ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 33 



modifications, varying in accordance with the habit of the particular 

 animal. The paper includes a discussion of the morphology of the 

 olfactory region in Eutheria. 



Inner Ear of Echidna.* — Dr. E. Eschweiler has gone over again 

 his serial sections of Echidna on account of Hyrtl's statement that a 

 fenestra cochleae does not exist. Eschweiler's sections show clearly the 

 existence of the fenestra, and also prove that Hyrtl is mistaken in regard 

 to various other points of minute anatomy. 



Myology of Anomalurus.j — Mr. F. G. Parsons, true to his convic- 

 tion that muscles, if judiciously used, are capable of giving a great deal 

 of information about the relationships of animal-, because they do not 

 readily adapt themselves to changed conditions of life, has tested the 

 resources of myology by tackling the problem of the systematic position 

 of Anomalurus among Rodents, a question to which many answers have 

 been given. As a result of his comparative myological method applied 

 to Anomalurus, he concludes that its affinities are decidedly sciuromor- 

 phous in the main, though it shows certain definite myomorphous charac- 

 teristics. 



Pyloric Cseca of Teleosteans.^: — Th. Bondouy has been prompted 

 to make a fresh study of these organs by the discrepancy of the inter- 

 pretations which have been suggested in regard to them. Some have 

 called them digestive, others have positively denied this ; some have 

 regarded them as compensating for the pancreas which, though diffuse, 

 is anything but absent in Teleosteans, others have compared them to 

 the spiral valve of Elasmobranchs, and so on. 



The author has studied the structure and even more the function of 

 the pyloric caeca in Merlangus Pollachius, Mugil chelo, Motella mustela, 

 Cottus bubalis, Lophius piscatorius, Ct/clopterus lumpus, Lota molva, Gadus 

 luscus, Pagellus centrodontus, Rhombus maximus, Trutta fario, and Ser- 

 ranus cabrilla. 



In these species the pyloric tubes have an active role in digestion. 

 Almost always their juice digests fibrin, aud the proteo-hydrolytic fer- 

 ment behaves like trypsin. Starch is changed into sugar ; inulin and 

 saccharose are not affected ; nor is there any effect on fats. The tubes 

 are not homologous with the pancreas, but they supplement its action 

 by passing a surplus of ferments into the alimentary canal. In the 

 Cyprinidaa which have no caeca the intestine secretes trypsin throughout 

 its length ; in most species with pyloric caeca the secretion is localised 

 in these. There is no analogy with the spiral valve, for it is absorptive 

 only, not digestive. The absorptive role of the pyloric caeca is minimal, 

 very little food goes into them. The abundant mucus which they 

 secrete helps the passage of the chyme down the intestine. 



Anatomical Notes on Holocephali and Dogfishes. § — Dr. H. C. 

 Redeke contrasts the kidneys of Holocephali with those of Selachians. 

 In the latter the cranial portion of the kidney in the male comes into 

 relation with the liberation of the sex-elements ; but there is no differ- 



• Anat. Anzeig., xvi. (1899) pp. 5S4-90 (3 figs.). 



t Journ. Linn. Soc. (Zool.), xxvii. (1899) pp. 317-31. 



I Arch. Zool. Exper., vii. (1899) pp. 419-60 (3 figs.). 



§ Tijdschr. Nederland. Dierk. Ver., vi. (1899) pp. 119-36 (2 pis.). 



Feb. 21st, 1900 D 



