Mr. G. E. Dobson on two new Indian Sorick]a3. 427 



(ii.) Some of ray arguments depend, as Prof. Blake points 

 out, on the homology of the lamellae in the pad of Sepia with 

 the septa in the Belemnite-phragmocone. This homology is 

 doubted by Prof. Blake, who now suggests that the lamellce 

 of the pad are homologous with the calcified membranes of 

 the nacreous layer in the shell-wall of Nautilus. His argu- 

 ments are three. He claims first that his observations on 

 shell-structure do not countenance my view : my readers will 

 decide whether Prof. Blake's description is valid evidence one 

 way or the other. He states secondly that the lamella of 

 Sepia " have no siphuncle, and they are not even perforated : " 

 now each later-formed lamella is like an elliptical figure with the 

 posterior part cut away by another broader ellipse ; the earlier 

 lamellaB are of more circular outline, but are similarly incised ; 

 if this incision represents the siphuncular space, then from this 

 form to the form of the septa in Belosepia is a mere step ; even 

 in the Belemnite the siphuncle is so external as hardly to be 

 surrounded by the septum. Lastly, he states that there is no 

 trace of a " cap " or of a protoconch in Sepia : the explana- 

 tion of this was given by Prof. Lankester in his " Observa- 

 tions on the Development of Cephalopoda" (Q. J. M. S. xv. 

 p. 37) in 1875, and to the arguments of that authority no 

 opposition has hitherto been offered. 



The view taken by me as to the homologies of the Sepion 

 was first put forward by Voltz (Mem. Soc. Hist. Nat. de 

 Strassbourg, i. p. 1) in 1830 ; I am not aware that his argu- 

 ments have ever been refuted ; the view is adopted by Prof. 

 Gegenbaur in his well-known text-book ; it has been con- 

 firmed by recent observations, and, though I arrived at it 

 independently from a study of the facts, I had no wish to 

 retell an old tale. 



I accept with gratitude the support and welcome of Prof. 

 Blake, and only regret that his article should necessitate a reply 

 so full of controversy. For this 1 apologize to the readers of 

 the ' Annals,' but would remind them of the Rabbinical 

 proverb, " By the contention of students science is advanced." 



LIX. — Descriptions of two new Species of Indian Soricidse. 

 By G. E. Dobson, M.A., F.R.S. 



As Mr. W. T. Blanford is about to print his work on the 

 mammals of British India, and is anxious to include every 

 known species from that region, he has requested me 



