ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 285 



Development of Pancreas in Discoglossus pictus.* — Empedocle 

 Goggio gives a full account of the early development of the pancreas in 

 this anurous Amphibian. It takes its origin from three primordia, one 

 dorsal to the intestine, the others disposed laterally at the region of the 

 liver. The history of these primordia, e.g. the fusion of the dorsal 

 with the right ventral, is traced. 



Viviparous Frog.f — Gt. Tornier describes Pseiulopltryne vivipara 

 sp. n., from German East Africa, which is interesting in being the only 

 known viviparous frog, and also inasmuch as the other species of the 

 genus are recorded from Australia. In the enlarged lower ends of the 

 oviducts there were 30-87 almost fully formed young frogs, with head 

 and mouth of the definitive form, with conical legs of considerable 

 size, with the anus between and above the hind legs, with a large mass 

 of still unused yolk in the body cavity, with a long cylindrical tail 

 not adapted as a locomotor organ. 



Influence of Light on Pigmentation of Amphibian Ova and 

 Larvae 4 — Oskar Schultze has made numerous experiments bearing on 

 this interesting question. In the case of Rana esculenta, Triton tamiatus, 

 and Salamanclra maculata, subjected to different sets of rays, he found 

 no demonstrable influence on the development or condition of the larva?. 



Eggs of Rana fusca, R. esculenta, and Bufo cinereus reared in com- 

 plete darkness showed no deviation from the normal, either as regards 

 length of development or degree of pigmentation, but larval salamanders 

 kept in the light showed a progressive decrease in the darkness of the 

 pigmentation. Schultze admits that in certain cases the illumination has 

 undoubtedly an influence on pigment formation, but in general it must 

 be said that the formation of pigment is so intimately bound up with 

 the hereditary constitution that there is no dependence on the degree of 

 illumination. 



Urogenital System of Elasmobranchs.§ — I. Borcea has made a 

 detailed embryological and anatomical study of the urogenital system in 

 representative types of Elasmobranchs, and shows that there is no hiatus 

 between Anamnia and Amniota in the evolution of this system in the 

 vertebrate series. We cannot do more than refer to a few points to 

 which the author directs special attention : the distinction between 

 segmental canal and renal canaliculus ; the significance of islands of 

 lymphoid tissue found in some types alternating with the segments of 

 the kidney ; the participation of the primary ureter in the formation of 

 the terminal part of the segmental canals and of the renal canaliculi, 

 and in the formation of the definitive ureter ; the differences in the 

 two sexes and the modifications associated with sexual maturity ; the 

 necessity of distinguishing (a) the glandular portion composed of 

 secretory canals (segmental canals or renal canaliculi derived therefrom), 

 and (b) an efferent portion formed by the primary ureter and its 

 derivatives ; these two portions have a distinct origin though they both 



* Atti Soc. Toscana Sci. Nat. Pisa, xxi. (1905) pp. 33-48 (1 pi.), 

 t SB. k. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, xxxix. (1905) pp. 855-7. 

 t Op. cit., xlii.-xliv. (1905) pp. 917-28 (2 figs.). 

 § Arch. Zool. Exper., iv. (1906) pp. 199-484 (2 pis., 103 figs.). 



