241 



2. The Nervous System of Sponges. 



By Professor F. Jeffrey Bell, in London. 



eingeg. 28. März 1887. 



I have every reason to believe that the text-book referred to on 

 p. 142 of No. 246 of the »Zoologischer Anzeiger« as »Bells Textbook 

 of Zoology London 1886" is one which bears the title of »Comparative 

 Anatomy and Physiology« and which was published in 1885. Had it 

 been published in the later year I should be justly blamed for referring 

 only to the observations of Prof. Stewart. May 1, therefore, correct 

 Dr. von Lendenfeld's wrong date, and point out that his »Vorläufige 

 Mittheilung« on j)Das Nervensystem der Spongien« only appeared some 

 time after my work had begun to be printed off. 



I acknowledge that Dr. von Lendenfeld brings no charge of 

 ommission against me, but others, incorrectly acquainted with the 

 date of my Avork might do so. 



3. Herr Max Weber and the General Organs of Myxine. 



By J. T. Cunningham, Edinburgh. 



eingeg. 30. März 1887. 



A few days ago Herr Max Weber sent me a copy of a short paper 

 communicated by him on Feb. 26 of the current year to the Neder- 

 landsche Dierkundige Vereeniging, on the subject of the sexual organs 

 of Myxine glutinosa. For his courtesy in sending me the paper I thank 

 him sincerely. For the treatment he has bestowed on me in the paper 

 itself I cannot thank him unreservedly. He makes known to me the 

 existence of a publication on the subject which had entirely escaped 

 my notice, and for that I am grateful. But he says that the results of 

 my inquiries published by me in the Quarterly Journal of Micro- 

 scopical Science, 1886, were already contained, in nuce in the paper I 

 had overlooked, and when I refer to this paper I find that this is very 

 far from an accurate statement. 



The paper to which Max Weber refers as having anticipated my 

 discoveries is one by W. Müller on »Das Urogenitalsystem des Atnp/ìi- 

 oxîts und der Cyclostomen«, contained in Bd. IX of the Jenaische Zeit- 

 schrift, 1875. Müller there gives a descripticm of the urogenital 

 system of Mt/.ritie, including an account of the ovary and ova, and of 

 the testis. His description of the ovary adds nothing to what had been 

 previously known. 



The young ova -6 mm in diameter he describes as surrounded by 

 a single layer of polygonal cells outside which is a layer of fibrillar 



