372 Miscellaneous. 



and from both in its long tail with a tuft of long hair at the end. 

 I propose to make of it a genus under the name of Urotrayus. 



It has a moderate, moist muffle ; the tail elongate, reaching to the 

 hocks, hairy above, and with longer hair at the end. Skull flat in 

 front of the orbits ; intermaxillary bones very short, not reaching 

 nearly to the nasals. 



The genus is very different from Caprlcornis and Neinorhedus. 

 The skull of Capricornis has a deep circular concavity in front of 

 the orbit ; the skull of NemorJiedus has only a slight broad depres- 

 sion ; Urotragus has the same part rather convex, and has the nose 

 of the skull much more produced, and the forehead more convex 

 between the orbits. The tails of Capricornis and Xemorhedus are 

 short, flat, and goat-like ; that of Urotragus is elongate. 



On the Phosphorescence of the Eggs of the common Gloivworm. 

 By M. JoussEX. 



On the 16th of July last, in very warm weather, I collected in 

 the park of the Chateau de Monjay two glowworms which shone 

 brilliantly. These two females were coupled, and escorted by a 

 supplementary male. I carried them to Paris in a glass tube ; and 

 the next day they laid about sixty eggs, of the size of a pin's head, 

 which is very large in comparison with the size of the insect. 



The shell of these eggs is so delicate that they cannot be touched 

 without breaking it. The micropyle is very apparent ; and their 

 colour is yellowish. 



It is worthy of note, and, as far as I know, has not yet been 

 indicated, that these eggs are endowed with a bright phosphores- 

 cence. They are not only phosphorescent immediately after laying, 

 but they remain phosphorescent. Those which I collected as above, 

 presented the phenomenon without any diminution until the 23rd 

 of July — that is to say, for seven days. 



I could not continue the observation any further, because, having 

 left the tube containing them open, I found them dried up. 



If one of these eggs is crushed in the dark, the liquid which 

 spreads upon the glass is phosphorescent, and continues luminous 

 until it is quite dry. — Comptes liendus, September 4, 1871, p. 629. 



Water unfrozen at a Temperature of —18° Centigrade. 



Boussingault finds that by preventing the dilatation of water, it 

 may be kept unfrozen down to — 18° C. He experimented with a 

 gun-barrel of steel, into which a steel ball was dropped before tilling 

 it with water. During the cold days of December 26, 27, and 30, 

 last, the temperature toll to —12° and —18°, and yet, on shaking 

 the tube, the ball was found to move freely, showing that the water 

 was not frozen. — L'lnstitat, July 12. 



