2/8 Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology. 



organs in or about the nostrils of the fish, although he himself elsewhere 

 admits in a similar case the possibility of a slight and widely diffused 

 stimulation of end buds on the barblets and body. Further experi- 

 mentation showed that there are two well defined types of reflex, the 

 gustatory and the tactile. 



Similar experiments on three types of gadoids, the pollock 

 [Pollachius 2'irens) hake ( Urophycis tenuis) and tomcod {Microgadus tom- 

 cod), gave entirely consonant results. In the tomcod the olfactory 

 organs of several individuals were extirpated, but the gustatory reflexes 

 seemed absolutely unmodified by the operation. The sea-robin 

 {Prionotus carolinus) finds its food largely by the sense of vision, but 

 also uses not a little its pectoral fin. Now this fin has neither end 

 buds nor communis nerve fibers, and, quite as was to be expected, it 

 shows absolutely no gustatory sensitiveness ; the last observation is 

 confirmed by Morrill. The paper concludes with further interesting 

 observations on the feeding habits of these and other fishes and with 

 interesting general comparative-physiological and comparative-psycho- 

 logical conclusions. E. B. h. 



Carlson, A. J- Further Evidence of the Nervous Origin of the Heart-Beat in 

 Limulus. Amer. /our. Physiol., 1905, 12,471-489. 



This is another important contribution, by Dr. Carlson, to the 

 study of the relation of the nervous system to heart-beat. The author 

 makes clear that nerve elements are demonstrable anatomically as well 

 as physiologically in the hearts of many invertebrates which are gen- 

 erally supposed to lack them. 



Among the striking facts in this paper we note : (i) The ganglion 

 cells of the posterior or venous end of the heart of Limulus are more 

 numerous and exhibit greater automatism than those of the anterior 

 end. (2) The nerve cord on the dorsal side of the heart is a reflex 

 centre, but there is no evidence of a local inhibitory reflex mechanism. 

 (3) Hearts with nerve cord intact vary less in their beating in re- 

 sponse to diff"erent intensities of stimulation than do those without 

 neural connections. (4) Mechanical stimuli of various kinds produce 

 or augment the rhythmic contractions of the heart with nerve cord, but 

 after extirpation of the ganglion no contractions result from such 

 stimuli. R. M. Y. 



Kendall. W. C. Habits of Some of the Commercial Cat-fishes. Bull. U. S. 

 Fish Commission for 1 902, 399-409, 1904. 



This paper brings together the most important published and 

 otherwise available facts on this subject. Habitat, food, feeding and 

 breeding habits are the chief topics considered. i. a. field. 



