786 MR. SCLA'l'EB ON THE AUSTBALIAK LlTKQ-PISn. [NoV. 17, 



young born in 1895-96 was a persistent droop of the eyelid 

 observable. 



" In April 189G I took twelve of the young and divided the 

 cervical sympathetic nerve in these, antl in all on the left 

 side. 



"The droop of the eyelid was thus again experimentally 

 established in these twelve, and they were allowed to inter- 

 breed. 



"In their young, born in the summer and autumn of 1896, no 

 persistent droop of the left eyelid has been observable. 



" My original stock of six Guinea-pigs has multiplied to over 

 sixty, and the experiment has proved absolutely negative. 



" I am able to exhibit to the Society one member of the original 

 stock, two members of the first generation, and four members of 

 the second generation. In the first three the droop of the eyelid 

 experimentally induced is perfectly obvious, and in the last four 

 no such dioop is apparent. It remains for me to suggest a possible 

 source of error in Jirown-Seq)iard's observations. 

 ' " Just a day or two before Dr. Romanes's death two Guinea-pigs 

 were born, in both of which a partial closure of the left eye \^as 

 observable, that is to say on the same side as the lesion in tlie 

 parents. Unfortunately these Guinea-pigs lived only a few days. 

 This case I briefly reported in the columns of ' Nature ' after the 

 death of Dr. Romanes. 



" Since then I have seen many young Guinea-pigs which have 

 exhibited a partial closure of the eye for some time after birth. 

 This phenomenon is entirely due to conjunctivitis, and is in no 

 sense hereditary ; for the right eye and the left eye are equally 

 often affected. The conjunctivitis occurs when the weather is 

 hottest, and may be so severe as to lead to the destruction of tlie 

 eye. In cold weather the conjunctivitis and the droop of the 

 eyelid are absent. The droop of the eyelid disappears when the 

 conjimctivitis terminates, and is not therefore persistent. Lastly, 

 1 have actually observed the birth of the young guinea-pigs. 



" On birth no inequality- of the eyes is observable. After birth 

 the new-born lie on the ground, and while the parent licks off 

 the membranes, dirt collects into the eyes from the floor of the 

 cage, and thus the conjunctivitis is established." 



Mr. Sclater exhibited (on behalf of the Hon. H. S. Littleton) a 

 coloured life-sized model of the Australian Lung-fish (Ceratodtis 

 forsteri), prepared by Mr. A. Alder, taxidermist, of Brisbane; and 

 read a letter from Mr. D. O'Connor, of Oxley, Brisbane, offering to 

 supply living specimens of this Fish. 



