V4 NATURAL SCIENCE [February 



area in Pliocene times {Ghlamydoselache Imdeyi of J. W. Davis from 

 Tuscany), but hitherto it has not been found surviving in that 

 region. 



The specimen of Chlamydoselache from northern Norway is much 

 larger than any of those from Japan, being indeed nearly two metres 

 in length. But it is a very rare circumstance to be able to capture 

 so large a fish at so great a depth ; and as it scarcely differs from 

 the Japanese specimen except in size, Prof. Collett concludes 

 that it is merely a more mature individual of the same species, G. 

 anguineus. It is a female specimen, with immature eggs in course 

 of development in the oviduct, and thus apparently full grown ; but 

 that is, nevertheless, no reason why it should not attain still larger 

 dimensions. 



A Veritable Sea-serpent 



Prof. Collett thinks, indeed, that large individuals of Chlamy- 

 doselache may have given rise to some of the stories of a sea-serpent. 

 At any rate, an unusually large specimen of this shark would serve 

 very well for a so-called sea-serpent which was captured and, un- 

 fortunately, thrown away by an American fishing boat on the coast 

 of Maine in 1880 {Proc. U.S. Fish Commission, vol. iii. 1883, 

 p. 407). The strange animal in question is described as having 

 been a long, eel-like fish, about 25 feet in length, with a flattened 

 head, round body, and roughened skin like that of a shark. It had 

 one dorsal fin, and several gill-clefts on each side of its head. Un- 

 fortunately it was thrown away as of no commercial value to the 

 fishermen, and a subsequent search for the dead monster proved in 

 vain. 



The Mechanism of Living Protoplasm 



So much progress has been made during recent years in explaining 

 some of the simpler phenomena of life or vitality on mechanical 

 principles, that biologists are prepared without surprise for an early 

 further development of the subject. Notwithstanding its deep in- 

 terest, there is thus nothing really startling in a communication 

 we have received from Prof. A. L. Herrera, the ingenious biologist 

 of the Mexican National Museum. The professor has lately been 

 making experiments with the object of explaining on mechanical 

 principles some of the phenomena observed by Dr Fol in the fer- 

 tilisation of the eggs of Echinoderms. He takes two liquids of 

 different density, such as olive oil and water or yolk of egg, pour- 

 ing out the water upon a plate and allowing a thin layer of oil to 

 float on its surface. On the centre of this he drops a little yolk of 



