^°"urnal.FebTi«'m'] PROGKESS OF illCROSCOPICAL SCIENCE. 101 



five thousandths of a millimetre ; that of the clear, from one to three 

 thousandths. In addition to the transverse striation, the axis-cylinder 

 also exhibits well-marked longitudinal striation, so that it presents a 

 singularly close, though probably only superficial, analogy to a mus- 

 cular fibre. Examination by polarized light, however, does not 

 furnish any evidence of the existence of a doubly refractile substance. 

 M. Grandry observed a similar transverse striation in the bodies of, 

 and in the processes given off from, ganglion cells, especially in those 

 of the anterior horn of the cervical j)ortion of the spinal cord. — The 

 Lancet, January 15. 



Fossil Bryozoa. — The study of the fossil Bryozoa is a fertile field 

 for microsGopists, and is being pursued more abroad than in England. 

 A memoir by an Italian, Signor Manzoni, was recently read before the 

 Vienna Academy (Dec. 16), on the Fossil Bryozoa of Italy. The 

 author went very fully into the siibject, and described no less than 

 twenty-one species of Lepralia, and gave four plates illustrative of his 

 observations. Only six of the species are already known : L. scripta, 

 pteropora, and tetragona, Ess. ; linearis, Hassall ; ansata, Johnst., and 

 ciliata. Pall,; the remaining fifteen are quite new. The greater number 

 of the species (twelve) are from the Middle Miocene of Turin ; four 

 are from the Middle Pliocene of Castellarquata ; and the remaining 

 five are from the Upper Pliocene of Eeggio in Calabria. 



The Terminations of the Biliary Duds. — This question, which has 

 been solved in opposite ways by Drs. Beale and Handfield Jones, has 

 recently been taken up in America. A paper on the subject ajjpeared 

 lately in the ' New Orleans Journal of Medicine,' and is thus 

 abstracted by the 'Lancet' (January 22), which has lately from time 

 to time published some very valuable resumes of foreign histological 

 papers. The writer in the ' Lancet,' whom we think we could name, 

 thinks that the author of the paper in question. Dr. H. D. Schmidt, 

 satisfactorily makes out his claim to being the discoverer of the termi- 

 nation of the biliary ducts in biliary capillaries, which is now very 

 generally admitted. By a series of imfortunate circumstances, amongst 

 which the fire that occui'red in the Smithsonian Institute, the civil 

 wai", and Dr. Schmidt's ill-health, were the most important, the obser- 

 vations made in 1859 have only now been published. Dr. Schmidt's 

 observations seem to be essentially similar to those that have of late 

 years been advanced by Budge, M'Gillavry, Chrzonsczczewsky, and 

 Eberth, and are to the effect that two capillary networks exist in the 

 lobule of the liver : one, commencing at the periphery of the lobule 

 from the smallest branches of the portal vein and hepatic artery, and 

 ending at the centre in those of the hepatic vein, serves for the cii'cu- 

 lation of the blood ; the other, commencing independently in the centre 

 of the lobule, near the interlobular vein, and ending in the smallest 

 branches of the hepatic ducts, is most probably destined for the trans- 

 port of the secretion of the gland. The cells lie within the meshes of 

 the two networks ; but, as it appears, are held and adherent more to 

 the netsvork for the secretion. Dr. Schmidt agrees with M. Guillot in 

 believing that a natural communication exists between the biliary 



