xxvi Journal of Comparative Neurology. 



The Sylvian Flssure and Island ok Reil. ' 



A careful description of three brains of the Gibbon with one plate is 



introduced by a historical review. The author considers that his results 

 confirm Turner's view "that the Islandof Reil, which in the brain of the 

 ape and still more in that of man is entirely concealed within the Sylvian 



fissure, is the homologue of the sylvian convolution of the carnivorous 



brain." 



Action of Bacterial Products on the Vaso-motor Centres. . 



In the Bacteriological World of March, 1892, is an abstract of Burch- 

 ard's paper before the French Academy in which it is suggested that 

 certain bacteriological products in inflamation serve to modify its essential 

 element, diapedesis (the passage of leucocytes through the vascular walls) 

 by their effects on the vaso-constrictor and vaso-dilator nervous centres 

 respectively. Massad and Bordet think that the attraction by bacterial 

 products on leucocytes is sufficient to make them migrate through their 

 vascular walls. But Burchard believes that the substance anectasine 

 paralyses the vaso-dilator centres thus preventing inflamatory congestion 

 and inflamatory oedema and also diapedesis. 



The Brain of Ichthyophvs. - 



Dr. Buikhardt, assistent in Piof. Oscar llertwig's laboraiory in 

 Berlin, availed him.'elf of the cpjjorlunity afioided ly the rect ption of 

 specimens of the raie anij:hibian, hhthycfhis ghUinaus from Cylon, to 

 examine critically previous descriptions of the brain and has described the 

 microscopic stiuctuie the ctnlral oigan as well as the peculiar olfactory 

 organs. The'method of leccnstruction from serial sections was resorted 

 to. For young amphibian laMa? the author recommends preservation in 

 Rabl's fluid and staining in alum cochineal. For older larvae, chromic 

 acid I %, 10 hours, acetic acid 5 % 24 hours, alcohol gradatim, and stain- 

 ing as before, or osmic acid ^ % 5 houis, careful washing and staining 

 with Delafield's hematoxylin. Adults weie decalcified in a mixture of 

 chromic and nitric acids and cut in toto. 



From among a number of interesting lesults we select the following : 

 The optic nerve in the embryo of these blind subterranean animals is at 



1. Wai.dkyrr, >V. Sylvische Fiirclie uiul Reil '.sche Iiisiil dos (ieiius Hyloliates. 

 Mat. u. natw. Mitth. Akad. Berlin, March, 1891. 



2. KuD. Bi KCKHABDT, I'ntersuchung uiD Ilirn uiitl (Ui lu li.-oigan von Triton iiml 

 Jchthyojihif'. Zcit.scli. Wi.s. ZooL, LII, :!. 



