Literary Notices. 75 



€st among fibers of the same class. (4) It is provisionally concluded 

 that (A) efferent fibers proceeding from the spinal cord, (B) post- 

 ganglionic nerve fibers, and (C) afferent nerve fibers are incapable of 

 coalescing with one another. r. p. 



Robertson, T. B. On the "Sham-Death" Reflex in Spiders. Jour, of Phys- 

 iol., 1904, 31, 410-417. 

 Three species of spiders were used, two classed as "active" 

 {Epeira producta (?) and Aniaurobhis sp.) and one as "sluggish" (Celac- 

 nia excavata). To produce the "sham-death" reflex in the active spe- 

 cies the stimulus must be sharp and sudden. In the sluggish species 

 the "sham-death" posture is continuous and therefore practically inde- 

 pendent of the stimulus. The reflex is carried out without the aid of 

 the abdominal nerves, and in the active species can be performed in 

 an altered manner by the thoracic ganglia alone, or even by the gang- 

 lia of the two posterior or two anterior segments of the thorax alone. 

 In the sluggish species the reflex cannot be induced without the head 

 ganglion. The "sham-death" reflex is a complete tetanus when the 

 nervous system is intact. In conclusion the author says : "In the 

 active species of spiders, in which the "sham-death" posture is prob- 

 ably a means of escape in emergency even if they be regarded as pos- 

 sessing "conscious volition" at all, unless we suppose that this is an 

 attribute of each of the thoracic ganglia, this reaction cannot be due 

 to their conscious volition. That is to say, purposeful as it may seem 

 as a means of protection from their enemies, this reaction is a neces- 

 sary consequence of the structure of their nervous system and the 

 functional activities of the nervous elements, independently of any 

 mental processes connected with the cerebral nervous masses." 



R. P. 



Langley, J. N. and Anderson, H. K. dn Autogenetic Regeneration in 

 the Nerves of the Limbs, four, of Physiol., 1904, 31, 418-428. 



May, W. P. The Innervation of the Sphincters and Musculature of the Stom- 

 ach. Joitr. of Physiol., 1904, 31, 260-271. 



Elliott, T. R. and Barclay-Smith, E. Antiperistalis and other musular 

 Activities of the Colon. Jour, of Physiol., I904, 31, 272-304. 



Sherrington, C. S. On Certain Spinal Reflexes in the Dog. Jour, of Physiol., 

 1904, 31, (pp. 17-19 of Proc. Physiol. Soc.) 



Stuart, T. P. A. A Contrast (?) Experiment. Jour. Physiol., 1904, 31, (pp. 

 6 and 7 of Proc. Physiol. Soc.) 



Werndly, L. U. H. C. Aequisonore FlSchen rings um eine ertonende Stimm- 

 gabel. Arch. f. (Anat. u.) Physiol., 1904, 297-304. 



