to the Monograph of the Genus Ringicula Deshays. Plates 5 and 6. Journ. de Conch., pp. 150-81. Munier-Chalmas, E. — Diagnosis generis novi Molluscorum Cephalopodorum fossilis. [Latin.] Journ. de Conch., XX., pp. 183-4. Netill, G.— On the Land Shells, extinct and living, of the Neighbourhood of Mentone (Alpes INIaritimes), with Descriptions of a new Genus and of several new Species. Plates 13-14. Froc. Zool. Soc. Lond. (1880), pp. 94-142. Rabl, C. — See Lankester, E. R. Stossioh, M. — Synopsis of the Fauna of the Adriatic Sea. II. [Italian.] Boll. Soc. Adriat. Sci. Nat.. V., pp. 157-286. Vasseur, G. — Diagnoses Molluscorum fossilium novorum. [Latin.] Journ. de Conch., XX., pp. 182-3. Vayssiere. — Anatomical Researches on the Mollusca of the Family of the Bullid£B. (fnpirt.) Plates 1-3. Ann. Sci. Nat.iZoologie),IX., pp. l-6i. Whitfield, R. P. — On the occurrence of true Lingula in the Trenton Lime- stones. 2 figs. Am. Journ. Sci., XIX., pp. 472-5. Wright. T.— Monograph of the Lias Ammonites of the British Islands {contd.). Part III. Classification, pp. 165-264. Plates 19-40, and 168 figs. 4to. [Palse- ontographical Society, XXXIV.] 1880. YorNG, J. — On the species of Bentalium found in the Carboniferous Strata of the West of Scotland. Proc. Nat. Hist. Sue. Glasgow, IV., pp. 69-70. MoUuscoida. Davidson, T. — A Monograph of the British Fossil Brachiopoda. Vol. IV. Part 3. Supplement to the Permian and Carboniferous Species, pp. 243-315. Plates 30-7. 4to. [Palajoutographical Society, XXXIV.] 1880. HiNCKS, T.— Contributions towards a general History of the Marine Polyzoa. Plates 9-11. {In part.) Ann. # Mag. Nat. Hist., VI., pp. 69-92. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 723 Oehlert, D.— The Sj-steniatic; Position of the Brachiopoda according to M. Moise. Jour7i. de Conch., XX., pp. 109-35. Shrtbsole, G. W. — A Keview and Description of the various Species of British Upper Silurian Feuestellidae. Plate 11. Quart. Jouni. Gcol. Soc, XXXVI., pp. 241-54. YouKG, J.— On Iih>jncho2Jora,!i GennsofBrachiopod Shells, new to Carboniferous Strata. Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc. Giasjoic, IV., pp. 13-14. Arthropoda. a. lusecta. Adolph, G. E. — On Insects' Wings. 6 plates. [From ' Nova Acta K. Leop.- Carol.-Deutschen Akad. Naturf.,' XLI., Part 2, No. 3.] (4to. Halle, 1879.) Berlese, A. — See Canestrini, G. Cameron, P. — Notes on the Coloration and Development of Insects. Trans. Entomol. Soc. Lond., 1880, pp. G9-79. Canestrini, G., and A. Berlese. — On a little-known Organ of the Hymenoptera. [Abstr.] Bidl. Soc. Ven. Trent. Sci. Nat., I., pp. 154. GoKHAM, II. S. — On the Structure of the Lampyridse with reference to their Phosphorescence. Trans. Entomol. Soc, 1880, pp. 63-7. „ „ Materials for a Eevision of tlie Lampyridse. Trans. Entomol. Soc, 1880, pp. 83-112. Hagen, H. — Kemains of Branchise in a Libellulid— Smooth Muscle-fibres in Insects. Zool. Anzeig., III., pp. 304-5. Joseph, G.— Preliminary Communication on the Innervation and Develop- ment of the Spinning Organs of tlie Insecta. Zool. Anzeig., III., pp. 326-8. King, H. S. — Life-history of Pleotomus pallens Lee. Psyche, III., pp. 51-3. Kolbe, H. — Tiie Nervures of the Psocidse, and their value in Classification. 1 plate. Stett. Entomol. Zeit., XLL, pp. 179-86. LiCHTENSTEiN, J. — Lifc-history of Pemphigm bursarius (Apliis) Linn. Stett. Entomol. Zeit., XLL, pp. 218-22. MoBBis, C. — Habits and Anatomy of the Honey-bearing Ant. Journ. of Sci., II., pp. 430-4. Packakd, a. S., jun.— The Hessian Fly. 43 pp., 2 plates, and 1 fig. [Bull. No. 4 of the U.y. Entomol. Commission.] (8vo. Washington, 1880.) Reicuexav, W. v. — The Odoriferous Apparatus of Sphinx ligustri. Entomol. Nachr., VI., p. 141. RiETSCH.— On N. Bobretsky's Studies on the Formation of the Blastoderm and Germinal Layers in the Insecta. Rev. Sci. Nat., II., pp. 54-60. ToHGE. — Natural History of Ewjonia fuscantaria Hubn. Stett. Entomol. Zeit., XLL, pp. 213-17. VayssiJibe, A.— On the Metamorphosis oi Prosopistoma. Comptes Rendus, XC, pp. 1370-1. WiGHTON, J. — Notes on the Combs of Bees. Sci.-Gossip, 1880, p. 127. y. Arachnida. Bryan, G. H. — Notes on the Nests of European Trap-door Sjiidcrs (cotitd.). 3 figs. Sci.-Gossi]>, 1880, pp. 127-8. Hasselt, a. W, M. van. — Contribution to the Knowledge of Lipistius dcsulto7- Schicidte. 3 figs. Vcrsl. . GoETTE, A. — A new Ilydroid Polyp with a new kind of Reproduction. 2 figs. ZcmjI. Anzeig., III., pp. 352-8. IIaeckel, E. — The Organization and Classification of the higher Acra.si>odoto M( dii.s!i'. Kosiniis, IV., pp. 310-17. Kki.i.kr, C. — New Colentcratcs from till- Guir of Naples. Piati s 13 11. with ;uhkiiSO,^o. 6, ]>p. l,")0-3. „ „ Fungi Vi iieti novi vol critici v. Rlycologife Venetro addend i. Series XI. Michclia, 1880, No. 6, pp. 154-7G. Schultze, II. — TIk; Theories as to Area Celsi. Plates 4-5. Arch. path. Anat. ^. ' Arch. Mikr. AwU., XVIIL, pp. 391-402. 732 BIBLIOGRAPnY OF INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, ETC. Iris Diaphragm an old invention. Am. Joum. Micr., V., pp. 13G-7. KoETiNG. — A new Microtome. (1 fig.) Jen. Zeitschr. Natnriciss., VII., pp. 193-5. Levick, J. — Pond Life : where to find Anuraa longispina. Midi. Nat., III., pp. 166-7. Levy, A. M. — See Fouque, F. Medical Postal Microscopical Society. Am. Joum. Micr., V., pp. 117-18. Mees, C. L.— Blood Stains. [died. Herald (Louisville), II., p. 89.] MosELEY, H. N. — Remarks upon some Specimens of Sections of Corals prepared by Koch's Method. Froc Zool. Soc. Land., 1880, pp. 24-7. „ Description of a new Species of Simple Coral. ^ figs. Proc. Zool. Soc. Land., 1880, pp. 41-2. " Observer."— The Grubb Micros'-'ope-stand. Engl. Mech., XXXI., p. 420. Pelletan, J. — The Camera Lucida of Dr. J. G. Hofmaim. 4 figs. Joum. de Microg., III., pp. 484-5. „ „ Gundlach's Hemispherical Immersion Coinlenser. 4 figs. Joyrn. de Microg., IV., pp. 21-4. „ „ The Camera Lucida of Dr. J. G. Hofmann. 3 figs. Joum. de Microg., IV., pp. 25-6. Pennock, E. — The Binocular Microscope. Engl. Mech., XXXI., p. 304. Peticolas, C. L. — Some new Slides from the Richmond (Virginia) Diutoma- ceous Earth. Am. Joum. Micr., V., pp. 133-4. Phin, J. — Micromillimetre, Micrometre, or Sixth-metre. Am. Joum. Micr., V., p. 117. Piper, R. U. — Cleaning Cover-glasses. Am. Nat. XIV., pp. 465. Powell & Lealand's New Formula Objective — See " Fellow," &c. QuiKOGA, F. — Micrographical Study of some Basalts of Ciudad-Real. Plate 3 to follow. AnaL Soc. Espun. Hist. Nat., IX., pp. 161-79. Romeo, Nelly A. — Pleurosigma angulatum. Am, Joum. Micr., V., pp. 137-8. Row, F.— A new Collecting Bottle. 1 fig. Sci.-Gossip, 1880, p. 136. Sanio, C. — On the Preparation of a suitable Asphalts Varnish for Micro- scopical Slides. But. CentralU., I., pp. 90-1 . Seiler, C. — Microscopic Examination ; Preparation of Tissues (contd.). [Med. Herald (Lo'iisville), II.. pp. 87-9.] Serrano t Fatigati. — Optical Phenomena in the Field of the IMicroscope. Anal. Soc. Espan. Hist. N t., IX. (Adas), pp. 20-1. Sharples, S. p. — Adulterations of Food. Am. Nat., XIV., pp. 461-3. Sokby, H. C— On the Structure and Origin of Non-Calcareous Stratified Rocks. 11 figs. [Anniversarv Address.] Quart. Joum. Geol. Soc, XXXVI., Proc, pp. 46-92. Standage, H. C.—See " B. R." Stodder, 0. — Microscope-stands [Beck and Tolles]. Engl. Mech., XXXI., p. 420. Stokes, A. C. — Growing Slides. Ain. Joum. Micr., V., p. 139. Suffolk, W. T.— Tlje President's Address, 1880. [South London Micro- scopical and Nat. Hist. Society.] 4 pp. (Svo. London, 1880.) Tiffany, F. B. — Microscopic Examination of the Blood in the Living Person. [Prepuce.] 2 fio-s. \St. Louis Med. 4- Surg. Joum., XXXVIII., pp. 387-9 ; Louisville Med. Herald, II., p. 30.] "Waters, A. W. — Some Rocks of the Vaudois Alps studied microscopically. Plate 24. Bull. Soc. Vaud. Sci. Nat., XVI., pp. 593-8. Wenham, F. H. — Mr. Stodder and Angular Aperture. Am. Joum. Micr., V., p. 137. „ „ On an Improved Immersion-Paraboloid. 3 figs. Am. M. Micr. Joum., I., pp. 101-2. Wickersheimer's Preserving Fluid. Entomol. Nachr., VI., pp. 129-32. Williams, G. — Paraboloid Diaphragms. Engl. M'ech., XXXI., p. 304 [see also pp. 275-6, 325, 400, and 420]. Willis, L. M. — The Abbe-Zeiss High-angled Immersion Condenser. 2 figs. Am. Joum. Micr., V., pp. 108-9. ( 733 ) PEOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. Meeting of 9th June, 1880, at King's College, Strand, W.C. Dr. R. Beaithwaite, F.L.S. (Vice-President) in the Chair. The Minutes of the meeting of 12th May last were read and confirmed, and were signed by the Chairman. The List of Donations (exclusive of exchanges and reprints) re- ceived since the last meeting was submitted, and the thauks of the Society given to the donors. Microscope (" Sketch-Model "), formerly in the possession of From Mr. Eilwin Quekett, one of the original members of this Society, and esteemed by him and by his brother, Professor Quekett, as an interesting example of early endeavour to improve the construction of the Microscope Mr.C.F. White. Parkes & Son's Microscope Lamp, with Cooling Evaporator .. Messrs. Parkes and Son. Pepper Cane, Section of Mr. T. Christy. Surirella gemma from Emden, Prussia, Bottle of Hen- 0. Brandt. Zoological Station of Naples — 12 slides Tlie Station,through 21r. A. W. Waters. Mr. Crisp called special attention to the slides received from the Zoological Station at Naples, which were exhibited under Microscopes in the room (see p. 700). Mr, Crisp exhibited and described Waechter's Trichina-Microscope (see p. 714), and Dr. Weber-Liel's Ear-Microscope (see p. 710), and described Dr. Tiffany's Prepuce-Microscope (see p. 709). Dr. Matthews exhibited and described a new form of turntable (see \). 710). Mr. Crisp exhibited and explained a "Micrometer-Microscope" made by M. Hartuack, a description and illustration of which will bo jjublished hereafter. Mr. Beck said it had struck him for some time that there was a great deal of interest attached to the question of the jiurity of tlio water supply, and that the reports sent in by the inspectors were of such an uniustructive character as to bo worth very little indeed to the general public, who were the persons most interested in the matter. He, therefore, thought that if the Society as a body could do something to instruct them as to what were signs of purity and what were really impurities it would be doing a very good service. Ho remembered that si^me time agt) when there was a Parliamentary 734 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. Committee appointed to consider the subject, there were shown in some of the water examined some monstrous creatures which were calculated to cause alarm to any one ; but the scientific evidence showed that the water was really so pure and free from sewage contamination that it did not kill the creatures which were found. He threw this out as a hint, as he believed that they ought to show that whilst they were a scientific body in the highest sense of the term, they were capable of work which would really be of great public benefit. The Chairman said he quite agreed with Mr. Beck in his remarks, and invited the Fellows to act ui)ou the suggestion made. He thought, however, that they must rely upon the action of the working Fellows of the Society rather than on any committee, and hoped that during the coming recess something might be done in the matter. Mr. J. W. Stephenson read a paper " On the Visibility of Minute Objects mounted in Phosphorus, Solution of Sulphur, Bisulphide of Carbon, and other Media " (see p. 564). Mr. Stewart said that the paper did not relate to a matter of mere optical curiosity, but to an extremely valuable means of investigation as applied to minute structure, which was brought out and rendered visible with marvellous clearness. Mr. Crisp described and commented on the proposed process for cleaning Foraminifera suggested by Mr. K. M. Cunningham, the method recommended being electrical attraction (see p. 692), and Mr. A. A. Bragdon's suggestion of the use of glycerine and sulpho- carbonate of zinc as a medium for homogeneous immersion (see p. 701). Dr. Edmunds read a note " On a Parabolized Gas Slide," speci- mens of which were exhibited in the room (see p. 585). Mr. W. H. Gilburt read a paper " On the Structure and Function of the Scale-Leaves of Lathrea squamaria," illustrating the subject by a number of drawings on the black-board. The Chairman, in moving a vote of thanks to Mr. Gilburt, re- marked that the curious plant which had formed the subject of his paper was not an uncommon one, and the paper showed how much interest could be got out of a common object if only it were handled by competent hands. Mr. Stewart thought it would be interesting to test the nature of the fluid secretion which Mr. Gilburt had mentioned, in order to see if it were at all the same as that in the Drosera and other carnivorous plants. Mr. Crisp exhibited and described Zeiss's micro-spectroscope (see p. 703), and Hartnack's polarizing apparatus. PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 735 Mr. Woodall gave a resum^ of his paper " On the Interference- Phenomena produced by Luminous Points." Mr. Crisp announced that it had been decided by the Council that the books in the Society's library should be allowed to be circu- lated amongst the Fellows under regulations which would be announced as soon as the Assistant-Secretary had completed the catalogue of the library which he had in hand. Professor Rogers's paper " On Tolles's Illuminator for High Powers " was read. Professor Abbe's paper " On the Function of Aperture in Micro- scopic Vision " was taken as read. Mr. Crisp read a part of a letter from the author, in which he said : " Having been often blamed for obscurity, I resolved to explain my opinions in such a way now that they cannot fail to be under- stood." The paper would probably exceed 150 pages of the Journal, and the Council had therefore decided to print it as a separate volume. Mr. Crisp said that it had been repi-esented to him that some of the Fellows would like tliat the larger part of the Journal should consist of " Microscopy," i. e. matter relating to the Microscope as an instrument, its modifications, imiH'ovements, &c. As every existing source outside the Society was already made use of for " micro- scopical " notes, one of two things must have happened (remembering that the suggestion came from within and not outside the Society) — either communications from Fellows intended for the Journal had accidentally failed to reach him from some unexplained cause, or it was not sufficiently understood by the Fellows that the " Microscopy " portion of the Record was available for communications which might not be so appropriately jmnted as a formal "paper" in the Transactions. In addition it must be remembered that all tastes had to be con- sulted in the compilation of the Journal (a point which he liad kept prominently in mind), and it was clear that there was a con- siderable body of the Fellows who took only a secondary interest in the Microscope from an instrumental point of view, and who were more especially concerned" with tlie subjects which required the aid of the Microscoi>c for their investigation. A second point which he wished to refer to was, tlmt it was not to be supposed tliat everything mentioned in tlie Jom-nal was intended to be thereby certified as " new." Substantially he hud dis- continued the use of that word altogether in relation to microscopical matters on account of the irritation it seemed to produce, but still 736 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. there was never a Journal issued tliat he did not receive more than one letter pointing out that what was described had " been done before." * A Special General Meeting was then held pursuant to the notice given at the last meeting (see p. 559). Dr. Gray moved and Mr. Michael seconded the following resolu- tion, which was carried unanimously : — That the 6th Bye-law be cancelled, and the following substituted in lieu thereof. " 6. Every Fellow on his election shall pay an entrance fee of two guineas. " 6a. The Annual Subscription to be paid by the Fellows shall be two guineas, which shall become due in advance on the 1st January in every year. Fellows elected in any of the months subsequent to June shall pay one-half only of the subscription for the current year." The following Objects, Apparatus, &c., were exhibited:— Mr. T. Christy : — Section of Pepper Cane. Mr. Crisp: — Hartnack's Micrometer-Microscope ; Waeehter's Trichina-Microscope (see p. 714) ; Weber-Liel's Ear-Microscope (see p. 710) ; Hartnack's Polarizing Apparatus ; Zeiss's Micro-Spec- troscope (see p. 703). Mr. O. Brandt : — Twelve slides by K. Getschmann, of Berlin (arranged Insect scales, &c.). Mr. Gilburt : — Six sections of Lathrea squamaria, illustrating his paper. Dr. Matthews: — Improved Turntable (see p. 716). Messrs. Parkes and Son : — Microscope Lamp (see p. 528). Mr. J. W. Stephenson : — Ampliipleura pellucida — in sulphur dis- solved in bisulphide of carbon ; Pleurosigma elongatum — in phosj)horus dissolved in bisulphide of carbon ; Pleurosigma formosum — in bisul- , phide of carbon alone. (All with Catoptric Immersion Illuminator.) Mr. C. F. White :— Microscope (see p. 733). Zoological Station at Naples : — Twelve slides, viz. : AmpMoxus lanceolatus Yarr. ; Ascetta hlanca H. ; Aster acanthion glacialis 0. F. Miiller — Larva ; Asterias glacialis O. F. M. — Gastrula ; ditto — Forma- tion of the Mesoderm ; Echinocardium cordatum Gray — Larva ; Pyro- soma elegans Les. — Young Colony ; Pseudodidemnum Listerianum — Ova with embryo; Toxopneustes h-evispinosus J. Miiller — Larva, 3rd, 5th, and 15th day ; Stichopus regalis Cuv. — Ovary. * This is irrespective of the descriptions of Microscopes previously figured in foreign journals, but which not having hitherto appeared in any English publi- cation, are now figured and described in the Journal so as to make the English Eecord as complete as posaible. F^ *^^ ^ BI-MONTHLY, ^ r To Non-Fellows, Vol. ni. No. 6.] OCTOBER, 1880. [ Price 4s. Journal OF THE Royal Microscopical Society; CONTAINING ITS TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS. AND A RECORD OK CURRENT RE5EARC:iES RELATrNG TO INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOQAMIA, MICROSCOPY, &c. EdiUd, Muier (he direction of the Publication Committee^ by FRANK CRISP, LL.B,, B.A., F.L.S., One of the Secretaries of the Society, WITH THE ASSISTANCE CF A. W. BENNETT, M.A., B.Sc, J F. JEFFIIKY BELL, M.A^ Lecturer on Botany at St. Titomas's l/osf-iial, | rrofessor pf CoHtparalive Anatotry in Kim^t College, KNO B. O. RIDLEY, B.A., F.L.P., Of the British Museum, FEM.OWS OF TlIF, SOCIRTY, WILLIAMS & NORGATE, % LONDON AND EDINBURGH. M(? / RINTKO RV WM. CI^WBS ANO SONS, I.IMITIU},] (srA»:i'OMl STRHlr AND CMABINC CSOSl. ( 2 ) JOURNAL OF THE EOYAL MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY, VOL. III. No. S. CONTENTS. Tkansactions of tue Society — ,.a,:b XX. On the Structure and Function of the Scale-Leaves of Lathrea squamabia. By W. H. Gilburt, F.R.M.S. (Plate XVII.) 737 XXI. On Daylight Illumination with the Plane Mirror. An Appendix to Part I, of the *' Theory of Illuminating Apparatus." By tlie late Dr.. H. E. Fripp, Ex-off. F.R.M.S. (Figs. 66-70) 742 XXII. On an Improved Finder. By W. Webb. (Figs. 71 and 72) 750 XXIII. On Tollbs' Interior Illuminator for Opaque Objects. By William A. Rogers, F.R.M.S. ; with Note by R. B. Tolles, F.R.M.S. (Figs. 73 and 74) .. .. .. .. 754 Record of Current Researches relating to Inveutbbkata, Cbyptogamia, Microscopy, &c. .. .. .. .. 759 Zoology. Development of the liaJibit 759 Development of the " Glomerulus of the Ilead-Kidney^' in the Chick .. .. 75.) Cellular Evolution of Frotoplcmm 7G0 Imperfection of the Geological Record 7G0 Mollusca of the ' Chdknger ' Expedition 7G1 Antiquity of certain Subordinnte Types of Fresh-iualer and Land Mollusca 7(J3 Development of the Digestive Tract in the Mollusca 7ti3 Action of Poisons on the Cephali'puda 7(i4 Begeneration of the Head in Gastropods 765 Activity and Structure of the Muscles of Mollusca Acepltala 76.5 Pedal Glands of the Tellinidx 765 Anatomy of the Bullidea 766 Development of Teredo .. .. 770 Development uf Lingula 772 Struiure of Adeona 773 New Genus of Polyzoa 774 Little-hnoxvn Organ of the Dymenoptera 774 Honey-hearing Ants 775 Stru-ture of the Lampyridx with reference to thuir Phosjihurescencc .. .. 777 Influence of Temperature in producing Varieties of Lepidoiitcra .. .. 170 Protective Attitude of the Caterpillar of the Lobster Mutk 780 Odoriferous Apparatus of Sphinx ligustrl 7; 0 Spinning Organs (f Insect Larvie 781 Parthenogenesis in iJalictus • 7M1 Gulls produced hy Aphides 782 ( y ) Ekoord of CtJBRENT Reskabohes, &c. — Continued. PAOK Eyes and Brain of Cermatia forceps 783 New Work on Parasites 784 New Galeodida 785 Antemiary Gland of the Crustacea 785 liapidity of the Transmission of Motor Stimuli along the Nerves of the Lobster 786 Nervous System of Idotea entomon 787 Cymothoidx 787 Odracoda of Scotland 788 Blind Crustacean 700 A7inelids of the Norwegian North Sea Expedition 790 New Genus of the Archiannelides .. .. 790 Enchytrfeux cavifola 792 Batrai-hobdella Latusti 793 The Chxtognaihn 793 Disease produced by Anchylostoma dwidenalis 799 Organization and Development of the Gordii 8U1 Excretory System of the Trematoda and Cestoda 802 Development of the Liver Fluhe 803 Anatomy of the Nemer tinea 803 Intestinal Worms in the Horse 805 Parasites of Helminthes 805 Bodies found on Meat 800 Flosciilaria ornata 806 Prothelmintlms, a new loio Vermian Form 806 New Synthetic Type 807 Develojjment of the Echinodermata 807 Echinoderms of the Norwegian North Sea Expedition 808 Synthetic Type of Ophinrid 809 Uivmoglobin in the Aquiferous System of an Echinoderm 810 Buccal Skeleton of the Asterida 810 New Cretaceous Comatulm , 810 Structure and Origin of Coral Reefs a7id Islands 810 New Mode of Reproduction among the Hydroida 812 Origin of the Generative Cells in the Uydroida 813 Occurrence of Foreign Spicules in Sponges 813 Tentaculate, Suctorial, and Flagellate Infusoria (P\ates XVIII. and XIX.) 814 Radiolaria in "Diaspro " 819 Botany. Development of the Embryn-snc 819 Fertilization of Coh.v.a pendulijlora 822 Structure and Motile Properties of Protoplasm 823 Structure of Sieve-tubes 8'it Oiemical Composition of Chlorophyll .. 825 Composition of Chlorophyll 826 Division of Chloro/jhyll-grains 82G Branching of Endogenous Organs from the Mother-organ 826 Influence of Direction and Strength of Illumination on certain Motile Phenomena in Plants 827 Case of Apparent Insectivorism 828 Prolhallia of Ferns 829 Nou-Sexmd Reproduction of the Prothullium of Ferns by means of Qcmmx or Conidia 829 Amphibious Nature of the Prothallium of Polypodiacex 82'.) Synopsis of the Speeiesof h6ete» j-iJO Structure of Dunwrliera 8;fl Formation of the Sporognnium of Arrhidium 8)52 Transition of Female to Mule Organ in a Moss 8IJ3 Neio Genera of Fungi 833 Mode of Escape of the Spores from tfie Asci in Ascomycetes 834 Fungus-parasites of the Aurantiacex S'Mi Fungi parasitic on Forest-trees S35 Witch-broom of the Cherry ( /'zoascus Winsncri) 8;$5 ( 4 ) Recobd of Ccbrent Reskarohes, &c. — continued. PAGE Neto Vegetable Structures from Coal and Anthracite 8;<6 Classification of Bacteriacem 8S7 Atmospheric Bacteria 837 Modification of the Properties of Bacillus anthracis by Cultivatioti .. .. 838 Bacterium foetidum : an Organism associated with profuse Siceating from the Soles of the Feet 839 Alcoholic Fermentation 841 Clastoderma 8il Monograph of Arthonia .. .. 841 Algal Vegetation of the Siberian Sea-coast 842 Algse of the Utah Salt Lake 843 Antherozoids of Hildebratidtia rivularis 8l3 New Vaucheria 844 Parasitic Nostoc 845 Movement of the Cell-c(yntents of Closterium lunula 845 Eiidochrome of Diatomacess 84G MiCEOSCOpy, &c. Microscopical Analysis of Water 847 Brownian Movement 849 Examining very soft BocJis .. 849 Lenses for Petrographioal Worh (Figs. 75 and 7G) 850 Process for Microscopical Study of very minute Crystalline Grains .. .. 851 Br. Matlhews's Machine for Cutting Hard Sections (Figs. 77-79) . . . . 852 Bleaching and WasJting Sections (Fii^a. 80 &ud 81) 853 Wicliersheimer's Preservative Liquid 855 Preserving the Colours of Tissues 856 Staiyiing- fluid for Amyloid Substance 857 Carbolic Acid for Mounting] 858 WaxCelh 860 Dry " Mounts " for the Microscope — Wax ami Gutta-percha Cells .. .. 8'Jl Covering Fluid Mounts 864 Thickness of Cover-glasses 866 Finishing Slides 866 Novel Form of Lens 867 Swift's Radial Traversing Sabstagc IllumirMtor (FifiB, 82 and 8S) .. .. 867 Soimes's'^ Isophotal" Binocular Microscope (Fig3.8i-87) 870 NacheVs Microscope loith Rotaiing Foot 873 Edmunds's Parabolized Gas Slide and Nachet's Gas Chamber .. .. .. 873 Advantages of the Binocular Microscope 874 Reduction of Angle of Aperture tcith the Binocular (F'lga. 88-dl) ., .. 874 Apertures exceeding ISO"^ in Air (Figs. d2-di) 875 Diameter of Microscope-tubes 877 Wythe's Amplifiers .. 877 Foreign Mechanical Stages {F'lgs. 95 and dG) 878 ''Fine" Adjudmenls (Figs. 91 and 98) 882 Seibert and Kraft's Fine Adjustmeid (Figs. 90-101) 883 Construction of Immersion Objectives (Fig. 102) 884 Mountiiig of the Front Lens of Immersion Objectives 8S4 Penetration 886 Tolles's Improved Traverse-lens, Illuminating and Aperture-measuring Apparatus (Fig. 103) 887 Semi-cylinder Illuminator (Fig. 101:) 889 Tlie Iris Diaphragm an Old Invention 890 Microscopical Goniometer 890 Pleurosigma angulatum as a Test Object 890 FasoWs Test Plate 891 Giiidher's Photographs of Pleurosigma angulatum 891 New Microscopical Journal 892 BlBIJOGBAPHY .. .. .. .. .. •• •• •• 893 JOXTFiN.P.JvIICP. .SOC:VOL.III.PL.XYn W.H. {h'Jta:>^~t; ScL r- — — ^^__ ^^^^^:r^^==^ 'vr- a b, mirror : diameter = 2^ inch ; aob, angle of pencil = 30° ; o, object ; SHS', arc of sky surface which delivers light on ah, subtending angle of 30°; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, rays falling with variously oblique incidence on mirror ; v o, vertical line = axis of Microscope ; H o', horizon line ; S o' is', angle of 30°. In the next place, it is to be observed that parallel beams inci- dent in the direction of the extreme outside rays of the illuminating pencil drawn in Fig. 66 and occupying the whole smface of the Illumination with Plane Mirror. By Dr. H. E. Fripp. 745 mirror (Fig. 67, 1 p,7 p), touch the object by their outside ray only, the remainder passing by on either side. And, further, that a parallel beam incident also upon the whole mirror surface, but at right angles to the axis of the Microscope, illumines the object by Fig. 67. l^p, two rays drawn parallel with 1 and 7 respectively. The parallel beams 1 p and p 7 occupy the mirror surface, but instead of being reflected on the object, fall outside of it, excepting the rays 1 and 7. . its axial ray alone, as shown in Fig. 68. So also if each of the inter- vening lines (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Fig. 66) represented the course of as many parallel beams occupying the whole mirror surface with the Fir,. G8. Piinillcl beam incident on minor at anu'lo of 4;") " to axis of Microscope. Its axi;il ray alone fall.s on tlie object. Witli dilfereiit inclination the central ray falls away fnim the; oljjict, and the illnminaliun becomes obliinio: namely, from some point of mirror snrfaee more or less distant from its centre. This oldiiiuity of direction does not indicate convergence of light, as it comes from one side only at a time. incidence belonging to each line respectively, it is manifest that the rays would fall on dilfcrent surface elements of the mirror, and 746 Transactions of the Society. remaining parallel after reflection, fail to strike the object. In fact, while those rays which do fall with such incidence as to be reflected on the object, form a converging pencil of given angular magnitude (e. g. 30^ in Fig. 66), the several bundles of jparaUel rays falling from the same area of light source would after reflection occupy a space at the plane of the object (see dotted hues in Fig. 67) half as large again as the mirror ; scarcely a suitable illu- mination for a microscopic object ! Lastly, the illuminating power of diverging rays, supposing them to proceed from a single point of light source and spread Fig. 69. Fig. 70. V 0 axis of Microscope, the instrument being reclined to get the whole pencil above 'line of horizon ; ab, mirror inclined at 45° ; aob, angle of illuminating pencil = 30°, subtended by S S', arc of sky ; A, axis of illuminating pencil reflected on o, object ; S b and S' «, outlines of cone reflected on object o The dotted lines in both diagrams show that no other rays but S 6 and b a touch the object, as the other diverging rays from the points b and b taUing witn greater or less obliquity on the mirror surface, are reflected in directions more and more remote from the object. over the mirror smiace, as in Figs. 69 and 70, is too slight and moreover too scattered to add anything to the total efi'ect. But it may be (perhaps fairly) objected that diagrams, though Bluminaiion ivith Plane Mirror. By Dr. H. E. Fripp. 747 useful in illustration, prove nothing unless they themselves are proved ; or that they mislead when employed to demonstrate phe- nomena in which the effects of distance which cannot be repre- sented are main elements of the question ; as, for example, where it is asserted that sky and cloud hght must by reason of their distance fall with parallel incidence of rays. In the discussion of such a doctrine it is pertinent to inquire what that distance is, and what relation it bears to the extent of luminous surface which can be brought into play. In regard to the parallelism of the direct solar rays there is of course no question. But the parallelism of that portion of solar hght which goes to form the firmament in our own higher atmosphere is so completely broken up by repeated refraction and reflection amongst the subtle particles of this higher atmosphere, that the rays which constitute our dayhght fall from every point of the visible heavens (though with greatly diminished intensity). That is to say, we have at disposal a light source extending over 180^, while the sun itself extends over a visual angle of but half a degree ! Being thus surrounded by an illimitable and self-luminous expanse of ether undulations, the question is no longer of parallel rays only, but of light emanating from an outer circle above the earth upon every point of the earth's surface. And a mirror exposed to such a luminous atmosphere must both receive and reflect from all sides, and upon all sides. If, however, it be placed under the stage of a Microscope, all vertical light is intercepted, and there remains nothing but the obhque incidence before referred to as the starting-point of the theory of illumination by converging light. But once brought to this point by the consideration of general principles, we are easily carried on by appeal to the law of reflection, in the demonstration of which a geometric diagram stands as rightful evidence, and, as it seems to me at least, affords indisputable proof that the doctrine of con- verging light truly applies to the pencil by which the Microscope object is illumined. The circumstances attending illumination by cloud-reflected light differ greatly in detail, but not at all in principle. That portion of solar rays which strikes upon and is reflected from the cloud vapour close to the earth (in comparison with firmament or sky light) retains, after reflection, nearly the same mixture of colour as produces white light. But its superior ilhimiiiating power is due probably to the near distance from the earth at which the refraction and reflection of the solar rays begin, the reflected light having but a short distance to travel. Another result of this proximity is that the illumined portion of a single cloud may cover a considerable arc of sky, 5' to 20' or more. And since tliis lumi- nous expanse is frequently but a mile or loss from the earth, rays from extreme points of the cloud must fall with obliquity of iuci- 748 Transactions of the Society. dence upon the mirror. It must be borne in mind, however, that the direction of the reflected rays is influenced by mass and shape of the cloud as a whole, and that its constituent vapour particles do not present a continuous reflecting surface. The numerous minute fields of light and shade which may be observed within a compara- tively circumscribed portion of cloud surface abundantly prove the actual inequality of reflection. From the diagrams it may be gathered that one ray only out of each parallel beam occupying the mirror surface with a given degree of incidence actually falls on the object. And, further, that the rays which collectively form the illuminating pencil are singled out, so to speak, by their fulfilment of the necessary condition of converging incidence from a large area of light source. A whole cloud or pile of clouds may in this way be utilized, though the general surface is so unequally bright that the darker portion will frequently reduce the effect of the brighter to below the average intensity of sky light around the cloud. Hence the concave mirror is preferred to the plane, because, acting on a different princi2:)le, it collects the relatively small but bright surface of sunlit cloud without diluting its intensity by including the larger darker portion. But under ordinary circumstances of sky light illumi- nation, the convergence of light upon the plane mirror is not only a necessary consequence of optical law, but also the necessary condi- tion of an adequate illumination. And it follows that the size of the mirror and its nearness to the stage are important points in the design of a Microscope, and equally requiring attention in the practice as in the theory of illumination. It has been already noted that a cloud surface is not continuous, like a mirror surface, and that its shape greatly influences the direction of reflected rays. Cloud light is, in fact, self-luminous in the same sense that the light of the firmament is ; that is to say, the solar rays, falling on the cloud, are refracted and reflected and dispersed amongst its own vapour particles. Consequently the parallel incidence of solar rays by no means conditions parallelism or uniformity of the reflected rays. This character of self-lumi- nousness may be contrasted with reflection pure and simple, as, for example, the dazzling glare of a window-pane upon which the sun shines. Nobody would interpret the reflection from a smooth glass surface otherwise than as a simple transference of the sun's light in a new direction, nothing else being changed. The radiation of sun rays is simply continued from the surface (not self-luminous substance) of the window-pane. The cloud-reflected hght is, on the other hand, a residual eflfect, after absorption, refraction, and dispersion of the original light rays have been carried on in the intervening cloud matter to such an extent as to lower the specific intensity of the reflected light beyond calculation. It caimot there- Illumination with Plane Mirror. By Dr. H. E. Frip-p. 749 fore be inferred from the parallelism of the solar rays that cloud light falls with parallel incidence, as may be affirmed in the case of the window-pane which reflects direct sunlight. Nor can the distance of the cloud be accepted as a sufficient cause of parallel incidence, considering its many degrees of expanse, and its actual nearness to the earth. On the contrary, it is self-evident that the different intensity of light reflected from a cloud at, say, half a mile or three miles distance, and its different angular magnitude at those dis- tances, are infinitely more important elements in the calculation of illuminating effect than the hypothesis of parallel incidence. lu fact, the inconstant distance of the cloud is in itself a practical refutation of the idea that such a cloud surface has a constant illuminating power or conditions an invariably parallel incidence of reflected rays. Is it possible to believe, for instance, that from the widely spread extremities of a sunlit cloud subtending perhaps 20^ of sky arc, and distant perhaps less than a mile, none but parallel rays shall fall on the mirror ? Or — taking the meaning of a parallel beam of light to be that its dimensions are the same throughout its course — is it possible to accept the notion suggested by sundry diagrams in our handbooks that two inches of sky or cloud light are all that natiu'e offers for the illumination of micro- scopic objects, and all that the plane or concave mirror is capable of reflecting ? 750 Transactions of the Society. XXII. — On an Improved Finder. By W. Webb. (Bead Uth April, 1880.) The finder wliicli I bring before the Society this evening consists of a square having sides of f inch, and divided into 22,500 smaller squares with sides the -^ho of an inch (enclosing a space therefore equal to the toftt^ of an inch), being 20,000 more squares than the Maltwood finder, which is an inch square. The lines are ruled by a diamond upon the under side of the thin cover-glass (for better use with higher powers), and are filled in with black, the field being transparent. One square of the Maltwood finder more than covers the field with a ^-inch objective and A eye-piece, all the corners of the squares being out of the field ; but in the new finder there are sixteen squares in the same space as one in the other. Fig. 71. "— 1 r X " " ^ ^ " ^ ■ " ""1 "' " H 1 ■^ 1 With some of the higher powers, it is not incorrect to say that it is absolutely impossible to use the ordinary finder, because (1) being a photograph an inch on each side, it is necessarily so very coarse that when used with the high powers the image as a whole is destroyed in consequence of the separation of its component grains of silver ; and (2) all specific trace of locality is absolutely lost by the great size of the squares. On an Improved Finder. By W. Wehh. 751 To number the squares from 1 to 22,500 would require more than 100,000 figures, which renders numbering impossible ; the squares are therefore plotted in blocks of 100, the boundary lines of each block of 100 squares being cut deeper, broader, and blacker than the inner ones (excepting four lines which I will describe presently), each block consisting of ten rows of squares, and each row containing ten squares. Each block of 100 squares is inter- sected vertically and horizontally at its fifth divisions by lines less black than those forming the boundaries of the blocks of 100 squares, but still appreciably blacker and broader tban the inner lines, thus subdividing the blocks into four minor ones, each having five rows with five squares in each row, the clear distinction between the three kinds of lines commanding ready and unmistakable recog- nition. To reduce the finder to its greatest simplicity in working over the three-quarters of an inch, 1 have introduced the four special lines above referred to, they being broader than all the others, and two of them embracing two sides of every eighth block of 100 squares from the top to the bottom of the finder, and the other two lines embracing two sides of every eighth block of 100 squares from the left to the right, the four lines thus forming the boundaries of the central hlock of 100 squares, and the inter- section of the two lines which divide that block into smaller blocks of 25 squares is the central point of the finder, from which the eye has only to traverse tbrough 75 squares vertically or horizontally to locate any square wanted Fig. 71 represents a little more than the top left-hand quarter of the finder (the finest divisions not being however shown). It exhibits the central intersecting point of the finder, giving out- side the broad lines 7 blocks of 100 squares each vcrticallj and 7 horizontally. Fig. 72 is an enlarged view of one of the blocks of 100 squares, with the addition of the Hnest lines forming those squares. It will be readily seen, by looking at these two figures, that from the centre of the finder the whole of the 22,500 squares can be easily found by traversing at the very most 75 small squares from the centre, with the same ease and certainty as the eye traverses the long and short lines of the eye-piece micrometer, the breadth of tho line in the finder being as easily distinguishable as tho length in tho eye-piece micrometer. 'J'he square having one dot in Fig. 72, (assuming that figure to show the central block of the finder), would be one square on the left of and ahove tho centre, to bo marked " 1 1. a." ; the square with two dots would lie the second square horizontally and vertically to the left of and ahove the centre, to Ix) marked " 2 h. 2 v. 1. a." ; tho square with three dots would bo tho fourth horizontally and tho third vertically, to be marked 752 Transactions of the Society. "4 h. 3 V. 1. a." • and the corner square with four dots would be the fifth horizontally and fifth vertically, to be marked " 5 h. 5 v. 1. a." All the above-mentioned markings apply to the other three quarters of the central block, with the exception that the left above becomes Fig. 72. ::| I — ~ I ; 0 left below, or right above, or right below, of course always counting from the centre ; for instance, the square marked with a O near the lower right-hand corner being the fifth horizontally and fourth vertically to the right and below the centre, to be marked " 5 h. 4 V. r. b." Having thus explained the reading of the central block,we may take the one marked x in Fig. 71, which we will now assume Fig. 72 to represent, the small square with three dots would be the 44th horizontally and 43rd vertically, or, 44 h. 43 v. 1. a. The above expressions might be simplified, as Mr. Crisp has 51 4 , 43 Z suggested to me, into -^, and -— T) the numerator of the or 44 fraction always representing the vertical lines, and the denominator the horizontal ones, and I and r being placed in the upper or lower part of the fraction, according as the upper or lower, right or left, quadrant of the finder is inteuded. Travel sing the finder in any direction from the centre, one can go through only seven blocks and a haK — being in all only seventy-five squares. After counting the squares once or twice, it is wonderful how rapidly the figures designating the squares are arrived at ; and if the foregoing description be clearly understood the process is as short, simple, and certain as it can possibly be without numbered squares. On an Imjproved Finder. By W. Webb. 753 It is not uncommonly supposed that it is impossible to use a finder unless with a movable stage and a stop, but in the absence of these it is simply necessary to place the thumb, or a finger of the right hand, upon the slip of glass carrying the object (when it is in the centre of the field) to prevent it moving, and then to place the thumb-nail of the left hand, or another slip of glass, against the left-hand edge of the object-slip, and hold it there while the object is taken ofi" the stage and a finder is put in its place against the thumb-nail or shp, and read off as above explained, and the number of the squares recorded. The finder will also be found very useful as a stage-plate for the draughtsman with the camera lucida. If ruled upon disks for the eye-piece they are unique, as the plotting and the object are seen as one, either with or without the camera lucida or neutral tint glass. The finders are all ruled and mounted so mathematically alike as to enable a slide to be marked and sent to any part of the world wherever a Webb's finder may be. VOT., Tir. 754 Transactions of the Society. XXIII. — On Tolles' Interior Illuminator for Opaque Objects. By William A. Eogees, F.R.M.S. (With Note by K. B. Tolles, F.R.M.S.) CRead 10th June, 1880.) The method of obtaining a sufficient illumination for opaque objects by admitting the light, above the objective and reflecting it down through the lenses upon the object, is due to Professor Hamilton L. Smith, of Geneva, New York. ' It is described in a general way in the ' Annual of Scientific Discovery ' for 1866-7, page 147, and is generally known as the " vertical illuminator." The more recent modifications in the form of its construction by Powell and Lealand, and by R. and J. Beck, while adding perhaps a trifle to convenience in use, add nothing new in principle. Two objections have been urged against this form of illumina- tor : — First, That there is a great loss of light in the reflections from the surfaces of the glass plate, and by the diminution of the aperture in the case of the silvered mirror. Second, That observers generally find the successful manipula- tion of it exceedingly difficult. The second of these objections may be overcome by attaching the revolving mirror to an arm which receives its motion through a ball-and-socket joint, attached to the outside of the tube, within which the mirror revolves. The first objection is to a certain extent obviated also by this device, since the mirror, being perfectly under the control of the observer by means of the universal joint, all the rays of light which are available can be directed upon the surface to be examined. Nevertheless, even with the modification of the universal movement of the mirror, this form of illuminator has not been found well adapted to the requirements of the special problem upon which the writer is engaged, viz. the comparison of standards of length and the investigation of their errors of subdivision. In the examination, for example, of two different metres, the illumina- tion should be the same in kind, quality, and quantity for every graduation examined. After having tried, as I supposed, every known form of illumina- tion without success, I was dehghted to find in Carl's ' Repertorium for Experimental Physics ' for 1877, what appeared to be a new method of meeting the difficulties of the problem. In volume xiii. page 566, Professor Wild describes a vertical comparator which seems to meet in an admirable way all the difficulties which relate On Tolles Interior Illuminator. By William A. Rogers. 755 to the flexure of the bars upon which the graduations are traced. In this article he alludes briefly to the method of illumination which he adopted, as follows : — " For central illumination of the divisions, small right-angular glass prisms are affixed in the interior of the Microscope near the objective, which are placed in the ends of short tubes and inserted through lateral openings, reflecting the exterior light which passes along the axis of the short tube vertically against the division, being still more controlled by the objective. This interior illumina- tion is, according to my experience, preferable to any other. It produces sharp, well-defined images of the lines, and gives suffi- cient light even when diffused daylight falls upon the face of the prism." Immediately upon reading this description I went to BIr. Tolles in order to obtain his assistance in the construction of an illumina- tor of this form, being ignorant of the fact that he had as early as 1866 made one of exactly the same form. Inasmuch as at least four persons seem to have independently suggested the use of a prism inserted between the two lenses of the objective for the purpose of securing illumination, it is well to insert here what I believe to be the first published account of the invention. I quote from the ' Annual ot Scientific Discovery ' for 1866-7, page 149:— " Mr. Charles Stodder exhibited before the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in December 1866, a new illuminator of opaque microscopic objects under high powers, the objective being its own condenser — the invention of Mr. Tolles. " The principal difficulty met with in passing a beam of light down through the objective of a Microscope, and thus condensing a strong hght upon an opaque object, is, in the case of high powers especially, the reflection back of a considerable portion hy the lenses of the objective. This causes fog and obscuration of the image, though the object be well illuminated. This reflection takes place principally at the interior front surface of the front system. " To obviate this difficulty, a small rectangular prism, immedi- ately above the front system, is so far introduced iuto the side of the objective mounting as to slightly encroach upon the extreme margin of the upper surface of the combination, "When the parallel rays are reflected by this prism down through the marginal parts of the front covered by it, they will have their focus much beyond the place of the object. As a medium case tlie distance of their convergence wodld be ten times the local distance of the objective ; consequently a much greater portion of the whole light incident upon the front system would lie transmitted, and whatever amount experienced reflection would be dissipated liy :; 1) 2 756 Transactions of the Society. travelling back through the objective in a path widely different from that of the visual pencil." During a recent visit to the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers at Paris, I saw the device here described, attached to the Micro- scopes of the comparator, with which the operations of the French Section of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures are conducted. Its introduction is due to M. Tresca, who has used it since 1871. It is possible that the invention by M. Tresca may have been prior to this date. Subsequently, during a visit to the establishment of Troughton and Simms, at Charlton, I mentioned to 31 r. Simms that I had made use of this form of illumination in the Microscopes of the meridian circle of Harvard College Observatory, thereby securing far better definition and nearly ten times the magnifying power. After a moment's search Mr. Simms produced an illumi- nator of exactly the form described by Mr. Tolles and by Professor Wild, which he had constructed as early as 1869, at the instance of Mr, Warner, a retired gentleman residing at Sussex Place, Brighton. According to the present evidence, the priority of publication, and, I believe, of invention also, must be assigned to Mr. Tolles. Without doubt M. Tresca was the first to make an actual use of this method of illumination in exact measurements. The objective of which a sectional view is given in Fig. 73, was made for me by Mr. Tolles, with special reference to its adapta- tion to the examination of the divisions of the copper- platinum metre of the X form which M. Tresca did me the kindness to trace. It has an aperture of 30° and a focal power of 1 inch. The front system of lenses is at A. The back system is at B. A rectangular prism, whose surfaces c, d, e, are ground and polished, is shown entering one side of the mounting, immediately above the front lens. Parallel rays of light entering at c pass into the prism, are reflected from d, emerge at e, impinge upon the front lens A, and have their principal focus at F ; the focus of the objective being at F', where the object is seen. The light having its focus at F is better distributed on account of the greater breadth of the pencil at F'. It might be sui)posed that if a con- denser were applied to the prism, the light thereby being brought to a focus at F', a better illumination would be secured. In actual experience, Mr. Tolles has found that this is not the case. The prism is held in place by a spiral spring pressing upon a ring which fits rather loosely upon the tube. By means of the screw at / any required inclination can be given to the prism. The field of illumination can be regulated by pushing in or withdrawing the prism. When it is entirely withdrawn, the objective takes the ordinary form. On Tones' Interior Illuminator. Bij William A. Bogers. 751 I will close this Fig. 73. I find the prism useful in supplementing the light from the mirror below, when an intense illumination is desired with trans- parent objects. This method of illumination seems to be rather better adapted to high than to low powers. I have a ^ with which the most perfect illumination of graduated metal surfaces can be obtained by simply turning the face of the prism towards a window. This method seems well adapted also to the resolu- tion of bands of fine lines. If the lines are ruled on cover- glass, and are covered with a thin coating of either silver, gold, or platinum by the method of Professor Wright, of Yale College, the resolution will be efiected about as well by looking at the lines through the coating as by viewing them by reflection. The method of illumination here described has an especial interest in connection with immersion objectives. article with a communication with which Mr. Tolles has kindly furnished me, together with the sketches shown in Figs. 73 and 74. " With immersion objectives the illumi- nator-front has still more efiective and extended application : — First, Because more of the front lens can be brought into use for the purpose of illumi- nation than with dry objectives. Second, Because any possible glare arising from the marginal zone of total reflection in the dry objective, has no existence when the front has water contact with the covering glass. This is strictly true in the case of the ';/ prism, while it might not be true in the case of r a transparent disk of glass, placed as a reflector at the back of the entire objective system, and covering its entire aperture. Eeflection from a disk might easily reach an outside zone of total reflection even with a water-immersion front, and give back stray rays which would cloud the view, but the prism would neces- sarily stop all rays not contributing to the formation of the image, even without the interposition of diaphragms. In the case of bands of lines, as in Nobcrt's plates, there would be for the most part exemption from glare, and the whole interior aperture of the objective would bo brought into use, except that portion which is stopped by the prism. • The angle of this interior aperture would be bounded i7i a homogeneous immersion medium by the extreme rays utilized by the objective. Fig. 74 represents the front duplex system of the immersion ■J-inch objective made for Mr. Crisp in 1873. Jt is one of the very first made to demonstrate the practicability and the utility of the outside — ' cxtru-limital ' — immersion aperture. It has an cxcep- 758 Transactions of the Society. tionally small front leus, but it will serve to show the convenient ajoplication of the prism to objectives of this class. The rays a and h in Fig. 74, as traced by Professor Keith, show an angle of 110°, or 55° on each side of the axis. Eays, whether Fig. 74. fl> I fd ~~^ . kz z>\ \ / ^ ^ "^ parallel or divergent, entering the prism at c, would take the same general direction as the rays a and 6, but their focal distance would be about thrice that of the entire objective. If the seat of the prism, as shown in Fig. 73, is in a plane at right angles to the optical axis, then the direction of the illuminating ray can be con- siderably controlled by raising or lowering the outer end of the prism by means of the screw at /, and the reacting spiral spring above." ( 75t) ) EECORD OF CURRENT BESEABCHES RELATING TO INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, &c.* ZOOLOGY. A. GENEHAL, including Embryology and Histology of the Vertebrata. Development of the Rabbit. t — The recent observations of Pro- fessor Kulliker have shown him that on the fifth clay the area cmbryo- nalis of the rabbit is made up of three layers ; these are (a) The cells of the investing layer of Rauber, which are flat and large and are part of the primitive unilaminate germinal vesicle. (h) A layer of flattened, pretty thick, small cells, which he (as also Rauber) regard as ectodermal, while Edouard van Beneden looks upon them as forming the mesoderm. (c) The cells of the endoderm are flat and large. He fiuds tbat the investing cells of Rauber are temporary struc- tures wLich have no relation to the formation of the ectoderm ; this is, of course, in express opposition to the view of their future which is taken by Van Beneden, but it is one on which the learned German embryologist speaks very confidently ; nor is this all, the mesoderm is stated not to aj)pear till the time when the primitive stripe begins to be formed ; when it docs begin it takes all its origin from a thicken- ing of the ectoderm, and has no relations to the endoderm. The demonstration of the presence of a number of pieces of nuclei and cells in the young embryos, and their jn-esence in number in tlio structures which are undergoing conversion, seem to show that at these stages the chief part is played by the growth of the cells, and not by any mechanical causes. The author promises further details shortly. Development of the " Glomerulus of the Head-Kidney" in the Chick.J — This structure has been already noted by Mr. Adam Sedg- wick and Mr. Balfour, and Gasser has arrived at similar conclusions as to the characters of the structure. In the i)rcvious communication no definite answer was given to the point as to whether this glome- rulus was a " continuous structure." A study of its development lias since shown Mr. Sedgwick that it is not so, but that the external glomerulus or glomerillus of the head-kidney of the chick consists * cS^T It should lie understood tliat (he Society do not liold tliemselves respoii- sihle for tlic views of the luithora of the jiapers, &e., referred to, nor for the umuner in which those views may be expressed, the object of tiie Record being to present II siiniiuiiry of the puj'ers 'is actttal/i/ puhlislied. Objections and corrcctious should tiirrefore, for tlu- nitjst part, be addressed to the autiiors'. t 'Zool. Anzeig.,' iii. (I8«U) j). :J70. t ' Quart. Jouru. Mier. Sci.,' xx. (1880) p. 372. 760 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO really of a " series of glomeruli of primary Malpigliian bodies pro- jecting through the wide openings of the segmental tubes into the body cavity." These structures seem to be found between the ninth and thirteenth segments, but the corresponding primary segmental tubes are never fully developed in the chick. Further details (with figures) of this extraordinary and unexpected development are promised. Cellular Evolution of Protoplasm,* — M. Bordone, in a " thesis " under this title, commences with amorphous protoplasm as the sim- plest form of matter capable of containing life ; its first stage in upward development is the leucocyte, which may arise, though rarely, in the tissues without origin from a cell. It then acquires a nucleus, and in this condition may form protoplasmic leucocytes by gemma- tion. This appears to be proved by the separation from mulberry- like masses in the blood of the Axolotl of granules which fuse together and grow by taking in foreign material. This division is preceded by multiplication of the nucleus, which occurs either by fission or bud- ding, while in exceptional cases new nuclei may arise independently in the protoplasm ; budding fission, or segmentation then operates to multiply the cell. Imperfection of the Geological Record, t — Herr Fuchs contends that were the chronicles of past ages so imperfectly kept by the rocks as Mr. Darwin and his followers maintain, the study of palaeontology would have an interest merely for curiosity collectors. On the con- trary, the data already obtained from its study are so full as to afford a firm basis for the discussion even of such general questions as the Darwinian theory. Thus, the whole series of organisms may be divided into two groups, (1) one consisting of such as, owing to their peculiar habits, or to the soft consistency of their bodies, could only be exceptionally preserved as fossils (e. g. Medusas, Ascidians, insects, birds, soft plants) ; (2) the second of those whose form, skeleton, and manner of life tend to their preservation (corals, &c.). These latter are preserved not as the consequence of chance, but in the natural course of the formation of sedimentary strata. How certainly their survival is owing to these conditions is shown by the discovery of a richly fossiliferous marl in digging the foundations of the Messina Docks ; of the fossil shells found, about one hundred were known as living species, a few were not so known ; these few, however, in time were added to the recent fauna by dredgings made in the Bay. Of 337 species of testaceous Mollusca found in the sea on the west of Italy, 300 are known to occur in neighbouring quaternary deposits. Com- paring the richness in species of the most abundant recent molluscan fauna, that of the Philippine Islands, with that of the European upper chalk, or of the Bohemian Silurian basin, the two latter lose little by the comparison. All the indigenous European Ungulates are known in the fossil state. If such can be shown to be the case with * See ' Eev. Sci. Nat., ii. (1880) p. 115. t ' Verb. k.-k. Geol. Keichsanstalt,' xxix. (1879) p. 355 ; xxx. (1880) pp. 39, 61. See also 'Nature,' xxi. (1880) p. 476. INVEKTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 761 tlie many groups taken as examples, then the Darwinian theory must be demonstrable, if at all, from the evidence thus afforded. Direct contradiction is also given to the evolutionist doctrines by the fact of the periodicity of the development of animal life which is seen to have been the rule in past times : i. e. epochs of active deve- lopment were succeeded by times of comparative rest, and the develop- ment itself varied in intensity. It is contrary to the analogies afforded by the j)resent order of things to suppose this to be due to changes in the external conditions, for these may cause redistribution but not transmutation of plants and animals. Again, the relation of the faunae and floras of consecutive geological periods to each other shows a co-ordination closely resembling that of those of neighbouring dis- tricts at the present time, in having a number of species in common, a nimiber of decidedly different ones, and a small number of forms differing scarcely more than as varieties from some belonging to both districts. If this relation is sought to be explained by the missing species yet to be discovered, it may be replied that if investigation succeeds in finding in one formation the (e. g.) 50 representative species neces- sary to show its absolute sequence upon the preceding formation, it is as likely also to find (e. g.) 500 more species in that formation, and thus set theorists again to work to find these species also in the beds following. The asserted completion of the organic series by fossil links is unfounded, for though, as in the Ungulata, many gaps are thus filled up (by Anchitherium, &c.), yet as many more are created by the discovery of wholly new types (as Brontotherium, &c.) ; so with the mesozoic reptiles and fish and Cephalopoda, and still more with the palaeozoic fauna ; in particular, Professor Claus's declaration (in a lecture at Vienna in 1876) of the surprisingly small help which he has derived from the fossil forms in making out the genea- logy of the Crustacea, is brouglit forward in support. The number of its zones of life must be taken into account in reckoning the changes undergone by organisms in any geological period ; for instance, 153 zones are distinguished from the Silurian to the present age, and 33 in the Jurassic rocks, the passage from each zone giving the necessary conditions for mutation of a species ; but taking the actual number of such changes observed in the case of the Cephalo- poda (a highly modifiable group), in passing through the Jurassic rocks, viz. 77, the conclusion is drawn that on an average only 24 periods of change can actually have occurred for any group of animals since the Silurian times, a number quite insufficient to account for the immcuso (asserted) development of new genera, families, orders, and classes since that time. B. INVERTEBRATA. Mollusca. Mollusca of the 'Challenger' Expedition.*— The Rev. R. B. Watson gives the following as a few points which stand out with Bpecial prominonco as the result of his study of this material * ' Jouiu. Liuii. Soc' (Zool.), xv. (1880), p. 87. 762 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO " 1. Depth is an important condition of molluscan life. That is to say, there really are shallow and deej) water species and genera, though their bathymetric limits are not absolutely constant. To some this may seem too self-evident and universally accepted a proposition to need statement. Such would have been the case some years ago, but dredgings from the deep sea have presented facts which demanded a revisal of received opinions on this point ; and while the result in the main cannot be said ever to have been doubtful, and while the evidence of other branches of natural history has already been obtained in this same sense, it is desirable also to record the witness of the MoUusca of the ' Challenger ' Expedition. 2. Temperature, even more than mere depth, seems an important condition in molluscan life. It is needless to speak here of other conditions, such as light, or food, or oxygen, because, though there are extreme differences in these respects, and though their influence must be very great, still their precise amount, and the nature and direction of their effects, are too little known to afford foundation for more than guessing. Pressure seemed likely to form a very important condition in marine animal life ; the enormous figures representing the square inch amount of that pressure stirred men's imagination, and their fancies were supported by the fact that rapid transference to the sur- face from even a moderate depth destroys life ; but these impressions were removed by a remembrance of the laws of hydrostatic pressure, and by substituting a gradual for a rapid transition from deep water to the surface. Temperature, however, remains as an undoubtedly important factor. 3. Great differences in these respects of depth and temperature prove barriers to distribution. 4. Great length of time naturally helps escape from these barriers, for in the lapse of years accidents are likely to occur enabling species to evade difficulties which would in ordinary circumstances prove insurmountable. Hence the finding of a living species in a fossil state will always justify the expectation of its having a wide local distribution. 5. Where barriers of depth and temperature do not check distri- bution, there seems, in ordinary circumstances, no limit to universality of distribution. 6. There actually are existing species whose distribution is universal, no barriers having availed against their passage. 7. Still there is no trace, even in these species, of essential, lasting, and progressive change. I do not intend to overpress this point, for I allow that it pre- sents merely negative evidence. I do not assert that there are no species of MoUusca which have essentially, permanently, and pro- gressively changed. I only say there are some, even many, which have not done so, that I do not know any which have, and that the burden of proof lies with those who assert the positive. Evolutionists are in the way of saying that a thing being possible is therefore pro- INVEKTEBBATA, ORYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 763 bable, and consequently is true unless the contrary be proved. I only wisli to note that this is a reversal of all the laws of evidence in any case of fact whatever, and to add that, so far as I have had the oppor- tunity of observation, no proof has reached me of progressive, perma- nent, and essential change in molluscan development." Antiquity of certain Subordinate Types of Fresh-water and Land MoUusca.* — Mr. White points out that of the minor groups into which some of the " comprehensive " genera of these forms have been divided, a large number had their origin in periods which were at least as early as the closing epochs of the cretaceous or of the eocene periods. After a technical demonstration of these points, the author, on reviewing the collections, finds that there are in it so many "familiar forms" that it seems difficult to imagine that a large number " were living contemporaneously with the last of the Dinosaurs." The changes these Mollusca have endured seem to be very remarkable ; there was a " gradual desiccation of the regions formerly occupied by the great inland lakes," " the elevation of the whole Eocky Mountain system, and the establishment of the present great interior river-systems." Although some forms have disappeared, " the lines of descent of the numerous types which have reached us unbroken seem to be almost parallel," and the author comes to the conclusion that in some degree at any rate these types have had a " saltatory " origin, although he allows that the mode must always remain obscure. Development of the Digestive Tract in the Mollusca. t — From an abstract of the researches of Dr. W. K. Brooks we learn that he has come to certain definite conclusions, of which the following note gives an account of some of the most important : — (1) The polar globules mark the principal axis of the egg. (2) When there are four equal sjjherules in the egg, the proto- plasm of each is segregated ; that which will give rise to the ectoderm occupies the formative end and is quite transparent. (3) These formative ends separate as four micromeres. (4) By their division, and by the separation of other cells from the formative end of the macromercs, an ectoderm is formed, which entirely covers the four macromercs except at the blastopore. (5) These macromercs now become fused, and part becomes sepa- rated to form the endodermal layer of cells. (6) The remainder divides into a largo number of cells, which occupy an intermediate position. (7) These are not food-yolk, but continue to grow. (8) The ectodermal cells about the blastopore become converted into the shell-area. (9) The mouth is an independent invagination of the ectoderm. (10) Which does not become connected with the digestive tract until after the closure of the blasto])ore. (11) The stomachal appears to be the same as the primitive cavity. * ' Aiuer. Journ. Sci.,' xx. (1880) p. 44. t ' True. JJostou Sue. Nat. Hist.,' xxx. (18S0) p. 325. 764 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO (12) The " rectal plug " changes its position from the centre of the shell-area to a point on the ventral surface, where it forms the definitive anus. (13) The structure and history of the shell-area is substantially as described by Eay Lankester. (14) Periods of rest very conspicuously alternate with periods of segmentation. The above observations apply to the Pulmonata, and the history of the same parts in the oyster is not altogether the same ; in both cases, however, the blastopore is converted into the shell-area, and the mouth is formed nearly opposite, by an invagination of the ecto- derm. The anus is in both distinct from the blastopore, but the in- testine of the oyster appears to have no relation to the " invagination neck." Further details are promised, and will be welcomed, as the subject is one on which very various statements have been made by those embryologists who have directed their attention to this phylum. Action of Poisons on the Cephalopoda.*— M. Yung gives an account of the effect of certain poisons on the Dibranchiate forms on which he has been enabled to experiment : — Curare when injected subcutaneously has no action, but if two or three drops were injected into the cephalic artery they almost instan- taneously brought about a paralysis of the muscles of the mantle, and then of those of the arms ; although the animal then appeared to be dead, the " hearts " continued to beat, and the chromatophores retained their activity. Stryclinine has a very powerful influence, for 1 part in 30,000 of sea-water produced a relaxation of the muscles of the chromatophore ; the respiratory movements increased and then fell rapidly ; tetanus shortly followed. The animal emptied its ink-bag, and a state of extreme muscular rigidity was induced ; examination nevertlieless revealed the fact that the venous hearts were still beating. Nicotine is still more poisonous to the Cejihalopod, but it produces a contraction of the muscles of the chromatophores, and the hearts were arrested in their systole. Atropine appears to have a very complex action, large quantities are necessary to produce any effects, and these consist in the gradual lowering of the cardiac and respiratory movements. Verairin is an active poison, and produces ii-regularity of move- ment, and an arrest in systole of the hearts. Muscarin has a similar action to nicotine on the chromatophores, but the effect is not so well marked ; it would appear to slowen the circulation and to increase the secretions. Upas antiar, when injected into the cephalic artery, has the effect of throwing the animal into violent couvulsious, the cardiac move- ments become very irregular, and after a period of acceleration come to an end in the period of systole. * ' Comptes Keudus,' xci. (1880) p. 306. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA., MICROSCOPY, ETC. 765 Regeneration of the Head in Gastropods.* — Tlie first to make experiments on this subject was the eminent Si:)allanzaui ; and he was followed by Pastor Schaffer, of Eegensburg (1768-1770) ; these observations have been greatly neglected, but Professor Martens does well in referring to them in the note in which he deals with the recently published results of Justus Carriere. This naturalist con- firms the observations of his two predecessors ; eyes, tentacles, labial processes may be completely regenerated, but not the pharynx, or the supra-oesophageal ganglion, the destruction or removal of which is always accompanied by the death of the animal. More scientific than his predecessors, M. Carriere was always careful to see that he had really got, in the removed portion, the organ he intended to take away. Moreover, certain conditions are necessary to attain to complete success ; the animals must be in the most satisfactory vital conditions possible, and must have their requirements in the way of air, food, and water carefully attended to ; the experiments generally fail if under- taken at a time when all the energies of tlie animal are directed to the formation of the generative products ; the beginning of summer and the autumn season are the most satisfactory times. As to the species. Helix nemoralis and H. hortensis give the best result ; H. po- matia is more sensitive, and H. arhustorum and H. fruticum are still more so. Aquatic Pulmonata give frequently unsuccessful results, owing to the fact that fungi are very apt to become developed on their wounds. It may be suggested that the antiseptic treatment can be applied to physiological as well as to pathological operations. It is interesting to note that the observer has found that in the case of the eyes, at any rate, the process of regeneration is com- parable to that of the first formation of that organ. There is an invagination of tlie epithelium, the formation of a closed vesicle, the primitive cylindrical cells become partly converted into corneal cells, and i^artly into rods and cones. The complete regeneration of the eye takes from fifty to sixty days. Activity and Structure of the Muscles of Mollusca Acephala.t — M. Constance has experimented on the scalloj?, on oysters, on Anomia, Pectunculus, Venus, Cardium, Mytilus, by pricking, striking, by induc- tion currents, and by changes of temperature, and finds that of these agents the current of electricity is the most powerful and constant in its action. The muscles consist partly of striated fibres in Pectcn ; in the rest of these Mollusca the striated muscle is replaced by smooth fibre of a special kind ; in the Dimijaria the two kinds may be distinct. Both contraction and extension are voluntary actions, and can bo increased or rendered independent by ammonia vapour, chloroform, &c., which, together with changes of temperature, cause various degrees of paralysis of the- sensitive organs. Pedal Glands of the Tellinidse. J — In Tellina (T. haltica) M. Barrois finds a small posterior opening on the foot, leading into • ' Niiturforscher,' xiii. (1880) p. 272. + ' Bull. Soc. Acad, do Urcst,' 1879. Sec ' R.v. Sci. Nut.,' ii. (ISSO) p. 117. X ' Bull. Sci. Uep. Nord,' iii. (iSSO) p. IKS. 766 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO a canal wliicli ends in a larger cavity, plicated and lined witii glands ; these structures represent the byssal apparatus of those Mollusca which possess it. The canal represents the open groove of Cardium edule and the half-closed groove of Pecten maximus ; but these species have also certain glands situated in it, which have no homologues in Tellina ; its terminal glands, however, represent the byssal glands. Scrobicularia piperata differs in the arrangement of these parts from Tellina only by the inferior length of its canal. In Donax anatinum, the opening is also posteriorly placed ; the canal is short and leads into a cavity whose walls are covered with cylindrical epithelium ; no gland cells occur, they are replaced by an extremely dense mass of connective tissue which is not stained by reagents and shows no trace of gland cells. This is the furthest stage of degradation reached by the apparatus of the byssus in this family. Thus in these forms the opening of the duct is transferred from front to back, the groove is replaced by a canal, the glands of the groove are entirely lost, and in one of the species [Donax) the byssal glands are aborted. Anatomy of the Bullidea.* — M. Vayssiere is principally occupied in this essay with the description of that imperfectly known form Gasteropteron Meckelii ; but the difficult family to which this species belongs presents several points in which our knowledge is very far from being satisfactory ; its representatives differ considerably from one another in their external characters, and some among them are almost completely deprived of any shell. Members of the group may, however, be recognized by the facts that the dorsal region of their body is divided into four parts, and that both labial and dorsal tentacles are altogether absent. It will not be necessary to follow our author through the histori- cal chapter in his paper ; coming at once to the genus Gasteropteron, we find that in it there are at any rate no more than two described species, G. Meckelii of Kosse, and the very slightly different G. sinense of A. Adams. The former species, with which alone the French naturalist now concerns himself, is from 20 to 24 mm. long, and from 25 to 30 mm. broad ; the body proper is even much smaller than this. In its general appearance it has no slight resemblance to a Pteropod, and in that order the earlier naturalists were content to place it ; the shell is somewhat difficult to detect, and was never observed till 1860, when Krohn signalized its appearance ; it is only 4-5 tenths of a millimetre in size, is " nautiliform," hyaline, and very translucent, so that it has a very striking resemblance to that of a Carinaria ; it is found in the hepatic organ, is situated near to the anus, although somewhat behind this orifice, and a little on the right side. Digestive System.— This portion of the animal is exceedingly simple ; the oral orifice is situated in the centre of a slight depression, and just in front of the anterior portion of the foot ; on either side * ' Ann. Sci. Nat.,' ix. (1880), Art. 1. INVEKTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 767 tliero are slight projections, and tliese give rise to tlio parapodia, which aid in forming a kind of funnel-shaped orifice. Just behind the mouth there is a short, eversible proboscis, and connected with this there is the obscure structure which is known as the buccal bulb ; this somewhat elongated organ is ovoid in general shape, and has behind the two swellings with which it is provided a cylindri- cally shaped prolongation, which is the seat of origin of the radula. The muscles of this bulb are, consequent on the absence of any chitinous skeleton, exceedingly well developed; chitinous parts are, however, developed from the epithelial cells of the bulb, and at onco become sufficiently strong to form two small resisting plates, which may well be regarded as rudimentary jaws. These have an interest- ing structure ; they are made up of a number of small, irregularly cylindrical rods, closely set and all directed towards a common central point. That they are rudimentary jaws would appear to bo sufficiently well established by the comjiarison which the author has instituted between them and the similar structures of a further grade of development which are to be found in Bulla and in other allied genera. In addition to these rudimentary jaws, small chitinous papillas have been detected at the point where the proboscis passes into the bulb. The support for the radula occupies the base of the buccal cavity ; the radula itself forms a band which is twice as long as it is wide, the central portion is unarmed and only presents some, always small, chitinous granules or concretions. On either side there is a longitudinal row of well-developed teeth, and on these there follow five parallel rows of smaller lateral teeth (uncini). The oesophagus takes a course a little towards the left, and then descends to a somewhat lower plane, where it passes into what the author calls the second cavity of the body ; it becomes at once con- tinuous with the stomach. This poi'tion of the tract, in which no gizzard seems to be developed, is enveloped by the " hepatico-herma- phrodite mass " ; the internal epithelium is provided with a number of short cilia. As an ordinary rule, there open on its surface ten distinct hepatic orifices. The walls of the intestine are even more delicate than are those of the stomach, and they have no proper coloration ; what they have is due to their contents. This region, somewhat equal in calibre to the oesophagus, is not dilatable ; after some coiling it ends on the right side, in a little pit behind the respiratory appa- ratus. Towards its termination the musculature of its walls becomes better developed ; Foraminifera, Eadiolaria, and diatoms appear to form the chief food of these molluscs. The salivary glands form two long, white, hyaline sacs without ramifications, and placed one on either side of the rosophagus, which they follow along its course, although without contracting any con- nection with it, and they open into the buccal cavity by narrow ducts, just above the ccsophagus. The glandular layer is formed of two rows of cells, of some size but irregular in form ; their nucleus is distinctly visible. The liver, contrary to what obtains in most of tlic Opistho- brancliiata, is not compact, nor docs it open into the stomach by 768 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO a single orifice. It is made up of a certain number of completely- separated glands, while each has a special duct which opens directly into the stomach. These ducts and the lobes of the glands do, how- ever, become somewhat entangled, and thus give rise to the appearance of a single compact mass, by which the subdivision of the organ is at first sight obscured. Ten distinct lobes may be generally made out. The ultimate cells are large, polymorphous, and variously coloured ; they contain vesicles which may. either be scattered through the cell or aggregated into a small central mass ; they vary in coloui- through different shades of yellow. The author applies the term independent glands to certain distinct structures ; these are (1) Circumoral glands and (2) posterior gland of the foot. The former are found in the integument around the orifice of the proboscis, and within the first cavity of the body ; they vary a good deal in form, but always end in an excretory duct, which opens at the entrance to the orifice of the proboscis. Their contents are hyaline, and are made up of nucleated vesicles with a nucleolus, and granular bodies suspended in a colourless liquid. They are not, as the author first thought, unicellular glands, notwithstanding the sim- plicity of their structure. Their function appears to be that of assisting in the prehension of the microscopic organisms which form the food of these creatures. The posterior gland of the foot appears to have escaped notice altogether ; this is the more remarkable since it is visible to the naked eye. In general constitution this gland has much the same structure as those around the mouth ; its secretion is in the form of a rich supply of mucus, which seems to form a kind of raft for the animal, and thereby to enable it to float on the surface of the sea. The organ of Bojanus is of some size, is placed on the right side of the body, is of an ochreous yellow tint, and somewhat trans- lucent. Spongy in constitution, its cell-elements are spherical in form, and among their contents it was not possible to detect any crystals of uric acid. On its external wall there is, in front of the anus, a constant black spot ; this, on careful examination, was seen to have in its centre five or six small orifices, by means of which the gland communicates with the exterior. The walls of the gland are, as is usual, richly supplied with veins. Bed Gland. — This gland, the presence of which the most super- ficial observer cannot fail to detect, extends over a portion of the intestine and over the walls of the " copulatory pouch." Its con- stituent cells, though smaller, are not unlike in character to those of the organ of Bojanus ; the contained granular bodies are greyish or of a bright red, and disappear altogether under the action of acids. The author is forced to content himself and his readers with an account of the structural characters of the body, as he is unable to offer any definite suggestion as to what its function may be. Bespiratory and Circulatory Organs. — These must be dealt with very briefly ; the former consists of a semi-pinnate branchial plume, made up of a number of lamellae, more or less free at their extremity, and invested by an excessively delicate tissue. The external orifice INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 769 of the " aquiferous system " appears to lie a little above the genital orifice ; the heart has its long axis set transversely to that of the body, and the ventricle is, in position, a little superior to the auricle ; the aorta is a vessel of some size which bifurcates at a very short distance from the heart into an anterior and a posterior aorta. These and their branches have their course described in some detail ; but, in con- sequence of the rarity and small size of these creatures, the author is not able to make this chapter as complete as he could wish. Reproductive Organs. — Hermaphroditism appears to be especially complete in Gasteropteron, for there is only a single duct for the pur pose of carrying away the male and female products. But our spaco does not permit us following the author through his important account of the details. Nervous System. — The oesoiDhageal collar is formed by three pairs of ganglia, connected together by commissures of different lengths ; all these — cerebral, pedal, and visceral — are placed more or less to the sides of the collar, but the first have, of course, a more distinctly dorsal position. Among the protecting parts we may note a mass of hyaline cells which ajjjDear to be in relation to the integument ; re- calling by their character hypodermic glands, they seem to discharge a more or less mucilaginous fluid which aids in lessening any shocks to the nervous centres. After giving a detailed description of these ganglia and of the nerves which pass off from them, the author turns to the stomato- gastric and to the genital ganglia ; the sense-organs are next dealt with, and here we have to note that, although the dorsal tentacles are in all Bullidea completely wanting, and are partially replaced by the cephalic disk, this last-mentioned organ must not be considered merely as an atrophied tactile organ, for the olfactory sense, which is ordinarily exercised by the extremity of the tentacles, has its seat in a more or less well-marked differentiation of that portion of the integu- ment which lies between the cephalic disk and the foot ; in Gasterop- teron this sense seems to be completely absent, but the tactile organs are, as comi)ared with the allied forms, very richly developed. After a description of the optic and auditory organs, the author passes to Tlie Anatomy of some Allied Genera {Doridium,Philine, Scaphander, and Bulla) ; of this the following is a very brief abstract. — The most striking point in Doridimn is the structure of its copulatory organ ; in this genus the penis does not, as in most Molliisca, form a thick- walled tube, but a canal not completely closed, for four-fifths of its length the left edge of the canal lies over the right, but at its superior cxtronity there is a kind of groove, which is so formed that the orifice of the duct is not terminal, but ventral in position. In Philine and Scaphander the salivary glands are very short and cylindrical, instead of being elongated as they aic in most members of this family ; there are only two hepatic orifices, and the circumoral glands are feebly developed. The olfactory and optic organs aro exceedingly rudimentary ; the jicnis of Philine is hammer-shaped, while in Scaphander this organ is completely absent. As to classification, M. Vnyssi^re docs not find himself in agrcc- VOIi. III. 3 E 770 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO ment with Ihering, wlio would separate Gasteropteron, Philine, and Scaphander from the Bullidea ; the French anatomist would, however, retain Woodward's family, and would form in it two subdivisions, in one of which O aster opter on is the only genus ; these two subdivisions may be thus characterized. In the first, the paraj^odia are largely developed, a small nautiloid shell is contained within the mantle, and the oesophageal collar is made up of a pair of cerebral ganglia, of a pair of pedal, and of six visceral ganglia ; the last being arranged by three to the right, and three to the left. In the second division the parapodia are always rudimentary, the shell is always very distinct, is never nautiliform, and may be well developed and external ; there are only three visceral ganglia in the oesophageal collar, and of these, two are placed to the right, and one to the left. Here, too, we find that the genital nerve always arises from the larger of the two left visceral ganglia, while in Gasteropteron it arises directly from the commissure without the intermediation of any ganglionic enlargement ; while the branchial nerve, which, in Gasteropteron always arises from the right visceral centres, may in them be derived from the right visceral ganglion, from the right half of the commissure, or from a ganglion placed in the middle of this connecting cord. Development of Teredo.* — Dr. Hatschek has extended his obser- vations in development to the Lamellibranchiate Mollusca. The youngest ovarian ova are pyriform in shape, and are attached by their stalk to the wall of the ovary ; the germinal vesicle is excentric ; the fertilized ova and the embryos are found within the gills of the mother, where in numerous individuals it is often possible to see three different stages ; the older being in the more anterior region. It is soon possible to observe in an unsegmented ovum a clear animal and a darker vegetative pole ; after the first segmentation we 'have two unequal spheres, the smaller or more anterior of which is not so dark as the other, in consequence of the less close packing of the yolk- granules. The author is of opinion that in all Bilateria a bilateral symmetry is to be made out in the ovum, just as in all Metazoa there is a polar differentiation of the same cell. Observations on the process of segmentation show that the ectoderm is formed from the clearer cells, while the unpaired larger segmentation-sphere goes to form the mesoderm and endoderm ; no cleavage cavity was to be observed. The rudiments of the former of these two inner layers are develojied from the large dark cell by the separation of a smaller piece, which occupies the hinder pole of the embryo and divides into two cells which become placed symmetrically, one on either side ; they are darker than the ectodermal cells, and their nuclei are larger, so that they altogether resemble in character the primitive mesodermal cells of Unio, Planorbis, Pedicellina, and the Annelids. The gastrula arises by epiboly and its free edge is formed by the ectodermal layer ; there is still a single large endodermal cell, which does not become divided for some time, and, even after the commence- * ' Claus's Arbeiten,' iii. (1880) p. 1. INTERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 771 ment of the formation of the oesophagus, there are only two enclodermal cells. As the embryo changes from its ovoid form, we get a flattened pre-oral, a conical post-oral, and a rounded posterior region. With high powers it is possible to see, at some distance from the mouth, a double circlet of delicate cilia, supported on two special rows of ecto- dermal cells. The two large ectodermal cells divide, and form the posterior endodermal mass ; a double pre-oral ciliary cii'clet becomes developed. Soon the whole siu-face of the embryo is covered with cilia, the only naked region being a portion of the hinder part of the dorsal surface. The ectodermal cells begin to form a shell-gland, and this, at a later stage, forms a deep thick-walled saccule with a narrow cylindrical lumen ; its orifice and margin are covered by a delicate chitinous cuticle, which represents the earliest rudiment of the shell, and indi- cates thereby the primitively unpaired condition of this organ. From the primary mesodermal cells two or three smaller ones have been budded off on either side, and pushed forwards ; tho characters of these parts strongly call to mind the arrangements which obtain in Criodrilus. The shell becomes double while still very thin, and almost cuticular in character. At a somewhat later stage the form of the body and the rudiments of the organs call to mind the disposition of parts in the trochophore stage of the Annelid-larva ; the stages next succeeding arc very markedly affected by the development of the shell, which has grown considerably, and about this time the double pre-oral circlet of cilia disappears. The development of the musculature is now rapidly going on ; and a number of separate parts soon become well marked ; still do the primitive mesodermal cells retain their large size. As tho shell grows, takes on a yellowish coloration, and becomes marked by parallel lines of growth, the characters of the ciliation become much changed ; cilia have disappeared from the frontal area and from tho ventral surface ; in the oral region, pre-oral, post-oral, and adoral zones are to be distinguished. As the larva at this stage is completely trochophoral, save only as regards the presence of a shell and a mantle to indicate its molluscan ancestry, we have to look for a similarly well-marked excretory organ ; this, just like the kidney of the Trochophore, is to bo found at tho anterior end of the mesentery, where it forms a longish organ, with a delicate lumen, and ciliated internally. As this body elongates it becomes connected with the ectoderm and gets to open to the exterior by means of an orifice in this layer. As we cannot follow the author through all his further details, wo will pass to the concluding part of this descriptive chapter, in which he speaks of tl;e developnient of the gills. In the maiith; cavity, at tho sides of the trunk, there appears a ridge of ectoderm, wliich belongs to the inner lamella of the mantle-fold. Later on, the hinder portion of this branchial ridge gets set at right angles to the anterior, and at the angle the rudiment of tho gill is best developed. At a point near the free cd^o the two layers, of wliich tho fold is composed, bccomo thinner ; depressions ap})car in this which lead to tho breaking up of 3 E 2 772 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO tlie gill, which, at about the same time, becomes marked off from the inner mautlo-lamella by the ingrowing of the fold. After some considerations on the early appearance of the bilateral ai-rangement, to which attention has been called above, the author says that, with the exception of the Echinodermata, the Trocho- zoon appears to be the primitive form for all the rest ; WormSj Molluscs, Molluscoids, Arthropods, and Vertebrates may therefore be distinguished as Euhilateria. The blastopore closes along the middle line, and the mouth appears at the point at which lay its final remnant ; the formation of an ectodermal fore-gut appears to have happened very early, and, after this, the formation of the mesoderm is the oldest phenomena. The mode of development of the mesodermal organs is a matter of great interest ; in the Annelids the differentiation of the mesodermal bands leads to the distinction between the head and trunk ; the relations between the trochophore and the Teredo-larva are so close that their common ancestry is not to be doubted ; the early development of the shell is only another examj)le of the appearance before its historic time of an organ which plays an important part in the organization of the individual. When we try to trace the phylogenetic history of the mollusc, we see that there were added to the organs of the Trochozoon, first, the ventral ganglion of the trunk with the auditory vesicles, the paired trunk-kidneys, opening by special ciliated infundibula into the secondary coelom ; and the dorsal heart. These organs characterize the primitive ancestor of both annelids and molluscs ; then, for the mollusc, there aj^peared the hepatic diverticula of the stomach, the dorsal shell, the mantle-fold, the muscular foot, and the primary gills. When the foot appeared, the free-swimming mode of life was lost, and the velum began to atrophy. If this be really the true history of the Mollusca, it is clear that the " step-ladder " form of the ventral ganglia (Ihering) cannot be regarded as an indication of a pre- existing segmentation. The lateral approximation of the pedal ganglia is a secondary character, and so, much more, is the approximation and final fusion of these centres with the oesophageal ganglion. Do the facts of development as now known to us support the monophyletic or the polyphyletic (Ihering) theory of the history of the Mollusca ? Hatschek believes that the ventral ganglia took their origin from an ectodermal thickening on the ventral side of the trunk-region, and that their approximation to the oesophageal ganglion in the Nudibranchiata is the result of a secondary process. Ihering would think that in (his) Platycochlides the supra-oesophageal, as well as the pedal ganglia, had their origin in the frontal plate. Further investigation of known facts, and further study into still unexplored regions, can alone decide what answer is to be given to these two questions. Molluscoida. Development of Lingula.* — M. Joliet has an analysis of Mr. W. K. Brooks's important contribution to this subject, to * ' Avfli. Zool. Exp. ct Gc'u.,' 1880, p. 390. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY^ ETC. 773 the general conclusions of which we direct attention. Dealing with the zoological position of the Brachiopoda, the author points out that embryological investigations have shown us that the re- semblances between the gills of Tunicates, Brachiopods, and Lamelli- branches are adult characteristics which have been arrived at by very different ways. The larvsB of the higher Brachiopods present a striking resemblance to the larva of Loxosoma ; those of lower forms, e. g. Lingula, have a striking similarity to the adult (and especially to the fresh-water) Polyzoa ; the autlior's facts seem to him to show conclusively the real resemblance between the two groujis. When the adult instead of the young is examined, we have incontestably to do with a solitary Bryozoon, provided with a nervous system and with highly specialized sensory organs. The relations of the Brachiopoda to the Vermes are much less distinct than Morse imagines ; their relations to the Bryozoa are very definite. As to this last, its affinities to the Veliger-form are quite appai-cnt ; the velum corresponds to the lophophore, the epistoma with its ganglion corresponds to the foot and the pedal ganglion ; the shell and its operculum correspond to the cell and operculum of the Cheilostomatous Polyzoa, and the retractor muscles are " clearly homologous." The Brachioi)oda, then, may be taken to be the most highly si)ecialized representatives of the Bryozoan branch, and the Mollusca proper have a similar relation to the FeZ/^\t. G3-<;. 778 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO young larvae will at once be likely to meet with their mollnscan diet. The greater the tendency to produce ova in abundance the more sluggish the females would become, and hence females once capable of flight would lose the use of their wings, and the usefulness of the light to attract their more volatile partners would be greater than ever. This he believes to be the explanation of the fact that the highest degree of light, or at any rate the greatest disproportion in the amount shown by the sexes, is to be found in those species which have apterous females, and together with this the greatest develop- ment of eye in the male. The species in which both sexes are winged, and in which both are luminous and in probably nearly equal degree, are, the author thinks, by far the larger proportion of the whole number of existing species. In this case the power of emitting light would be obviously useful in attracting both sexes to assemble in swarms, and it does not militate against this supposition that in many siDCcies the males should possess this faculty in the higher degree. It might be anticipated that if the female has to be guided to the rendezvous of the species by this eilect, the eyes in that sex would not be inferior to those of the male ; and such is the fact. One well-known case is the European and Eastern genus Luciola. Here both sexes fly, both are luminous, and both have largely developed, powerful eyes. Neither of these sections, however, comprise those species which are generally regarded as most tyjjical of the family, the largest, and those which appear on the whole to have all their parts most highly specialized, and which, therefore, we place at the head of a systematic list, such as the genera Lamprocera and Cladodes. It is rather re- markable that in these genera the light-emitting faculty has not been developed in the same proportion as the rest of the organs have, and that while one of these, viz. the eyes, are also reduced in a direct ratio with the light, and are small and uniform in both sexes, another organ, the antennae, is developed in inverse ratio as the phosphorescence is diminished. It is not intended to refer to mere length, or redundancy in the number of joints, which are more usual in very simple and primitive forms of the organ, such as we see in JBlatta, but of a high degree of specialization, testified by large lamellar plates or pectination. Whether the eye is develoj)ed at the - expense of the antenna, and is so to speak the recei^tacle of all the vital forces of the head, or whether the antenna supj)lements the loss of the other organ of sense, and is useful in detecting the presence of the female, only one fact is in evidence, which is that this j)lumosity of the antennas, in one case, and this enormous development of the eye in the other, are usually sexual characters predominating in the male, but sometimes found in both sexes. In support of his view Mr. Gorham exhibited a selection of species arranged in three groups, viz. : — i. Species with plumose antennae, small or moderate eyes, both sexes winged, light-emitting surface confined to one or more small spots : — Lamprocera, Cladodes, Vesta, Lucidora, Phcenolis, and Megalo- phthalmus. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 779 ii. Species in which both sexes are winged ; light emitted con- siderable, sometimes greater in the P ; eyes large, sometimes ex- cessive ; antennae simple, usually filiform : — Cratomorphus, Lucernula, Aspidosoma, Luciola, and Plioturis. iii. Species in which the female is apterous or with rudimentary wings ; light emitted often very great in the female, and often only rudimentary traces of it in the male ; antennae usually rudimentary ; eyes large in the male, often excessively so, occupying nearly the whole head : — Pleotomus, Lamprophorus, MicropTiotus, Lampyris, and LmnprorMza. In the discussion * which followed the paper, the author, in reply to a question how he had deterinincd the intensity of the light without actual photometric measurement of the live insects, stated that tlie light-emitting segments at the extremity of the abdomen were dis- tinguisliable by their white, vitreous appearance, and that he con- sidered their number and size to indicate the phosphorescent power. He did not consider that these vitreous segments were themselves luminous, but that the source of light was within the body of the insect, and shone through the transparent segments, or could be withdrawn at pleasure. In this manner he thought the gradual extinction or intermittent flashing of the light might be explained. Influence of Temperature in producing Varieties of Lepi- doptera.t — G. Dorfmcister has observed a specimen of Vanessa Atalanta, stated to have been bred from a pupa of the year before, with the lower side of the hind wings buff-coloured ; he therefore made experiments to test the caiise of this by trying to breed similar forms, and succeeded in producing just such a specimen as the first. As the species docs not naturally pass the winter in the pupa state in this part of the world, many puptc were killed by cold, and the tem- perature at which they thrive was discovered in the course of the experiments. The variety mentioned was obtained among tlie images from pupa? which had become pupre at 10^ to 11^ Ii., and were afterwards kept at 7^"" to 5.V" R., and some varieties resembling it resulted from the same treatment ; pupae, however, kept at from 1° to 2° R. either died or furnished crippled images. Using higlicr temjieratures, and forcing the pupae in a shorter time, he found tliat several similar varieties were i)roduccd, the method being to allow the pupation of the caterpillars to take i)laco between 7h^ and ll'^ R., to keep the pupae from three to seven days at the same temperature, and for the remaining eighteen to thirty days to keep tliem in a room of sometimes tolerably low temperature. With Vitnessa urticce he found that diminishing the warmtli pro- duced stages of transition to the Lai)hxnd form, Vanessa levaiia, how- ever, which is accustomed to pass the winter as pupa, developed no varieties when exposed to a greatly diininishod toiiiperaturc. In order to determine the exact period at which the future colourings and markings are fixed on the insect, he recalls the fact * Iliiil. (Proc), p. vi. t 'MT. Nivtvirw. Vit. Stciuriimrk ' (IXSO), Al.liaii.ll., \k 3. I pliilo. 780 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO that the most extreme varieties resulted from larv^ which had been kept in the cellar (i. e. at a low temperature) during their period of pupation ; but from his other experiments, and from some recorded by Professor Weissmann, he is now inclined to believe that this critical period occurs, not at the time of the pupation itself, but immediately after it. With regard to the known sensitiveness of Lepidoptera to low temperatures while entering the pupa stage, he states that larvae of Arctia caja need at least 9° to 10° R. for this operation ; some kept at a degree varying between 8° and 10° took from twenty -four to thirty days to make the change after spinning up, and then only produced somewhat deformed images ; those kept below that tem- perature perished. Protective Attitude of the Caterpillar of the Lobster Moth.* — Most entomologists have admitted that the grotesque attitude of those caterpillars forming Newman's " Cuspidate " group was in some way protective, but it is only quite recently that Dr. Hermann Miiller has made known the results of his observations on the caterijillar of Stauropus Fagi, which observations now for the first time tend to show the true meaning of this attitude in the species in question. When sitting on a twig in its natural position the head and first five segments are held erect, and the greatly lengthened legs of the Becond and third segments held outstretched ; thus, when seen from the front, the whole aspect of the insect, both in form and colour, is most spider-like, and when alarmed it immediately raises its four long legs and moves them irregularly, after the manner of a spider attacking its victim. This spider-like appearance is believed to be a special protection against ichneumons which may approach it from the front. According to the experience of H. Miiller ichneumons are especially afraid of spiders, and he states, on the authority of Fleddermann, an experienced breeder of insects, that the larva oi S. Fagi was never found to be attacked by ichneumons, whilst, according to Treitschke, the nearly allied Hyhocampa Milliauseri is often attacked by them, although a much rarer species, which rarity may perhaps be attributable to the complete absence of such protection as that possessed by S. Fagi. So much for the front aspect of the caterpillar under consideration. When approached from the rear there is nothing to be seen but the erect, hard shield-like surface of the last segment surmounted by two black horns, and presenting an appearance totally unlike that of a caterpillar. When a side view of the larva is presented, there is seen on the fourth and fifth segments a small black depression just below the spiracles, and giving the appearance of a caterpillar ivhich has been stung hy an ichneumon, so that one of these foes approaching from the side would be deceived and abandon it without depositing its eggs. Odoriferous Apparatus of Sphinx ligustri.t — This has been lately discovered by Von Eeichenau, who found, while stuflSng the * ' Kosmos,' 1879, p. 123. See ' Trans. Entom. Soc. Lond.,' 1880, ' Proe.,' p. iii. t ' Entomol. Naclir.,' vi. (1880) p. 141. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 781 abdomen, a bunch of colourless bair-like scales lying in a fold on eacb side of the first abdominal segment ; it could be extruded from the fold by pressure. The aperture has the form of a cylindrical tube, and here a strong musky scent was perceptible, and did not occur elsewhere. The scales are readily visible with the naked eye. Spinning Organs of Insect Larvae.* — Dr. Gustav Joseph has a preliminary communication on these organs. He finds, in oppo- sition to Lidth de Jeude, that they are supplied with nerves from the sub-oesophageal ganglia and from the gastric nervous system. When the integument is carefully removed from young larvae in which the fatty body is but slightly developed, it may be seen that between the peritoneal investment of the spinning tube and its glandular cell-layer there is a distinct nervous plexus formed of extremely fine dichotomous filaments which pass in between the gland-cells. These spinning organs are developed very early in the course of existence, and commence as a small depression ; this gradually deepens and becomes converted into a tube ; the cells which bound its lumen are at first scarcely to be distinguished from the morpho- logical elements which make up the outermost layer of the general integument. These tubules generally make their appearance before the salivary glands, but this is not always the case. The author, in opposition to Hatschek, woiald regard them as being tegumentary glands, or in other words as being primarily difi'erentiatcd from the integument. They are not to be confotmded with the salivary glands, the function of which is in relation to the ingested nutri- ment ; and they themselves demonstrate their relations to the integu- ment by forming a secretion which hardens on exposure to the air, and has some of the characters of a cuticle. As is briefly pointed out, the development of the three constituent parts of the tube — gland, reservoir, and efferent duct — diflers in different species. Further details are promised. Parthenogenesis in Halictus.f — The observations of M. Fabro have been chiefly made on Halictus cylindricus and H. sexcinctiis. After a description of the conditions under which he observed the two species, the author points out tliat for this genus there is no "society" in the entomological sense of the word ; each mother cares only for its own larvaj, though the various jiarents unite to form a common liome ; each cell in the gallery is nevertheless the property of a single Halictus. As to the relations of the sexes, wo find that males are very rarely to be detected ; in September, however, they are to bo found in quantity. Beginning, then, with the month of November, wo find females which have evidently been fertilized ; this is easy to understand, but at this ptriod tlio males have completely dis- appeared. The females pass the winter in their cells, and towards ]\Iay they come out and work at their nests. In July, though no males have yet been seen, there is a second generation ; but hero • ' Zmil. Anzcig.,' iii. (1S80) p. 326. t ' Ann. Sci. Nat.,' ix. (1880) Art. 1. 782 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO comes the difficulty, that we know that the females die down after having taken steps for the continuance of the race ; and again, what have become of the numerous females developed in May, if it is really true that the presence of the males is necessary for the forma- tion of ova capable of development ? " They are mothers, and fertile mothers, without having known the male." The generation in July is therefore a true case of parthenogenesis. The results of these ova are male and female, and the members of the former sex are in greater abundance. Excepting the Aphides, this would appear to be the first well-authenticated case of the alternate development of fertilized and of non-fertilized ova among the Insecta ; the cases of Lepidoptera which might be brought to bear upon the point are sporadic and accidental. The author concludes with a notice of a parasite on E. sexcindus, which is the larva of Myiochjtes subdipterus, a coleopteron with greatly reduced elytra. As soon as the larva of Halictus has swallowed its honey, it is devoured by Myiodytes ; as to the depo- sition of the ova of this last, the author has at present nothing to communicate. Galls produced by Aphides.* — In this paper M. Courchet deals with the principal galls produced by aphides, from the trijile point of view of their development, their morphological value, and their structure. He abstains from discussing the action that the puncture exercises on the vegetable tissues ; but he points out that if mechanical influence could take any part whatever in the formation of galls it would cer- tainly be in those of the aphides, the insect being always alive and active in the heart of the new tissues. Further, the action of the animal poison, to which, according to M. Lacaze-Duthiers and others is attributed the production of the galls, is not absolutely comparable to that of a virus on animal tissues ; the latter has no need to be inoculated and incessantly renewed to give rise to the production of special phenomena, whilst M. Courchet has always observed that the galls (of aphides), which for any cause have been abandoned by their inhabitants, are arrested in their growth. M. Courchet passes in review the galls of the Terebinth, the Lentisk, the Black Poplar, and the Elm, dwelling particularly on the first three, which are the most interesting and the least studied. Of the Terebinth, five galls are described : horn galls (galle en corne), produced by Pempliigus cornicularius, and utricular galls by P. utricularius, both formed at the expense of the tissues of the median nervure. The three others are formed by the lamina of the leaf folded in different ways, and are the production of P. j^allidus, P.follicularius, and P. semilunarius. On the Lentisk is found one gall, produced by an Aploneura, and which is similar to those of P. pallidus and P. follicularius. The Black Poplar has six galls ; one formed at the expense of the tissues of a branch, the others being of a foliar nature. They are * ' Rev. Sci. Nat.,' i. (1880) pp. 533-41. mVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 783 produced by the followiug insects : P. sjnrothecce (gall formed of the twisted petiole), Pacliypaiypa marsupialis (gall in the form of a purse, generally red and compressed laterally, projecting from the upper side of the leaf). Pemphigus bursariiis (gall growing either on a branch or a petiole), P. populi n. sp. (gall insufficiently studied, but it is believed that the tissues of the median nervure take the greatest part in its constitution), P. affinis (hardly to be considered a " gall," consisting simply of a folding of the leaf on the median nervure, the right and left margins meeting and forming a large cavity between the two parts of the leaf), P. vesicarius (gall possibly resulting from the union and abnormal growth of the leaves of a bud). The following are M. Courchet's conclusions : — 1st. None of the galls produced by the aphides arise from the very centre of the tissues of an organ ; some commence by a simple invagination of the lamina of a leaf (" horn gall," utriculate gall of the Terebinth), or by a cellular swelling which forms and rises little by little around the insect as in the gall of Pemyliigns bursarius of the Black Poplar ; or again, a petiole coiled up on itself encloses the insect in a cellular utricle which finally becomes a true gall, as happens in the case of P. spirothecce, &c. ; in other words, all may be classed under M. de Lacaze-Duthiers' term of " false internal galls." 2nd. Their cavity is always spacious, and the wall relatively thin, which is rendered necessary by the presence in their interior of an always considerable number of living insects. 3rd. Their structure always retains more or less of that of the organ which bears them, and which is entirely, or in part, transformed to j)roduce them. In general their walls are composed of a tolerably homogeneous fundamental cellular tissue, which is traversed by fibro- vascular bundles in variable number. There are no well-marked concentric layers here, as seen, for instance, in the galls produced by Cynips on the oak. 4th. All the galls of aphides hitherto observed by the author, with one exception, represent appendicular organs, or parts of appendicular organs transformed ; the gall of Pemphigus bursarius alone is formed laterally on an axis or petiole by a single prolifera- tion of the herbaceous layer, and in an independent manner. /3. Myriapoda. Eyes and Brain of Cermatia forceps.* — Mr. N. Mason lias made preparations of the eyes of this Myriapod, which is useful as a sjjider- destroyer, and Dr. Packard gives the result of his examination of tho eyes and brain. The eye appears to be constructed on tho same plan as that of other species of tho sub-class, but differing in important resjiccts. Though Cermatia is said to have compound eyes in contradistinction from the so-called " ocelli " of other Myriapods, the latter arc like- wise truly aggregated or compound, tho " ocelli " being composed of contiguous facets, tho nerve-fibres supplying them arising in tho ♦ ' Am. Nut.,' xiv. (1880) i\ C02. 784 KECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO same general manner from the optic nerve as in Cermatia, wliere tlie facets are much more numerous. The eye of Cermatia is composed of a hemispherical, many-facetted cornea, the lenses of which are shallow, doubly convex, being quite regularly lenticular, the chitinous substance being laminated as usual. Each corneal lens is underlaid by a retina about as thick as the cornea, the inner surface of each retinal mass being convex. Corresponding to each lens is a separate mass of connective tissue, which increases in thickness from the end of the optic nerve outward towards the cornea ; though the entire retina of the eye extends back to the ganglion opticum. Within the broad stratum of connective tissue, forming the entire retina of the eye, lies next to the corneal lens a layer of " vitreous cells " or " lens- epithelium " of Graber. This layer is succeeded by the series of rather large visual rods, one in each mass corresponding to each corneal lens ; these rods are long and sharp, conical at the end which extends nearly to the inner edge of the retinal mass ; they each possess a nucleus, and the connective tissue enveloping the rods is nucleated, while there is an irregular layer of nucleated cells near or around the ends of the rods. There are no cones ; these not being yet detected in the eye of Myriapods. This layer of cells is suc- ceeded by a thin, slightly curvilinear, transverse strip of connective tissue passing through the entire eye, and behind it are the loose, nucleated, spherical cells forming the ganglion opticum. The brain of Cermatia forceps, as shown by several sections, is developed on the same plan as in Bothropolys, and the myriopodan brain seems to correspond more closely in its general form and histology with that of the insects than the Crustacea. The large, thick optic nerve arises from the upper side of each hemisphere. The median furrow above is deep, and on each side is a mass of small ganglion cells ; also a mass in the deep fissure below the origin of the optic nerve, and another mass on the inferior lobe extending down each side of the cesophagus, probably near or at the origin of the posterior commissure. These masses, i. e. those on the upper and under side of the brain, connect on each side of the median line, and in this respect the brain is as in Bothropolys. There are no large ganglion cells as in Crustacea, including Limulus. There is, then, no very close resemblance in form or histology between the eye and brain of Limulus and the Myriapods, the two types of eye being essentially diiferent. 7- Arachnida. New "Work on Parasites. — M. P. Mequin has just published a work entitled ' Les Parasites et les Maladies Parasitaires.' The part which has already appeared deals with the parasitic Arthropoda. In addition to the sixty-three woodcuts which are intercalated in the text, there is a separate atlas of twenty-six plates. This work ought to be useful as a dictionary and handbook of the characters of the more important Arthropod j^arasites, for though not without faults it goes a long way to supply a want which has been long felt. DTVERTEBRATA, CRTPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 785 New Galeodida.* — In his latest contribution to this subject, Dr. Karsch describes a number of new forms, and among these there are three new genera — Zerhina {Z. gracilis C. L. Koch), Dcesia (D. prcecox C. L, Koch), Biton (B. Ehrenbergii n. sp.), and Gnosippus (G. Klunzingeri n. sp.). The author is of opinion that the time has not yet come for a natural arrangement of this group. Simon, in rejecting what he regards as Koch's artificial arrangement, has left equally important points out of consideration. In proof of his position the author gives an interesting table showing the number of tarsal joints in the three hinder pairs of legs in the genera of the Galeodida, which shows up the lacuna? in our knowledge in a very striking manner. 5. Crustacea. Antennary Gland of the Crustacea.t — In this important essay Dr. Grobbeu commences with an account of his observations on some of the Phyllopoda ; in the larva) of Esfheria and Branchipus he has found that in its early condition the gland consists of two parts, histologically different ; there is a terminal saccule, and a urinary canal, looped and coiled. The former lies between the muscles of the second antenna and has a dorso-ventral direction ; it is attached to the integument by connective fibres. The canal extends from before backwards, and opens at the base of the second antenna. The saccule is lined by an epithelial layer lying on a delicate supporting membrane ; the cell-protoplasm is clear, rich in vacuoles and nume- rous yellowish-brown granules. In the canal we only find three nuclei, so that its walls are formed by three cells ; the protoplasmic granules are principally arranged in cords, while on the internal surface the cells are invested by a rather thick cuticle. In the Nauplius form of Cetochihts hehjolandicus the canal is formed by a few cells, the terminal saccule by a single one, and it is provided on its inner surface with a delicate cuticle. In Cyclops (Nauplius form) the antennary gland is considerably elongated, the canal is long, curved dorsally, and after a complex course returns to the region of the saccule. Turning from the Entomostraca to the Malacostraca, the author describes what he has seen in Gammarus marinns ; here, again, there is a terminal saccule and a canal ; the former, reniform in shape, lies near the integument, and the canal after several coils returns to open near it. The protoplasm in the cells of the former is coarsely granular, and in tlie latter finely fibrillatcd ; its terminal portion has special cells, which completely resemble the matrix-cells of the integument, and they shed out a chitinous cuticle ; to this portion of the " urinary canal " the author applies the term of " ureter." After giving a description of tlie same parts in ^Fysis, Dr. Grobben comes to the so-called " green gland " of the Dccapoda ; in Pdhemon trcillianus the gland lies in the basal joint of the second antenna ; the saccule is reniform and is supplied by a large blood- vessel ; the whole course of the canal was not exactly followed, and * ' Arch, fur Nntnrg.,' xlvi. (1880) p. 228. t ' ClauH's Arboitcn.' iii. (ISSO) p. m. VOL. III. 3 F 786 RECORD OP CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO it will be useless here to describe the numerous loops that it makes. As to the minuter details, we are told that the saccule is not a simple sac with smooth walls, but that it consists of a large number of csecal sacs, between which there is a rich network of connective tissue, in the lacunae of which the blood can freely circulate. The cells have large nuclei, and pale, finely granxilar contents ; on the other hand, in the canal the cell-contents are arranged cord-wise, and are best developed on the side of the cell most distant from the lumen. The thick cuticle is likewise striated, and in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the canal. The results of his observations on the green gland of Astacus fluviatilis do not altogether agree with those of previous observers; forming a compact mass, lying largely in the thorax, the saccule and canal are still to be distinguished ; the former is rounded, and of a yellowish-green colour; the canal is delicate, provided with diverticula, and extended into a wide canal of a pale greenish-grey colour, which has similar diverticula, and which lies coiled between the saccule and the green part of the canal ; the terminal portion of the duct is here again lined by a chitinous cuticle. Deep clefts are to be observed between the epithelial cells of the saccule, and the protoplasm is seen to contain a number of amorphous yellow-green bodies; the bright-green portion of the canal has epithelial cells of a cubical or cylindrical foi^m, and the contained granules are arranged cord-wise ; there is a thickish cuticle, thinner at certain points, and so, in optical section, appearing as though it were composed of rods. The author insists on the rich supply of blood-vessels to all parts of the canal. When we compare these results with what we know of the shell- gland, we find a striking resemblance in structure; without going here into this subject in detail, attention may be directed to the conclusion that the two glands have a similar structure ; further, the view that they are homologous is supported by the fact that they are both mesodermal in origin. As to the functions of the parts, it would seem that the terminal saccule is to be compared to the Malpighian capsules of the Vertebrate kidney ; while the canals are comparable to the tuhuli contorti. In both Vermes and Mollusca the urinary canals are formed by a few cells, and the difference in the length of the canal in Cyclops as compared with Cetocliilus is to be explained by the fact that one inhabits fresh and the other salt water, just as the marine Polychaeta have short, and the fresh-water Oligochaeta long segmental organs. Rapidity of the Transmission of Motor Stimuli along the Nerves of the Lobster.* — MM. Fredericq and Vaudevelde find that at Ghent, at a temperature of 10-12'' C. (in February and March), this rapidity was about 6 metres a second ; at Eoscoff, with the temperature at from 18-20° C. they attained different results, the rapidity being from 10-12 metres a second. Both these data show that in the lobster stimuli are conveyed along motor nerves very much more slowly than they are along those of the frog or of man. * ' ComptcB Rendus,' xci. (1880) p. 239. INVERTEBRATAj CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 787 Nervous System of Idotea entomon.* — This Isopod, selected for study by M. Ed. Brandt, has three cephalic, seven tlioracico- abdominal, and four post-abdominal nerve ganglia. Of the cephalic group, the supra-oesophageal (not that so called by Rathke, which is the sub-cesophageal) is made up of two median lobes, the hemispheres, sending nerves to the interior antennse ; of two external, the optic, lobes, giving off the optic nerves ; and of two antennary lobes supplying the external antennaj. The short and very thick oesophageal collar gives off two nerves to the labrum. The sub-oesophageal ganglion is small, and, as in insects, gives off three nerve jiairs, to the labium, maxillfe, and mandibles respectively. The third cephalic mass, for which the name lyedomaxillary is proposed, rests on a special pedomaxillary plate, and from it proceeds one pair of nerves, similarly named, to the two maxillipedes. Of the ganglia of the main body, the first is small, but larger than the pedomaxillary, and all the rest arc of one size ; from each of them originates a nerve pair to the feet, while the commissures between them supply the muscles and integument of the segment. The pedomaxillary shows the same arrangement, sending off nerves to the posterior part of the head as well as those for the maxilliijedes. It would seem from its innervation and the presence in it of a distinct ganglion that the posterior part of the head is a thoracic segment amalgamated with the head. The latter therefore forms part of an imperfect cephalo- thorax, but is still morphologically different from the heads of insects. The four post-abdominal ganglia are much smaller than those of the body ; the three anterior are all of the same size, and give off" each a single nerve pair to their segments ; the fourth is larger, and four pairs of nerves proceed from it. An azygos sympathetic trunk lies here between the commissural cords of the central system, and is interrupted by ganglia as already described by F. Leydig in Purcellio scaler. Cymothoidae. t — A year or two ago a request was sent to the various museums of the world by Drs. Schiodte and Meinert, of Copenhagen, requesting the loan of all specimens of Cymothoidfe (Isopoda) for the pui-pose of monographing the group, and the first portions of the monograph have now appeared. The first of these papers treats of the Cirolanidas, which closely resemble the true Cymothoas, but which differ in having the mouth- parts adapted for eating flesh. Three genera and nine species arc characterized, of which the genera Baryhrotes and Tachaa, and species B. iiulns, B. agilis, T. crassipes, CoraUana coUaris, brevipes, nodosa, and hirsuta are new. Each species is described, as far as the specimens permitted, under three heads — male, virgin, and ovigerous females — the difference between the sexes and between the two forms of the same sex being very striking. In the second paper the iEgidic are monographed. Those Crustacea lead a parasitic life, generally attaching themselves to tlio ♦ 'Coiuptcs Rcndus,' xc. (1880) p. 7i:5. t ' Nftt. Tiddsk.,' xii. pp. 21'.) nw\ .'J2I. Sro ' Am. Nat.,' xiv. (18S0) p. 510, 3 F 2 788 KECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO roof of the moutli of fishes, and with their modified mouth-parts, which form a sucking tube, living on the blood of their hosts. These forms are described under the following generic and specific names, those marked (*) being new: — ^ga tridens, Mrsuta* crenulata, Wehhii, Stroemii, rosacea, serripes, psora, Deshayesiana, antillensis,* magnifica, monoplitlialma, nodosa,* opJitlialmica, tenuipes* dentata,* incisa,* ardica, ventrosa and spongiophila, Bocinela danmoniensis, insularis,* Dumerilii, maculata,* americana,* orientalis,* australis,* signata * and aries,* Alitropus typus and foveolatus* Full descriptions are given of the male, virgin, ovigerous female, and the young. The text is in Latin, and there are plates. Ostracoda of Scotland.* — The Natural History Society of Glasgow are publishing catalogues of the fauna of Scotland, with special reference to Clydesdale and the western district, and amongst them is one on the fresh and brackish-water species of Ostracoda by Mr. D. Eobertson. Forty-one species are given, of which three are new (Cypris gramdata, Candona euplectella, and C. nitens). Those which may be considered to belong exclusively to brackish water, but never by choice to be purely marine, are Cypris salina, Cypridopsis aculeata, Cytheridea torosa, and its variety teres. Cypris incongruens and Cypridopsis obesa are frequently found in brackish water, but as frequently in purely fresh water. Many other species are occasionally met with in water more or less brackish, as in ponds a little above high-water mark, subject to the spray of the sea during high tides and storms, but chiefly in fresh water quite beyond the reach of marine influences. Eeference is Hiade to a group of small ponds lying mostly within a few yards of each other along the south-west shore of the island of Cumbrse, only a little above high-water mark. These appear to be subject to an equal amount of sea-spray, and to be exposed to similar conditions, yet their microscopic fauna are found, when compared, to differ widely. A list of the Ostracoda found in ten of these sub-brackish patches of water shows the great number of reputed fresh-water species associated with those which constantly affect brackish water, and also the diversity in the numbers and grouping of species existing between one pond and another. This mixtui-e of fresh and brackish- water species is all the more remarkable, as none of these ponds communicate with the others, nor with any fresh-water stream. The author indicates (1) where the Ostracoda are principally to be found, (2) what season of the year is most favourable, (3) by what means secured, and (4) how to preserve them. We can only give a very condensed statement of the author's views on these points, and the original paper should be referred to. The places where to he found are lakes, tarns, ponds, lagoons, canals, ditches, and often in very small patches of water, and in slow-running streams; but in the latter by no means commonly, * Appended to part 1 of ' Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc. Glasgow,' iv. (1880) (separate title-page and paging). mVEKTEBRATAj CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 789 except in weedy recesses protected from the currents, or where clumps of thickly growing plants abound. They are more abundant in the smaller ponds overgrown with weeds than in deep and large sheets of water. Even in damp mud, and in the scanty water of furrows in old pasture land, good gatherings are met with. Where the pools are small and subject to be dried up during summer, they seldom contain many species, although in such cases one species may prevail greatly. Limestone districts are favourable to Ostracoda, but all rock or clay surfaces are better than peat. Where there is nothing but pure peat, or peaty ponds fringed with Sphagnum, few or no Ostracoda may be expected. They are seldom searched for successfully where the lakes or pools have risen much by heavy rainfalls, nor in mill-dams, where the water is drained off rapidly, leaving broad, bare margins. It is otherwise where the water in the pools is decreasing gradually by evaporation. Then the animals appear to have time to follow the water, and may be taken abundantly when thus brought closer together in the small shallow pools left here and there. Moorland roadside ditches are more promising than those at some distance from the road. This may arise from a supply of material from the drainage of the road, which may be requisite to build up the shells of these minute crustaceans. They are seldom absent in ditches or marshes which contain a little ochreous deposit with a metallic bluish scum on the surface of the water ; they are more common in broad shallow ditches than in those more narrow and deep, and are rarely met with in springs or in ponds abounding with fish. Neither do they thrive where Amphipods prevail. They are not always fastidious in their choice of habitat, sometimes disporting in pure fresh water, at other times revelling in water of very questionable character ; while others affect brackish water, although they live in very different degrees of the saline element. The best time for collecting is of course the summer, during sun- shine. Heat is conducive to theii" increase and development. In a hot- house tank at 65^ F., Cypris incongruens abounded, but in water from the same source at a lower temperature there were comparatively few. Dr. G. S. Brady found them in mill cooling ponds at 100^ F. They may be found, however, under the ice in winter. The preferabL- mode of collection is a net 6 inches (rather than 10 inches) in diameter and 24 inches deep — the mesh one hundred threads to the inch. This smaller size of net has the great advantage of admitting conveniently a brass wire sieve with a hoop about an inch deep to fit into the ring of the muslin net, preventing weeds and other coarse material from getting into the bag, but sufficiently open to allow all the Microzoa to pass through. A sieve with a ^-inch mesh is very suitable. Tins protecting sieve requires to bo lilted together into the mouth of the muslin net, so as not to fall out when working, but sufficiently easy to be taken off when the contents of the bag are turned out. For security, it is better to have the sieve slung to the neck of the handle by a short cord. To work the net, sinqily sweep it through the vegetation along the margin of the pond ; this done, remove the sieve, invert the bag. 790 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO and convey the contents into a wide-moutlied bottle, &c., which will, in most cases, indicate .whether there is anything worth further trial, though it often happens that repeated trials afford good results in the same jilace where they had failed to be seen by the first inspection. The Ostracoda generally withdraw within their shells and become motionless when alarmed, and are difficult to be seen in this state among the debris of the gathering ; but where they do exist, more or less of them come to the surface, and are readily detected in an open vessel, but equally as well and more easily by examining the contents of the net when the water is well pressed out. To have the full benefit of the gathering, it is necessary to take some of the mud, which in most cases can be readily procured by scraping the sides or bottom of the pool with the ring of the net. The mode of preservation is shortly dealt with, as Ostracoda require no sjjecial appliances for preservation so far as the shell is concerned, further than allowing them to dry ; but when the animals are wished to be preserved, alcohol, with the addition of a little glycerine, is preferable. Blind Crustacean.* — M. A. Milne-Edwards has a note on a blind species of the genus Nephrojms which was found at a depth of 1500 metres in the Gulf of Florida. The eyes, which are situated just above the internal antennfe, form small tubercles without cornesB ; so far the species [N. Agassizii) resembles the N. Stewarti described by Wood-Mason, but it differs from it in the greater development of the rostrum which is armed with two pairs of lateral spines, by the number of tubercles on its carapace, and by the form of the first five abdominal rings. From the extremity of the rostrum to the end of the tail the new species measures • 055 metre ; the integument is completely colourless. Vermes. Annelids of the Norwegian North Sea Expedition.! — Fifty-five sj)ecies are enumerated by G. A. Hansen from the collections ob- tained by this expedition, among which there are 4 new species of Polynoe (P, assimilis, sjnnulosa, foraminifera, and glaberrima), a new Phyllodoce (P. arctica), a new Brada (B. granulosa), and three new TropJioniai (arctica, horealis, rugosa), in all 9 new forms out of the 55. Spinther arcticus is figured, apparently for the first time. Polynoe glaberrima bears much resemblance to Lcenilla glabra Ingr., but the palps are quite smooth, the tentacular cirrhi are shorter than the palps ; instead of two bristles at the base of the tentacles, a single spine occurs. The new species of Phyllodoce bears most resemblance to P. mucosa, differing from it chiefly in the number of the papillae on its prostomium. New Genus of the Archiannelides.;!: — Under the name of Pro- todrilus Leuclmrti, Dr. Hatschek describes an interesting new form which he found near Messina. As it is more simple even than Pohj- * ' Ann. Sci. Nat.,' ix. (1S80), Art. 2. t ' Nyt Mag. Naturvid.,' xxv. (1880) p. 224 (5 plates). i ' Claus's Arbeiten,' iii. (1880) p. 79. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY^ ETC. 791 gordius it is almost certain that it is the very lowest of all known Annelides ; the points in which it is lower affect chiefly the organiza- tion of the nervous system, the characters of the ventral ciliary groove, the blood- vascular system, and the relations of the midgut. These little worms (" Wurmchen ") are of yellowish- white colour, and the sexually mature individuals are about 4 mm. in length ; they creep about like Nemertines, and locomotion is principally effected by cilia, while the direction they take appears to be influenced by the longitudinal muscles of the body. Their general appearance is very much that of Polygordius, the elongated body exhibits no external segmentation, the ventral surface is rather flattened, and along the trunk there is a deep ciliated groove. The cephalic portion, which is somewhat thicker, has two flattened contractile tentacles at its anterior end ; the hinder end is narrower and notched. Segmentation is ex- pressed by the five boundary lines in the ectoderm, by the ciliation, as well as by the dissepiments and the segmental organs. The cephalic region is distinguished by the possession of a very large post-oral region, similar to that observed in Polygordius and Saccocirrus. The number of trunk-segments increases during the maturation of the generative products ; 22-31 segments were counted. The last segments of all are always very small, and but imperfectly differentiated in their histological details. As in the allied forms, the epidermis, the nervous system, and the sensory organs stand in closer relations to one another than they do in the more diflerentiated forms ; the epidermis is largely composed of cubical cells, and a definite cuticle can hardly be made out ; between these cells there are club-like mucous cells, opening to the exterior by a fine orifice ; the cilia form, for the greater part, circlets, and of these we find a double one in front of and a single one behind the mouth ; while on the post-oral cephalic region there are foiu' circlets. On the trunk-segments there is anteriorly and posteriorly another circlet, but the cilia are delicate and sparsely distributed. The sensory hairs are especially numerous on the tentacles, the anterior end, and on the posterior segments, and there is also a better developed one on the two terminal processes. The nervous system is difficult to make out in the living object, the ganglionic nature of the frontal ganglion being indistinguishable, and the presence of the organ merely indicated as a thickening of the integument ; the sensory organs are represented by two transverse, elongated, ciliated slits, placed on the dorsal surface of the anterior por- tion of the head. There arc no pigmented eyes. Transverse sections of specimens, suitably hardened and prepared, reveal a number of other facts. The apparently sensory bodies connected with the frontal plate are seen to consist -of a number of cells ranged round a central point ; the inner part of the frontal ganglion is formed of a largish mass of nerve-fibre; the neiglibouriug epithelium is considerably thickened, but the cells are really all arranged in a single layer. Just in front of the mouth the fibruus cord bifurcates to become connected with the lateral i)arts of the ventral surface; in the post-oral cephalic region they approximate towards one another. lu the first trunk- 792 RECORD OP CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO segment they approacli the middle line, and the broad ciliated surface of the cephalic region is converted into a narrow but deep ciliated groove. It was not found possible to detect any peripheral nerves. The muscular system is arranged very much as in Polygordius. The enteric canal extends to the hinder end of the body, but no rectal division could be made out in it. Just behind the mouth there opens into the oesophagus a muscular organ of a complicated form, and terminating blindly in a chitinous vesicle very similar to the same organ in Polygordius ; it has a function which still remains to be discovered. In the first trunk-segment there is a broad dorsal vessel, which in the posterior region of the head is enlarged into a contractile bulb ; this consists of a simple membrane formed of flat, doubly-granular cells. By rhythmical contractions the bulb drives the colourless blood into a narrow, thin-wallcd vessel, which reaches as far as the frontal ganglion, and there opens into a transverse branch, which is continued on either side into a tentacular vessel. From the cavity into which these open, the blood is carried away by another thin- walled vessel. A transverse venous plexus is formed behind the frontal ganglion, and from thence two ventral veins pass into an un- paired one. The bulb already mentioned and the arteries of the tentacles are the only parts that are contractile. The dorsal vessel appears to be filled from lacunae in the enteric walls, and its lumen appears to be a continuation of the cavity within the entero-fibrous layer. The segmental organs are found in all the fully developed seg- ments, placed in the lateral line, without the peritoneum. They com- mence by a narrow infundibulum, armed with a long flagellum ; the wall of the succeeding portion is filled with granules and provided with delicate cilia ; the external orifice is in the lateral line, and pierces the ectoderm. Protodrilus, like some species of Polygordius, is hermaphrodite ; the ovaries, which consist of very small cells, are found in the seven most anterior trunk-segments ; behind these the testes are developed. In some species of Polygordius the ovaries as well as the testes are developed in the more posterior segments ; this would seem to indi- cate that primitively all the segments were hermaphrodite. The author concludes by remarking on the extreme simplicity which may be exhibited within the limits of the Annelid type. Enchytrseus cavicola.* — This is a new species of a blind worm, described by Dr. G. Joseph, and discovered in a grotto. The greyish- white body has a transjiarent integument ; the ccelom is always in communication with the exterior by means of a porus cepliaUcus, which is placed between the cephalic and oral lobes ; the dorsal vessel has a definite wall only in the anterior third of the body ; the blood was reddish in colour. The oesophageal ganglionic swelling is reniform in shape, and gives an indication of a commissure by a shallow grove. The orifices of the oviducts are transverse clefts, placed between the * ' Zool. Aijzeig.,' ill. (IS80) p. 358. INVERTEBEATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, mCROSCOPY, ETC. 793 12-14tla rings ; tlie testes are stalked, and the seminal glands have an " amorphous form " ; by these two points the new species is distin- guished from Pachydrilus, while, by the presence of red blood, it is remarkable among other species of Enchytrceus. Batrachobdella Latasti,* — M. Viguier has now published in full his account of the organization of this form (see this Journal, ii, p. 885). The author is of opinion that in it, and doubtless also in Clepsine and its allies, the tactile and gustatory sense-organs are to be found in the proboscis, which has a very rich plexus of nerves. There are only two eyes, and these are i)laced close to one another ; they are irregularly quadrangular in form. The author has some doubt whether the single si^ecimen of Glossi- pJionia alfjira, which Moquin-Tandon was able to examine, and on which he founded the species, was not really a large Batracliohdella. Bearing in mind that the specimens he himself was enabled to examine were not fully mature, and that the two sj^ecies have the same habits and inhabit both the same region, he concludes by throwing out the suggestion that M. Taudon's form was really a Batrachohdella, and that the new specific name of Latasti may have to yield to the prior appellation of algira. The Chsetognatha.'f — Oscar Hertwig publishes a monograph of rather more than one hundred pages (and five plates) on these very instructive " worms." The author commences by directing attention to the deep signifi- cance which must be given to the two modes by which various animals develop their coelom or body-cavity ; in the greater^number of animals this coelom is formed by a cleavage of the mesoblast, and to this Professor Huxley has applied the name of schizoccele ; others, such as the Echinodermata, Brachiopoda, and Amphioxus, together with the Chfetognatha, develop theii- ccjelom from outgrowths of the endoblast, and to this form Huxley has given the name of enterocoele. It is now ten years since Kowalevsky placed these differences on the firm ground of observation, but, important as these diiferences are, they have hitherto been hardly regarded with sufficient atten- tion ; to what results they may lead us will be best illustrated by stating at once the general conclusions to wliich Dr. 0. Hertwig has been led. Relations of the Chcetof/natha to the Codenterata. — The Actinia) by (1) the development of diverticula from the primitive cntcron, and (2) the physiological and histological characters of these parts, exhibit many striking relations to the Chfctognatha. It is at a very early stage in devcloi)mcnt that the arclienterou of Smjitta becng in following Johannes Miiller in suj)posing that tho tirst oritico which appears between tho tirst and second ciliated band is completely obliterated, and ho has now been convinced by tho demonstrations of Metschuikoft' that tho tirst baud docs uot bccomo complete until the orifice comes to lie within its area. Echinoderms of the Norwegian North Sea Expedition.*— Messrs. Danielssen and Koren continue their account of the llolothurians belonging to Dr. Theel's group, tho Elpidida>, by very fully describing a form assigned to a new genus (tho third now launvn), and to bo called Kol'ja hiialiua. Their specimens do not exceed 50 nun. in length. It is very distinctly bilateral, tho back being strongly convex ; its anterior edge, above tho tentacles, forms a kind of collar, with six conical-pointed papilliv*. Tho mouth looks in the same direction as tho ventral side of the body. Of tho parts of tho skin, certain globular nucleated glands with thick walls lying between tho cuticle and coriiim are to bo sjiecially noticed ; they probably aro mucous in character. Of tho three forms of spicula, one which is narrow, sinuous, and doubly pointed, but smaller than in Irpa, is found veutrally ; the largo forms aro also curved, and more or less spinous; tho former measure -Oi-i by -002 mm. ; the latter, -357 by -008 mm. ; the third kind, belonging to the oral disk, is either linear, angulated, and spined, or rosette-shaped, or reticular. Of the internal skeleton tho calca- reous rings are rather rudimentary : the five pieces which compose them are very thin, and of almost uniform thickness throughout. Tho oral disk carries ten tentacles ; the anus is dorsal ; the sexes aro separate ; no anal appendages exist. Found off uotth of Norway, at 7r59'N. lat., 1200 fathoms. A second new generic typo is described as -cloajj/Ao/roc^HS mtrahilis. It is cylindrical, apodal, posteriorly rounded off'; tho sexes aro distinct ; no anal res])iratory appendages ; skin provided with two kinds of calcareous spicules, the one with alato rays and with long inwardly directed teeth on the circumference, the other more than twice as large, and with long tooth projecting outwards from the perijihery ; there are twelve uon-retractilo tentacles ; the locality is 73^ 47' N. hit., 11"-' 21' E. long. ; the depth, 7G7 fathoms. Atd-tiwdcrma is a third new genus, represented by two species, .■I. Jffn'i/)!!ii and otjiiie, found at depths less than 500 fathoms ; the chief characters show the body to bo cylindrical, the anterior end * • Nyt Mag. Nuturvid.,' x.w. (1870) p. 83, 3 (t>) I'latcs. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 809 truncate, the oral disk provided with fifteen oblong depressions, con- taining the saino number of i)apilliform tentacles, and alternating with fifteen tubular processes also on the disk ; the posterior eiid is produced tail-wise, tlie cloacal opening surrounded by five papilhe ; the skin carries perforated papilho provided with peculiar calcareous bodies, consisting of five to six stellately arranged sjioon-like rods from tlio centre of which project tlic anchors ; feet absent ; two anal appendages. A. J<:Jfreij8ii was found chiefly in the most northern fiords of Finmark ; the other species at IT 27' N. lat., 2iP 51' E. long. The other species recorded by them are Myriotrodiua Rinlcii Stcenstrup, M. hrevis Huxley, M. Itinldi Theel fwliich differs from Steenstrup's species in having more tentacular cirrhi, &c.j, Oliyotrochus vitreua Sars, Trochostoma boreale Sars, T. arcticum Marenzeller. Synthetic Type of Ophiurid.* — Professor P. Martin Duncan describes a very remarkable Opliiuran which forms part of a collec- tion obtained by Dr. Wallich, during his voyage in II.M.S. ' Bulldog,' in the year 18G0, off the coast of East Greenland. The Ophiuran was presented by him to tliis Society. The Opliiuran — PolDpliolis echinala — -j^^j- inch long, and tlie body ■j\j- inch in diameter, came up with the sounding apparatus from off tho sea-floor at a depth of 228 fathoms, about 50 miles north and east of Capo Valloe, East Greenland, and about 200 miles from Capo Fare- well, date July 10, 18G0, lat. 60^ 42' N., long. W 42' W. The "cup" came up full of fragments of granite and felspar, to which were adherent small corallines. Some of them were very delicate, and their perfect condition indicated an undisturbed state of the bottom water where they occurred. There was a sudden decrease of depth close to the spot, and the water shallowed 578 fathoms in three miles. Although a young form, this specimen presents tho normal structures of an Ophiuran, and it is in no way deformed or abortive. The extreme simplicity of tho oral apparatus is in itself remarkable ; there are true teetli, but the spines on the side moutli-shields are tho only mouth pa2)ilhc, and they are so called because it is the fashion, erroneously, so to call all growtlis from the sides of tho jaw-angles and side mouth-sliields. The use of the small spines on the side mouth-shields is that of tentacle-scales, and they can have nothing to do with alimentation. This remark holds good in tho majority of instances where the spine arises from tho jaw, close to tho side mouth-shield and tentacle opening. There are no tootli-papilla), and the knob-liko projection witliin the jaw plate beneatli the true teeth, so like that of some Amphiurans, is not seen on all tlie angles. It comes doubtfully, however, within tho description of mouth-papillro, and appears to be a true tootli. The regularity of the pentagon surrounding tho oral apparatus is very striking, and so is the extreme separation of the jaw-angUs, much of wliieh, however, may be duo to ixid-morlem contraction. All tho plates on tho upper surface of tho disk have separate, broad baaed, * • Journ. Lina. tioc.' (Zoul.), xv. (lS8'J) i». 16. 810 EECOBD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO two or three-tliorned, short spinules on their edges, and rarely else- where, but the spinulation is not distinct between them. The radial shields have the greatest number of spinules on them. All the spines on the side arm-plates project at right angles to the arm, and the hooks are glassy at their top. The combination of Amphiuran characters and those of OpMotlirix is thus remarkable. Haemoglobin in the Aquiferous System of an EcMnoderm.* — M. Foettinger reports the important discovery of hsemoglobin in an O^Yanxidi—OpMactis virens. In the elements discovered by Simroth in the water-vascular system of this species, the writer was, with living specimens, enabled to detect a bright red colouring matter. Spectral analysis revealed the presence of the two bands character- istic of the oxyhaemoglobin of the Vertebrata. The cells in which it is contained were seen to be nucleated, but in addition to these there were also found a number of free nuclei and small corpuscles, which were also charged with haemoglobin. The author would seem to agree with Simroth in recognizing the presence of a vascular system, independent of the water-vascular, and charged with a nutrient func- tion ; this contains a colourless liquid. On the other hand, the system with the red corpuscles has a respiratory function. Buccal Skeleton of the Asterida.f — In this note M. Viguier, while replying to some criticisms of Dr. Hubert Ludwig,| reaffirms the existence of two parts in the "support of the tooth." The fact that there is no trace of any fusion is relied upon greatly by Ludwig, but Viguier points out that in reality the difference between them lies in the fact that what has been taken for the first ambulacral piece is composed of two, which always become separated under the action of potash. This is a statement of fact, which it will be possible to verify or to disprove. New Cretaceous Comatulae.§ — Mr. P. Herbert Carpenter describes five new species of Antedon from British cretaceous deposits, two of them in the possession of the Eev. P. B. Brodie, the rest in the collec- tion of the British Museum. The species are : — Antedon perforata and A. Lundgreni, from the upper chalk, Margate ; A. striata, from the upper chalk, Dover ; A. laticirra, from the chalk of Wylye, Wiltshire ; and A. incurva, from the upper greensand, Blackdown. The author further gives a tabular key to the known English cretaceous species of Antedon, and in conclusion refers to certain peculiarities in the structure of these fossils, aj^parently subservient to the circulation of water in their interior. Coelenterata. Structure and Origin of Coral Reefs and Islands.|| — Darwin's theory may be said to rest on two facts — the one physiological, and * 'Bull. Acad. Koy. Belgique,' xlix. (1880) p. 402. t 'Arch. Zool. exp. et gen.,' viii. (1880) p. 1. X See this Journal, ante, p. 446. § ' Quart. Joum. Geol. Soc.,' xxxvi. (1880). II See 'Nature,' xxi. (1880) p. 351. Abstract of paper read at the Eoyal Society of Edinburgh. INVERTEBRATA, CRYPTOGAMIA, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 811 the other physical — the former, that those species of corals whose skeletons chiefly make up reefs cannot live in depths greater than from 20 to 30 fathoms ; the latter, that the surface of the earth is continually undergoing slow elevation or subsidence. The corals commence by growing up from the shallow waters surrounding an island, and form a fringing reef which is closely attached to the shore. The island slowly sinks, but the corals con- tinually grow upwards, and keep the upper surface of the reef at a level with the waves of the ocean. When this has gone on for some time a wide navigable water channel is formed between the reef and the shores of the island, and we have a barrier reef. These processes have but to be continued some stages fui-ther, when the island will disappear beneath the ocean, and be replaced by an atoll with its lagoon where the island once stood. According to this simple and beautiful theory, the fringing reef becomes a barrier reef, and the barrier reef an atoll by a continuous process of development. Professor Semper,* during his examination of the coral reefs in the Pelew group experienced great difficulties in aj^plying Darwin's theory. Similar difficulties presented themselves to the author of this paper, Mr. John Murray, of the ' Challenger ' Expedition, in those coral regions visited during the cruise of the ' Challenger.' The object of the present paper is to show, first, that while it must be granted as generally true that reef-forming species of coral do not live at a depth greater than 30 or 40 fathoms, yet that there are other agencies at work in the tropical oceanic regions by which submarine elevations can be built up from very great dejiths so as to form a foundation for coral reefs ; second, that while it must be granted that the surface of the earth has undergone many oscillations in recent geological times, yet that all the chief features of coral reefs and islands can be accounted for without calling in the aid of great and general sub- sidences. The most recent charts of all coral reef regions have been examined, and it is found possible to explain all the phenomena by the principles advanced in the paper, while on the subsidence theory, it is most difficult to explain the appearance and structures met with in many grou2)s ; for instance, in the Fiji Islands, where fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls all occur in close proximity, and where all the other evidence seems to point to elevation, or at least a long period of rest. In instances like the Gambicr gi'oup the reefs situated on the seaward side of tlic outer islands would grow nioro vigorously than those towards the interior ; they would extend in the direction of the shallower water, and ultimately would form a con- tinuous barrier around the whole group. The distinguishing feature of the views now advanced is that they do away witli the great and general subsidences required by Darwin's theory, and are in harmony with Dana's views of the great antiquity and permanence of the great ocean basin, which all recent deep-sea researches appear to support. • ' Zuitsclir. wibs. Zio).), xv. (1880) p. Hit. 814 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO head at the rounded end ; these were apparently part and parcel of the sponge, both on account of their perfect condition and their frequent occurrence in bundles, as if in nature. They proved, how- ever, to be derived from a species of Esperia, common in the same waters, and possessed of a peculiarly fragile spicular dermis, the size of whose spicules agreed closely with those now found, and which had no doubt parted with them with great readiness by the fracture of its brittle covering. The second case was that of a species of Alehion, with spined skeleton spicules ; besides other forms, among the bundles of short skeleton spicules and in the superficial tissues, there occurred, singly and in fasciculi, precisely the same spicula as those which intruded into the Ciocalypta, and to almost as great an extent. In the former case the close resemblance of the intruding to the skeleton spicules offered great temptations for them to be assigned to the proper spicule complement, whereas they were undoubtedly derived from the same species of Esperia. In conclusion, the writer points out the need of careful observation of the position and circumstances in which all spicules occur in any sponges examined, as cases like the present are apt to occur in which neither the broken or partially absorbed condition of these foreign bodies, nor their markedly alien type, are present to point to their real nature and prevent their ranking with the regular structures, and perhaps assigning the sponge to a wrong genus. Protozoa. Tentaculate, Suctorial, and Flagellate Infusoria.* — Prof. Ch. Eobin first deals with Ophryodendron abietinum Claparede, Plate XVIII. (Figs. 1, 2)."|' This species adheres to Sertularians, chiefly Sertularia pumila ; it may be globular, ovoid, or discoid, is generally bilobate, and has a long retractile tentacle (d), terminated by a bunch of mobile cirrhi(e); its diameter is from -OG-'IS mm. It is strongly attached by a short pedicle (a), which is often concealed by the application of the whole lower surface of the body to the point of fixation. When removed, the body may become globular. A groove (h) divides the * ' Journ. Anat. Physiol.' (Robin) xv. (1879) pp. 529-83, plates xxxix. to xhii. t Fig. 1. — Ophryodendi-on abietinum, separated by pressure from the Sertularia to which it adhered, to show its point of adhesion, a, and the general form of the body. 6, i-)artially effaced furrow which divides the body ; c, point where the tentacle springs from the body ; d, transverse folds of the retracted tentacle ; e, terminal bunch formed of the cirrhi of the extremity of the tentacle. Fig. 2. — Ophryodendron after compression, the furrow having thereby dis- appeared. o, d, e, as Fig. 1 ; c, Ii, i, a lobed gemmiform body ; /, worm or larva of parasitic worm ; j, k, the hook by which it adheres. Fig. 3. — Acinetopsis rara Ch. R. a, pedicle ; 6, c, theca ; d, e, f, extensile and retractile tentacle. Fig. 4. — Acineta patula Ehr., the body of which is suspended as it were in its shell, which resembles a pedicellated cup. Fig. 5. — Aciyieta tuherosa Ehr., front view. /, the pedicle and its insertion at the lower extremity of the body, e ; g, g, tubercles. Fig. 6. — Side view of the same. Fig. 7. — Trichodina Scorpenm Ch. R., side view, o, superior dorsal or con- tractile portion of the body, often more or less contracted and flattened ; b, crown JOTTRN.R MIlTR. S0C.V0L.3II. PL. .XiZEQ. ^^ ym ^'"]\^:' f Wcsf,N€«-.^<.« fcO°].(>i.. Fig. 1-2. Uphpyoclciulroi'i abieimum. 3. Aemetopsis rara 4. Aciyieta. patula. 5-6. A. tuberosa. 7- S.'Jri rkodiTui. Scoj?pe: 9. PoAopliryo LiyiicjLfii . 10 rr joirRN". R.MiCR. soc.VDi..nr. Pi,.xrK:. a 1 a / •' //' ^ /■' U -.b Fic^. 10-14. Podopln->a . 15 Conodoi5i