July 20, IS&i.] 



SCIENCE. 



89 



minims of absolute alcohol in a hundred cubic centi- 

 metres of tlie circulating liquid, necessary to cause 

 complete arrest of the heart): methyl, 2ii5,5; ethyl, 

 11-J; propyl (primary), 5!).3; isnbuiyl, 17; isoamyl 

 (amyl alcohol of fermentation), 6.6. The activity of 

 the higher memhers of the series increases rapidly; 

 and as the propyl, butyl, and amyl alcohols are con- 

 stituents of fusel oil, we have evidence of the directly 

 injurious effect of this impurity of ordinary alcoholic 

 drinks. — [PractitiLiner, -xxx. v. 'i:l9.) w. it. u. [96 



Pulmonary epithelium. — Bozzoli and Graziadei 

 publish a note chiefly to claim priority for certain of 

 their observations on the lungs. We have only to 

 notice that they have not seen any hyaline plates 

 without nuclei in the epithelium, such as Feurstack 

 has described. They also again insist upon the pres- 

 ence and pathological importance of groups of little 

 cells, not yet differentiated into the special pulmonary 

 epithelial cells (plates). — {Arch. ital. bioL, iii. 222 ) 

 C. s. -M. [97 



Birds. 



Molecular layer of the retina. — According to 

 Bellniici. the formation of the inner molecular laj-er 

 of the retina begins in the chick on the eighth day of 

 incubation. At that time there is a special row 

 of clear cells just outside the layer. The cells in the 

 situation of the layer disappear on the ninth day: 

 the clear cells undergo fatty degeneration of the 

 nucleus, and di^appear by the twelfth day. They 

 form the molecular layer, which, however, continues 

 to enlarge. Both the inner and outer molecular 

 layer are penetrated by optic nerve-fibres. Thus is 

 produced a structural relation with the moleciUar 

 layers of the brain. — (Arch. ital. bioL, iii. 196.) 

 C. s. M. [98 



The birds of Xonkak. — In this paper Herr Mid- 

 ler has given us an elaborate review of the birds of 

 this island, based on a collection of si.\teen hundred 

 skins of one hundred and fifty-five species. The 

 paper contains many systematic notes of interest. 

 The author has prepared an extended set of tables 

 from which he concludes that the Tonkak birds be- 

 long rather to the Iiulo-Chinese sub-region than to the 

 Indo-Malayan as given by Wallace. — (Journ. f. 

 orni(A., XXX. iv.) j. A. .r. [99 



Mammals, 



Development of the liver and lungs, — In 

 connection with his researches on the development 

 of the body-cavity Uskow made some observations 

 on the liver and lung< of embryos. From the sinus 

 venosus there grow out irregular cavities into the 

 septum transversum, which extend into papillary 

 growths, projecting into the pericardial cavity. The 

 papillae are, of course, covered by a continuation of 

 the epithelium of the pericanlial cavity. They after- 

 wards unite into a spongy mesh of ti.ssue, into which 

 the liver extends as it grows. The further history 

 was not followed, but it is probable that the hollow 

 outgniwths from the sinus venosus become hepatic 

 vessels. 



Concerning the lungs, from a study of a rabbit 

 embryo of a little less than ten days, Uskow draws 



the following conclusions. At tl>e time of the closure 

 of the ' vorderdarin,' the separation of oesophagus 

 an<l trachea is already indicated. The lung is an un- 

 paired evaglnalion of the ventral wall of the ' vor- 

 derdarm.' The trachea and the lung arise at the same 

 time, and independently; but the separation of the 

 lung from the " vordenlarni ' precedes the separation 

 of ilie trachea. The lung arises immediately in front 

 of the liver; at the same time the cells of the meso- 

 derm around the lung proliferate; and U.->kow believes 

 that the pleural (i.e., coelom) epithelium forms not 

 only the pleural epithelium, but also the deeper-lying 

 niesoderuiic elements (muscles, etc.) of the lung, — 

 [Arch. mikr. anai., xxii. 21',!,) c, s. M. [100 



A hybrid between the gayeil and zebu. — Dr. 

 Julius Kuhn announces the birth, at the agricultural 

 institute of the Halle univer-ity, of a hybrid between 

 thegayal of eastern India and the long-horned race of 

 zebus known as sangas, which was held in domesti- 

 cation by tlie ancient Egyptians, and is now abundant 

 in Soudan and Aby>sinia. The hybrid in question 

 is a female; it weighed, at birth, 21.5 kilograms, or 

 about one-twentieth the weight of the sanga mother. 

 The latter is of a mottled red and white cidor, while 

 the calf is of a clear red brown, only the belly and 

 inner sides of the legs and the fetlocks being white. 

 The hump on the withers, so chai.acteristic of the 

 zebu, is only slightly developed, " In the birth of 

 this animal it is shown that animals of the most 

 primitive forms, which for thousands of years have 

 had unchanged surroundings, by suitable treatment, 

 may remain unimpaired in fertility, even when 

 placed in relations which are in the greatest degree 

 different from those of their native home." — {Zool. 

 garten, xxiv. 1SS8, 126.) F. w. T. [101 



ANTHBOPOLOGY. 

 Origin of the Magyars. — Mr. Herman Vambery 

 pulilished a work in Leipzig last year, in which he 

 takes the ground that the Hungarians are of Turkish 

 and not of Finno-Ugrian origin, as is believed by 

 most ethnologists, and especially by M. Hunfalvy. A 

 cen-^us of the Turco-Tatar stock is given, which may 

 be of service to some of our readers. 



Turco-Slberians 141,992 



Eastern Turl£Ct>tan 1,040,000 



Khu'iiiz i.-iuB.aeo 



Kiira.Kiritliiz .tio.OOl) 



Turcomiuis 1,000,000 



K.iniKalpnki! 70,000 



t'ebc-KH 2,500.000 



KIpcliaks 70,000 



KuniTiians 77,301 



Sart.H 900,000 



HuBliirs 500,000 



Tatars 638,710 



Sogajs 2011,000 



Kuv«k» [?] 600,000 



Kalmukii ■ 71,000 



Transcaucaaic Turks 900,000 



Iraiiic Turks 200,000 



Osmanll 10,000,000 



21,558,369 



— {Arc/iiB. per Vanthrop., xii. 297.) J. w. p. [102 



Macrobiotia. — The narrative of Genesis about 



the long lires of the patriarchs has very^^frequently 



