488 
NATURE 
[ Oct. 9, 1873 
could collect-upon the subject in this journal,* and urged 
the expediency of further investigation in order to dis- 
cover the true nature of these curious objects. I also 
called the attention of various correspondents in America 
to the same subject, and sent them copies of the article 
in NATURE. 
It appears that the problem has now been satisfactorily 
solved, and that Prof. Kolliker, Mr. Mosely, and other 
naturalists, who held that these organisms were the axes 
of an unknown Alcyonarian polyp of the family Pennatu- 
lidze were correct. 
In a paper communicated to the Californian Academy 
of Sciences on the 18th of August last, of which I have 
received a separate copy, Mr. R. E. C. Stearns states that 
a specimen of the Polyp, of which these bodies are the 
axes, had been presented to the Academy by Dr. James 
Blake. Mr. Stearns describes the polyp at full length, 
and proposes to call it Verrillia blaket. He describes the 
general aspect of the species as resembling that of Pavo- 
naria guadrangularis, but states that the polyps are 
arranged in “ two unilateral longitudinal series.” 
I may add, that a communication from Dr. Edward 
L. Moss on the same subject, has been received by the 
Zoological Society of London, and will be read at one 
of the meetings next session. P. L. SCLATER 
THE RAY SOCIETYt 
“BE Council, in presenting their thirtieth Annual Re- 
port, congratulate the members upon the continued 
prosperity of the Society. 
The lapse of time, so marked by the production of a 
long series of volumes on zoology and botany, issued 
under the auspices of the Society, has scarcely lessened 
the original dimensions of the Printed List of Monographs 
in preparation and in progress ; the completion of old 
memoirs being ever counterbalanced by offers of works 
from new authors. A recent proposal by Mr. G. B. 
Buckton to describe the British Aphides is a case in 
point. This addition will occupy the place left void by 
the publication of Sir John Lubbock’s very valuable and 
interesting contribution to the study of insect life. 
Since the last annual meeting some attempt has been 
made, not unsuccessfully, to reduce the arrears in the 
issue of the volumes. The monograph for the year 1871, 
the “ Collembola and Thysanura,” by Sir John Lubbock, 
Bart., M.P., has already been distributed to the mem- 
bers ; the work for the year 1872, the “ British Annelids,” 
Part I., containing the Nemerteans, by Dr. W. C. McIn- 
tosh, has been so far finished that it will be ready ina 
few weeks’ time for the binder ; whilst the volume for the 
year 1873, the “ Spongiadze,” vol. iii., by Dr. Bowerbank, 
is, with the exception of a single piate, completed. 
The Council have considered that it would be to the 
advantage of the Society if members could obtain the 
past annual volumes at the original (or in some cases at 
less than the original) subscription price. With this view 
resolutions have been passed; first, that the annual 
volumes, or sets of annual volumes, issued during the last 
ten years should be purchasable by members at the sub- 
scription price of one guinea; and, secondly, that the 
books in stock, published earlier than the year 1863, 
should be supplied at a lower cost than that named in 
previous reports ; and, thirdly, that certain of the volumes 
belonging to the years 1865, 1866, 1867, and 1868, for- 
merly not distributed separately, should be offered to 
members for sums less than that of the year’s subscrip- 
tion, 
In accordance with these resolutions, a list of books 
and prices has been prepared. The volumes may be ob- 
tained on application to the secretary. 
* See Nature vol. vi. p. 436. 
+ Extracted from the Report. 
The volumes in preparation for future years are :— 
Mr. St. George Mivart’s “Monograph of the Tailed — 
Amphibia.” 
Rev. O. P. Cambridge’s supplementary volume on 
“ British Spiders.” F 
Messrs. Douglas and Scott’s work on the “ British — 
Hemiptera Homoptera.” 
Dr. Gaertner’s work on “ Hybridism in Plants” (Bas- 
tarderzeugung), translated from the German by W, Carru- 
thers, F.R.S. 
Prof. Haeckel’s “ Morphologie.” A new edition, revised 
by himself, and translated from the German. 
Mr. Hancock’s Monograph of the “ British Tunicata.” 
Mr. Andrew Murray’s work on the “ Conifera.” 
Rev. H. B. Tristram’s “Synopsis of the Fauna and 
Flora of Palestine.” 
Prof. Westwood’s Monograph of the “ Mantidzee,” with 
illustrations by Mr. E, A. Smith. 
Mr. Buckton’s Monograph on the “ British Aphides.” 
The Council, in conclusion, would urge the members to 
assist in the work of obtaining new subscribers, seeing — 
that very many old friends are being removed from the ~ 
list of the Society year by year through death and various 
causes. 
ON THE INTERNAL NOSE OF THE PECCARIES ~ 
AND PIGS 
N examining the sections of the skulls of the Wild Boar 
the Babirussa, the Phacochoer, and the Peccary, I was 
struck with the great difference in the form and develop- 
ment of the internal part of the organ of smelling of the 
peccary as distinguished between it and the other genera, 
The Wild Boar, Babirussa, and Phacochoer, have the 
nasal cavities on each side of the head large, broad, and 
continued from the outer to the internal nostrils in a 
simple manner, and they are only separated from the 
palate by a thin bone, as they are in the sheep and the 
generality of allied animals. In these animals the turbi- 
nal bone arises from the centre of the outside of each 
nasal cavity, and is divided above into two plates which 
are rolled backwards, towards the outer side of the nose, 
There is a perforation between the hinder edge of the in- 
termaxillary bone and the palatine bone in front of the 
palate behind the cutting teeth which opens directly into 
the front of the nasal cavity just within the nostrils, as 
figured in Huxley’s “ Elementary Atlas,” t. i. 4d 
In the peccary the internal nostrils open into a small 
cavity, which soon becomes tubular, pervading a large 
hollow cellular part which occupies the space above the 
palatine bones, and then gives off a large opening on the 
outer side to the turbinal bones, and is continued in a 
smaller tube to a small opening on each side of the front 
part of the palate, behind the cutting tooth. This aper- 
ture is evidently analogous to the large perforation in 
front of the palate of the pigs, but is quite of a different 
structure. There is a cavity further in near the external 
nostrils, which forms an opening to the pituitary con- 
volutions, to which I see nothing like in the skull of 
the pigs. The naso-turbinal is fixed by its upper 
edge to the upper part of the nasal cavity, and is. 
rolled inwards, and there is a lamina on the lower side 
from the expanded part of the tubular internal nostril, 
which meets the one from the upper edge. The whole 
structure of this part is quite different from that in the 
pigs, and Phacochoer, and justifies the separation of the 
Peccaries as a different group from the pigs. I may also 
remark that in this genus there is a well-marked bony 
plate on each side of the brain cavity, that separates the. 
edge of the cerebrum from the cerebellum, This septum — 
is only slightly marked in the skull of the wild boar, and 
is entirely absent in the Babirussa and Phacochoer. 
J. E. Gra¥ 
