292 Miscellaneous. 



Elseya latisternon (Cat. Shield Kept. Suppl. p. 77). 



There are two specimens in Mr. Krefft's collection received from 

 Burnett's River. They differ from the specimens in the British 

 Museum, which I previously described, in the underside being dark- 

 coloured and black- dotted ; and the neck of this species is spinous 

 on the upper surface, like Euchlemys spinosa, but is known from it 

 by not having any nuchal shield. 



I^ote on Comephorus baicalensis. By Dr. Albert G^nther, F.E..S. 



The Trustees of the British Museum have lately purchased a col- 

 lection of fishes from Lake Baikal, and among them four specimens 

 of Comephorus baicalensis ; another example has been presented by 

 Prof. Peters. "Valenciennes denies the presence of pyloric appen- 

 dages (xii. p. 333) ; however, I find five, each from 4 to 7 millims. 

 long. With regard to the systematic position of the fish, I still 

 think that it should be placed among the Acanthopterygians, in the 

 division of the Cotto-scombriformes (see the " Systematic Synopsis of 

 the Pamilies of Acanthopterygians," Catal. iii. Appendix). In some 

 respects it resembles a Gadoid fish ; but there are true spines in 

 the first dorsal fin : the air-bladder and, consequently, a pneumatic 

 duct are absent. 



On the Embryo of Macropus major. 

 By H. A. Pagenstecher. 



In the first place it may be stated, with regard to the generative 

 organs, that Owen is perfectly right in saying that in Macropus 

 major no communication at all exists be'tween the median vaginal 

 caecum and the portion designated by him as the vestibule, whilst, on 

 the contrary, Halmaturus ruficollis (Bennetti) in our collection shows 

 a complete open ^communication. The vaginal vestibule contained 

 a great quantity of thrown-off epithelium, which was accumulated 

 in the very narrow canals of the lateral paired vaginae, the uterus 

 anfractuosus of authors ; the median caecum, which had flabby walls, 

 contained a very small quantity of a turbid fluid. 



The left tube contained an embryo, although no yellow body was 

 to be recognized in the ovary. The very vascular decidua separated 

 pretty readily from the walls of the tube, except a few stronger 

 vascular adhesions. The chorion had no connexion at aU with the 

 decidua, so that it slipped quite easily out of the envelope. The 

 L bryo was exactly of the size and maturity of the specimen of 

 wh.ch Owen says that it was born thirty-eight days after copula- 

 tion, and which he has figured. It was enveloped in the amnios. 

 The length, from the snout to the extremity of the tail, was about 

 4 centimetres. 



The amniotic peduncle contained five spiral convolutions of the 

 intestine. With its inner surface were connected the membranes 

 and vessels of a vesicle over 1*5 centimetre in diameter, which 

 projected from the peduncle and was itself supported on a peduncle 



