ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 447 



altogether. The investigator, while admitting that these experiments 

 do not yet afford a sufficiently wide basis for generalisation, claims that 

 they prove in regard to the two species concerned, that the sequence of 

 plumage is not in any way predestined by inheritance, but that it may 

 be interrupted by certain changes in the environmental complex. 



Muscles of the Tail in Peacock and Turkey.* — A. Porta describes 

 this musculature, to which no particular attention has hitherto been 

 paid. He distinguishes five pairs — elevators of the coccyx, depressors of 

 the coccyx, external pubo-coccygeals, internal pubo-coccygeals, and inter- 

 transversala. He also describes four anal muscles. 



Mammal-like Reptiles.! — R. Broom regards the mammal-like 

 reptiles as forming a well-defined group, whose earlier members show 

 so much affinity with the primitive Diaptosaurians and with the higher 

 Cotylosaurians as to render it highly probable that from some Cotylo- 

 saurian ancestor all the later reptiles are descended. On the other 

 hand, the higher mammal-like reptiles approach so closely to the 

 mammals, that it is not always possible to distinguish between them. 

 Thus Tritylodon is held by many to be a reptile, by others it is believed 

 to be a mammal ; Dromatherium, Microconodon, and Karoomys are 

 generally believed to be mammals, but it is just possible they may be 

 reptiles ; while Sesamodon and Melinodon, which are believed to be 

 Cynodont reptiles, may possibly prove to be mammals. The difference 

 between a Cynodont reptile and a Monotreme is less than the difference 

 between a Monotreme and a Marsupial, and this, again, is not much 

 greater than that between a Marsupial and an Insectivore. 



Feeding Snakes in Captivity.^ — P. Chalmers Mitchell and R. J. 

 Pocock note that at the Gardens of the Zoological Society no species of 

 snake, poisonous or non-poisonous, refused to take dead food. It was 

 found unnecessary to give live food to any individual snake. They note 

 that a human hand slowly and carefully advanced on a small bird or 

 mammal has just as much power of fascination as a snake has — that is 

 to say, none. Except in the case of monkeys (not including Lemurs) 

 there is no evidence that animals have any specific fear of snakes. It is 

 probable that human beings have inherited a specific fear of snakes from 

 their anthropoid ancestors. 



Dogs affected with Kala-azar.§ — Ch. Nicolle and Ch. Comte find 

 that the parasite associated with kala-azar occurs in dogs in Tunis, and 

 suggest that man is infected through fleas. 



Tunicata. 



Winter-buds of Clavelina lepadiformis.|| — H. Kerb describes the 

 formation of " winter-buds " in unfavourable conditions. They are 



* Zool. Anzeig., xxxiii. (1908) pp. 116-20 (4 figs.). 



t Proc. Zool. Soc, 1907, pp. 1047-61 (4 figs.). 



X Tom. cit., pp. 785-94. 



§ Comptes Rendus, cxlvi. (1908) pp. 789-91. 



|| SB. Ges. Nat. Freunde Berlin, 1907, No. 6, pp. 167-70 (1 pi.). 



