348 



Miscellaneous. 



homogeneous plate ; the rest of the nucleus disappears, and so all 

 that is left of it finall}- is this chromatin plate, which elongates and 

 assumes a spiral curve. Simultaneously the " spike " (" Spiess ") 

 arises from the achromatin portion of the nucleus. 



(16) The spermatozoa possess at certain stages in all species a 

 typical tail with axial filament. 



(17) The axial filament is formed in the protoplasm of the 

 spermatocyte (or spermatid) in the first place as a short rodlet, 

 close to which there sometimes lie a few granules of archoplasm. 

 It does not unite with the nucleus until after the transformation of 

 the latter into the chromatin plate. 



(18) At the point at which axial filament and chromatin plate 

 unite there lies at the margin of the latter a little tooth-like 

 projection ; the proximal end of the filament fits in between this 

 projection and the chromatin plate itself. The portion of the axial 

 filament near the projection is, judging b}' the readiness with which 

 it takes a stain, a homologue of the end-tubercle in other Arthropods. 



(19) The perfectly ripe spermatozoa, which have freed them- 

 selves from the remains of the spindle, are mobile {Tarantula). 



(20) In the passage into the vas deferens the tail of the sperma- 

 tozoon rolls up and lies upon the nucleus ; the nucleus itself doubles 

 up to such an extent that its anterior extremity touches the poste- 

 rior, whereby it completely surrounds the roUed-up tail. The main 

 portion of the axial filament ])robably becomes transformed into a 

 homogeneous spherule. Thus in the vas deferens all spermatozoa 

 form rodlet-like or elongate elliptical bodies, among which tieither 

 tails nor spikes (" Spiesse ") can be distinguished. — Zooloyischer 

 Anzeiger, xix. Bd., no. 501 (April 27, 1896), pp. 188-190. 



Note on Phascologale flavipes. 



Mr. Edgar R. Waite exhibited a female and eight young of 

 PhascohgaJe flavipes obtained in a weathered hole in a sandstone 

 block on the River Hawkesbury. The nest was entirely composed 

 of dried Eucalyptus leaves. It was mentioned that although it is 

 constantly stated that no true pouch exists in members of the 

 Phascologale, this is scarcely correct. "When very young the offspring 

 are completely hidden by the outer wall of the pouch closing over 

 them. As they increase in size the mouth dilates and no longer 

 conceals the young. Mr. Oldfield Thomas evidently does not admit 

 KrefFt's statement that the species mentioned is provided with ten 

 teats. Although eight is the usual number, Mr. Waite had seen 

 several females with ten teats, and there is one in the Australian 

 Museum with twelve and a young one on each teat. It would 

 therefore appear that in Phascologale the number of mammae is not 

 a constant character, or three otherwise similar species would have 

 to be admitted, characterized by the possession of eight, ten, and 

 twelve mammae respectively. — Linn. Soc. New South Wales, Abstract 

 of Proceedings, July 29, 1896, pp. ii, iii. 



