248 PROFESSOR PANCERI. 



another physiological significance. And, indeed, even in 

 the excellent description of the " Funicular -platte " by Doctor 

 Nitsche, I see good reason at least for studying this feature 

 much more before leaving off the interpretation at first given 

 by Fritz Midler. That it encloses more than nervous ele- 

 ments, especially in Flustra membranacea, is very obvious 

 (cf. ' Ofvers.Vet. Akad. Forh.,' 1867, p. 32), but for awarding 

 to this the physiological significance of the name oi funiculus 

 (Allm.), I think, is all too vague. 



As to the germ-capsules, the Kev. Th. Hincks, without 

 doubt one of the most excellent Bryozoologists, ah-eady has 

 pointed out ('Quart. Journ. Micr. Sc.,^ July, 1871) what is 

 yet to say thereon. I did not answer the eminent Professor 

 Claparede upon his objections against my theory, because I 

 hoped he would continue his researches on these animals. 

 Death has deprived us of this most glorious labourer in 

 the field of scientific zoology. Now, Dr. Nitsche says I am 

 right as to the development of these germ-capsules. As 

 to the budding from them, I still trust to my observations, 

 only calling to mind that the budding from the endocyst in the 

 older Zooecia, by which Nitsche will explain the whole 

 question, was known and described even by me (' Ofvers. 

 Vet. Akad. Forh.,' 1864, p. 28) as a different mode of 

 budding, that could be observed even in the atrophied 

 zocecia without germ-capsules. • 



The Luminous Organs and Light of the Pennatul^. 

 By Professor Panceri, of the University of Naples. 



The memoir presented to the Academy under the title 

 indicated above commences by the enumeration of the 

 authors who have witnessed the phosphorescence of the 

 zoophites in question. Although omitting the observers who 

 limit themselves to stating the fact that light is emitted by 

 the Pennatulidse, I ought specially to mention Spallanzani, 

 Blainville, Delle Chiaje, and Forbes, as having already de- 

 scribed the luminous waves which are seen traversing these 

 little polypes when they have been recently touched. Hitherto 

 neither methodical experiments have been made towards de- 

 termining the conditions of this phenomenon, nor special 

 researches to discover whether these animals really possess 

 true luminous organs. Formerly it was generally believed 

 that the mucus which clothed the exterior of the branches 



