24 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



^"LunglesslSalamandrid.* — G. Dehaufc adds Euproctus montanus from 

 Corsica to the list of Salaniandrida? which occur without lungs (e.g. 

 Spelerpes fuscus and Salamandrina perspicillata. He notes that the 

 cutaneous poison has no odour ; that it has a sharp and astringent 

 taste; and that lizards which bite Euproctus montanus have violent 

 convulsions. 



P* Seasonal Migration of Fat in the Frog.f — J. Athanasiu and 

 J. Dragoiu have studied the movement of fat in the frog's body at 

 different seasons. They find, for instance, that in spring the fat leaves 

 the muscular fibres and re-enters the circulation. Part of it is eliminated 

 with the urine. 



Studies on Fishes. — L. DolloJ discusses the position of the pelvic 

 fins in Teleosteans, with special reference to those which he believes are 

 secondarily abdominal, e.g. Atherinida?. 



G. Scnlesinger§ discusses the sagittiform type of body in free- 

 swimming fishes, such as Sphyraena tome, Perophis brasilianus, and 

 Gyema (drum, and the various ways in which this adaptive shape may be 

 attained. 



Capillary Phenomena in Life of Fresh-water Animals. || — F. 

 Brocher has studied the following cases : — 



A. Capillary action on animals in which the body is not wetted (or 



very partially). 



I. Where the whole body is not wetted. 



1. The animal lives in air (Hydrometrids, Podurids, 



etc.). 



2. The animal is amphibious, smooth (Gyrinus), or 



covered with hairs which do not wet {Par n us, 

 Amalus, Hydrophilids, and Kotonecta). 



3. The animal lives in water (Cladocera, Ostracods, 



and various larvae). 



II. Where small parts of the body are wetted. 



1. The animal lives in air {Podura). 



2. The animal lives in water {Haliplus). 



B. Capillary action on animals in which the body is wetted either 



wholly or in greater part. 



I. Where the whole body is wetted. 



1. The animal lives in water (Hydrophilids, below 



the surface, or larva? of Dixa at the surface). 



2. The animal is amphibious (Nemerteans and 



various larva?). 



3. The animal lives in the air (Ephemerids). 



II. Where parts of the body are not wetted. 



1. Considerable areas {Argyroneta and Hydrophilids). 



2. Small parts (larva? of Gnats). 



* C.R. Soc. Biol. Paris, lxvii. (1909) pp. 413-14. 



t Tom. cit., pp. 135-7. 



% Verh. Zool. Bot. Ges. Wien, lix. (1909) pp. 135-40. 



§ Tom. cit., pp. 140-5G (7 figs.). 



|| Revue Suisse Zool., xvii. (1909) pp. 91-112 (8 figs.). 



