Fune 24, 1886] 
NATURE 
185 
instead of cork, but air is a troublesome substance to deal with ; 
it leaks out very easily, and without showing any signs of having 
done so, which might readily lead to serious consequences. A 
special pump is required to make up loss by leakage. 
The merit of cork is its extreme simplicity and trustworthiness. 
By mixing a certain proportion of glycerine with the water it 
will not freeze in any ordinary cold weather. 
NOTE ON THE RUDIMENTARY GILLS, ETC, 
OF THE COMMON LIMPET (PATELLA 
VULGATA) 
See: in his admirable paper ‘‘ Die Geruchsorgane und 
das Nervensystem der Mollusken” (Zeitschrift fi wiss. 
Zool. xxxv.), figures a transverse section of one of the rudi- 
mentary gills and its surroundings. This appears to be in- 
correct in one or two particulars. In the first place the gill is 
figured as projecting freely at the surface. The examination of 
numerous sections has, however, convinced me that the epi- 
thelium is continued over the gill, being very high where con- 
tinuous with the olfactory epithelium over the ganglion, but 
gradually getting lower, and passing into the ordinary epi- 
thelium, which lines the nuchal chamber. Consequently the 
rudimentary gill is dezeath the surface, and moreover the sensory 
tract is partly extended over it, not being confined to the region 
immediately superjacent to the olfactory ganglion. Cunningham 
(Q.F.42.S., xxii.), calls attention to the true relations of the gill, 
but gives no figure. 
Spengel also represents the rudimentary gill as being full of 
large blood-sinuses, but carefully-prepared specimens show that 
these are in reality traversed by numerous fine strands of con- 
nective-tissue. The entire organ is made up of trabecule of 
R.G. 
Transverse Section of Rudimentary Gill, &c., of Patedia vulgata (X 92). 
R.G. Rudimentary gill ; 0.£. olfactory epithelium ; 0.c. olfactory ganglion. 
connective-tissue, amongst which connective-tissue corpuscles 
-abound. In some of the lacunz masses of blood-corpuscles 
may be found. 
Several small nerves run from the olfactory ganglion to the 
olfactory epithelium, and in some specimens nerve-fibres can 
almost be traced into the sense-cells. Gibson (‘‘ Anatomy of 
Patella vulegata,” Trans. R.S.E., xxxii.) has been unable to detect 
an olfactory ganglion. This is, however, very evident in micro- 
scopic sections. 
_Ihave used the term ‘‘rudimentary gills,” for there seems 
little doubt that the structures in question are, as Spengel adyo- 
cates, of this nature, but, lying as they do beneath the surface, 
they can hardly be functional. This position, too, suggests that 
these organs must have been rudimentary for a very long time. 
As Patella (Palacmzea) occurs in the fossil state as far back as 
the Middle Cambrian (Sedg.), the pallial gills may have been 
developed for a considerable period. 
If, as Spengel believes, the molluscan olfactory organ enables 
the animals of that group to perceive the quality of the water 
passing over the gills, it is difficult to understand its well-deve- 
loped state in Patella, where its position would appear to prevent 
such a use. Hence the olfactory organ in this form probably 
has some other function —possibly it may have something to do 
with the locality-sense, though this is very improbable (see note 
by author on ‘* The Habits of the Limpet,” NATURE, vol. xxxi. 
p. 200). The preceding observations were made at the Scottish 
Marine Station. J. R. Atyswortu Davis 
University College, Aberystwyth 
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE 
CAMBRIDGE.—At the annual Scholarship election at St. 
John’s College the following awards were made to students of 
Mathematics and Natural Science :—Hutchinson Studentship 
of 607. a year for two years to A. C. Seward (First Class Nat. 
Sciences Tripos, Part II.), to enable him to follow up his 
researches in Fossil Botany ; Hockin Prize for Physics with 
especial reference to Electricity, to Stroud (First Class Nat. 
Sciences Tripos, Part II.) ; Herschel Prize for Astronomy to 
Fletcher (Second Wrangler) ; Hughes Prizes for Mathematics to 
Fletcher, and for Natural Science to Rolleston (First Class 
Nat. Sciences Tripos, Part II.) ; Wright’s Prizes for Mathe- 
matics to Baker and Orr, for Natural Science to Lake and 
Groom ; Foundation Scholarships in Mathematics to Middle- 
mast, Pressland, Tate, Bradford, Flux, and in Natural Science 
to Lake and W. Harris ; extension of tenure of Scholarships to 
Kirby, Mossop, Bushe-Fox, and Baker in Mathematics, and to 
Shore and Turpin in Natural Science ; Exhibitions in Mathe- 
matics to Hill, Fletcher, A. E. Foster, Norris, Varley, H. H. 
Harris, Orr, Greenidge, Flux, Card, Palmer, Millard, and in 
Natural Science to Lake, Groom, Rolleston, Seward, W. 
Harris ; a Proper Sizarship in Natural Science to Cowell. 
The following gentlemen have obtained first-class honours in 
the Natural Sciences Tripos, Part II., the subject for which they 
were specially classed being given after the name :—Carnegie, 
Chemistry, Caius; Edkins, Physiology, Caius; Hawkridge, 
Geology, Clare; Hudson, Physics, Pembroke ; F. W. Oliver, 
Botany, Trinity ; Rolleston, Human Anatomy with Physiology, 
St. John’s ; Seward, Geology, St. John’s ; Skinner, Chemistry, 
Christ’s ; Stroud, Physics, St. John’s. Miss Freund, of Girton, 
was placed in the first class for Chemistry. 
Messrs. Dixon, of Trinity College, and Fletcher, of St. 
John’s, are respectively Senior and Second Wranglers. Both 
were educated at New Kingswood School, Bath, under Mr, T. 
G. Osborn. Miss Frost, of Newnham College, was placed 
between the 24th and 25th Wranglers. 
In a recent discussion Prof. Stuart stated that 58 students 
attended the engineering courses and workshops in the Lent 
Term. Of these 32 were to be engineers ; 7 were to engage in 
manufactures in which a knowledge of engineering was desir- 
able ; 3 were going into the army ; 2 were to become teachers. 
As to their University position, 9 were M.A, or B,A., 21 were 
ready for the Mathematical ‘Tripos, 2 for the Natural Sciences 
Tripos, 18 for the Special Examinations in Applied Science; 6 
had only come to the University for a year’s work in the work- 
shops ; 5 were not matriculated students. 
Dr. ORME Masson, a graduate of Edinburgh University, 
and lately Elective Fellow in Chemistry, has been appointed to 
the Chair of Chemistry at Melbourne, Australia. 
SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 
Bulletins de la Société d’ Anthropologie de Paris, tome ix., 
fasc. I, 1886.—The present number gives the usual annual re- 
capitulation of the rules of the Society, the lists of members, 
addresses by the outgoing and incoming presidents, financial 
and other reports, &c.—M. Moncelon laid before the Society a 
vésumé of the principal results of his observations on the half- 
castes of New Caledonia during his residence in the colony. 
He drew attention to the evils resulting from the practice com- 
monly followed by the native mothers of half-castes, of going 
back with their children to their native tribes, amongst whom 
these half-whites grow up in slavery as savages.—On certain 
Hova and Sakalava skulls, by M. Trucy. Both of these cranial 
groups are dolichocephalic, with an index of about 74, which 
is nearly the same as that of the Arabs of Algiers and the 
pariahs of Bengal. The Hoyas and Sakalavas appear to be more 
intelligent than any other tribes of Madagascar, but while the 
Sakalava queen, the ally of France, submitted with her husband 
to be made the subject of careful anthropometrical observations, 
she enjoined upon the French officers to punish with death any 
one who opened or rifled a grave. It was consequently only by 
artifice and extreme circumspection that M. Trucy was able to 
obtain crania or other human bones. In the discussion which 
followed, regarding the mixed characters of the Hova crania, 
MM. Topinard, Dally, and others entered warmly into the 
question of typical and other distinctions of race.—On the de- 
velopment, in the adult, of supernumerary digits, by M. Fauvelle 
