778 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



tree-frogs, amid their natural surroundings, change spontaneously their 

 beautiful green for a dirty grey tint, just as they are known to do in 

 captivity, especially during murky weather. The inference follows, 

 that a depressed temperature here acts on the chromatophores, 

 particularly when we consider that these organs are an appanage of 

 poecilothermous animals. We learn from v. Platen, Moleschott, and 

 Fubini, that light acting directly on the skin (apart from what is 

 termed the chromatic function, or the indirect influence of light 

 through the eyes) enhances the metamorphosis of tissue. Dr. Weber 

 concludes that one use at least of the chromatophores is to diminish 

 the transparency of the skin, and thus lower the action of even 

 moderate light when it begins to affect injuriously the organism. 



Blind Subterranean Crustacea in New Zealand.* — The existence 

 of blind Edriophthalmatous Crustacea in wells and subterranean cave- 

 rivers in Europe has long been known, and now Mr. C. Chilton 

 describes some new forms found in New Zealand. They were obtained 

 from a well at Eyreton, about six miles from Kaiapoi, North Canter- 

 bury ; the well bad been excavated about seventeen years previously, 

 was not more than twenty-five feet deep, and was fitted with a common 

 suction-pump through the medium of which these new forms were 

 obtained. These proved to be three species of Amphipoda and one 

 of Isopoda. In none were there to be found in either the living or 

 recent specimens the least trace of eyes. The isopod is referred to 

 a new genus Cruregens, and is most remarkable from the fact that it 

 has only six pairs of appendages to the seven thoracic segments, whilst 

 the normal number should be seven. In many isopods the young 

 have at first only six pairs of legs, the last thoracic segment being but 

 slightly developed and destitute of appendages, and hence at first 

 sight it might appear that the new form was but an immature state. 

 Mr. Chilton, however, states that he has examined altogether twenty live 

 specimens, none of which seemed otherwise to have anything immature 

 about them, and these were obtained at various times from January 

 to October 1881 ; he would, therefore, refer the absence of the seventh 

 pair of appendages to an arrest of development. In some respects the 

 new genus resembles Paranthura of Spence Bate. The new species is 

 named C. fontanus. The amphipods found with the isopod are 

 Cragonyx compactus sp. nov., Calliope subterranea sp. nov., and Gam- 

 marus fragilis sp. nov., all without eyes. The new species are all 

 figured and at great length described. 



Vermes. 



Synthetic Annelid.t — A. Giard describes Anoplonereis herrmanni, 

 a commensal of Balanoglossus, which appears to belong to the 

 Lycorodidse. But there are three tentacles, the proboscis is altogether 

 unarmed, and there are no jaws or paragnathi. The feet are all of 

 the same characters, the notopodium being provided with a single 

 process, and armed with simple capillary hairs. Characters of this 



* Trans. New Zealand Instit., xiv. ' Nature,' 1882, pp. 542-3. 

 t Comptes Rendus, xcv. (1882) pp. 389-91. 



