354 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



In a young specimen of Lemur mongoz they found a musculo-elastic band 



on the rectal surface of the free part of the penis. In structure and 

 position this cord corresponded to the retractor penis in dog and cat. 

 It has doubtless protective value, and it is interesting to find its 

 occurrence in Mammals with a pendant penis. 



" Whitebait " of Menai Strait.* — Andrew Scott has inquired into 

 the nature of ten samples of "whitebait " collected between March and 

 September in the weir at Gorad Coch, near the Swilies in the Menai 

 Strait. The result is to show that the whitebait of this Locality are 

 young Clupeoid fish, such as sprats and herring, and that young herring 

 35-67 mm. in length are frequently present. There is considerable 

 difficulty in determining whether the smaller fish, of about 43 mm. in 

 length and under are young herring or some other young Clupeoid. 

 They are scaleless and almost transparent. 



Structure of Papuan Limestone of Lower Miocene Age.f — 

 Frederick Chapman gives an analysis of the organic constituents of a 

 limestone from Bootless Inlet, Papua. The important factors indicating 

 Lower Miocene age are the genera and species of Garpenteria, 

 Heterostegina, Gycloclypeus, and Lepidocyclina. Besides Foraminifera 

 there were some fragments of Echinoid spines and plates, remains of 

 Polyzoa, and a fish tooth like that of Ghrysophrys, the sea-bream. 

 This occurrence of a Lower Miocene horizon in Papua is of exceptional 

 interest, as showing the existence of another link in the chain of 

 localities where the beds of the old shore-line of the ancient Tethyan 

 Sea were laid down. 



INVERTEBRATA, 



Mollusca. 



7- Gastropoda. 



Epithelial Cells of 2Eolids4 — L. F. Henneguy finds that the 

 large ciliated cells of the intestine and the smaller cells of the epidermis 

 {e.g. in JEolis papillosa) show the same structure. The cytoplasm 

 contains many vesicles, like elastic bladders, plunged in it.. There may 

 be fifty in a cell. They increase the consistence of the cytoplasm and 

 produce a certain elasticity. The turgescence is an adaptation to with- 

 stand pressure. An analogous adaptation is the presence of tonofibrils 

 or a thick cuticle. In the iEolids there is a capacity of resisting the 

 pressure of hard bodies, yet the vibratile function persists and the 

 power of absorption. 



8. IiamelLibrancliiata. 



Reproduction of Freshwater Mussels. § — A. I). Howard has made 

 numerous experiments bearing on the propagation of freshwater mussels 



* Rep. Lancashire Sea Fisheries Lab., xxiii. (1915) pp. 139-53 (3 pis.). 



t Proc. R. Soc. N. S. Wales, xlviii. (1914) pp. 281-301 (3 pis.). 



% C.R. Soc. Biol. Paris, Ixxviii. (1915) pp. SO-2. 



§ Rep. U.S. Commissioner of Fisheries, 1914. Appendix iv., pp. 1-52 (6 pis.). 



