ZOOLOGY xVND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 63 



appear to act tlirougb the corpora liitea, hindering their development, 

 and thereby delaying or stopping the cycle of ovuni-inaturationa, which 

 the secretion of the corpora liitea continuously stimulates. The intluence 

 of the rays tells on the progeny, which are below the normal size, and the 

 author finds some evidence that this diminution of growth-vigour is 

 transmitted. 



Changes in Testes in Chronic Alcoholism.* — A. Weichselbaum and 

 J. Kyrle find that chronic alcoholic poisoning always leads to testicular 

 changes of varying degree, which may ultimately lead to the complete 

 destruction of the seminal canaliculi. A cirrhosis of the liver often 

 exaggerates the testicular changes. In the diseased testes there is very 

 frequently a proliferation of the interstitial celb and of the epithelium of 

 the rete testis. The former, which is often very marked, is associated 

 with the regeneration of the degenerated seminiferous cells ; the latter 

 probably represents a futile regeneration. 



Effect of Castration on Cat.t — Ed. Retterer and Aug. Lelievre have 

 enquired minutely into changes in the male cat induced by castration, 

 i.e. by the absence of the normal internal secretion of the testes. There 

 was no effect on fur or vibrissse, nor even in the larynx. But the 

 development of the accessory glands of the genital tract was definitely 

 affected. The prostate was atrophied, and the horny spines or "odon- 

 toids " underwent retrogression and disappeared. 



Spinal Ganglia of Mammals Surviving in vitrcj— Gr. Marinesco 

 and J. Minea find that spinal ganglia of rabbit and cat can survive in 

 vitro, and that the nerve-cell may give off fibres which emerge from the 

 ganglion and grow in a suitable medium. In the absence of other 

 elements in the medium the outgrowing fibres seem to resent the absence 

 of a conductor of some sort, and their course is irregular, sinuous, and 

 thick. When there are other elements in the medium, which exert an 

 influence on the growing fibre, the result is more typical. The fibres 

 are more regular and straight, and have a uniform delicate calibre. 



INVERTEBRATA. 



MoUusca. 

 7. Gastropoda. 



Self-fertilization in Lymnaea.— H. S.Colton has studied Lymnsea 

 columella as a subject for a pure line investigation. He does not, how- 

 ever, get beyond saying, that it apparently self-fertilizes its eggs when 

 isolated. " A pure line," Johannsen says, " may be defined as the de- 

 scendants from one single homozygotic organism exclusively propagating 

 by self-fertilization," and Lyimieea columella would furnish such 

 material. 



* SB. Akad. wiss. Wieu, cxxi. (1912) pp. 51-67 (2 pis.). 



t C.R. See. Biol. Paris, Ixxiii. (1912) pp. 18-i-G. 



% Anat. Auzeig.. xlii. (1912) pp. 161-76 (8 Af 0^ 



§ Proc. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1912, pp. 173-83 (4 figs.). 



