246 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



embryos undergo comparatively little differentiation, while cells that 

 form part of an organized mass of tissue may continue to develop. 



Elastic Tissue of Hard Palate of Mammals.* — Jakob Rehs has 

 made a topographical and histological study of the elastic tissue of the 

 hard palate throughout the class of Mammals. In general, it may be 

 said that the elastic fibres mostly coming from the propria mucosas are 

 spread out in the periphery of the primary papillas, but in the different 

 orders there is considerable diversity in detail, which is discussed at 

 length. 



o* 



Isolated Living Pigment Cells.f— S.J. Holmes has studied isolated 

 living chromatophores from the larva3 of Hyla renilla and DiemyctyJus 

 torosus, and has convinced himself that the black and yellow cells of 

 the former have an amoeboid movement. It is, of course, possible 

 that in the adult the cell-processes of the chromatophores are more 

 fixed in outline, and that the changes in the distribution of pigment 

 may be brought about largely by the flow of granules within the cell. 

 But the extent to which amoeboid-movement occurs in the pigment-cells 

 of the larva suggest scepticism as to the commonly received interpretation 

 that the pigment moves within the cell. 



Regeneration of Intestinal Epithelium in Insects and Am- 

 phibians.ij: — J. Duesberg refers to Braun's description of the phenomena 

 observed in the metamorphosis of the intestinal epithelium in the larvae 

 of Deilephila euphorbiee, and points out the remarkable resemblance 

 between what occurs in the insect and what occurs in tadpoles. Dues- 

 berg has described in the latter how the basal cells regenerate the 

 whole intestinal epithelium and show such rapid nuclear multiplication 

 that each forms a syncytium. 



Femoral Pores. § — H. v. Eggeling finds that the integumentary 

 structures found on the ventral surface of the upper part of the hind 

 leg in some Anura and Urodela have nothing to do with the femoral 

 pores of lizards. In Anura they are typical skin-glands. The femoral 

 pores of lizards are perhaps approached by the femoral folds in 

 Diemyctylus viridescens, and it is suggested that the gland-like epi- 

 dermoid structures of lizards have been evolved from thickenings of 

 the integument at the breeding season which are associated with strong 

 cornification. These thickenings are well seen in the males of Diemyc- 

 tylus ; they are of use for adhesion in the amplexus and perhaps also 

 serve in tactile stimulation. 



c. General. 



Uro-patagial Stylet or Calcar in Bats.|| — Ed. Retterer and 

 F. de Fenis have studied the development of this structure, which 



* Zeitschr. wiss. Zool,, cix. (1914) pp. 1-127 (4 pis. and 7 figs.). 



t Public. Univ. California (Zool ) xi. (1913) pp. 143-54 (2 pis.). 



j Zool. Anzeig., xlii. (1913) pp. 1-2. 



§ Jen. Zeitschr. Naturw., li. (1914) PP- 123-62 (9 figs.). 



|| C.R. Soc. Biol. Paris, lxxvi. (1914) pp. 418-21. 



