Miscellaneous. 67 



side, but on the other I have done nothing, or next to nothing. It is 

 a very difficult investigation, but if this intolerable heat leaves me 

 energy enough I will do something towards it. I am unwilling to 

 write hastily or without due evidence on this matter (especially since 

 the establishment of my views must, as it seems to me, necessitate 

 the total re-arrangement of the " Radiata "), and I mean therefore 

 merely to go on making observations until we return to England. If 

 then I find any means ofter itself of publishing my results on an ap- 

 propriate scale, well and good ; if not, I suppose I must content myself 

 with feeling like a *'mute, inglorious Hampden," and like a good 

 philanthropist, pity the public for its loss. 



I have a great advantage in the society and kind advice (to say 

 nothing of the library) of Mr. MacLeay in Sydney, Knowing little 

 of his ideas, save by Swainson's perversions, I was astonished to find 

 how closely some of my own conclusions had approached his, obtained 

 many years ago in a perfectly diiferent way. I believe that there is 

 a great law hidden in the " Circular system " if one could but get at 

 it, perhaps in Quinarianism too ; but I, a mere chorister in the temple, 

 had better cease discussmg matters obscure to the high priests of 

 science themselves. 



Keeping well in mind the old adage about " too many irons in the 

 fire," I have nevertheless been able to make a few scattered obser- 

 vations on other animals than the Acalephae, and I mean to embody 

 those on the Mollusca — comet-wise — making the " anatomy ofFirola 

 and Atlanta " the nucleus whereunto to append a tail of observations 

 on the genera, which will I think possess some interest, referring 

 to the nervous system, structure of buccal mass, and the existence of 

 a peculiar urinary system. I will send this from Sydney to the Secre- 

 tary of the Zoological Society, with a request that you may, if so in- 

 chned, have the first perusal of it. 



Our return appears to be very uncertain, perhaps not for a couple 

 of years. If in this remote corner of the earth I can be of any ser- 

 vice to you either in a scientific or any other way, pray consider my 

 best exertions as at your command. A letter addressed to me at 

 Sydney will always reach me. Yours very faithfully. 



To Prof. E. Forbes. Thomas H. Huxley. 



On the Circulatory Apparatus and the Organs of Respiration in the 

 Arachnida. By M. Emile Blanchard. 



It is well known that M. Blanchard, in opposition to the generally 

 received opinion, admits the existence of a peritracheal circulation in 

 insects ; the following are some new observations which have been 

 made upon the Arachnida, and appear completely to confirm his opi- 

 nion. The Arachnida present favourable conditions for studying the 

 relations existing between the circulatory and respiratory systems, 

 as there are tracheary Arachnida, pulmonary Arachnida, and lastly 

 pulmo-tracheary Arachnida, in which we can see the insensible trans- 

 ition of one system into the other. In the pulmonary Arachnida, 

 the blood which has served for the nutrition of the organs becomes 

 lost in the lacunae ; it then introduces itself into the respiratory organs, 



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