26 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1044 



DISCUSSION AND COBBESPONDENCE 



GONIONEMUS MURBACHII MAYEK 



The following note may be of interest to 

 those who, since the discovery of G. murbachii 

 in the "Eel Pond" at Woods Hole in 1894, 

 have observed its persistence during succeeding 

 summers at the original locality and have 

 noted its rare occurrence elsewhere along the 

 Sound. 



According to Mayer^ this medusa has been 

 found occasionally in Woods Hole Harbor and 

 has been reported from Noank, Connecticut 

 and from Hadley Harbor, Muskegat (Muske- 

 get) Island. 



In the summer of 1911 while collecting zoo- 

 logical material at Groton, Conn., I found 

 G. murbachii in abundance at Pine Island, off 

 Avery Point, near the mouth of Poquonock 

 River. This locality is five miles west of 

 Noank. The little animals were common dur- 

 ing the month of July and could usually be 

 collected almost any time of the day by dis- 

 turbing the rockweed along the sheltered side 

 of the wharf at the west end of the island. 



During a trip made in August of 1914 I 

 failed to find the medusa at this place and was 

 unable to locate it in the vicinity. 



C. E. Gordon 



Amhekst, Mass. 



note on amceba clavellin^' nov. sp. 



This species may be recommended to the at- 

 tention of any worker desirous of investigating 

 a parasitic Amoeba which is visible in vivo 

 within its host. 



Its habitat is the stomach of Olavellina 

 lepadiformis, where I noticed it from April to 

 June, 1910, at Naples. The cilia of the stom- 

 ach-wall keep it in constant rotation. When 

 the host-individuals are small they are almost 

 transparent, and the ceaselessly-whirling mass 

 of parasites at once attracts attention. 



In shape the organism is sub-spherical; 

 pseudopodia were never observed. The aver- 

 age diameter varies from 12m to lY/*. An ecto- 

 plasm may be present and sharply defined, or it 

 may be totally absent. The nucleus is nearly 

 spherical, with a diameter of 4j^ to 5/«; in it is 



1 ' ' Medusae of the World, ' ' 1910, p. 344 



a nucleus of 2i" to 2j/« diameter, containing a 

 vacuole or two. The nuclear membrane is 

 thick and definite. In the clear space between 

 membrane and nucleolus is a band or ring of 

 tangible material, usually in the form of fine 

 granules. No division-figures or further stages 

 in the life-history were noticed. 



The few rough notes and figures which I 

 possess relative to this animal would be freely 

 put at the disposal of any one inclined to take 

 up the study of the species. 



Julian S. Huxley 



The Rice Institute, 

 Houston, Texas, 

 November, 1914 



albinism in the ENGLISH SPARROW 



On several occasions during the past summer 

 the writer saw a single female English spar- 

 row (Passer domesticus) whose plumage was 

 pure white. On account of the fact that the 

 bird was seen on the busy streets of Salt Lake 

 City, it was impossible to take it, due to the 

 ordinance against the discharge of firearms 

 within the city limits. The bird was observed 

 from a distance of a very few feet, and seemed 

 to be normal in size; the beak, legs and feet 

 were nearly the color of those of the ordinary 

 house canary, and, so far as could be observed, 

 every feather was pure white. She was always 

 seen in company with normal members of her 

 own species. 



I have never seen any reference to albinism 

 in the English sparrow, but, no doubt, other 

 observers have noted it. This note is published 

 in the hope that others who have made like 

 observations may advise us whether or not 

 albinism is common in the English sparrow. 

 P. J. O'Gara 



Department op Agricultural Investigations, 

 American Smelting and Refining Co., 

 Salt Lake City, Utah, 

 November 23, 1914 



THE TEACHING OF THE HISTORY OP SCIENCE 



To THE Editor of Science : The communi- 

 cation of Professor Walter Libby on the teach- 

 ing of the history of science, published in your 

 issue of November 6, deserves more than a 

 passing notice. The obvious importaqee of 

 such teaching led one of us more than twenty- 



