October 25, 1901.] 



SCIENCE. 



631 



eliminate some of the errors in our sys- 

 tems of classification, where a character, 

 due to parallel development, has been mis- 

 taken for one of near affinity. And finally 

 the results of this study of the gallery, 

 together with the results of a study of the 

 parallel relation of structural characters, 

 indicate a law of parallel or periodical re- 

 lation of groups of organisms somewhat 

 similar to that of the chemical elements. 



11. 'The Eye of the Blind Lizard Rhi- 

 neura floridana^ : C. H. Eigbnmann, Bloom- 

 ington, Ind. 



The eye has been withdrawn from the 

 surface ; the tear glands are enormous as 

 compared with the eyeball, which is very 

 small, the optic fiber layer forming a cen- 

 tral strand. The optic nerve does not ex- 

 tend to the eye. The layers of the retina 

 have retained a high degree of specialization. 



12. ' The Ontogenic Development and 

 Degeneration of the Eye of the Blind Fish 

 Amhlyopsis ' : C. H. Eigbnmann, Blooming- 

 ton, Ind. 



The history of the eye of Amhlyopsis may 

 be divided into four periods: (1) The period 

 of palingenic development ending when the 

 fish is about 4.4 mm. long. (2) The period 

 of direct development, during which the 

 eye develops directly from a palingenic 

 stage to the highest development the eye 

 reaches — at the end of 10 mm. in length. 

 (3) The period of progressive modification, 

 during which the eye undergoes many 

 changes without reaching a more perfect 

 condition as an organ of vision. This 

 ends when the fish has reached full matur- 

 ity. (4) The period of degeneration ending 

 with death ; during this period the eye is 

 gradually wiped out. 



13. ' The Finding of the LeptoGeplmlus of 

 the American Eel': C. H. Eigbnmann, 

 Bloomington, Ind. 



Among many Leptocephali in the United 

 States National Museum were found two 

 which on account of their great resemblance 



to the Leptocephahcs of the European eel and 

 on account of their differences from that of 

 the European eel, which were just the dif- 

 ferences between the adults, were consid- 

 ered the Leptocephali of the American eel. 

 They were taken off Kew York. 



14. ' A Gigantic Campanularian, with 

 Observations concerning its Systematic Re- 

 lations ' : C. C. Nutting, Iowa City, Iowa. 



15. ' The Harvard Embryological Collec- 

 tion ' : Charlbs S. Minot, LL.D. 



The collection was founded in connection 

 with the Embryological Laboratory of the 

 Harvard Medical School. It is intended 

 to be used primarily for research work in 

 the comparative embryology of vertebrata. 

 It is proposed to have carefully graded 

 stages of eighteen or more species, chosen 

 as types of vertebrate classes, and to have 

 of each stage three sets of serial sections in 

 three planes — transverse, frontal and sagit- 

 tal. The collection is to be thoroughly cat- 

 alogued, every section being numbered. 

 The paper describes the precise method 

 used, the growth of the collection and other 

 details. 



16. ' On a New Type of Secretion by the 

 Formation of Spherules ': by Charles S. 

 MiNOT, LL.D. 



The process here recorded was first ob- 

 served in the glands of the cervix of the 

 human uterus. The end of the epithelial 

 cell, next the lumen of the gland, assumes 

 a clearer appearance, becomes distended 

 and then breaks off as a spherule, which 

 lies in the gland cavity. The spherule 

 breaks down, and its substance forms the 

 secretion of the gland. Certain observa- 

 tions indicate that the same type of spher- 

 ular secretion recurs in the mesonephros 

 (Wolffian body of the pig, embryo, kidney 

 of the frog). Mingazzini has described a 

 somewhat similar spherule formation occur- 

 ring on the basal ends of the epithelial 

 cells of the intestine, during the resorption 

 of food. 



