SCIENCE-GOSSIP 



"5 



Proceedings of the Academy ok Natural 

 Sciences of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, 1S94). 

 Mr. Meehan continues his interesting series of 

 Contributions to the Life-Histories of Plants, with 

 Apetalism and Seed Propulsion in Lamium purpureum. 

 This pretty occupant of our waste places appears to 

 have gained a footing, like so many other European 

 weeds in the United States, for Mr. Meehan 

 informs us that it occurs somewhat commonly 

 on his grounds at Germantown. While examining 

 the flowers closely to find whether any difference 

 existed between the small, pale lilac form and the 

 larger rosy one, he was surprised by having his face 

 peppered by the seeds which had been expelled 

 with considerable force from the calyx. He further 

 informs us how he found in the early part of July, 

 large numbers of the upper flowers apetalous, the 

 calyx being perfect, the stamens of the usual length 

 and the anthus profusely laden with pollen ; the 

 pistil appeared also perfect in every respect, but 

 not a trace of corolla existed. The stamens which 

 are normally united to the petals, were in this case 

 hypogonous. He also records the fruiting of 

 Inia hispida which appears to be a very rare 

 occurrence both in the wild and the cultivated state. 

 On the vitality of seeds of Antirrhinum glandulosum ; 

 plants were raised from seeds ten years ago and 

 the ground subsequently covered with earth 

 from the cellar several feet deep. No plant 

 of it has, to a certainty, been there until this 

 season, when, the earth in one spot being turned 

 up a few feet, one plant came up and flowered. 

 Dimorphic flowers were noticed in Dracocephalum 

 nutans, some plants having all the anthus sterile, 

 while the flowers producing the polliniferous 

 anthus were much larger and more showy, thus 

 giving rise to dioecism, i.e., male and female 

 flowers being on separate plants. Mr. Pilsbry 

 describes and figures a new pupa from Nicaragua. 

 Observations on the Geology of adjacent farts of 

 Oklahoma and North-West Texas, by E. D. Cope. 

 List of Port Jackson Cliitons and Revision of Australian 

 Acanthochittda, by H. A. Pilsbry, with three plates 

 of species, several of which have hitherto been 

 unfigured. 



Revue Biologique du Nord de la France 

 (Lille, Vol. vi., Nos. i-S, 1893-94). Some remarks on 

 the Embryological Classification of Metagoa, by Prof. 

 1 'aul Hallez. From an examination of the em- 

 bryological characters the author derives the 

 following classification : — (1) Mesogoa, (2) Porifcra, 

 (3) Ccelenterata, (4) Echinodermata, (5) Ctenophora, 

 \6) Vermes, (7) Arthropoda, and (8)Chordata; of these 

 divisions No. 6 is divided into eight subordinate 

 groups, i.e., Polyclales, Mollusca, Amphineura, 

 Rotifcra, Annelids, Brachiopoda, and 

 Bryozoa, No 7 is split up into Crustacea &ndTracheata. 

 ] n\ Raphael Blanchard enumerates two Hirudins 

 collected by Dr. Theodore Barrois, in 1SS7, in 

 the Azores, and six others collected by him also, 

 in Syria, in 1S90, in great numbers. Dr. C. O. von 

 Porat monographs the Myriopoda collected by the 



same traveller, in Syria. Hitherto the myriopodic 

 fauna of Syria was almost unknown, but live species 

 having only been recorded. The present contribu- 

 tion contains an account of nineteen species, six of 

 which are new to science. A plate with ligures of 

 six species accompanies the memoir. Researches on 

 the auditory nerve, its branches and ganglions, by Andre 

 Cannieu, with a plate. An historical account of 

 the subject is followed by a minute exposition of 

 the structure of this nerve in man, ruminants, cats, 

 rats and mice. Note on the Marine Acarina, Hala- 

 carida dredged by M. /'. Halle:; in the Pas de Calais, by 

 Dr. E. Trouessart, with four figures in the text. 

 Twelve species, of which one is new to science, are 

 recorded. On some Arthropoda found in Ants' Nests, 

 by K. Moniez, with four figures in the text. Mr 

 H. Drouet describes and figures two new Unionidae 

 from Borneo. Contribution to the Study of some Lakes 

 in Syria, by Professor Theodore Barrois. The 

 thermal, physical, geographical and faunal con- 

 ditions of six lakes are exhaustively treated in this 

 able memoir. 



The Canadian Entomologist (London, Ont., 

 vol. xxvi., No. 5), contains a useful article for 

 those studying the distribution of the Rhopalocera 

 of the Holarctic region. It is entitled Butterflies 

 Common to Norway and Arctic North America, by F. 

 M. Webster, of Wooster, Ohio. He mentions that 

 Dr. W. H. Schoyen, the state entomologist for 

 Norway, has given a list of 1,267 species of 

 Lepidoptera inhabiting that country. Of these, 

 thirteen butterflies also occur in the Northern 

 portion of the American Continent. These include 

 Pafilio machaon, Pieris rapes, P. napi, Colias pah 

 (var. lapponica), C. hccla, Vanessa antiopa, Y.atalania, 

 V. cardui, Argynnis char idea, A. polar is, A. freija, 

 A. frigga, Erebia disa. Mr. Webster has done 

 wisely in giving the latitude of the occurrence of 

 species, instead of localities which appear on few 

 maps. 



The American Naturalist (Philadalphia, vol. 

 xxviii, No. 330). — Mr. Henry L. Clarke, of the 

 University of Chicago, writes upon The Meaning of 

 Tree-life. He treats the subject from an evolu- 

 tionary point of view, tracing tree-life from early 

 geological times to what is now growing upon the 

 earth. To quote the author " The history of 

 plants records a constant two-fold struggle ; on 

 the one hand the effort of plant-life as a whole to 

 perpetuate itself by improving its methods of 

 reproduction ; on the other, the stand for self- 

 preservation made by each distinct individual or 



species or group As the highest outcome 



of evolutionary progress in the character of floral 

 organs we point to the orchids, among Monocotyls, 

 and the kindsmen of the golden-rods and asters, 

 among Dicotyls ; as the monarchs of vegitative 

 energy stand the tree-ferns and towering palms of 

 the tropics, the redwoods of California, the euca- 

 lyptus of Australia, and our forests of mighty oak." 

 Mr. Fred. S. Lee completes his communication on 

 The Scope of Modern Physiology. In conclusion he 

 criticises the address of Prof. Burdon Sanderson, 

 as president of the British Association, remarking 

 that " I cannot repress the thought that the author 

 of the Nottingham address viewed his subject 

 more in the waning light of a day that is ending 

 than in the brightening beams of a coming dawn ' 

 In the same number are illustrated articles upon 

 the limit of the ice sheet in Central Ohio and one 

 upon the unusual flights of the grouse locust in 

 North Eastern Illinois 



