326 



NATURE 



[November i8, 1915 



same stage, having four pairs of cirri. The chief 

 anatomical features were demonstrated, and attention 

 was directed to the fact that the stalk of these two 

 Brachiopods develops as an outgrowth from the ventral 

 mantle, whereas that of cardinate Brachiopods {e.g. 

 Terebratulina) is formed at a much earlier stage from 

 the entire posterior region of the larva. 



Prof. Dendy exhibited and commented upon a series 

 of specimens collected in Australia, among which were 

 certain rare sponges, land planarians, land nemerteans, 

 and three species of Peripatus. The sponge fauna of 

 Tasmania in particular proved to be extremely rich. 



Prof. Poulton exhibited a Buprestid beetle, and 

 seven species of bees taken on Eucalyptus, The bees 

 represented five genera but were closely similar in 

 appearance. 



The Discession of the Chromosomes. 

 Prof. M. Hartog has re-investigated the discession 

 of the chromosomes in cell-division, and described a 

 series of physical experiments illustrating the path of 

 the chromosomes. Their motion is in accordance with 

 the theory that the chromosomes behave as "flexible 

 inductors" in the cell-field, which is not a uniform 

 field, as it is traversed by the spindle-fibres, stretching 

 from pole to pole along the lines of force, the distribu- 

 tion of which they modify. 



■ Purpose and Intelligence in the Protozoa. 

 Mr. Heron-Allen sought to make clear the position 

 which he has taken up in regard to the theory and 

 phenomena of purpose and intelligence in the Pro- 

 tozoa, as illustrated by selection and behaviour in 

 the Foraminifera. He held (i) that every living 

 organism, having an independent existence, is en- 

 dowed with that measure and quality of the faculties 

 of purpose and intelligence which are adapted to and 

 called forth by the individual needs of that organism ; 

 (2) that these faculties are illustrated by the utilisa- 

 tion b}^ the Foraminifera of foreign substances selected 

 by the animal from a heterogeneous mass of environ- 

 mental material, and utilised in such a manner as to 

 provide the animal with means of adaptation to its 

 special environment and defence against its special 

 enemies; (3) that it is not competent for a consistent 

 evolutionist to postulate a break in the evolutionary 

 cycle for the introduction at some arbitrary point of 

 an influence of unknown origin, to which he gives 

 the name of intelligence, upon which purpose depends ; 

 and (4) that the phenomena under discussion are not 

 to be confounded with adaptations or tropisms. 



Recent Work on Pennatulacea. 



Prof. Hickson gave a short account of some of 

 the results of his investigation of the rich collection, 

 amounting to 550 specimens, of Pennatulacea made 

 by the Siboga Expedition in the Malay Archipelago. 

 This area has proved to be extraordinarily rich in 

 sea-pens, no fewer than seventeen of the thirty-two 

 recognised genera being represented in the collection. 

 Of particular interest is the presence of Gyrophyllum, 

 hitherto found only in deep water in the Atlantic, and 

 of Chunella, hitherto found only off' the coast of East 

 Africa. 



The Metamorphosis of Bilharzia. 



Lieut. -Col. R. T. Leiper communicated some results 

 of his recent work in Egypt on Bilharzia, a Trematode 

 parasitic in man, and found when adult in pairs in the 

 portal vein and neighbouring abdominal veins. He 

 pointed out that the predominant theory regarding 

 the transmission and metamorphosis of this worm is 

 that put forward by Looss in 1894. Looss believed 

 that there was no intermediate host ; that the freshly- 

 hatched larva (miracidium) entered man only through 



NO. 2403, VOL. 96] 



the skin, undergoing metamorphosis in the liver; and 

 that the vesical and intestinal lesions caused respec- 

 tively by terminal and laterally spined eggs were 

 caused by the same species, the lateral-spmed eggs 

 being parthenogenetically produced. Dr. Leiper has 

 succeeded in producing heavy infections of rats, mice, 

 guinea-pigs, and monkeys with cercariae discharged 

 from Planorbis boissyi, one of the commonest of 

 Egyptian fresh-water molluscs. The miracidium enters 

 this Planorbis and undergoes metamorphosis in the 

 liver, forming primary and secondary sporocysts, which 

 give rise to bifid-tailed cercarice. Infection was found 

 to take place through the skin, and also through the 

 mucous membrane of the mouth and oesophagus 

 when water containing large numbers of cercarise 

 was drunk. Lateral-spined eggs were produced by 

 paired worms, and there was some evidence, not )'et 

 fully examined, that the vesical and intestinal lesions 

 were caused by distinct varieties or sjjecies of Bil- 

 harzia. 



The Relation of the Phytogeny of the Parasite to that 

 of the Host. 



Mr. L. Harrison advanced the proposition that, in 

 the case of total obligate parasites, closely related 

 parasites will be found to occur upon phyletically- 

 connected hosts without regard to other oecological 

 conditions. As the state of evolution of the parasite 

 will be less advanced than that of the host, it follows 

 as a corollary that a study of such parasites may 

 give valuable indications as to host phylogeny. He 

 based his arguments largely upon his study of condi- 

 tions in the Mallophaga, which are found among and 

 feed upon the feathers of birds. Mr. Harrison finds 

 that, in general, the Mallophaga parasitic on any 

 avian order are recognisable at sight, and in many 

 cases it is possible to state definitely that a parasite 

 has come from a particular family of birds. Thus 

 Philopterus lari occurs upon all gulls, Lipciirus anatis 

 upon all ducks, L. columbae upon all pigeons, and 

 species of Tetrophthalmus occur on all pelicans, in 

 the gular pouch, and are all similarly modified in their 

 treacheal system in accordance with the conditions. 

 The only reasonable explanation is that the parasites 

 have had common origin. If this be the case, the 

 Mallophaga may afford valuable evidence as to the 

 relationships of birds, and Mr. Harrison brought 

 forward strong circumstantial evidence from the 

 Mallophaga to indicate that Apteryx is not a Ratite 

 related to the ostrich, rhea, etc., but is a Ralline bird. 



Dr. Gadow remarked that on anatomical grounds 

 the rails were believed to be the nearest rela- 

 tives of Apteryx, and that in this case he agreed with 

 Mr. Harrison's conclusions, but he could not accept 

 Mr. Harrison's suggestions In regard to other rela- 

 tionships, e.g. of the penguins and pigeons. 



The Genus Eronia. 

 Dr. F. A. Dixey said that the Eronia, a genus of 

 Old World Pierine butterflies, might be divided into 

 three subgenera : (i) Nepheronia, from Asia and 

 Mayalan islands ; the females have a likeness to 

 various species of Danalnae. (2) Leuceronia, from 

 Africa and Arabia ; three of the species have poly- 

 morphic females which copy some other butterfly 

 belonging to the Pierine subfamily, but of no close 

 affinity with Leuceronia. (3) Eronia proper, two 

 species from Africa ; in both species the underside Is 

 coloured like a dead leaf. The likenesses noticed in 

 the first and second groups can scarcely be due to 

 affinity, and since some of the forms resembled by the 

 Eronias are known experimentally (and others are 

 believed on good grounds) to be more or less dis- 

 tasteful to insectivorous animals, Dr. Dixey considered 



