SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



8 9 



CONTRIBUTED BY FLORA WINSTONE. 



Revue Linneenne (Lyons, June, 1S97). This 

 number contains a description of a new species and 

 genus of marine shell from the Atlantic, south of 

 Portugal, dredged at a depth of 600 fathoms. It 

 is named Assimin rum, Loc. The article 



is by M Arnould Locard. The species is nearly 

 allied to Assiminea eliae of Paladihle. 



Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. 

 — Among the later papers read before this academy 

 is one upon " Plant Monstrosities," by Ida A. 

 Keller, and an important one by Henry A. Pilsbry 

 on •■ New Species of Molluscs from Uruguay." 

 They are part of the material obtained at Maldo- 

 nado Bav. bv dredging in from three to six fathoms, 

 by Dr. William H. Rush, U.S.N. These descrip- 

 tions appear to be in connection with a paper on 

 this collection which appeared in '• Nautilus " for 

 May of this year. The region from which these 

 shells were obtained has been little explored and 

 proves to be rich in species. 



"The Osprey" (Galesburg, 111., May, 1897). 

 This is No. 9 of a new ornithological publication 

 which we have previously noticed. It is prettily 

 produced and elegantly illustrated. It refers largely 

 to the birds of North America, and consists of short 

 articles and notes. Among the latter we find a 

 record, but unfortunately without date, beyond 

 " Friday afternoon," stating that off Cape Mendo- 

 cino, which we believe is a headland of California, 

 the steamship " Walla Walla " encountered 

 hundreds of humming-birds at sea which settled 

 in numbers upon the ship. Then, the account 

 continues. " the tiny visitors were so hungry that 

 they attacked the officers and passengers, boring 

 their needlelike bills into the flesh. The ladies 

 wearing millinery of artificial flowers were driven 

 to their state-rooms by the persecution of these 

 bird 



ETIN DE LA SOCIETK ZoOLOGIQUE DE 



I (Paris, March-April, 1897). Dr. L. 

 Joubin. of the University of Kennes, contributes 

 "Obser •: some Cephalopods from the 



Museum of Moscow." The chief interest of this 

 article lies in the increased knowledge of the 

 geographical distribution of a few little-known 

 species M. Victor I atio has an article on " Some 

 Ornithological Particulars of Mount Sal 

 Mount Sal' .1.- is a .mall mountain upon the Swiss 

 frontier, about one hour from Geneva, having a 

 maximum height of al>otit 4,500 feel ["he fauna 

 and P. b ri( h and interi 



Is much to I that during the lasi 



have been to inconsiderately 

 h tli': approat l> •■! < 



now L* and in somi 



disappeared. This mountan, derable 



I Ili'-rn limit 



for m-v [one.) I his 



number c/mtain* a portrait of I pi (tile |ulllen, 

 a late Mr. A. Milne- 



Edwards and M. E. L. Bouvier contribute " Some 

 Observations upon the Genus Sympagurus," the 

 result of investigations made during the voyages of 

 the "Princess Alice," which have done much towards 

 extending the knowledge of this section of Crus- 

 tacea. The article is accompanied by a tabular 

 synopsis of characters. M. Charles Van Kompen 

 writes on the " Variations of Colouration and the 

 Hybrids of Mammals and Birds." M. Kempen 

 says that while largely increasing his collection of 

 mammals and birds during the last three years, 

 he has been much struck by the remarkable 

 varieties in colouration caused by hybridity and 

 other anomalies. 



Bulletin de la Societe Philomathique de 

 Paris (Paris, 1S95-1896). — The principal article in 

 the last Annual Bulletin of this Society is by M. 

 E. L. Bouvier, on " The Lobster Origin of Crabs," 

 and " A Comparative Study of the Dromio Group 

 of Crabs, Living and Fossil." The successful 

 researches during the last twenty years, more 

 particularly those of M. Boas, have now completely 

 established the affinities and evolution of decapod 

 Crustacea. As regards the affinities and evolution 

 of crabs, that is to say of the most important and 

 most varied group of decapod Crustacea, they are 

 less well known. Though we are aware that the 

 lobster-like and dromio-like sections of the Dromi- 

 aceae are the most primitive forms of the decapod 

 Crustacea, and that all others are developed either 

 directly or indirectly from them, we do not yet 

 know the origin of these primitive forms. M. 

 Bouvier's article is divided into two parts : the 

 first half has twenty-six well-drawn illustrations, 

 and contains arguments on the morphology of the 

 true dromios, proofs that the primitive dromios 

 cannot be descended from Pagurides, Galatheides, 

 Thalassinides, or Astaciens ; lastly, evidence that 

 the dromios are transformed from the Homariens. 

 The conclusion he arrives at is that "the Homoliens 

 are strictly connected with the other Dromiaceae, and 

 that they form in this family a perfectly homogeneous 

 tribe, of which one can follow the links from the 

 most primitive forms, such as Homola cuvieri to the 

 most modified, as Latreillia elegans." The second 

 half of the article is devoted to a " Comparative 

 Studyof Living and Fossil Dromiaceae." It contains 

 seventeen illustrations. After a careful study of 

 some of the various forms of fossil Dromiaceae and a 

 comparison of their members with those of living 

 species, M. Bouvier devotes two or three pages to 

 the "Links in the chain of Living and Fossil 

 Representatives of the Family Dromiaceae " lie 

 then proceeds to a consideration of them, ana- 

 tomically and in embryo ; concluding with an 

 explanation of the figures inserted in the text. 

 This is a very important article, evidently the 

 rcsuh of much patient research. It occupies no 

 pages, being illustrated as we have indicated above, 

 I", lorty-three beautiful figures. Another article of 

 value is by M. Charles Brongniart, entitled : "A 

 Revision of the Salomonitae," a tribe of Locustidae, 

 accompanied by a chart of the geographical 

 distribution of these insects, which appear to 

 extend from Madagascar throughout the Austra- 

 lasian archipelago. There are also illustrations in 

 1 indicating new or obscun- species, This 

 article occupies nearly 200 pages, M, [ules 

 Manilla contributes " Observations on the Genua 

 I in Ma if' follow i.i' in . gi mi . Bulla, which he 

 .1.1 M-aied in 1753, 1 "'cause he considi n 



ii a natural assoi iation of certain well del 11 a 



"I Mollusca with whii ii has latterly been assoi lated 

 other species of less definite generic character 



