516 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Revision of 'the Chiropteran Genus Macrotus.* — J. Rehn, as the 

 result of the examination of a large number of examples, gives an 

 authoritative description of all the known species of this genus. He 

 concludes that it is without doubt a member of the family Phyllostoma- 

 tinas, and a very distinct type with, well differentiated external characters. 



Variation Notes.f — Carl H. Eigenmann and Clarence Kennedy 

 record several variations : a melanistic form of the cave salamander, 

 jSpelerpes maculicaudus, from Marble Cave, Mo. ; a specimen of Pygidium 

 rividatum, a catfish from Lake Titicaca, with a dichotomously branched 

 maxillary barbule on the left side ; and a specimen of Xiphorhamjihus 

 jenensii, from the Rio Grande, which possessed an adventitious left 

 ventral fin, with one ray less — eight instead of nine — than the normal 

 fish has, and its first ray bent in sickle-fashion. 



Osteology of the Dugong Flipper.! — Ludwig Freund has used the 

 Rontgen-ray method in investigating the bones of the dugong (Hcdicore) 

 flipper. He gives a detailed account of the carpus, metacarpus, and 

 phalanges, both in adult and in embryo ; and discusses, more generally, 

 the slow progress of ossification, the duplication of epiphyses, the hints 

 of hyperphalangism, the broadening of the flipper, and the reduction 

 of carpal elements. 



Pigment of Supra-renal Capsules.§ — C. Gessard finds that the 

 chromogenic substance of the supra-renal capsules, is, in its uncoloured 

 state, which is due to the lack of oxygen, the product (which has hitherto 

 been known as a coloured substance) of the action of tyrosinase on 

 tyrosin. 



Fat Synthesis by Mucous Membranes. || — J. Arnold has experi- 

 mented with various fatty substances on the mucous membrane of the 

 tongue and gut of the frog, and finds that absorption of fats and oils 

 in both cases takes place. Colouring matter is not absorbed. Other 

 cells which contain fat on being treated with soap or oil are leucocytes, 

 connective-tissue cells, muscle-fibres, etc. 



Ablation of Parathyroids in Birds. f — Doyon and Jouty find that 

 cauterisation of these in cock or hen brings on paralysis, dyspnoea, and 

 other serious symptoms in from six to ten hours, followed by death 

 a few hours later. In one case a cock recovered after manifesting the 

 symptoms usually preceding death in others, and some fowls showed no 

 ill-effects. This last may have been due to some small part of the para- 

 thyroid escaping destruction, or to the presence of accessory glands in 

 other parts of the body. 



Asymmetrical Development of Fowl's Skull.**— Xavier Raspail 

 describes a case in which, from the seventh week of development, a 



* Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1904, pp. 427-4G. 

 t Biol. Bull., iv. (1903) pp. 227-30 (5 figs.). 



J Zeitschr. wiss. Zoo]., lxxvii.(1904) pp. 363-97 (2 pis. and 4 figs.). 

 § Comptes Rendus, cxxxviii. (1904) pp. 586-8. 

 || Anat. Anzeig., xxiv. (1904) pp. 389-400. 

 If Comptes Rendus. cxxxviii. (1904) pp. 53-4. 

 ** Bull. Boc. Zool. France, xxix. (1904) pp. 60-3 (2 figs.). 



