328 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Bulletin de la Society Zoologique de 

 France (Paris, January, 1896). — Besides list of 

 members and corresponding societies, this part 

 contains little of interest to our readers. Dr. Paul 

 Marchal contributes a paper dealing with the life- 

 history of Polistes, a genus of honey-gathering wasps. 



Revue Biologique du Nord de la France 

 (Lille, 1895, No. 12). M. R. Koehler concludes 

 his important paper on " Deep-Sea Dredging on 

 board the ' Caudan,' " with sixteen figures in the 

 text (Echinoderms), and M. H. Foeken also con- 

 cludes his interesting contribution on " Some Galls 

 of Syria," with three lithographed plates. 



Natur und Haus (Berlin, 1895, part 12). Mr. 

 A. John contributes a brightly-written article " On 

 Snipe," which is accompanied by a handsome page 

 illustration, while Herr Karl Huth gives some 

 practical hints on the "Treatment of Diseases Pecu- 

 liar to Domesticated Birds. ' ' Aquarium enthusiasts 

 will be delighted with the instructions given by an 

 expert on the subject of " Sea Anemones," while 

 horticulturists will be interested in what Herr Max 

 Hesdorffer has to say on " Amaryllis." Both 

 these articles are illustrated with nice woodcuts. 



BOLLETINO DEI MUSEI DI ZoOLOGIA ED ANATOMIA 

 COMPARATA DELLA R. UNIVERSITA DI TORINO 



(Turin, 1895). — The numbers to hand complete 

 vol. x., for 1895, to which is added an alphabetical 

 index for the ten volumes. The results of the 

 expedition of Dr. Alfredo Borelli to the Argentine 

 Republic and Paraguay are still bearing fruit, 

 to witness, notes on new genera and species 

 of Arachnidse (Opiliones laniatores), by William 

 Sorensen ; new species of Hemiptera, Heteroptera, 

 by M. A. L. Montandon ; new species of Decapod 

 Crustacea, by Signor Guiseppe Nobili. Dr. Achille 

 Grifnni discourses on the Halobates of the voyage 

 of the " Magenta." Professor Pietro Pavesi 

 contributes an annotated list of the Arachnidse 

 collected by Dr. Festa in Palestine. Bibliographi- 

 cal reform in zoology is in the air, and we 

 are therefore not surprised to see Dr. Haviland 

 Field invade this publication with a discussion of 

 the proposed new system. Dr. Griffin further 

 describes a new species of Nemoptera from Cyprus, 

 with a figure in the text. Dr. D. Rosa contributes 

 descriptions of new worms from Eastern Europe. 



Feuilles des Jeunes Naturalistes (Paris, 

 March and April, 1896). — A paper on " The Biology 

 of the Foraminifera, " by M. Charles Schlumberger, 

 with some figures in the text, will be found of 

 interest. The editor, M. Ad. Dollfus, contributes an 

 important communication on " The Exotic Fauna 

 of the Hothouses of the Jardin des Plantes " in 

 Paris. A fairly large number of exotic species 

 are found to exist under conditions more or less 

 abnormal ; these are frequently met in different 

 houses, they multiply, and their presence can 

 only be looked upon as purely accidental. They 

 are in general animals which have a very wide 

 distribution in hot countries, and which have, con- 

 sequently, considerable powers of acclimatization. 



To this imported fauna are joined indigenous 

 species from outside, and others whose normal 

 habitats are precisely these warm moist places, 

 rich in humus. There are, in fact, two interesting 

 faunas in these hothouses, one native and one 

 acclimatized. But these include, properly speak- 

 ing, neither indigenous species from outside, nor 

 certain tropical forms introduced accidentally with 

 exotic plants, and which, not being capable of 

 acclimatization, do not increase, and are destined 

 to disappear rapidly. A curious fact which has 

 come to light is the complete absence, so far, of 

 acclimatized tropical insects, with the exception 

 of Formicidas (ants) and Coccidse (scale insects). 

 On the other hand, Myriopoda, Crustacea, 

 Arachnidse and Mollusca are well represented. 

 Three species of exotic Mollusca, all belonging to 

 the genus Stenogyra, are enumerated ; one of 

 these, Stenogyra goodalli, is well known as occurring 

 in hothouses in different parts of Great Britain. 

 The Crustacea contain one species described as 

 new, an Amphipod. For full particulars we must 

 refer the readers to the paper itself. Some further 

 notes on adventitious plants, by M. R. Maire, will 

 be found of interest for botanists, while con- 

 chologists are catered for by M. Caziot, in a list 

 of " Mollusca of the Department of Vienne." 



Bulletin de la Societe Philomatique de 

 Paris (vii., No. 2, 1895). — The bulk of this 

 part is taken up by a Paper by M. Jules Mabille, 

 on "The Mollusca of Lower California," collected 

 by M. Diguet. In the introduction the author refers 

 to a note in the "Bulletin du Museum d'Histoire 

 Naturelle," by Dr. Rochebrune, where it is stated 

 that a remarkable similarity exists between the fauna 

 of Lower California, a comparatively cold district, 

 and that of tropical countries such as Panama 

 and Colombia. A careful study of the material 

 brought home by M. Diguet confirms these views ; 

 and in addition to the facts enumerated by this 

 savant, the following observations are published by 

 the author : " The mollusca living at the mouth 

 of the gulf are found only in a very small number 

 at its northern extremity, i.e. Lower California. 

 The malacological fauna of this latter country 

 emanates from Peru, the Galapagos Islands, 

 Panama and Mazatlan, therefore from districts 

 situated considerably to the south of it." It is 

 stated to be understood that no notice is taken 

 of the reputed new species, nor of some others 

 already known to science, living further north, 

 such as, for example, Cerithidea sacrata, which 

 appears to exist on nearly all the coasts of 

 North America, and may be considered to some 

 extent, as a cosmopolitan species ; some other 

 species which, possessing a singularly wide area 

 of distribution, inhabit the Philippines, the Ber- 

 mudas, Australia and the Senegal coast ; but 

 the presence of these mollusca in Californian 

 waters does not deprive this fauna of its essentially 

 American character. These remarks apply only to 

 the marine fauna, the terrestrial and fluviatile forms 

 comprising only Californian types. We note, not 

 without a degree of astonishment, that the author 

 includes Enparypha, a section of the Helicida con- 

 fined to Europe, North Africa and the Atlantic 

 islands. We imagined that Mr. Pilsbry, in his able 

 monograph, had exploded this myth. As might 

 have been expected, a goodly number of forms 

 figure as new species, particularly the land shells. 

 It is to be regretted that no figures are given, 

 neither is any indication of their affinities vouch- 

 safed. 



