486 Miscellaneous. 
from its external border, by a longitudinal artery which starts from 
the right brachio-cephalic trunk, and which probably represents the 
internal thoracic artery. The intercostal arteries are separated at 
their origin, and take part, like the foregoing artery, in the formation 
of the plexuses. There is only a single renal artery on each side; 
but we find two renal veins, a large one in front, and a much 
smaller one behind. ‘The obliterated umbilical arteries, which 
terminate at the summit of the bladder, are connected with the 
hypogastric arteries, which each divide into two branches and form, 
in spite of their small size (the little finger can scarcely be inserted 
into them), the sole source of the blood contained in the enormous 
genital arterial plexus. This plexus completely covers the anterior 
portion of the vagina, the uterus and its cornua; but it does not 
extend in front into the broad ligament. 
The venous plexuses appear to be little developed, and those of 
the psoas are wanting as in the Mysticetes. On the other hand, 
there is a venous sinus in each of the large lobes of the liver, and 
the sinus of the vena cava inferior assumes enormous proportions. 
A large longitudinal vein traverses the right thoracic plexus, and 
receives three large branches at least from the medullary cavity ; 
it is by this vein, which functionally replaces the absent azygos 
veins, that the blood of the medullary veins returns into the vena 
cava anterior. In short, judging by all the characters with which 
we are so far acquainted, the circulatory apparatus of Hyperoodon 
appears to approach that of the terrestrial ancestral forms of the 
group, less, however, than that of the Mysticetes, but much more 
than that of the non-Ziphioid Cetodonts.—Comptes Rendus, t. exiii. 
no. 17 (Oct. 26, 1891), pp. 563-565. 
On Self-pollination in Amsonia Tabernemontana. 
By Tuomas Mrenan. 
To my mind the number of plants which have their flowers con- 
structed for self-fertilization is so large, that it would seem hardly 
worth particularizing them but for the industrious work of noting 
the opposite characteristics which prevails in our scientific serials, 
It seems not fair to true science that only one side of nature’s story 
should be told. This is why I record some self-fertilizing cases. 
It has been left to me to point out that only those plants which | 
have other means of persistence than by seeds have flowers which 
are wholly dependent on external agents for pollination, and also to 
show that while flowers which have arrangements for self-fertiliza- 
tion are abundantly fertile, those which cannot make use of pollen 
without assistance are frequently barren, and are at a sad disadvan- 
tage in making their way through the world. So clearly has this 
been worked out to my mind, that when a plant is found abundantly 
