Apeil 30, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



713 



there is a great diversity of opinion. Experiments 

 upon the earthworm were intended to reexamine 

 the evidence with regard to the influence of the 

 nerve cord on the r^eneration of the head. Re- 

 moval of the cord from the amputated end, for a 

 distance sufficient to prevent innervatiom of that 

 end, did not inhibit the formation of a functional 

 head. 



After determining the number and origin of the 

 nerves supplying the rear limbs and different 

 levels of the tail in the common newt, Diemyo 

 telus viridescens, the cells from which these nerves 

 arise were totally destroyed, in both the nerve 

 cord and the ganglia. The cord in the adjoining 

 regions was also destroyed to prevent secondary 

 innervation. Subsequent examination of serial 

 sections established the fact that both the tail 

 and the rear limbs replaced missing parts in the 

 total absence of nerve stimuli, that where under 

 certain special conditions regeneration did not 

 take place, the motor and sensory functional 

 nerves at the amputated end were unable to 

 stimulate the organ to regenerate the lost parts. 

 Nuclear Components of the Sex-cells of Gock- 

 roaches: Max Mobsb, College of the City of 

 New York. 



The author presented evidence for: (1) A sex- 

 difference in the chromosomes of the ovary and 

 testis cells, (2) reduction by parasynapsis in- 

 volving two longitudinal divisions of the chromo- 

 somes, (3) the absolute distinction between plas- 

 mosome (achromatic nucleolus) and the odd chro- 

 mosome, contrary to Moore and Robinson, Foot 

 and Strobell, Arnold and others, (4) the indi- 

 viduality of the chromosomes. 

 Featherless Fowls: R. H. Chapman, U. S. Geo- 

 logical Survey. 



The writer called attention to an abnormal 

 condition in chickens seen by him at Delhi, N. Y., 

 during summer and fall of 1908. Some 500 birds 

 of the barred Plymouth Rock breed were incu- 

 bator hatched between June 5 and 20. Of this 

 number about ten per cent, failed to develop nor- 

 mally — a small number were deformed or became 

 " crazy " after a short time and all ( of the ten 

 per cent.) failed in bodily growth and normal 

 feathering. By November 10 all of the naked 

 birds had died. The eggs had come from a farm 

 in the vicinity and the parent birds had been 

 inbred for four or five years. 



On the Skull and the Brain of Triceratops : O. P. 



Hay, Washington, D. C. 



This paper questions the correctness of the ac- 

 cepted view that the frill of Triceratops has as 



its median element the parietal bone. This 

 median element is either a greatly developed 

 nuchal scute or coalesced supratemporal bone. 

 The parietal is that bone which has hitherto been 

 called the supraoccipital. The foramen that 

 Marsh called the pineal foramen, by others the 

 postfrontal foramen, is properly the coalesced 

 supratemporal foramina. 



On the Intellect of Animals: Alexandee Pe- 



TBUNKEwiTCH, Short Hills, N. J. 



Since man can judge of the thinking processes 

 in animals from their actions only, the chief prob- 

 lem is to establish the relation between thought 

 and actions. Conclusions from actions as to 

 presence or absence of reasoning are often based 

 on too little evidence and admit different inter- 

 pretations. The chief difference in actions of man 

 and those of animals is usually found in the 

 absence of choice in animals. The conclusion 

 which the author supported by new evidence is 

 that reasoning has been gradually developed with 

 the progress of evolution and is certainly to be 

 found in its simpler forms in some higher mam- 

 mals at least. 



Olfactory Nerve, Nervus Terminalis and Preoptic 



Sympathetic System in Amia calva: Chas. 



Bkookoveb, Buchtel College. 



The olfactory nerve arises from an ectodermal 

 placode in Amia. Nuclei migrate from the pla- 

 code along the olfactory nerve toward the brain. 

 Some of these nuclei produce sheath cells of the 

 olfactory nerve. Others of the nuclei become 

 enlarged, produce a ganglion two days after 

 hatching, and when the fish is 50 mm. long num- 

 ber about two hundred and fifty cells. Allis 

 homologized this ganglion and its nerve with 

 Pinkus's nerve in Protopterus. There are nearly 

 a thousand cells in each adult nasal capsule of 

 Amia. They show Nissl bodies. Some are multi- 

 polar nerve cells. It is suggested from their 

 relation to the blood vessels that these ganglion 

 cells are vaso-motor in function. About fifty 

 coarse fibers differing from olfactory fibers are 

 found entering the olfactory bulbs. Other fibers 

 extend posteriorly ventrally of the brain. A 

 nervus terminalis is present in Lepidosteus and 

 teleosts. 



Nerve fibers with ganglion cells inside the 

 cranial cavity were found entering from the pro- 

 fundus branch of the fifth nerve. These fibers 

 innervate the paraphysis and blood vessels of the 

 meninges of the forebrain. Some of the fibers 

 extend forward as far as the nerve of Pinkus 

 (nervus terminalis) and may form a sympathetic 



