196 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



1904 and at Aberfoyle in 1905, and one of the silvery 

 glistening Dolichopids of the genus Argyra (A. auricollis, 

 Mg.) taken at Polton, Midlothian, in 1906. The same author 

 publishes a list of the Diptera taken in the Aberfoyle district 

 of Perthshire. 1 In five visits to this interesting locality over 

 three hundred species were taken, eight of which were new 

 to the British fauna and one new to Scotland. We notice an 

 entire absence of certain families, such as Tendipedidae 

 (Chironomidae), the members of which are difficult of deter- 

 mination ; but when attention is given to these forms a large 

 increase in the list, interesting as it already is, is sure to 

 result. 



In the June issue of the Entomologist "s Monthly Magazine 

 we note the conclusion of the Rev. James Waterston's 

 article on " Some Records of Scottish Siphonaptera." This 

 paper is a contribution to our knowledge of the Fleas of 

 Scotland. No fewer than twenty-eight species of these 

 parasites are here recorded, with full particulars of their 

 localities, hosts, dates, and number of examples taken. 

 The nomenclature is thoroughly up to date, and a mere 

 perusal of the names used indicates how actively the study 

 of these tiny insects has recently been prosecuted. 



Several papers of importance dealing with marine 

 animals have recently been published. J. H. Orton con- 

 tributes 2 a study of the ciliary mechanisms in Brachiopods 

 and Polychaetes, as compared with those found on the gills 

 of Molluscs and other marine creatures. He comes to the 

 conclusion that Brachiopods, Crepidula, Lamellibranchiate 

 Mollusca, Ascidians, and Amphioxus use their gills mainly 

 as an organ for establishing a current of water through 

 certain spaces in the body, and that in this way food is 

 collected and passed to the alimentary canal. 



Another paper by the same author 3 is of a more general 

 nature. It is entitled a " Preliminary Account of a Con- 

 tribution to an Evaluation of the Sea." In this article 



1 Trans. Perthshire Society of Nat Science, vol. v., pp. 176-181 (1914). 



2 Journ. Marine Biological Association, vol. x., No. 2 (June 1914), 

 pp. 283-311. 



3 Ibid., vol. x., No. 2 (June 1914), pp. 312-326. 



