o 



8 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



used for classificatory purposes. He divides the genus iuto three groups 

 of species : Cyclosalpa3, Polymyariae, and Oligomyariaa, the first being 

 the most primitive, the last the most evolved. 



INVERTEBRATA. 



Mollusca. 

 "~ Cephalopoda. 



Embryos of Sepia.*— A. Distaso has studied the development of 

 Sepia, paying particular attention to the vascular system, the secondary 

 cavity of the body, the kidney, the gonad, and the nautiliform stage. 



Branchial Hearts of Cephalopods.f — Cuenot, Gonet, and Bruntz 

 find that the acid cells of the branchial hearts, which have a selective 

 eliminative action on injected ammoniated carmine, normally inclose 

 pigment, phosphates, ammoniacal salts, and xanthic bodies. It is 

 probable that these waste products do not accumulate in the nephro- 

 cytes, but are passed into the blood, and got rid of at the kidneys. 



/3. Gastropoda. 



Respiratory Epithelium in Pulmonale Gastropods.^ — D. Calu- 

 gareanu and J. Dragoiu describe the minute structure of the mantle in 

 the . pulmonary chamber of snails and slugs. There is only a single 

 cell-layer between the blood and the intra-pulmonary air. In Limax the 

 wall is plaited, so that a sponge-like system of cavities is formed — an 

 adaptation to increase the respiratory surface. 



Statocysts of Heteropods.§ — S. Tschachotin distinguishes in these 

 bodies a connective-tissue capsule, a nerve-fibre layer, and an epithelial 

 layer with its " macula " and " antimacula," both including ciliated and 

 non-ciliated cells. The statolymph is a fluid, not a jelly. The statolith 

 consists of calcite, along with some traces of magnesium and phosphorus 

 compounds, and a stroma concentrically zoned. 



Attempts to connect the statocysts with hearing gave no results. 

 The organs seem to affect the tonus of the musculature, and to function 

 as " static " organs. When they are destroyed there are disturbances of 

 the orientation. 



Sudanese Nudibranchs.|| — Sir Charles Eliot reports on a collection 

 made by Cyril Crossland and J. Gr. Logan, which includes seven new 

 species — Pleurohura glabra, Lomanotus vermi/ormis, Nembrotha Umaci- 

 formis, Kentrodoris labialis, Peronodoris denticulata, Artachcca verrucosa. 

 The collection is interesting geographically, and the author refers to the 

 possibility of some forms being carried on the bottoms of ships. The 

 reappearance of Ohola pacifica, Thorunna furthva, and Plocamopherus 

 ocellatus, is also interesting. 



* Zool. Jahrb., xxvi. (1908) pp. 5G5-G50 (6 pis. and 13 figs.). 



t Arch. Zool. Exper., ix. (1908) Notes et Revue, No. 3, pp. xlix.-Iiii. 



% C.R. Soc. Biol. Paris, lxv. (1908) pp. 521-3 (3 figs.). 



tj Zeitschr. wiss. Zool., xc. (1908) pp. 343-422 (5 pis. and 15 figs.). 



I 1 Journ. Linn. Soc. (Zool.), xxxi. (1908) pp. 8G-122. 



