﻿1 
  ;">6 
  Miscellaneous. 
  

  

  we 
  may 
  readily 
  see, 
  if 
  the 
  precaution 
  of 
  preventing 
  the 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  young 
  Amphiura 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  taken, 
  the 
  young 
  Crusfcaeoans 
  

   might 
  have 
  fallen 
  easy 
  prey 
  to 
  the 
  vigorously 
  growing 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  

   brittle-star. 
  

  

  Many 
  questions 
  of 
  theoretical 
  interest 
  suggest 
  themselves 
  in 
  re- 
  

   gard 
  to 
  the 
  curious 
  condition 
  of 
  parasitism 
  mentioned 
  above. 
  How 
  

   by 
  a 
  theory 
  of 
  the 
  advantage 
  which 
  has 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  Crustacean 
  has 
  

   the 
  life 
  within 
  the 
  brood-sac 
  of 
  Amphiura 
  originated 
  ? 
  That 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  

   manifest 
  protection 
  to 
  the 
  5'oung 
  Crustacean 
  to 
  be 
  sheltered 
  by 
  its 
  

   host 
  appears 
  self-evident, 
  and 
  one 
  can 
  on 
  this 
  ground 
  find 
  abundant 
  

   cause 
  for 
  the 
  mode 
  of 
  life 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  mentioned. 
  Moreover, 
  it 
  

   is 
  also 
  a 
  great 
  advantage 
  that 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  Amphiura 
  be 
  

   (b-stroyed. 
  We 
  may 
  then 
  suppose 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  evolution 
  of 
  this 
  

   manner 
  of 
  life, 
  after 
  the 
  Crustacean 
  has 
  found 
  a 
  home 
  in 
  the 
  brood- 
  

   sac 
  of 
  the 
  brittle-star, 
  the 
  ovaries 
  of 
  the 
  Amphiwra 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  

   aborted 
  by 
  the 
  parasite, 
  and 
  this 
  habit 
  of 
  destroying 
  the 
  ovary 
  has 
  

   led 
  to 
  a 
  survival 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  Crustacean. 
  That 
  habit 
  becoming 
  

   hereditary 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  life 
  as 
  it 
  now 
  exists. 
  Whether 
  

   the 
  ovaries 
  were 
  first 
  used 
  as 
  food, 
  and 
  in 
  that 
  way 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  

   spaying 
  the 
  Amphiura 
  arose, 
  I 
  cannot 
  say. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  they 
  

   offered 
  a 
  tempting 
  morsel 
  to 
  the 
  Crustacean, 
  and 
  the 
  advantage 
  

   thus 
  gained 
  by 
  the 
  parasite 
  over 
  others 
  has 
  led 
  through 
  heredity 
  

   to 
  the 
  condition 
  which 
  we 
  at 
  present 
  find. 
  — 
  Proc. 
  Bost. 
  Soc. 
  Xat. 
  

   Uist. 
  vol. 
  xxiv. 
  p. 
  31 
  . 
  

  

  The 
  Bressa 
  Prize. 
  

  

  The 
  Royal 
  Academy 
  of 
  Sciences 
  of 
  Turin 
  gives 
  notice 
  that 
  from 
  

   the 
  1st 
  of 
  January, 
  l^ 
  s 
  7, 
  the 
  new 
  term 
  for 
  competition 
  for 
  the 
  seventh 
  

   Bressa 
  Prize 
  lias 
  begun, 
  to 
  which, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  testator's 
  will, 
  

   scientific 
  men 
  and 
  inventors 
  of 
  all 
  nations 
  will 
  be 
  admitted. 
  A 
  

   prize 
  will 
  therefore 
  be 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  scientific 
  author 
  or 
  inventor, 
  

   whatever 
  be 
  his 
  nationality, 
  who 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  1887-90, 
  

   • 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  judgment 
  of 
  the 
  Royal 
  Academy 
  of 
  Sciences 
  of 
  

   Turin, 
  shall 
  have 
  made 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  and 
  useful 
  discovery, 
  or 
  

   published 
  the 
  most 
  valuable 
  work 
  on 
  physical 
  and 
  experimental 
  

   science, 
  natural 
  history, 
  mathematics, 
  chemistry, 
  physiology, 
  and 
  

   pathology, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  geology, 
  history, 
  geography, 
  and 
  statistics." 
  

  

  The 
  term 
  will 
  be 
  closed 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  December 
  1*890. 
  

  

  The 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  prize 
  amounts 
  to 
  12,000 
  Italian 
  lire. 
  

  

  The 
  prize 
  will 
  in 
  no 
  case 
  be 
  given 
  to 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Members 
  

   of 
  the 
  Academy 
  of 
  Turin, 
  resident 
  or 
  non-resident. 
  

  

  J% 
  /'resident 
  of 
  the 
  K. 
  Academy, 
  

   A. 
  Ckxocchi. 
  

   Turin, 
  January 
  1st, 
  1889. 
  

  

  