186 Bibliographical Notices. 



Near to it, and a little to the left, the anal tube is situated, at a 

 considerable distance from the centre of the Star -fish. 



In Pteraster militaris the larval mouth only presents itself 

 upon the back near the margin of two arms, in the most ad- 

 vanced larval state ; and the anal orifice is situated here, as in 

 Bipinnaria asterigera, excentrically. In Bipinnaria asterigera, in 

 which the Star-fish only communicates with the larva by the 

 cjesophagus and the skin which passes from the larva to the 

 Star-fish, the larva detaches itself from the latter by the oeso- 

 phagus becoming constricted with strong contractions, whilst 

 the detached larva dies in six or eight days. We have also 

 observed that the whole intestinal canal disappears, and that 

 a new anal orifice is formed; it is only the stomach that 

 remains of the larva. This takes place somewhat differently 

 in Pteraster militaris, for the entire larva passes into the Star- 

 fish, although the latter receives a new mouth, intestinal canal, 

 and anus. J. Miiller has indicated that Bipinnaria asterigera is 

 perhaps a stage in the development of Solaster furcifer. It is 

 now some years since we expressed the same opinion on this 

 subject to MM. Sars and Bockdaleck. 



BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 



System der Ornithologie West Afrika's von Dr. G. Hartlaub. 

 Bremen, 1857, 1 vol. 8vo. 



Until the local faunae of the different parts of the earth's surface 

 have been worked out to a much greater extent than has as yet been 

 accomplished, it is almost hopeless to attempt with any certainty to 

 enunciate general laws on the geographical distribution of animal 

 life, one of the most interesting and by no means one of the least 

 important subjects of natural science. It is with great pleasure, 

 therefore, that we welcome every successive attempt to form an ac- 

 curate account of the whole or any part of the animated nature of 

 particular countries. Africa is a zoological kingdom to which the 

 naturalists of Germany have of late years devoted no small degree of 

 attention. Since Dr. Riippell completed his great contributions to- 

 wards our knowledge of the zoology of North-eastern Africa, Vier- 

 thaler, A. Brehm, Von Miiller, and Prince Paul of Wurtemburg, have 

 made further explorations into more remote portions of the same 

 country, and have reaped a rich harvest of results ; and Dr. Peters, 

 returned from the little-known region of the Mozambique, has com- 

 menced the publication of his numerous discoveries in every branch 

 of zoology. To the ornithology of Africa, Dr. G. Hartlaub of Bre- 

 men has for several years devoted much of his attention ; many papers 

 in the Transactions of the Natural History Society of Hamburg, and 

 in Cabanis' * Journal fiir Ornithologie,' bearing witness to his untiring 



