April 17, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



621 



for the absence of any close relatives of the 

 very distinct P. jamaicensis in the other West 

 Indian islands. 



The PeripatopsidEe, with five genera, are no 

 less interesting. They are confined to the 

 southern hemisphere, with the following dis- 

 tribution : 



Paraperipatus Willey. 1 species. New 

 Britain. 



Peripatopsis Pocoek. 6 species. S. Africa. 



Opisthopatus Purcell. 2 species ; one Natal, 

 the other Chili ! 



Peripatoides Pocoek. 4 species; two in 

 New Zealand, two in Australia. 



Ooperipatus Dendy. 4 species; one in New 

 Zealand, one in Tasmania, two in Australia. 



The case of Opisthopatus is most remark- 

 able, though similar instances are known 

 among insects. The Chilian 0. hlainvillei 

 may be imagined to represent the last relic 

 in America of the Peripatoid fauna of von 

 Ihering's Archhelenis, a continent supposed 

 to have once connected Africa with South 

 America. This would mean that the genus 

 Opisthopatus, though severed into two widely- 

 separated parts, has retained its essential 

 characters throughout Tertiary time. 



The classification of the Australian and 

 New Zealand species is not quite satisfactory. 

 Professor Bouvier shows, or at least gives 

 very good reasons for believing, that Ooperi- 

 patus oviparus is not genetically related to 

 the other three species of the genus, but repre- 

 sents an independent development of oviparity 

 from Peripatoides stock. Hence it would ap- 

 pear necessary to make 0. oviparus the type 

 of a new genus, to follow Peripatoides in the 

 list. The Tasmanian species is called by Pro- 

 fessor Bouvier Ooperipatus insignis Spencer 

 and Dendy; but since it is not the earlier P. 

 insignis Dendy, it must have a new name. 

 T. D. A. C. 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES 



In The American Naturalist for January 

 T. H. Morgan describes some " Experiments 

 in Grafting " undertaken primarily with a 

 view to finding out whether or not it is pos- 

 sible by artificial means to induce regenera- 

 tion in a part that does not ordinarily regen- 



erate. For example, a part of a lizard's tail 

 was grafted on the stump of a leg, the idea 

 being that the stimulation of the tail portion, 

 which does regenerate, might induce regenera- 

 tion in the limb. The results, however, are- 

 so far negative. Charles A. White discusses 

 " The Phenogamous Parasites " and C. Wil- 

 liam Beebe gives a " Preliminary Eeport on 

 the Investigation of the Seasonal Changes of 

 Color in Birds," noting the influence of 

 warmth and moisture. A. H. Wright and A. 

 A. Allen have " Notes on the Breeding Habits 

 of the Swamp Cricket Frog, Oorophilus tri- 

 seriatus Wied," and Adam Hermann describes 

 " Modern Methods of Excavating, Preparing 

 and Mounting Fossil Skeletons," methods 

 which have probably reached a higher degree- 

 of perfection in this country than in any other 

 and which Mr. Hermann himself has done so 

 much to develop. John T. Guliek considers 

 " Isolation and Selection in the Evolution of 

 Species: The Need of Clear Definitions," 

 pointing out that the above terms, as well as 

 environment and even evolution, are used by 

 different writers in a varying sense. 



The Museums Journal of Great Britain for 

 February opens with an article by James 

 Duncan, on " Experience of Sunday Opening 

 at Dundee," the matter being deemed of special 

 importance because it is the most northern 

 museiun in " Sabbath-keeping " Scotland to 

 open its doors on a Sunday. The results have 

 been eminently satisfactory. There is a brief ' 

 description of " The Eoyal United Service 

 Museum" and, under "Museum Notes," F.. 

 W. Fitz Simons suggests that the round, per- 

 forated stones from Africa, known as Bush- 

 men's stones, may have originally been sym- 

 bols of Phallic worship. 



The American Museum Journal for March 

 has as frontispiece a reproduction of Eastman 

 Johnson's portrait of the late Morris K. Jesup, 

 taken in 1892. It is noted that a special pub- 

 lication will give an account of Mr. Jesup's 

 life and service to the museum. There are 

 ai tides descriptive of the " Bismarck Archi- 

 pelago Collection," the " South American 

 Blow-gun" and the "Exhibition showing the- 

 Congestion of Population in New York City." 



