TS4 



'HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



develops its legs and casts its tail while still in the 

 egg, so as to issue therefrom iii its perfect form, 

 although still of small size. 



Eatjna of Lake Utah.— The water of the Salt 

 Lake of Utah has been supposed to be devoid of 

 life, but a naturalist in Professor Haydeu's expedition 

 has found its saltest portions swarming with a little 

 crustacean, which appears to be identical with the 

 European brine shrimp {Artemia salina). This little 

 creature, which is one of the most highly organized 

 of the lower Crustacea, is commonly found in the 

 strong brine of the salt-pans established in the Euro- 

 pean coasts. In fact, it used to be said that the salt- 

 workers at Lymington judged when the brine had 

 attained tiie strength requisite for the final opera- 

 tions by the abundance of the brine shrimp in it. 

 Two forms of brine shrimp have already been 

 detected in America,— one at New Haven, the other 

 in very salt water from the Mono Lake, California. 

 Professor Leidy thinks that these and the forms from 

 Utah are merely varieties of the European species. 

 He states that gulls and other birds were observed 

 by him about the Salt Lake, and that pelicans are 

 said to abound there. From their presence he sus- 

 pects that fishes may exist in the lake. Its sliores 

 swarm with a small black fly, which appears to pass 

 its larval stages in the salt water. 



Deep-Sea Life off the Norwegian Coasts. 

 — The Rev. Thomas Hincks, F.E.S., has contributed 

 an article to Nature on this interesting question, 

 based on the investigations of Mr. G. 0. Sars, son 

 of the well-known Norwegian zoologist. In 1S6S 

 this gentleman, by dredging at the depth of 450 

 fathoms, added no fewer than 335 species of animals 

 to those already published. Among the new forms 

 thus obtained was Rhizocrinus Iqfoteiisis, a crinoid 

 descended from Oolitic ancestry. Ofi" the coasts of 

 Norway there occur "great deeps," which have 

 been especially fruitful in zoological discovery. Tlie 

 most remarkable among the many new forms brought 

 to light is a polyzoon called Rhabdopleum. Mr. 

 Hincks calls this a rudimentary and half-developed 

 kind of polyzoon, representing an early stage in the 

 evolution of the latter. Rhabdopleura is a polyzoon, 

 and yet not «// polyzoon, a large portion of the struc- 

 ture, while clearly taking the polyzoan direction, 

 differs widely from that of all known polyzoa. The 

 digestive system is of the polyzoan type, but of a 

 much lower grade than is found elsewhere. There is 

 but little specialization of parts ; the stomach and 

 intestine consisting of a simple tube. The tenta- 

 cular apparatus in some respects approaches that 

 of the fresh-water polyzoa. Prof. Sars regarded 

 this interesting species as an organism standing 

 halfway between the hydrozoa and the polyzoa. 



A Gigantic Lobster. — About tiie middle of 

 June last a huge lobster was brought up in a trawl 

 net in Plymouth Sound, quite perfect, which 



measured 3 feet 2 inches from the tips of the 

 claws to the end of the tail. Its weight was 

 15 lb. 2 oz. Attached to the shell were various 

 marine organisms, such as oysters, barnacles, &c. 

 This lobster is believed to be above one hundred 

 years old ! Few of his race are likely to have such 

 a long tenure of existence in British seas. 



A "Missing Link." — There is still living in 

 Australia a reptile called the " Frilled Lizard " 

 {Chlamydosaurus Kimjii), which has well-developed 

 teeth, biconcave vertebrae, and a long rat-like tail. 

 This lizard habitually runs about on its hind legs, 

 seldom or never touching the ground with its fore 

 feet. The latter are but feebly developed. 



Nesting of the Woodcock. — Two authentic 

 instances of this bird having nested in England 

 have lately been afl'orded in Sufl'olk. In the first 

 case a nest containing four eggs was found at UfFord, 

 all of which were hatched, one young bird having 

 been left dead in the nest. The other case was 

 that of a deserted nest containing four eggs, found 

 at Ixworth. 



Man anb Apes. — Mr. St. George Mivart has 

 concluded his exhaustive articles on "Man and 

 Apes" in the Jnl^ \\\im\)tY Qii\\e Popular Science 

 Review. Those who wish to make themselves 

 acquainted with the zoological and physiological 

 difi'erences and affinities of the two groups ought 

 to read these well-written and thoroughly readable 

 contributions. 



Female Octopus.— This creature, at the Brigh- 

 ton Aquarium, has laid her eggs, which she guarded 

 with the greatest vigilance. The hectocotyhis of the 

 male has recovered its normal condition. Mr. 

 Saville Kent thinks that the Octopus tuherculatus 

 (D'Orbigny) will prove to be the male of 0. vulgaris 

 on closer investigation. 



BOTANY. 



A New Potato Disease. — A new kind of potato 

 disease is reported as having appeared last year in 

 the crops at Apolda, near Jena. This disease 

 attacks the tuber at once, without apparently in- 

 juring the haulm. The tuber is found covered with 

 a kind of felt, of a purplish colour, which is the 

 mycelium of a fungus. The tuber is not always 

 penetrated by this mycelium, but generally it is 

 destroyed by a cancerous disease, the skin being 

 covered by a number of black dots. The geological 

 formation is that known as the Keuper, and in the 

 district in question last summer was remarkably 

 dry. This new disease appears in the autumn. 



Bog Mosses.— Dr. Braithwaite is continuing his 

 exhaustive descriptions of the Bog Mosses in the 

 Monthly Microscopical Journal. 



