520 



NATURE 



\Sept. 30, 1S80 



" The Monthly Index to CuiTeut reriodical Literature, Pro- 

 ceedings of Learned Societies, and Government Publications," 

 published at the office of the American Bookseller, New Vork, 

 seems to us a very useful publication. 



The passage of the meteor referred to in Mr. Thvvaites' 

 letter last week, occupied one and a half, not eleven and a half 

 seconds. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Macaque Monkey (Macacus cynomolgus) 

 from India, presented by Major Gape ; an Egyptian Jerboa 

 {Dipis a-gyptins) from Egypt, presented by Dr. Hastings ; a 

 Cape Bucephalus (Bucephalus capensis) from South Africa, pre- 

 sented by Mr. C. B. Pillans ; two Black-faced Spider Monkeys 

 {Aleles aler) from East Peru, a Southern River Hog (Potaiiio- 

 thcerus africanus) from South Africa, a Razor-billed Curassow 

 {Mitua iuierosa) from Gniana, a Yarrell's Curassow (Crax 

 carunculaia) from South-East Brazil, a Blue and Yellow Macaw 

 (Ara ararauua), two Orinoco Geese {Chennlopex jubata) from 

 South America, two Rufous Tinamous (Rhyiicho/us rufcscens) 

 from Brazil, deposited ; a Common Rhea (Rhea americaiia) 

 from South America, a Spotted-billed Toucanet (SeleniJera 

 maculirostris) from Brazil, an Electric Silurus [Malapterurus 

 beninends) from West Africa, purchased. 



BIOLOGICAL NOTES 



Transverse Commissure in ARTt'iRoroos. — From a 

 recent memoir laid before the Belgian Academy by M. 

 Lienard (Archives de Biologic, tom. i. fasc. 2), it would appear 

 that an arrangement of the ce|ihalic nerve-centres, hitherto 

 thought to have been peculiar to Crustacea, is really to be found 

 in nearly the whole of the Arlhropoda. It has been long known 

 that in Crustaceans, e.g., Decapoda, besides the super and sub- 

 oesophagean ganglionic masses and their lateral connections, there 

 is a well-marked transverse commissure, situated in front of the 

 sub-cesophagean mass, and immediately behind the oesophagns. 

 This commissure in other Arthropoda seems, from quite technical 

 causes, to have escaped notice. M. Lienard finds it nearly every- 

 where among the Myriapoda, Coleoptera, Odonata, Lepidoptera, 

 Hemiptera, Diptera (nymphs and larvK). He has dissected the 

 complete ring in nearly 100 forms, belonging to 70 genera. He 

 is trying to ascertain the origin of the fibres which form tlie 

 transverse commissure. 



The H/ematopcetic Function. — In a recent paper to 

 li. Accadeuiia dei Lincei, Sig. Fleti describes the effects of spleno- 

 tomy as observed by him in dogs. Some of these are as 

 follows : — Immediately after the operation (the previous regime 

 of life being maintained) the quantity of lutmoglobin increases 

 for a short time, and more in old than in young animals. Next it 

 diminishes much and progressively in old animals, but without 

 reaching half the normal quantity. In a third phase there is a 

 slow progressive increase, which by degrees brings the quantity 

 up to and above the normal. In young animals the diminution 

 is much less, and the quantify of haemoglobin sooner reaches and 

 surpasses the normal. In all cases the weight of the animal 

 does not diminish, but may even considerably increase (under 

 good hygienic and alimentary conditions). Sig. Fileti adds some 

 chemical observations as to color.ttions obtained with hydro- 

 chloric acid and yellow prussiate of potash. It clearly appears 

 (he concludes) that, the spleen being removed, the marrow of the 

 bones does not compensate for its function. As the quantity of 

 hemoglobin first increases — and we cannot admit a real increase 

 in production as resulting from splenotomy — we must suppose 

 that in this brief period the failure of the spleen makes itself felt 

 more in destruction than in production. The former of these 

 functions comes to be compensated more quickly, and there is 

 then a gradual diminution in production of haemoglobin as a direct 

 consequence of the spleen being absent, and this diminution is 

 greater the less able the marrow is to act, i.e. the older the 

 animal. When, finally, the ha:matopatic function of the spleen 

 has been completely compensated by the marrow of the bones, 

 the quantity of haemoglobin returns to the normal figure, and 

 may even surpass it. Sig. Fileti is studying the influence of light 

 on the production of hemoglobin. 



Development of Lepidosteus.— In an interesting memoir 

 read at the last meeting of the British Association (Swansea) 

 Prof. F. M. Balfour and Mr. W. N. Parker gave the results of 

 their investigations of some larval forms of Lepido.^teus which 

 had been most liberally supplied to them by Prof. Alexander 

 Agassiz. Some of the more important of these were : — I. That 

 the segmentation was, as in the sturgeon, complete, but the 

 larger segments of the loner pole very early fused together to 

 form a yolk sac. 2. That the epiblast was divided into nervous 

 and epidermic layers, and that the nervous system was formed by 

 a solid thickening of the epiblast, as in Teleostei, and not by the 

 closure of a groove, as in the sturgeon. 3. That the lens of the 

 eye and auditory vesicle were developed from the nervous layer 

 of the epidermis. 4. That the general relation of the embryo to 

 the yolk, and the general characters of the germinal layers are 

 precisely like those in Teleostei. 5. That there is present a 

 suctorial disk in front of the mouth, v\'ith numerous papillce, as 

 was first noticed by Agassiz ; this disappears in the adult, and 

 is probably a -persisting rudiment of a primitive vertebrate organ, 

 remains of which are also found in the adhesive papilla; of 

 larval ascidians, the adhesive disks of larval amphibians, &c. 



Visceral Anatomy of Herring. — Mr. F. W. Bennett 

 calls attention to the following, it would seem new, fact in the 

 visceral anatomy of this common fish (yourn. Ana/, and 

 Physiol., July, 18S0). It possesses an extremely long air-bladder, 

 which stretches towards to the head, terminating near the 

 labyrinth of the auditory organs. About the middle of its 

 length it is connected by a duct M-ith the stomach. The latter 

 is capacious and elongated ; while the commencement of the mid- 

 gut is near the gullet the posterior portion of the stomach con- 

 tinues on into [the ductus pneumaticus. This communication 

 will be found most usually closed mth mucus ; but Mr. Bennett 

 points out that there is another and a more important communi- 

 cation between the air-bladder and the cloaca. Till w ithin one 

 half-inch of this latter the air-bladder re'.ains its well-known 

 and beautiful silvery appearance ; this then suddenly ceases, and 

 the remainder of the bladder is muscular. This will account 

 perhaps for its having been overlooked so long ; what the exact 

 uses of this passage may be are not yet known, but it is certain 

 that it affords freer passage for gas than the duct leading into 

 the stomach. Bristles may be readily passed through it, and gas 

 may be made to bubble out if slight pressure be carefully applied 

 under water. The usual arrangement of the apertures of 

 the cloaca is as follows :— In front lies the anus, then the 

 generative aperture, and hindmost of all, the minary duct 

 opens ; the opening of the duet now described by Mr. 

 Bennett lies between the anus and the urinary aperture, and 

 usually to the left of the genital aperture. 



Monstrous Beetles. — Mr. Horace F. Jayne has recently 

 published, in the Trans. American Entom. Soc, vol. viii. pp. 

 155-62, PI. IV., descriptions of some monstrosities observed in 

 North American Coleoptera, all of which belong to that class 

 to which the terms "Monstra per excessum" and " Monstres 

 polymeliens " have been applied. They belong to the genera 

 Calosoma, Cychrus, Metrius, Tasimachus, Scariles, Dysehirius, 

 Chhenius, Lichnanthe, Polyphylla, Strategus, Telephorus, Prio- 

 nus, Eleodcs, and Helops, and form an interesting addition to the 

 already numerous recorded instances of this kind of monstrosity 

 in beetles. All show a tendency to reduplication in some of the 

 cephalic or thoracic appendages. In some it is the antenne, 

 in others the palpi, in others the legs, that are thus affected, and 

 in some cases the tendency is exhibited in more than one of these 

 appendages in the same indivi lual. Beetles appear to be par- 

 ticularly liable to the production of such monstrosities, but it is 

 probable that no parallel instance like that here recorded and 

 illustrated by Mr. Jayne in an example of a longicorn beetle 

 (Prionus californic'us) has been noticed. In it each maxillary 

 palpus has t^^ o terminal joints, and each fejnur has two perfectly- 

 formed tibia; and tarsi, with the claws, &c., the whole monstrous 

 development being remarkably symmetrical ; the labial palpi 

 and the antenna; are normal, as is all the rest of the insect. Mr. 

 Jayne contents himself by describing and figuring these interest- 

 ing monsters, and does not venture upon any suggestions as to 

 causes, in which he is perhaps wise, considering the uncertainty 

 that exists as to the origin of parallel monstrosities in animals 

 far higher in the scale. Reduplication of cephalic, thoracic, and 

 probably abdominal appendages in the Arthropoda is by no 

 means rare, but it is possible that a distinct combination of two 

 indi\'iduals more or less united in one, such as is sometimes found 

 in vertebrates, does not exist. 



