622 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



before saponifying, do not Correspond with those of a similar solution 

 after saponifying. Hansen's results were confirmed as far as the 

 separation of "chlorophyll-green" and "chlorophyll-yellow" are 

 concerned, and the crystals described by him obtained. 



While the dominant band of " chlorophyll-green " in solutions of 

 plant-chlorophyll is moved much nearer the violet by saponifying, or 

 split up into two in some cases, the corresponding band of entero- 

 chlorophyll disappears in toto, or remains in the same place. Another 

 difference was also noted in the case of enterochlorophyll and in the 

 case of Spongilla-chloToo^'h.jW, namely, that it is impossible to bring 

 about a complete separation of the constituents in most cases by 

 saponifying and treating as Hansen directs. 



All the bands of a solution of Spongilla-clolovo^'h.jW are coincident 

 with those of a similar solution of plant-chlorophyll, as already 

 proved by Prof. Lankester and Dr. Sorby. 



From the enterochlorophyll of Uraster rubens crystals of " chloro- 

 phyll-yellow " and " chlorophyll-green " were obtained by saponifying. 



Morphologically, enterochlorophyll occurs — as proved by the ex- 

 amination of fresh-frozen sections — in oil-globiiles, granules, and 

 dissolved in the protoplasm of the liver-cells ; no starch or cellulose 

 could be found in such sections after adopting the usual botanical 

 precautions. 



Hence enterochlorophyll is an animal product, and a chlorophyll 

 of which there are probably several recurring in animals. 



Mollusca. 



Buccal Membrane of Cephalopoda.* — M. L. Vialleton has studied 

 the morphological nature of the buccal membrane of cephalopods 

 by the aid of its nervous supply, and comes to the conclusion that the 

 muscular mass of the lobes, the presence of suckers, and, above all, 

 the existence in each of the ganglionic cord, analogous to the nerves 

 of the arms and of the same origin as they, show that we must 

 regard these lobes as true rudimentary arms ; if this be so it is clear 

 that the buccal membrane belongs to a series of arms in which the 

 interbrachial membrane is proportionately better developed than the 

 arms themselves. He rejects the view that the membranes are to be 

 regarded as hypertrophied lips, inasmuch as the nerves are received 

 from the sub-cBsophageal portion of the cerebral mass, whereas the 

 labial nerves arise from the supra-cesophageal portion. Loligo 

 .vulgaris and Sepia officinalis were the two types studied. 



Pancreatic Function of the Cephalopod Liver. f — Mr. A. B. 



Griffiths, in addition to the facts already brought forward X to show 

 that the cephalopod liver is pancreatic in function, now adduces the 

 following. 



Portions of the organ removed from a fresh Sepia had an alkaline 



* Comptes Rendus, c. (1885) pp. 1301-3. 



t Chem. News, li. (1885) p. 160. See Journ. Chem. Soc— Abstr., xlviii. (1885) 

 ipp. 829-30. 



X Ohem. News, xlviii. ;(1884) p. 87.. 



