ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 425 



remains the peripheral portion dies, for lack of the stimulus coming from 

 or going to the centre essential to its continued life. 



Ganglion Cells of Cerebellum of Pig.* — K. Takasu has studied 

 the development of these in the cortex of the cerebellum. The Golgi 

 cells and basket-cells appear clearly only in a embryo of 195 mm., and 

 grow steadily to the end of embryonic life. The Purkinje cells are dis- 

 tinguished from all other cells in the earliest stages only by the bright- 

 ness of their relatively large nucleus. Only in embryos of from 

 182-150 mm. do they possess much protoplasm, and from this stage they 

 grow rapidly. In the later stages their branched processes develop a 

 finely striped tigroid substance. The development of the ganglion cells 

 in the interior of the medullary mass is always further advanced than 

 that of the Purkinje cells. Medullated nerve fibres in the medullary 

 layer, and in the inner granular layer, appear first in embryos of 

 220 mm. 



Central Nervous System of Torpedo.f — M. Borchert describes 

 certain hitherto unknown peculiarities in the manner of exit of those 

 cranial nerves which have clearly separated anterior and posterior roots. 

 The anterior roots uniformly join the posterior on their ventral side. 

 In the case of the lateral nerves of the trigeminus-facialis-acusticus- 

 complex, and also in the trigeminus and facialis, the anterior root joins 

 first the medial and then the ventral side of the posterior. 



Structure of Red Blood Corpuscles in Amphibians. J — Fr. Meves 

 discusses in the first place the reticular structure which is certainly 

 demonstrable in the red blood corpuscles of the frog, though many 

 appearances so described are artefacts. He then discusses the granular 

 inclusions, e.g. the " chromatoid " spherules ; the alleged occurrence of 

 two concentric zones, which he regards as artificial ; and the alleged 

 presence of an external membrane, which he denies. 



Structure of Erythrocytes^ — E. A. Schafer gives detailed evidence 

 to show that the erythrocyte, both in mammals and in oviparous 

 vertebrates, is a vesicle consisting of a thin membrane enclosing fluid 

 contents. The membrane of the erythrocyte is composed of a soft, 

 yielding, elastic material, mucus-like in consistence and chemically 

 resembling protoplasm ; containing nucleo-proteids, lecithin and choles- 

 terin in almost the same relative amount as protoplasm. He calls 

 attention to the important observations of Norris, which have been 

 unjustly ignored. Norris not only proved that the blood corpuscles 

 must be regarded as invested by a surface film of a material notmiscible 

 with water, but also concluded for the myelinic nature of that film, and 

 ascribed to this the flattened form of the corpuscle. 



Absorption of Fat by Chorionic Villi. || — J. Hofbauer discusses 

 the minute structure of the chorionic villi, and the evidence which 

 shows that fat is taken into the villus-syncytium under conditions 



* Anat. Anzeig., xxvi. (1905) pp. 225-32. 



t Tom. cit, pp. 289-92. J Tom. cit.. pp. 529-49. 



§ Tom. cit , pp. 589-600. 



1| SB. Akad. Wis*. Wien, cxii. (I9U3) received 1905, pp. 204-29 



