﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  11 
  

  

  which 
  it 
  most 
  nearly 
  resembles 
  '; 
  so 
  that 
  my 
  original 
  view 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  

   this 
  organ 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  thus 
  confirmed." 
  

  

  From 
  what 
  is 
  herein 
  quoted 
  from 
  Dr. 
  Gray's 
  paper, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  perceived, 
  that 
  

   while 
  the 
  microscopic 
  examination 
  showed 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  " 
  quite 
  unlike 
  that 
  of 
  Gor- 
  

   gonia 
  and 
  Pennatula," 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Carter's 
  subsequent 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  

   species 
  referred 
  to 
  Osteocel/a, 
  " 
  shows 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  similarly 
  composed 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  

   Gorgonia, 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  and"^* 
  * 
  * 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  stem 
  of 
  Osteocella 
  Cliftoni, 
  and 
  

   the 
  other 
  Pennatulida3," 
  etc. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Gray's 
  paper 
  implies 
  a 
  collision 
  between 
  the 
  microscopic 
  test 
  and 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   amination 
  with 
  acid 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  his 
  genus 
  contains 
  a 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  

   which 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  kingdom 
  Osteocella 
  is 
  related. 
  With 
  high 
  regard 
  

   for 
  the 
  justly 
  distinguished 
  naturalist, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  admitted 
  that 
  his 
  genus 
  is 
  

   quite 
  indefinite, 
  and 
  could 
  be 
  construed 
  to 
  cover 
  a 
  wide 
  range 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  he 
  has 
  

   attached 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  catalogue 
  of 
  Pennatulidae, 
  it 
  is 
  perhaps 
  fair 
  to 
  infer 
  that 
  in 
  

   his 
  mind 
  the 
  balance 
  of 
  reasoning 
  tends 
  in 
  that 
  direction 
  ; 
  as 
  between 
  the 
  micro- 
  

   scopic 
  and 
  the 
  acid 
  tests, 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  of 
  insignificant 
  value. 
  

  

  But 
  returning 
  to 
  the 
  " 
  switches," 
  I 
  find 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Sclater 
  does 
  not 
  commit 
  him- 
  

   self, 
  but 
  with 
  apparent 
  consideration 
  for 
  the 
  intelligence 
  of 
  the 
  parties 
  who 
  sent 
  

   him 
  the 
  specimens 
  and 
  their 
  statement 
  that 
  they 
  belonged 
  to 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  fish, 
  he 
  

   only 
  says 
  that, 
  " 
  supposing 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  that 
  these 
  olijects 
  are 
  really 
  derived 
  

   from 
  such 
  an 
  animal 
  as 
  is 
  described 
  and 
  figured 
  above, 
  I 
  can 
  only 
  suggest 
  that 
  

   they 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  hardened 
  notochords 
  of 
  a 
  low-organized 
  fish, 
  allied 
  either 
  to 
  the 
  

   ChimiEroids 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  Lampreys, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  notochord 
  is 
  persistent 
  throughout 
  

   life. 
  It 
  is 
  quite 
  certain, 
  I 
  think, 
  that 
  they 
  cannot 
  be 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  true 
  ver- 
  

   tebral 
  column." 
  

  

  On 
  page 
  432 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  number 
  of 
  "Nature," 
  appears 
  an 
  article 
  relating 
  to 
  

   Mr. 
  Sclater's 
  paper, 
  from 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  N. 
  Moseley, 
  who, 
  after 
  what 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  a 
  rather 
  careful 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  authorities 
  upon 
  the 
  groups 
  to 
  which 
  

   be 
  thinks 
  it 
  belongs, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  upon 
  its 
  microscopical 
  structure, 
  expresses 
  an 
  

   endorsement 
  of 
  Prof. 
  Kolliker's 
  opinion, 
  and 
  closes 
  by 
  saying 
  : 
  " 
  In 
  the 
  mean 
  

   time 
  I 
  cannot 
  but 
  conclude 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Sclater 
  has 
  been 
  misinformed, 
  and 
  that 
  we 
  

   are 
  very 
  unlikely 
  ever 
  to 
  see 
  that 
  marvellous 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  flesh." 
  

  

  Again 
  : 
  in 
  " 
  Nature," 
  of 
  October 
  24th, 
  1872,* 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  W. 
  Dawson, 
  Principal 
  

   of 
  the 
  McGill 
  College, 
  at 
  Montreal, 
  writes 
  that, 
  presuming 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  disputed 
  

   organism 
  * 
  * 
  is 
  specifically 
  identical 
  with 
  a 
  specimen 
  from 
  Frazer 
  River 
  

   * 
  * 
  presented 
  * 
  * 
  for 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  the 
  University 
  * 
  * 
  *. 
  I 
  at 
  

   once 
  recognised 
  it 
  as 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  a 
  Virgularia, 
  or 
  some 
  similar 
  creature 
  * 
  * 
  

   *■ 
  *. 
  I 
  submitted 
  it 
  to 
  Prof. 
  Verrill, 
  of 
  Yale 
  College, 
  who 
  had 
  no 
  doubt 
  as 
  

   to 
  its 
  nature 
  ;" 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Whiteavesjof 
  Montreal, 
  noticed 
  it 
  in 
  his 
  report, 
  " 
  as 
  an 
  

   undescribed 
  Peimatulid.'" 
  

  

  Then 
  follows 
  Dr. 
  Blake, 
  in 
  " 
  Nature," 
  (of 
  November 
  28th, 
  1872)t 
  to 
  which 
  

   previous 
  reference 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  me, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  Academy's 
  pro- 
  

   ceedings, 
  in 
  which, 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  microscopic 
  investigation, 
  he 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  An 
  

  

  * 
  Vol. 
  VI, 
  No. 
  15G. 
  t 
  Vol. 
  VXI, 
  page 
  101. 
  

  

  