V / 



1883.] ^^%L.,.- Zoology. 793 



tirsula^ should not be considered a sufficiently good species. 



The entomological papers from the transactions of the Iowa 



Slite Horticultural Society, for the year 1882, have been pub- 



'ish'^d separately for gratuitous circulation, and contain much in- 



rriiation of practical value from Hon. J. N. Dixon, Miss Alice 



*(. Walton, and Professor Herbert Osborn. The monthly 



neetings of the Brooklyn Entomological Society will hereafter 

 be held on the last Saturday of each month in Wright's business 



"dU jge, corner of Broadway and Fourth Streets. The Stettiner 



..^.ntomologische Zeitung, Vol. 44, 1883, Nos. 7-9, contains beside 

 ■)thers of less general interest the following papers : Dr. H. A. 

 lagen's contributions to a monograph of the Psocidae (continued); 

 c^marks upon the influence of change of food upon morphologi- 

 .tri varieties, especially in the species of the genus Eupithecia, 

 ^Y Dr. A. Speyer; H. B. Moschler's notice of Fernald's catalogue 

 of N. A. Tortricidae ; and Dr. C. A. Dohrn's list of Zeller's en- 

 tomological papers, published after the appearance of Hagen's 



Bibliotheca. At the fiftieth anniversary meeting of the London 



Entomological Society, held May 2d of this year, Professor J. 

 O. Westwood was elected by acclamation titular life-president of 

 the society. 



ZOOLOGY. 



The Sea Pens or Pennatulida.^ — Professor Milnes Marshall 

 and Mr. W. P. Marshall give an important and interesting account 

 of the Pennatulida collected in the Oban Dredging Excursion of 

 the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society. 

 Funicidina quadrangidaris , Pennahda phosphorea and Virgularia 

 mirabdis were the three forms collected. 



The very primitive nature of the first of these is indicated by 

 the irregular arrangement of the polyps, their independent inser- 

 tion into the rachis, and in the comparatively slight difference be- 

 tween the polyps and the zooids, as well as by the shortness of 

 the stalk, or part of the colony devoid of polyps. In Pennatula 

 we have the polyps fused into leaves, and there is a considerable 

 difference in the size of their constituent parts, as well as great 

 anatomical differences between the polyps and the zooids ; the 

 stalk is also relatively much longer. 



Virgularia is shown to be the most modified by the restriction 

 of the reproductive organs to imperfectly developed polyps, and, 

 in addition to these points, by the presence of the so-called radial 

 vessels which are absent from the other two forms. 



A very curious discovery has been made with regard to Virgu- 

 laria; with but one exception all the known specimens of Virgu- 

 laria are mutilated, the lower end being generally, and the upper 

 always wanting; as a hypothesis, the author, some time ago sug- 

 gested that the tips were probably bitten off by some marine ani- 



^ 8vo, Birmingham, 1883, pp. 8i (4 pis.). 



