QUARTERLY CHRONICLE. 43 
mina form a complete organ, without interruptions. Moreover, 
he has made his examinations on fresh specimens of tissue, in 
which contractility and irritability still remained. Sections 
were cut from frozen muscles, by which means very thin yet 
unchanged specimens could be obtained. Osmic acic (OsO‘) 
was used to test whether the terminal lamina possessed pro- 
perties similar to those of the medullary part of the nerve. 
It was found that there was no coloration of the tissue, and 
hence it is inferred that the terminal lamina has none of the 
medullary matter of the nerve in it. 
“ On a New Mode of Parasitism observed in an Undescribed 
Animal” is the title of a paper by Dr. Lacaze-Duthiers in this 
journal for the 13th of November. In studying the marine 
fauna of the coast of Tunis M. Duthiers observed on the 
polyp of an Antipatharian little, flattened, reniform bodies, 
of arose colour. On opening one of these bodies a colony 
of living animalcules escaped, which were seen to be embry- 
onic Crustacea. The body from which they escaped appeared 
to be a nest, but when placed beneath the microscope it was 
found to be a living organism. It has the appearance of a 
minute lobster, with six pairs of claws, and a large alimentary 
canal of a brown colour. Dr. Duthiers proposes to call this 
little Crustacean Laura Gerardie. The most remarkable 
part about the animal is its mode of parasitism; it is at- 
tached to the polyp by a number of little tubular “ roots,” 
which spring from the carapace, and plunge into the tissues 
of the Gerardia. The liver is very largely developed indeed ; 
the circulatory and respiratory organs are at a minimum. 
The generative organs are very remarkably disposed, since 
the parasite is hermaphrodite. M. Duthiers promises other 
memoirs as the result of his investigations when on his voy- 
ages. 
In the ‘Comptes Rendus’ for the 20th November the same 
author publishes a paper “ On the Multiplicity and Termina- 
tion of the Nerves in the Mollusca.” He takes Thetys lepo- 
rina as his type, and proceeds in the present memoir to deal 
with the distribution and termination of the buccal nerves 
in a most detailed and careful manner. 
The same number contains some interesting researches by 
M. P. Bert “On Animal Grafting.” The microscope may 
well be applied to investigate the phenomena of growth which 
are here manifested. 
Annales des Sciences Naturelles.—The June number of this 
journal contains two valuable microscopical papers, one by 
M. Lacaze-Duthiers, “ On the Spicules of Gorgonie” as 
specific characters, and the other by M. Alexander Agassiz, 
