666 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LIV. No. 1409. 



a limited period by us in a current study of 

 the possible role of pituitary deficiency in 

 reproductive disorders in birds. Even tbis 

 smaller dosage not infrequently effected the 

 prompt delivery of an egg. When injected 

 at or near the hour of release of an egg from 

 the ovary this same smaller dosage also 

 sometimes prevents normal ovulation in the 

 pigeon. 



Experience has shown that an egg which 

 has very recently entered the oviduct from 

 the ovary can not be secured by this method. 

 Injections rightly timed for this purpose re- 

 sult in the equivalent of an anti-peristalsis 

 of the oviduct (ovum into body cavity) ; in 

 the pigeon, however, it is easy to obtain pre- 

 maturely eggs of somewhat more than 30 of 

 the total 40 hours of oviducal development. 

 As carried out by us the wildness of the bird 

 is a factor in the interval of time from in- 

 jection to laying. This results doubtless 

 from the fact that, when kept close at hand 

 for exact time records, the voluntary part 

 of the act of expulsion is delayed or inliibited 

 in the untamed birds. 



It is evident that by this means eggs of 

 various stages of immaturity — including suc- 

 cessive eggs from the same parent — are made 

 easily available for studies on the earlier 

 stages of embryonic development; for experi- 

 mental studies on these most modifiable 

 stages; for chemical studies on various parts 

 of the egg with less than the usual opportuni- 

 ties for change and admixture; and for isola- 

 ting the functions of the various parts of the 

 bird's oviduct. It is probable also that under 

 certain conditions or limitations this reac- 

 tion of the dove's oviduct — active and in 

 situ — would be useful as a means of stand- 

 ardizing solutions of the active principle of 

 the pituitary gland. Incidentally, it may be 

 added that it has already been found practi- 

 cable in this laboratory to utilize such pre- 

 maturely laid eggs to make a crucial test of 

 Stockard's ^ important suggestions on the 

 cause of twinning and double-monster forma- 

 tion as these occur in birds. 



1 Stockard, C. E., Amer. Jour. Anat., 1921, 

 XXVIII., 115. 



Table I 

 Data for One Series of Pituitrin Injections 



Oscar Riddle 



the discovery of olenellus fauna in 

 southeastern british columbia i 



In the spring of this year, Col. C. H. Pol- 

 len, of Cranbrook, British Columbia, for- 

 warded to the University at Vancouver, speci- 

 mens of chocolate-brown shales showing 

 imprints of lower Cambrian trilobites. 



In May, the writer visited the locality for 

 the G-eological Survey of Canada, made fur- 

 ther collections and studied the stratigraphy 

 over a wide area. 



The fossils collected were submitted to Dr. 

 Charles D. "Walcott, secretary of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, who identified the follow- 

 ing genera and species: 



Callavia, cf. nevadensis "Walcott, 

 Wanneria n. sp. ?, 

 Mesonacis gilberti Meek, 

 Wanneria, cf. walcottanus (Wanner), 

 Olenellus, cf. fremonti Walcott, 

 Prototypus senectus Billings, 



Dr. Walcott states concerning the collec- 

 tion: 



2 Injection repeated one or more times. 

 1 Published with the permission of the Birector, 

 Geological Survey, Ottawa, Canada. 



