ZOOLOGY. 519 



to carry a single egg in a marsupiuin or poncli. Professor Ramsay Las 

 given some additional information in regard to the egg, the pouch, and 

 the characteristics of the mother at the time of ovulation. His observa- 

 tions were based upon four females. On examining the pouch of one 

 he found therein "an egg, white in color, and about half an inch in 

 length, having a rather tough skin," and with very little lime in it, and 

 on the whole, much like a reptile's egg-, it is oval and equally rounded 

 at the respective ends. "The pouch was much warmer than the body 

 of the echidna generally," and Prof. Ramsay was surprised to notice the 

 degree of warmtli when he put his fingers in it. "The pouch entirely 

 disappears, or rather does not appear at all, until the parent is about 

 to lay her egg." The mother " showed great resentment at being ex- 

 amined," and, "on placing her in a cask of sand she at once burrowed 

 out of sight, covering herself with sand to a depth of 4 inches." In 

 captivity all animals were "fed on fresh milk, sweetened with a little 

 sugar, and some bread crumbs added." Some became tame very soon, 

 and readily went after the milk ; others did not drink except when their 

 keeper was out of sight. (Ann. and Mag. ISTat. Hist. (5), xvr, p. 479.) 



Tlie emhryo of the armadillos. — Until comparatively lately but little 

 was known concerning the embryology of the edentate mammals, but 

 information has been gradually accumulating, and we are now ac- 

 quainted with the outlines of the development of each living type of the 

 order. 



Some additional information respecting the foetal stages of the arma- 

 dillos has been published by Dr. H, von Iheri ng. Dr. von Ihering's 

 researches were chiefly based upon the Fraopus hybridus, a southern 

 Brazilian species. It appears that " several foetuses — six or more — are 

 inclosed in a single chorion, which is surrounded by as many zonary 

 placentae as there are foetuses;" the zones thus constituted are not, 

 however, perfect. It appears that the ungual phalanges in the embryo 

 differ from those of the adult in that they are " wide and hoof-shaped 

 with a trilobate margin," instead of being long and claw-shaped, as they 

 are in later life. This fact is of special interest, inasmuch as it recalls 

 characteristics exemplified in the gigantic extinct relations of the arma- 

 dillos known as Gyptodonts. Another very interesting feature is the 

 apparent development of a male organ in every individual of the litter, 

 thus apparently corroborating a popular idea that the 3'oung are always 

 males. Perhaps however in this case we have an analogy of a feature 

 exemplified in the striped hyena, in which the clitoris is so excessively 

 developed as to simulate the male organ. (Kosmos, — ; and Am. 2^at., 

 XX, pp. 667-678.) 



Alternation of generations in armadillo. — Dr. H. von Ihering has 

 shown that in the armadillos known as Praopiis eight embryos result 

 from a single germ ; and having considered this fact in connection with 



