716 SCIENTIFIC RECORD FOR 1883. 



the American naturalist, although apparently unacquainted with his 

 articles, and his terminology for the parts, especially the suspensory 

 muscles of the pharynx, is mostly the same. Kirbach, however, contends 

 that the proboscis is extended by muscular contraction and rolled up 

 by elasticity — a view opposite to that suggested by Burgess and not 

 fortified by proofs. The special new feature brought out by Kirbach is 

 the syringe-like mechanism of the salivary duct, by means of which 

 saliva is injected into the proboscis. (Zoologischer Anzeiger, vol. vi, p. 

 553; Science, voJ jt, p. 833.) 



VIII. MOLLUSCOIDS. 



Brachiopods. 



The relations of the Brachiopods. — The much-mooted question as to 

 whether the Brachiopods are closely related to the Chastopod worms, 

 and, it may be, simply modified worms, or not has been again discussed. 

 Mr. A. E. Shipley, in studies on the genus Argiope at Naples, gives his 

 views resulting from a recent survey of the fields. They are antagonistic 

 to those of Morse and Kowalevsky. It is contended that " the segments 

 of the larva do not seem to have the value of true metameres, but to 

 be due simply to the formatiou of the shell from the central region of 

 the body. There is no trace of any segmentatioa of the mesoderm', and 

 no organ exhibits serial repetition. The Brachiopod differs from the 

 Ohaetopod larva in having an alimentary canal which is not curved nor 

 divided into three regions nor provided with mouth or anus. The body 

 cavity is but feebly developed, and there is no provisional renal organ. ' 

 On the other hand, Mr. Shipley declines to adopt the more generally 

 current view that the Brachiopods are closely related to the Polyzoans, 

 and that the two constitute a natural phylum. He recalls that (1) the 

 homologies of the lophophore have been considered to be very doubtful ; 



(2) that the characteristic position of the nerve-ganglia of the Brachio 

 pods, which remain in the ectoderm, is not shared with the Polyzoans; 



(3) that the larvae of the two classes do not really resemble each other, 

 and (4) that the Polyzoans became fixed by the preoral aud the Brachio- 

 pods by the aboral extremity. 



In fine, Mr. Shipley has been led to consider with Gegenbauer the 

 Brachiopods to be a " primary class," most closely related to the Vermes, 

 but also allied to the Mollusca. (Mitth. Zool. Stat. Neapel, vol. iv, pp. 

 494-520, 2 pi.; J. B. M. S. (2), vol. IV, pp. 215-217.) 



IX. MOLLTJSKS. 



Acephals. 



The alleged water-pores of Lamellibranchiates. — It has been claimed, 

 especially by H. Griesbach, that there are aquiferous pores developed 

 IP the feet of certain Acephals. The alleged discovery provoked re- 



