250 



SCIENCE. 



IN. S, Vol. XIX. No. 476 



J. Percy Moore, Ph.D., instructor in 

 zoology, University of Pennsylvania: 'A 

 Synopsis of the Annelids of the Woods 

 Hole Region' (prepared for llie bureau). 

 The families Cirratulidse, Maldanidge, 

 Ampharetidas, Terebellidaj and Sabellidffi 

 have been completed. Several new species 

 were discovered and descriptions prepared 

 for publication, one of the most striking 

 of which is a large and handsome species 

 of Trinia. A niimber of hitherto unre- 

 corded species have been added to the 

 known fauna, among them tropical spe- 

 cies of Hipponoe and Eicphroryne trans- 

 ported by the Gulf Stream on barnacle- 

 laden logs. Tomopteris was taken in 

 the tow at the Fish Commission wharf. 

 Valuable data concerning the exact distri- 

 bution of species were derived from the 

 trawlings of the Fish Haiuk and from 

 shore collections. 



Raymond C. Osburn, graduate student, 

 Columbia University. Mr. Osburn co- 

 operated, as a salaried assistant, in the 

 compilation of the card catalogue of local 

 fauna and flora (see above), and in the 

 work upon the dredging material obtained 

 by the Fisli Hau'k. 



George Howard Parker, Ph.D., assistant 

 professor of zoology. Harvard University: 

 'Physiology of the Lateral-line Organs' 

 (research conducted for the bureau). Six 

 species of fishes were tested: dog-fish, 

 skates, killifish, scup, toad-fish and winter 

 flounder. In each species individuals with 

 normal lateral lines, and those in which the 

 nerves going to the lateral-line organs had 

 been cut, were tested. The most complete 

 series of tests covered temperature, salin- 

 ity, oxygen pressure, carbon dioxide, foul- 

 ness, water-pressure, water-currents, water- 

 vibrations of high and of low frequency. 

 Differences between fishes with and with- 

 out lateral-line organs were noticed only in 



relation to vibrations of low frequency (six 

 per second). It was, therefore, concluded 

 that the lateral-line organs are stimulated 

 by water vibrations of low frequency. 



Henry Farnham Perkins, Ph.D., in- 

 structor in biology, University of Vermont : 

 'Studies of the Morphology of Hydro- 

 medusfe.' Collections were made in the 

 eel pond during a preliminary visit early 

 in Maj', and many immature specimens of 

 Gonionema tnurbachw were taken, also 

 some Willia ornata and scattering speci- 

 mens of other genera. Dr. Perkins's aim 

 was to find the young of Gonionema in the 

 process of transformation into the medusa 

 form, but the earliest of the young stages 

 found possessed all of the adult characters. 

 i\Iany young medusa were preserved with a 

 view to studying the development of the 

 tentacles and sense organs. All of these 

 specimens showed the remarkable scheme 

 of origin of the tentacles mentioned in a 

 previous paper by Dr. Perkins. A niunber 

 of specimens of Hybocodon prolifer were 

 taken in the deep water outside the harbor. 

 Many of these exhibited not only the 

 asexual reproduction by budding at the 

 base of the parent tentacle, described and 

 figured by Agassiz and others, but also 

 sexual reproduction in the same individ- 

 uals, larvffi being developed in the ectoder- 

 mal tissue of the manubrium, and escaping 

 as actinulfe. 



July 6 to August 4, mature specimens 

 of Gonionema were collected on nearly 

 every day, and the eggs obtained from 

 these were reared in a variety of ways with 

 a view to having the larvae mature in the 

 laboratory. Many thousand polyps are 

 now under observation. A careful study 

 of the sexual reproduction of Hybocodon 

 prolifer was made during this time and a 

 paper was prepared for publication. Con- 

 stant watch was kept for specimens of 

 medusn? in the waters about Woods Hole, 



