Sept. 19, 1872] 



NA TURE 



427 



from the outer walls, and are composed 01 parallel longitudinal 

 fibres enclosed between two membranous layers, do not reach 

 the stomach sac in any part of their course, and that eight strong 

 muscular bundles pass symmetrically through the whole length of 

 the body cavity, being attached at one end to the disc 

 which carries the tentacles, ar.d at the other to the floor of the 

 body cavity, while they are free in their intervening course. 



Attached along the length of about the posterior half of each 

 muscular bundle is the long sinuous generative band, with its 

 chord-liUe craspedum loaded with thread cells. Just before 

 terminating at the lower opening of the stomach sac each of the 

 eight generative bands enters a most remarkable pectinated organ, 

 which appears to be quite unrepresented in any other group of 

 the Cu'lcnterata. It was difficult to suggest the true significance 

 of these organs ; their relation to the generative bands might 

 lead to the belief that they are testes, or they may be analogous 

 to the so-called cement glands which exist near the outlet of the 

 oviducts in some of the lower animals. In this case they might 

 supply some additional investment to the ova at the time of ex- 

 trusion. 



'I'he author regarded Edwardsia as presenting a very distinct 

 type of actinozoan structure, which occupies an intermediate 

 position between that of the zoantharian and that of the alcyona- 

 rian polypes. He also compared it with the extinct rugose 

 corals of the palaiozoic rocks to which it corresponds in the 

 numerical law of its body segments, and of which it might in 

 some respects be regarded as a living non-coraligenous repre- 

 sentation. 



On the Structure of Cyfkonautcs, by Prof. AUman. 

 This remarkable little organism, whose structure and ultimate 

 destination have been variously described by different observers, 

 was obtained by the author in considerable abundance in Moray 

 Firth. The animal is enveloped in a ir.antle, and the whole 

 enclosed in a delicate, transparent, structureless test formed by 

 tv/o valve-like triangular plates which are in contact along two 

 edges, and separated from one another by a narrow intei-val along 

 the third. Its form is thus that of a very much compressed cone 

 or pyramid. The author distinguishes by the term base the 

 broader edge where the two plates of the test are separated from 

 one another ; while the other two edges are distinguished as the 

 anal and ab-anal edges. The apex is the angle opposite to the 

 base, and here a narrow passage exists through which the fleshy 

 ^^'aIls of the mantle are brought into immediate contact with the 

 su: rounding water. 



In the base are two large oval openings, one, the larger, 

 situated towards the anal edge, and the other towards the ab- 

 .".nal. The former leads directly into the cavity of the mantle. 

 Its edges are prolonged by a membranous lobe ciliated on its 

 margin, and uninterruptedly continued round the anal side of the 

 opening, but deficient on the opposite side. The interior of the 

 lobe is occupied by a cavity. 



A large part of the mantle cavity is occupied by the pharynx, 

 a spacious thin-w.alled sac which opens into the mantle cavity by 

 a long curved somewhat S-shaped slit with thickened and ciliated 

 margins, which, at one side, are continued beyond the large 

 opening situated near the anal side of the Ijase in the form of two 

 short ciliated tentacles. Towards the apex the pharynx becomes 

 suddenly narrow, and is here lined by vibratile cilia, and marked 

 1.7 circular stri.T: v liich possibly indicate the presence of sphincter 

 fibres. It now turns towatds the anal side, and then bends 

 downwards towards the base, and enters a thick-walled sub- 

 cylindrical stomach. This runs towards the base parallel to and 

 a little within the anal edge of the test, and is uhimately continued 

 ii.to a short straight intestine, which terminates by an anal orifice 

 in the mantle cavity near the outer opening of the latter. From 

 the upper part ol tbe walls of the pharynx a narrow bundle of 

 fibres passes to the apex of the mantle cavity. 



Ujion each side of the pharynx and lying against the stomach 

 and intestine is a large oval mass. Its situation would suggest 

 the probability of its being a hepatic organ, but it is altogether 

 so enigmatical that it would be rash with our present knowledge 

 of it to insist on assigning to it any special significance. 



In contact with each of these enigm.\lic3l organs is a small 

 tubercle, from which a bundle of short fibres pass off in a 

 radiating direc:ion. The resemblance of these bodies lo a pair 

 of nervous ganglia is obvious, but the author was more inclmed 

 to regard them with Schneider as indicating points of attachment 

 of the contained animal to the two valves of the test. 



1 he smaller of the two openings in the base, that, namely, 

 vi liich is situated near the ab-anal edge of the animal is, like the 



other, surrounded by a hollow membranous lobe with ciliated 

 margin. This is uninterruptedly continued round the ab-anal 

 S'.de of the opening, but is deficient on the opposite side. The 

 opening leads into a special chamber entirely shut off from the 

 cavity of the mantle and from the pharynx. The walls of the 

 chamber are lined wiih cilia, and it has within it, or in immediate 

 coiiiicction with its walls, two peculiar structures. One of these 

 is a somewhat pynform organ which, v ith o:.e end close to the 

 orifice of the chamber, extends from this point into its cavity ; it 

 is composed of a mass of spherical bodies. The other extends 

 over the roof of the chamber in form of a cap ; it consists of two 

 portions, one of which lies directly on the walls of the roof, and 

 has a transversely laminated structure, which, however, disap- 

 pears towards the ab-anal side of the chaml er ; the other is an 

 oval mass of globular cell-like bodies and lies on the free convex 

 surface of the laminated portion. 



Here again this part of the CyphonatUes is in the highest de- 

 gree enigmatical, and yet it is difficult not to believe that in the 

 structures just described we have an ovary and testis with asso- 

 ciated accessory structures. 



The author observed no further fact which might tend to 

 throw light on the ultimate destination of CyphonaiUes, and 

 more especially nothing w hich might tend to confirm the remark- 

 able views lately published by Schneider, who.believes that he has 

 traced its development into the polyzoal Uembniitipora pilosa. 

 The structure is considerably more complicated than Schneider 

 seems to be aware of, while the opinion of this observer that the 

 whole of the proper Cypluuiaiites structure becomes absolutely 

 obliterated and the boay of the animal converted into an amor- 

 phous mass of cells fiom which the Meiiibranipora becomes 

 evolved not by a process of budding but by a differentiation of 

 structure is so startling that notwithstanding the partial assent 

 lately given to it by Nusche we are compelled to wish for fur. her 

 confirmation of the evidently careful observations of the German 

 zoologist. 



If the ab-anal chamber described above with its associated 

 structures really belongs to the generative system — and it is hard 

 to say what else it can be — the view that Cyplwuaules is a 

 polyzoal larva is scarcely tenable. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, Aug. 19. — M. F'aye in the chair. 

 MM. Jaminand Richard read the second part of theirpaperonthe 

 laws of cooling, and the cooling power of gases. The authors have 

 determined the amount of heat abstracted by a gas from a w arm 

 solid placed in its midst. — A. and P. Thenard presented 

 a memoir on the action of ozone on indigotic sulphate and 

 on arseiiius acid. The authors find that ozone decolourises 

 three times as much indigo as the law of equivalents would lead 

 one to suppose, and that this reaction takes place in two well- 

 marked periods. Two-thirds of the indigo are decolourised, in 

 the first of these periods, almost instantaneously, and one-third 

 in the second period after the lapse of several hours. The 

 authors ascribe this second action to hydric peroxide 

 {eaii oxygejiee) formed by the ozone. The authors are 

 led to doubt whether ozone is really a triple atom mole- 

 cule, or whether it is simply oxygen in which is condensed 

 a powerful selective force. They intend to thoroughly investi- 

 gate this question. — M. Daubree reported his examinauon of the 

 meteorites which fell at Lance and at Anthon (l,oir-et-Cher) on 

 the 23id July, 1S72. The Lance stone weighed 47 kUogiaimncs; 

 the one which fell at Anthon, 12 kilometres fiom Lanct;, was 

 much smaller. 1 heirstructure wasgranular, and some of the grains 

 acted strongly on polarised light ; they were evidently portions of 

 the same mass. Specific gravity, yi. Elements found: iron, 

 cobalt, nickel, copper, sodium, sulphur, chlorine, silicon, and 

 oxygen — Max Marie followed on the determination of the | eri- 

 meler of the region of co;:vcrgence of the series of Taylor, (^.c. — ■ 

 M. Mallard read a paper on the action of silicic anhydride and 

 analogous oxides on sodic carbonate at a high temperature. — 

 On the combined use of moiphia and chloroform during surgical 

 opciatior.s, and on a new mode of administering the latter. M. 

 Demarquay, the author, convinced of the great danger incurred 

 by the combined use of these ai^ents, has abandoned it and de- 

 voted himself lo the impiovement of the apparatus employed for 

 the administration of chloroform. The apparatus in question 

 consists of a llanncl mask stretched on a wire frame ; the chloro- 



