624 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



at longer intervals in older animals. A regeneration is not apparent 



until alter a moult. The first antenna, which shows no autotomy, can 

 he regenerated just as well as the second, which does show autotomy. 

 Many interesting facts are related in regard to the regenerative process. 



Cirripede and other Commensals of Madrepores.* - -Ch. (J ravier 

 has studied in the Gulf of Aden the various commensals (or parasites, 

 perhaps, in some cases) which are found associated with Oallaxea ellisi, 

 a Madrepore coral with large calices. He directs attention, in particular, 

 to species of the Cirripede genus Pyrgoma, which are common on the 

 calices and produce deformities. He describes also the occurrence of 

 a Chama, and the coral's response to the bivalve's destructive action. 



Annulata. 



Adipose Cells of Pontobdella muricata.j -— J. A. Scriban has 

 studied the adipose cells in this leech. They are confined to the con- 

 nective layer between the gastric epithelium and the longitudinal 

 muscles of the body-wall. He describes the mitochondria in the 

 cytoplasm and the occurrence of numerous parasomes, ergastoplasmic 

 bodies, surrounded by concentric lamella?. The presence of these 

 parasomes indicates the glandular character of the cells in question. 



Studies on Australian Earthworms.— Gwynneth Buchanan:}: con- 

 tinues a study of the blood-vessels in species of Cryptodrihis, Diporo- 

 chseta, Megascolex, etc. 



An account is also given in another paper§ of the accessory glands, 

 close to the male and female genital openings, in Cryptodrihis saccarius 

 (Fletcher). They probably secrete mucus which facilitates the passage 

 of the reproductive elements. Similar glands have been recently de- 

 scribed by Sweet in other Oligochaets. 



Freda Bage|| deals with the nephridia in a dozen species, and 

 Janet W. Raff f has made a corresponding study of the alimentary canal. 

 with interesting notes on "calciferous glands" and the so-called 

 pepto-nephridia. 



Nerve-cells of Leech and Earthworms.** — Wanda Bialkowska and 

 Zofia Kulikowska have made a study of the minute structure of the 

 nerve-cells in various Hirudinea and in Lumbricus, in order to de- 

 termine whether the " Golgi-Kopfsch " apparatus characteristic of 

 Vertebrate nerve-cells is also to be found in these Annelids. Their 

 conclusion is a decided affirmative. 



Nephthyidae and Lycoridse of the North Sea and the Baltic. ft — 

 Adolph Heinen deals with a collection of species of Nephthys, N&reis, 



* Comptes Rendus, clii. (1911) pp. 210-12. 



t C.R. Soc. Biol. ,lxx. (1911) pp. 674-6 (2 figs.). 



t Proc. R. Soc. Victoria, xxii. (1910) pp. 209-20 (3 pis.). 



§ Proc. R. Soc. Victoria, xxii. (1910) pp. 221-3 (1 pi.). 



j| Proc. R. Soc. Victoria, xxii. (1910) pp. 224-43 (4 pis.). 



•jf Proc. R. Soc. Victoria, xxii. (1910) pp. 244-54 (4 pis.). 

 ** Anat. Anzeig., xxxviii. (1911) pp. 193-207 (1 pi. and 4 figs.), 

 tt Inaug. Dissertat. (Kiel 1911) pp. 1-86 (1 pi. and 4 maps). See also Zool. 

 Zentralbl., xviii. (1911) pp. 345-7. 



