Miscellaneous. 163 



again through the form of an Amoeba. The little Anicebse always 

 issue perfectly formed from the body of the Pelomyxa, and they 

 seem to originate from the shining bodies. The latter, therefore, must 

 be regarded as germs or spores, originating in the nuclei. 



Besides the nuclei and the shining bodies, there are in the paren- 

 clryma of the Pelomyxa innumerable fine hyaline bacilli, which are 

 generally not more than from 0-006 to 0-008 milliin. in length. 

 They are found free among the vacuoles, and often also adhere in 

 great numbers to the whole surface of the shining bodies. Dr. Greef 

 sometimes thought that he could perceive transverse strise at their 

 surface and a longitudinal canal in their interior ; but he can assert 

 nothing positive upon these points. Eeagents prove that they are 

 composed of an organic substance. 



Dr. Greef concludes his memoir with some considerations on the 

 affinities of Pelomyxa. He remarks that this creature resembles 

 the plasmodium of the Myxomycetes, but that this plasmodium only 

 represents a transitional state due to the coalescence of amoeboid 

 spores, from which afterwards originates an organism of a much 

 more complex structure, while the Pelomyxa represents the phase of 

 of complete development, having numerous nuclei in its interior. 

 Pelomyxa is consequently a multicellidar organism which represents 

 a group of amoeboid creatures with multiple nuclei, belonging to 

 the class Rhizopoda, and allied in many respects to the Myxo- 

 mycetes. — Archiv fur mikrosh. Anat. vol. x. (1873), p. 51 ; Bibl. 

 Univ. Dec. 15, 1873, Bull. Sci. p. 358. 



On Megapodius trinkutensis, Sharpe. 

 By Arthur, Viscount Walden, P.Z.S. 



In the ' Annals ' of this year (xiii. p. 448), Mr. Sharpe described 

 a Megapode from Trinkut island (Nicobars) as belonging to a species 

 distinct from Megapodius nicobariensis, Blyth. 



At least four of the islands composing the Nicobar group are in- 

 habited by a species of Megapode ; but as Mr. Blyth did not record 

 the name of the island which furnished him with the type of his 

 species, it is impossible to say which is the habitat of M. nicoba- 

 riensis. A considerable series of individuals has recently reached 

 me — consisting of six males, four females, and one unsexed from 

 Camorta island, nine males, four females, and two unsexed from 

 Nangcowry island, two males, three females, and one unsexed from 

 Katschal island, and seven males, seven females, and one unsexed 

 from Trinkut island ; and they all belong to one species. Every 

 phase of plumage is represented ; and several of the Trinkut examples 

 exhibit the French-grey tinge on the throat and sides of neck, as do 

 some, but not all, from each of the other islands. Megapodius trin- 

 kutensis must therefore be regarded as equal to M. nicobariensis. 



Three of the forty-seven individuals I have received present a 

 feature not hitherto recorded, namely a tendency to assume a naked 

 callosity on the crown, as is observable in Megacephalon maleo. One, 

 a female from Katschal island, has the occiput and vertex naked of 



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