Feb. 2, 1882] 
NATURE 
331 
sphenoid the first ecfo-cranial centre ; but the exoccipitals are 
just appearing also. A 
The superficial bones can now be seen as fine films in the 
transverse sections, and the parosteal palatine and pterygoid are 
large leaves of bone applied to the pterygopalatine bar ; the 
mesopterygoid is only half as large as them, but is relatively 
much larger than in the adult. . : 
While doubling its length, the young Lefidosteus gains a 
cranium much more like that of the adult; this is my //th 
stage. The general form is now intensely moditied by the 
foregrowth of the rostrum, which is two-thirds the length 
of the entire skull. The cornua trabeculz now reach only two- 
fifths of the cistance to the end of the beak, and the pterygo- 
palatine arcade reaches but little further forwards. The bony 
matter of the ‘‘cephalostyle” is now aggregated towards the 
hinder half of the notochord ; it is now the basi-occipital bone. 
The exoccipitals and pro-otics are growing larger, and there are 
both sphenotics and alisphenoids. Also, below, the quadrate, 
metapterygoid, and articular centres have appeared ; and behind 
the jaw there are the hyomandibular, symplectic, epihyal, cerato- 
hyal, and hypo-hyal centres; and the epi-, cerato-, and hypo- 
branchials have acquired a bony sheath, 
In a young Zefidostens 44 inches long (nearly), the approach 
to the adult state of the skull has been very great ; the super- 
cial bones can all be determined. The most remarkable of these 
are the small distal nasals and premaxillaries: the long max- 
lary chain, ending in an os mystaceum and jugal ; the extremely 
long and slender ‘‘ethmo-nasals” and vomers; the small pre- 
opercular ; and the huge angulated inter-opercular, which carries 
the large opercular and the sub-opercular. The five mandibular 
splints are all present (as in most Sauropsida), the branchiostegals 
are only three in number, as in the Carp tribe. 
The intertrabecula, which was at first merely a small tract of 
cells binding the trabeculz together in front, is now three-fourths 
the length of the entire skull; to it is due the length of the 
beak. The cornua trabeculz are now merely short lanceolate 
leafy growths on the sides of the rostrum at its hind part. In 
the last stage there was a fine bridge of cells running across 
behind the pituitary body; it is now a small cartilaginous post- 
clinoid bar. The opisthotic and epiotic form now a scarcely 
divided tract of bone, all the other centres are developing, and 
a pair of additional bones have appeared in the funnel-shaped 
fore-end of the chondrocranium; these are the “ lateral 
ethmoids.” The bony matter of the basi-occipital has now re- 
tired to the hinder third of the notochord, which is much 
shrunken. 
There are now two centres (as in Ama calva) in the articular 
region ef the mandible; the quadrate and metapterygoid centres 
are much larger ; the hyo-mandibular and symplectic are toge- 
ther only half the size of the mandibular suspensorium ; the 
basi-hyal is very large, is composed of two parallel pieces, and 
is very ALyxinord. 
No clear understanding of the morphology of this type of 
skull can be had unless it be seen in the light derived from that 
of the Elasmobranchs, the Sturgeon, and the Anurous larva on 
one hand, and that of Ama calva and the Teleostei on the 
other. 
Royal Society, January 12.—‘‘ On a New Electrical Storage 
Battery (Supplementary Note).” By Henry Sutton, Commu- 
nicated by the President. 
The new cell consists of a flat copper case, same shape as a 
Grove’s cell; it has a lid of paraffined wood, from which hangs 
a plate of lead amalgamated with mercury, the 
lower part of lead plate being held in a groove in 
a slip of paraffined wood resting on bottom of 
copper case; through the lid a hole is bored for 
introduction of solution, which consists of a solu- 
tion of cupric sulphate, to which is added one- 
twelfth of hydric sulphate ; the presence of this 
free sulphuric acid improves the cell at once. 
The sectional sketch shows the arrangement. 
AB. The outer flat copper case. i 
Cc, Plate of amalgamated lead held in grooves 
in cap D and slip E, 
F shows the hole in cap through which the 
solution is introduced, and by the introduction of 
a glass tube through this hole the state of the 
charge is seen by observing the colour; the interior surface of 
the case forms the negative electrode, and the amalgamated lead 
the positive, 
Linnean Society, January 19. —Sir John Lubbock, 
Bart., F.R.S., President in the chair, Mr. R. Kippist’s death 
was officially notified, and a valuable donation of books from 
the late treasurer (Mr. Currey) announced, There were exhibited, 
for Mr. Thomas Bruges Flower, three rare British plants, viz.: 
Potentilla rupestris, L., from Montgomeryshire, Polygonum 
maritimum, L.., and Senecio squalidus, L., from North Devon; 
and, for Mr. W. Bancroft Espeut, an albino specimen of Bat., 
(Molossus obscurus, Geoff.) from Jamaica; albinism in the 
cheiroptera being said to be extremely rare. Dr. T. Spencer 
Cobbold called attention to living examples of Zeftodera under 
the microscope. Mr. G. Maw read aicommunication on the 
Life History of a Crocus and classification and distribution of 
the genus, He says the corm tunic is the only permanent record 
of perennial existence, and even this in the living state lasts but 
ayear. Minute papille stud the surface of the corm, these iu- 
crease as bud-growth and ultimately secure the life cycle ; the new 
corm is implanted on and finally absorbs'the parent. The tunics 
are homologous with leaves, and their fibrous net-like structure a 
has so many ornamental patterns that by a fragment a species 
can be determined, Certain Croci are constant in colour, others 
are exceedingly variable, and still others change in tint as found 
from east to west: C. cancellatus being purple in Asia Minor, 
lilac in Greece, and white in the Ionian Islands. The stigmata 
are so variable that Mr. Maw thinks that Mr. Baker’s threefold 
classification, based thereon, fails, Grouping of the genus is 
necessarily to be founded on a combination of characters, for 
the overlapping and interlacing of single ones militate against 
the natural sequence of species. A modification of Dean 
Herbert's classification is, by the author, preferred to those of 
Haworth and Baker. The crocuses are geographically confined 
to the Old World and Northern Hemisphere, their chief area 
of distribution being around the Mediterranean and Black Sea. 
Mr. Maw divides their region of occupation into nine sub- 
districts. C. diflorus has the widest range of longitude, and 
extends from Italy into Georgia, and C. sativus follows, ranging 
from Italy to Kurdistan. Certain Mediterranean islands, on the 
other hand, present curious examples of quite a local distribu- 
tion, The author expresses doubts of the existence of wild 
hybrids ; and he points out the great tendency to morphosis of 
nearly every part of the plant.—Mr. W. Percy Sladen read a 
paper ‘‘On the Asteroidea of the ‘Challenger’ Expedition.” 
The family Pterasteridz, he remarks, has been heretofore but 
feebly represented in living forms; 8 species only being on 
record as belonging to the genera Pteraster and Retaster, and 
a 9th solitary representative to Aymenasty. From the 
Challenger collection 34 species of Pterasteridae have been 
obtained, 2 only known previously. Of the 32 new species, 
3 belong to Peraster, 4 to Retaster, and 20 to Hymenaster—a 
genus now found to be world-wide in deep waters. The remain- 
ing 5 species are the representatives of 3 new genera, viz.: 
Marsipaster 2, Benthaster 2, and Calyptraster 1 species.—The 
Rey. G. Henslow read a note ‘‘On the Occurrence of a 
Staminiferous Corolla in the Foxglove and in the Potato’’; 
staminody in these plants seldom having been recorded and 
figured, 
Chemical Society, January 19.—Prof. Roscoe, president, in 
the chair,—The following papers were read :—On the chemistry 
of Bast fibres by C. F. Cross and E. J, Bevan (we give a 
report of this elsewhere).—Dr, Carnelley then read a paper 
on the action of heat on mercuric chloride. About twelve 
months ago the author exhibited to the Society some experiments 
on the action of heat on ice and mercuric chloride under low 
pressures, and subsequently read a paper on the subject before 
the Royal Society. Two propositions were advanced—(1) that 
when the superincumbent pressure is maintained below a certain 
point called ‘‘the critical pressure,” it is impossible to melt ice, 
mercuric chloride, and probably other substances, no matter how 
great the heat applied ; (2) that under these circumstances ice 
and mercuric chloride attain temperatures considerably above 
their natural melting-points without melting. Subsequent ob- 
servers have confirmed the first proposition, but have been unable 
to verify the second. The author has therefore repeated his 
previous experiments with mercuric chloride, and in addition has 
made determinations of the temperature of mercuric chloride, 
heated in a vacuum, by dropping the heated solid into a calori- 
meter containing turpentine, benzine, and petroleum. Some 
unexpected results were obtained. When the salt is pressed as 
a compact powder round the bulb of the thermometer, and 
heated in a vacuum, the thermometer rises 21° to 50° above 
