437 
to drawings of the hands and feet of such animals as the Phalanger 
and Didelphys virginiana, by ALıx!) who figures eminences covered 
by papillary ridges in a series of areas exactly similar to those 
mentioned above, while the remainder of the hand or foot is represented 
as quite scaly”. The papillary areas figured by Aix are the pads 
of the animal’s feet. 
Of course my investigation was directed more to papillary ridges 
than to the morphology of the eminences on which patterns appear, 
but still it is extremely interesting to find that Dr. WıLpEr and I 
have independently reached results so closely akin to each other. 
My conclusions showed that, apart form those elevated areas where 
the papillary ridges assumed some form of design or pattern, the papil- 
lary ridges themselves are so arranged in hand and foot as to lie more 
or less parallel to the long axis of any cylindrical object which may 
be grasped. In other words, everywhere the papillary ridges and 
their intervening furrows are adjuncts to the prehensile function and 
power of the hands and feet as well as arrangements associated 
with increased sensibility and discrimination of the sense of touch. 
The elevated areas on which platterns occur “are also special develop- 
ments in relation to prehensile function”. The drawings of ALIx al- 
ready referred to, showed the appearance of papillary ridges upon 
the pads of animals which had a prehensile function added to their 
feet and “this accounts for their” (i. e. the elevated areas) “constancy 
in the hands and feet of animals which have these organs modified 
for prehension”. 
My conclusion with regard to the variety assumed by the “patterns 
or designs” which cover these eminences was, that each “design” “has 
its character determined by the position, shape and dimensions of the 
particular eminence”, that is to say, I favoured causes which were 
not only machanical but almost accidental. 
Neue Modelle von FR. ZIEGLER. 
Herr Frrepricu ZIEGLER in Freiburg i. B, bittet mich, drei neuere 
aus seinem Atelier für wissenschaftliche Plastik hervorgegangene Modell- 
serien denjenigen Herren Collegen zu empfehlen, welche dieselben noch 
nicht aus eigener Anschauung kennen. 
1) Ann. Sc, Nat., 5th Series Vol. 9, 1868. 
