March 1, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



347 



the terms sulcus and sulculus for deter- 

 mining ventral or dorsal aspects is concerned 

 the whole scheme is useless in so many cases 

 that it fails of any importance. The terms 

 are applicable only when these aspects, if they 

 may be legitimately so called, are determined 

 in some other way. Even though, as Had- 

 don probably meant it should be used, the 

 term sulcus be applied to that groove asso- 

 ciated with the third pair of primary mesen- 

 teries, its use among fossil forms can hardly 

 be said to be justified. Hence we may ques- 

 tion the value of the term * ventral stomodoeal 

 groove ' in connection with the cardinal 

 fossula. Indeed, we may go farther and 

 question whether the Eugosa possessed goni- 

 dial grooves. If two grooves represented the 

 primitive condition of the living Anthozoa 

 we should find vestiges of a second in types 

 with only one. The evidence, though nega- 

 tive, seems to point to a primitive Stomodaeum 

 without these grooves. 



It is hard to see why the cardinal fossula 

 necessitates the presence of a gonidial groove. 

 It might have been due to the arrested de- 

 velopment of the cardinal mesenteries (with- 

 out that arrestation having been caused by a 

 gonidial groove) combined with the other in- 

 completely developed septa adjacent. Duer- 

 den admits, or rather independently assev- 

 erates, that such is the origin, but calls in 

 the Siphonoglyphe to account for the small 

 cardinal septum. What more likely than that 

 the counter septum fossula is the result of 

 arrested development of the corresponding 

 mesenteries! On this wise all the fossulse 

 might be considered as old-age characters. 



Before much can be asserted as to the order 

 of development of the primary mesenteries 

 in the Eugosa, specimens must be had which 

 will indicate something about the sequence of 

 the primary septa. It is not conclusive to 

 reason from sections that do not inform us in 

 this regard. In Streptelasma profundum the 

 counter septum of the primary four seemed to 

 reach farthest down into the calyx. 



To summarize: 



First, the argument from L. proliferum is 

 not conclusive or final, since one can never be 

 certain of having the lowest section. The 



statement can be extended to other forms 

 studied by Duerden. Even Streptelasma 

 rectum shows acceleration in the counter 

 quadrants. In this form, a highly specialized 

 type, the tertiary septa of the counter quad- 

 rants appear long before they do in the other 

 quadrants, showing extreme acceleration in 

 the counter quadrants. In an actual young 

 specimen of Streptelasma profundum, in 

 which the bottom of the corallum is shown, 

 and the actual beginnings of the septa are 

 visible, the four primary septa reach farther 

 down than the secondary ones, and hence must 

 be considered as having appeared before the 

 secondary septa appeared. This shows the 

 primary tetramerism of this ts^pe and is 

 strong inferential evidence for all zaphren- 

 toids. 



Second, the inversion of figures counts for 

 nothing. In referring to fossil forms of un- 

 certain septal sequence and structural make- 

 up the older terms are the more suitable. 



Third, the hexameral arrangement of the 

 septa in the Eugosa is not established, but 

 rather is contradicted, by the evidence from 

 the primitive members of the group. The 

 primitive Eugosa appear to possess a pro- 

 nounced quadripartite arrangement and a defi- 

 nite bilateral symmetry. Upon this symmetry 

 and arrangement, by acceleration or other- 

 wise, has been imposed a pseudohexameral 

 arrangement, in instances, and a ' biradial 

 symmetry.' 



Fourth, this article really purposes to dis- 

 cuss the matter only and makes no pretense of 

 ignoring other points of view, or of having 

 settled the matter. 0. E. Gordon 



Massachusetts Agbicxjltijbai, Coixeqe, 

 Amherst, Mass. 



UNIVERSITY registration STATISTICS 



To THE Editor of Science: As the figures 

 of the University of Chicago were not received 

 until the article on university registration 

 statistics (Science, December 21, 1906) was 

 in press, it was not possible to include an ac- 

 companying notice of changes in the fall regis- 

 tration. The facts of the case are these: 



The enrQllment figures of the university as of 

 November 10 show a slight gain, from 2,130 to 



