October 13, 1911] 



SCIENCE 



481 



the results reached, a few, particularly signifi- 

 cant, may be indicated. 



Comparison of the distribution of the ten 

 species occurring in the area " shows conclu- 

 sively that the manner of distribution is cor- 

 related with the organization of the species. 

 In other words, the distinctive manner in 

 which each species is distributed is as much a 

 specific character as is its structure." For ex- 

 ample, each species appears to have its own 

 depth of maximum abundance, spoken of by 

 Mr. Michael as its " center of migration." 

 This is certainly true of the more abundant 

 species, and seems to be true of those which 

 do not occur in suiEcient numbers to render 

 the results so far obtained entirely conclusive. 

 From 15 to 20 fathoms is found to be the cen- 

 ter of migration of Sagitta hipunctata, the 

 most abundant species, while between 100 and 

 200 fathoms is the center for 8. serraioden- 

 tata. These results strengthen the growing 

 idea of species characters in the habits of or- 

 ganisms, and so are of considerable general 

 importance. 



The correlations of distribution with tem- 

 perature and also with density, which are dis- 

 tinctly indicated if not fully proved, are, in 

 several ways, rather unexpected and surpris- 

 ing, particularly as regards density correla- 

 tions. If these results are borne out by 

 further observations they will still further 

 emphasize the complexity of orderly interrela- 

 tions that prevail between organic beings and 

 their surroundings. 



Professor Kofoid has this summer published 

 numbers IV. and V. of " Dinoflagellata of the 

 San Diego Eegion " (Univ. of Calif. Publ. 

 Zoology, Vol. 8, Nos. 4 to 6, 106 pp.). By far 

 the more extensive of these is No. 4 dealing ex- 

 clusively with Gonyaulax. 



It is hardly to be supposed that all the 

 species occurring in the area have now been 

 recorded. Nevertheless, the author has felt 

 his experience with the group to be extensive 

 enough to justify him in giving the genus a 

 thorough overhauling. This he has done 

 largely on the basis of local material but also 

 partly on that of collections from other parts 

 of the world. Of the 25 species recognized as 



belonging to the revised genus 14 are recorded 

 from the San Diego region, four of which are 

 new. One species formerly included in Gony- 

 aulax, 0. jollifer, has been made the basis of a 

 new genus, Spiraulax. 



The author is, warrantably it seems, partic- 

 ularly impressed with " the all-pervading char- 

 acter of specific differences in both morpho- 

 logical and physiological details " among these 

 organisms. 



Special attention is given to G. polyedra, the 

 species chiefly responsible for the " red-water " 

 and wonderful display of phosphorescence that 

 occurs in this region at times. 



It would appear that Professor Kofoid is 

 well ready for the next steps — study of the 

 distribution, reactions, propagation, etc., of 

 these organisms. 



Dr. C. 0. Esterly, who up to this time has 

 been able to do little more than describe and 

 record the great number of species of cope- 

 pods of the region, has now taken seriously 

 in hand the problems of seasonal and vertical 

 distribution in this group. The summer has 

 enabled him to advance the task well beyond 

 the points indicated by his two recent papers, 

 " The Vertical Distribution of Eucalanus 

 elongatus in the San Diego Region during 

 1909" (Univ. Calif. Public Zoology, Vol. 8, 

 No. 1) and " Diurnal Migration of Calanus 

 finmarchicus in the San Diego Region during 

 1909 " (Intern. Rev. d. ges. Hydrobiol. u. 

 Hydrogr., Bd. 4). 



Treatment of the data relative to the dis- 

 tribution of some of the species of Salpa is 

 now under way by Mr. Michael and the Di- 

 rector and it is hoped that a report on this 

 group may be ready some time during the 

 winter. 



In order to extend the migrational studies, 

 on the one hand, to animals better endowed 

 than the groups already treated, with the 

 powers of vision and locomotion, and, on the 

 other hand, to those less well provided with 

 organs of light perception and locomotion, it 

 is proposed to take up, as soon as possible, the 

 schizopoda and the ctenophora. 



Now that considerable headway has been 

 made in investigating the distribution and 



