24 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. I., No. 1. 



a species of hornbill, similar sacs are found, but in 

 communication -n-itli the limgs, — sacs supposed to be 

 filled by strong expiration, and resultant increase of 

 pressure in nasal cavity. — {Journ. de I'anat. physiol., 

 No. 5, 1SS2.) J. A. J. [65 



Mammalsi 



Measurement of the quantity of blood in 

 living mammals. — For this purpose Grehant and 

 Quinquaud employ a method which essentially con- 

 sists in letting the aninral for some time respire a 

 gaseous mixture containing a known and not fatal 

 proportion of carbon-monoxide. At the end of the 

 time the residual gas is analyzed, in order to find 

 the amount of carbon-monoxide which has been ab- 

 sorbed. A specimen of blood is also drawn from the 

 animal, and the quantity of carbon-monoxide in it 

 determined. The ratio of this quantity to the total 

 amount of the gas absorbed is then assumed to be 

 the ratio to the whole blood of the quantity of blood 

 from which the gas was extracted. Their results as 

 to the quantity of blood in the body agree closely 

 with those of previous workers. — {Journ. de I'anat. 

 physiol, 1SS2, No. 6.) H. N. m. [66 



Histology of the pancreas. — In the transac- 

 tions of the university of Kieff, vols. xi. and xii., for 

 1881, and vol. i., 1882, W. Podwyssotzki, jun., pub- 

 lished an extensive Russian memoir on the structure 

 of the pancreas. The research was carried out in Per- 

 emeschko's laboratory at Kieff. The author has just 

 published a German abstract. The secretoi-y cells 

 consist of two zones: a ijeripheral, with all the char- 

 acteristics of an albuminoid body, and a centra! granu- 

 lar zone. In the cavity of the alveoli, the ducts, and 

 the fluid of the glarid, the granules are wanting. 

 The granules of the central zone are not pure albu- 

 minoids, nor identical with the usual granules of 

 protoplasm ; they may be considered the material sub- 

 stratum of the trypsinogeu or pancreatic zymogen. 

 The intracellular network (Ebner, Boll) does not 

 exist during life, there being a fluid intercellular 

 substance which may be coagulated like a network 

 by hardening agents. Tlie intercellular spaces are 

 connected with the secretion probably by receiving 

 the transuded fluids from the capillaries. There are 

 peculiar branching, anastomosing, wedge-shaped, con- 

 nective tissue corpuscles inside the membrana propria. 

 The pktie-shaped processes of the centro-acinary 

 cells extend into tlie intercellular spaces. Both these 

 and the wedge-shaped cells are metamorphosed con- 

 nective (not epithelial) cells of the finest ducts. The 

 intercellular fissures, as far as the processes of the 

 centro-acinary cells extend, are the anatomical be- 

 ginnings of the ducts, which do not therefore arise 

 In special canals or capillaries (Gianuzzi, Savioti). 

 The membrana propria is composed of connective 

 fibres, forming a thick and fine network, and contains 

 no cells or nuclei, and sends no processes into the 

 interior of the alveoli. — {Arch. mikr. anat., xxi, 765. ) 

 c. 8. M. [67 



Abnormal dentition in dog and man. — Mr. 

 Jacob Wortman called attention to the presence of 

 a third true molar in the upper jaw of a skull of 

 Canis lupus from Sweden. He considered it a case 

 of partial reversion to a more generalized type, such 

 as Amphicyon, where three molars exist both in the 

 upper and lower jaw, and believed that it furnished 

 a hint as to tlie probable origin of the genus Canis. 



Dr. J. Leidy described a case of abnormal dental 

 development in an adult man. Although the jaws 

 were well formed, they contained only one incisor, 

 one canine, two premolars, aud one molar, on each 

 side. Usually when a tooth is absent, and there is 



no evidence of its having been extracted or lost, it 

 has probably been retained embedded in the jaw ; 

 but in the case described no germs of the lacking 

 teeth existed. — {Acad. nat. sc. Philad. ; meeling 

 Jan. 9.) [68 



Anatomy of the Aeluroidea. — St. George Mi vart 

 occupies sixty pages with notes on this group, in sup- 

 port of the classification proposed by him in a for- 

 mer memoir. The osteology is dwelt upon at length, 

 and two very extended tables of skeletal proportions 

 are given. — {Proc. zo'dl. soe. Lond., 1882, 459.) 

 F. w. T. [69 



A monstrous orang. — W. A. Forbes describes an 

 abnormal Pithecia satanas, having the third and 

 fourth digits of both mani webbed to the tips. — 

 {Proc. zool. sac. Lond.. 1882, 442.) r. w. T. [70 



Direct communication between the median 

 vaginal cul-de-sac and uro-geuital canal in mar- 

 supials after parturition. — J. J. Fletcher found 

 sirch communication in two nearly adult females of 

 Osphranter robustus, five of Halmaturus rufieoUis, 

 and nine of Petrogale penicillatus. In two small 

 specimens of O. robustus and two of P. penicillatus 

 it did not exist. — {Proc. Linn. soc. N. S. Wales, vi. 

 1882, 796.) F. w. T. [71 



Mammals of north-eastern New York. — Dr. 

 Merriam enumerates 42 species of mammals for the 

 Adirondack region, including Phoca vitulina, and 

 gives many original notes on the habits of fifteen 

 carnivores. — {Trans. Linn. soc. New York, i. 1882, 

 27.) F. w. T. [72 



PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOaY. 



The time of apperceiving simple and com- 

 pound concepts. — With the eyes of the observer 

 directed into a dark chamber toward a Geissler tube, 

 the time from the electric illumination of the tube to 

 the instant of closing a key was measured by Dr.M. 

 Friedrich for four observers as the simple reaction 

 time ; the additional time required to distinguish 

 colors in this light, to read figures and determine 

 the number of dots irregularly disposed, was then 

 measured. It was found that numbers of two and 

 three figures were apperceived quicker than those 

 of one or four or more, a notable increase of time 

 being required to apperceive the fourth figure. If, 

 however, the first two figures were IS, they were 

 more quickly perceived than any others, being more 

 familiar as designating the present century. — {Phi- 

 los. studien, i. 1.) G. s. H. [73 



Psychological methods. — W. Wundt gives the 

 following : 1°. The psycho-physic method, the accu- 

 racy of which has lately been questioned, but which 

 Wundt concludes to be valid, save when applied by av- 

 eraging right and wrong cases, where more thorough 

 tests than Fechner or any of his successors have ap- 

 plied are needed. 2°. The method of analysis of 

 sense-perceptions is made to include (a) composition, 

 e.g., Helmholtz's combination of simple tones into 

 timbre; {b) decomposition, e.g., Weber's space- 

 threshold; (c) variation, e.g., stereoscope, judgment 

 of broken and unbroken lines. 3°. Method of meas- 

 urement of psychologic time, by reaction, com- 

 parison, reproduction, and complication. — {Philos. 

 studien, i. 2.) G. s. H. [74 



The time-sense. — Two metronomes were al- 

 lowed by J. Kellert to tick twice, one after the other. 

 The pendulum of one remaining constant, that of the 

 other was then gradually lengthened or shortened 

 till the observer noted a difference in the interval 

 between the ticks of the latter and those of the 



