Miscellaneous. 423 



New Algal Form appertahiinf) to Stigonema: — Mr. Archer showed 

 a form appertaining to the genus IStigoncma, which seemed worthy 

 to stand as a distinct species. This form grew free in water (not 

 attached like other species), and formed sliort stout filaments, 

 mostly rather regularly cylindrical, hut occasionally, though rarely, 

 presenting enlargements along their length, lending a torulose aspect. 

 Unlike Stir/onema mamillosnm, this had not lateral branches for the 

 giving ofi' of propagative cells ; hut in place of these almost every 

 example was furnished, mostly at each end, sometimes at one only, 

 with a prolongation, often of considerable length, similar to (but 

 usually much longer than) the lateral branches of S. 7namillosum, 

 These prolongations could ))e seen filled with larger-sized " cells " 

 than those of the main filament and in single file ; but mostly 

 these tubular prolongations were already emptied. Thus the pre- 

 sent examples looked not unlike, as it were, a Stigonema in the 

 middle, becoming suddenly transformed at either end into a Siro- 

 siphon — an inter2}retation, however, which could hardly be enter- 

 tained as the correct one ; these ought rather to be regarded as 

 analogous to the branches of S. mamillosum, lateral in that species, 

 here terminal. Consequently the distinction into a basal and 

 apical extremity must be regarded in this form as obliterated, 

 being, so to speak, a form with two apices and no basal extremity. 

 A branching seemed rarely to take jjlace. One example, indeed, 

 presented two short branches, each terminating in one of the 

 descriljed Sirosiphon-Vikc continuations ; the empty terminal pro- 

 longations thus appeared as tubular hyaline "tail-like" appendages. 

 The internal structure of the '" stem " did not appear like that of 

 IS. inamillosum or S. atrovirens (^=zEphehe puhescens), the "cells" 

 being smaller and more lenticular ; but it especially differed in 

 the very regularly posed, nearly equidistant, centrally located and 

 lentkularhj shaped (not orbicular) heterocysts. This form might 

 possibly stand as Stigonema ainpJiiacrogenum, 



MISCELLANEOUS. 

 On the Orgaiis of Taste in the Osseous Fishes. By M. E. Joxtrdan. 



F. E. ScHTJLZE, in two memoirs published in 1862 and 1867, 

 described the cyathiform bodies of the barbel and of the tadpole of 

 Fdohates fascus, and found in them a structure analogous to that of 

 the corpuscles described by Loven and Schwalbe in the tongue of 

 the Mammalia. He was thus led to assign to the cyathiform cor- 

 puscles of fishes functions identical with those of the gustatory 

 bodies of the mammalian tongue. 



Our researches upon several fishes, and especially upon the Feri- 

 stedion catajihr actum, or Malaimat, have tnabled us to observe some 

 new facts, which confirm F. E. Schulze's opinion. 



