ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 55 



that he has published on human locomotion — of physical rather than 

 biological interest. 



Transitory Fissures of Human Brain.*— G. Elliot-Smith points out, 

 that Bischoff, Cunningham, Ecker, and Retzius are in error in ascribing 

 to human foetuses of the fifth and sixth months a " fissura perpendicularis 

 externa." The structure so described he finds is invariably causally 

 related to a "ridge formed by the inward-folding of the membrane 

 joining the occipital and parietal bones in the lambdoid sutural line." 

 It is, in fact, a mechanically produced post-mortem furrow. Another 

 type of "transitory fissure," found in foetuses of third and fourth 

 months, is accounted for by the " puckering of the partially-collapsed 

 and decomposed neopallial bladder." 



Adaptations to Aquatic Life in Mammals. p— Raymond C. Osburn 

 contributes an able paper on aquatic adaptations in Mammals. He starts 

 from the reasonable supposition that all Mammals were originally terres- 

 trial, and for convenience classifies their adaptations to aquatic life under 

 three headings : those connected with the general form, including the 

 head, trunk and tail regions ; next, those of the limbs ; and lastly, those 

 affecting the integument, lie gives a detailed account of the various 

 adaptations under each heading. With regard to hyperphalangism he 

 agrees with Kiikenthal in saying that it is a result of retarded ossification 

 and the formation of double epiphyses. Under the third heading he 

 calls attention to the loss of hair and of dermal armature. He also 

 discusses the light and spongy nature of the bones in truly aquatic 

 forms. 



Oxidation of Glucose in Mammalian Blood. :j — L. Jolly finds that 

 in the blood of the ox, there arises as a decomposition product of glucose ■ 

 a very small amount of alcohol, a certain part of which by oxidation is 

 transformed into acetic acid. 



The Phylogeny of Elephants. § — W. Salensky points out that the 

 phenomena of transformation in the feet of the mammoth follow the 

 same law, which, generally speaking, determines the transformation in 

 the number of toes in Mammals and especially in the change of penta- 

 dactyl feet to the tetra-, tri-, bi-, and monodactyl type in Ungulata. 

 From this it appears that the mammoth, which represented the latest 

 development of the numerous order of prehistoric Elephantidae, was 

 undergoing a process of transformation when it became extinct. It is 

 not easy to understand how pentadactyl proboscidean types such as 

 elephants could have arisen from a type which was undergoing retro- 

 gressive development. The two species of elephants have probably 

 originated from some order of fossil Elephantidai. They have no 

 phylogenetic affinity with the mammoth. 



Migrations of Right Whales. ||— Gustav Guldberg is of opinion that 

 the migrations of particular species of whale are" regulated by the 

 distribution, the drifting hither and thither, and the season of appearance 



* Anat. Anzeig., xxiv. (1903) pp. 216-20 (2 figs.). 



t Anier. Nat , xxxvii. (1903) pp. 651-65. 



X Comptes Kcndus, cxxxvii. (1903) pp. 771-2. 



§ Biol. Centralbl., sxiii. (1903) pp.'793-S0.J. U Tom. cit, pp. S03-16. 



