172 THK VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



BOOK NOTICE. 



The Mycetozoa, and Some Questions which They Suggest. By 

 the Rt. Hon. Sir Edward Fry, D.C.L., LL.D., F.R.S., 

 F.L.S., and Agnes Fry. 82 pp., 8vo, illustrated with 22 

 figures. London, Knowledge Office, 1899. Price, is. 



This little volume is a reprint from Knoioledge, and makes known 

 to the novice in very clear language the life-history and essential 

 characters for classification of the interesting and peculiar group 

 of organisms Mycetozoa or Myxomycetes, often called by the 

 repugnant name " slime fungi," but which for common usage 

 " mixies " is recommended by the authors. After a review of 

 their life-history, profound biological questions that appeal not 

 only to the specialist, but which are of general interest and deep 

 importance to all, are ably presented, in language easily under- 

 stood, under such headings as Cell Theory, Powers of Proto- 

 plasm, Motion, Death, Reproduction, &c. ; also the relations of 

 the group, about which there is a great difference of opinion, are 

 discussed. At the close useful suggestions for study, and also 

 the bibliography of the more important works on the subject, are 

 given. 



O. A. S. 



Talegallus Hybrids. — Writing from Southwick, Queensland, 

 on 30th September, 1900, Mrs. Chas. Clarke says: — "In the 

 scrubs here Scrub Turkeys, Talegallus lathami, abound, and a 

 couple of young birds were caught by Mr. Aplin. One is now 

 nine months and the other eighteen months old. They are 

 both male birds, and run with the domestic fowls. Last February 

 a peculiar chicken was noticed among some hatched. It has 

 grown into a very dainty-looking hen, with a particularly neat head, 

 but the tail is fan-shaped, much like the turkey's. Eighteen days 

 ago she began to lay, and has never missed a day since. She 

 has the mound-building instinct, but is not at all careful, just 

 covering the eggs with any rubbish. Though pure white, the eggs 

 are not very large. The first laid was about the size of a large 

 duck-egg. At present there are two other hybrids about a week 

 old among the chickens." An occurrence like the foregoing 

 seems to me worth recording. — G. A. Keartland. 



