SCIENCE. 



5i 



prasplenialis." Likewise, Flower's "supraorbital" has 

 priority of my "presylvian," which Krueg has adopted. 

 On the other hand, Krueg's "anterior" and " pos- 

 tica " are so much more usable than previous names 

 as to be worthy of acceptance, especially as they may 

 be regarded as abbreviations of the phrases by which 

 Owen and myself designated the fissures in question. 

 " Splenialis " also is to be preferred to " supercallosal " 

 or " calloso-marginalis," so long as the human homo- 

 logue of the fissure is uncertain. If marginalis be 

 retained, postmarginalis will be better than " post- 

 splenialis." 



I am particularly gratified to find that Krueg admits 

 as fissural integers the ansata and the diagonalis ; the 

 former I had intended to call transversa, and the latter 

 intermedia, but Krueg's names must be retained. We 

 agree also in regarding Owen's " medilateral " as com- 

 posed of two fissures, which Krueg terms " medila- 

 teral " and " confinis." I had intended to leave Owen's 

 name attached to the fissure which is really mesiad of 

 the lateral, and to call the curved division lunata. I 

 still think this would have been preferable ; but as it 

 is, the name lunata may be given to what would other- 

 wise have been sublunata. I have applied the name 

 intermedia to a fissure which Krueg mentions, but 

 does not name. 



Doubtless my readers, especially those who are es- 

 pecially interested in the physiological aspect of the 

 subject, desire to learn the correspondence between 

 the cat's fissures and those of monkeys and man. I 

 hope that Krueg may shortly give us the benefit of his 

 opinion. Meantime, I am obliged to admit my doubts 

 with regard to all excepting the callosal, hippocampal, 

 and olfactory ; for the Sylvian is not yet fully under- 

 stood. I believe that for a long time to come the 

 most useful work will be done upon nearly related 

 forms, and that each fissure should be monographed 

 with respect to its constant and variable characters, its 

 connections, its relations to internal structures or to 

 more primary fissures, and especially its manner of 

 formation. 



List of papers and works referred to : 



Krueg, J. (1). Ueber die furchung der grosshirn- 

 rinde der Ungulaten. Zeits. fur wiss. Zool. xxxi, 



297-345; l8 7 8 - 



Meynert, T. Die windungen der convexen ober- 

 flache des vorderhirns bei menshen, affen, und raub- 

 thieren. Archiv fur psychiatrie, etc.. vii ; 1877. 



Pansch, A. Beitrage zur morphologies des gross- 

 hirns der saiigethiere. Morphologischen Jahrbuch, v, 

 1879. 



Flower, W. H. (28). On the anatomy of the Prote- 

 les cristatus. Zool. Soc. Proc, 1869-, 474-496. 



Huxley, T. H. Manual of the comparative anato- 

 my of the vertebrated animals. 



Krueg, Julius. (2). Ueber die furchen auf der gross- 

 hirnrinde der zonoplacentalen saiigethiere. Zeitschrift 

 fur wissenschaftliche zoologie. xxxiii, 4 heft, 1880. 



Leuret et Gratiolet. Anatomie comparee du sys- 

 teme nerveux. 



Owen, R. Comparative anatomy and physiology of 

 vertebrates. Vol. iii. 



Wilder, B. G. (11). The outer cerebral fissures of 

 mammalia, especially the carnivora, and the limits of 

 their homology. Amer. Asso. Proc, xxii, 1873, 214- 

 234- 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



To the Editor of " Science :" 



Perhaps the following may interest the readers of 

 "Science." It has always been my experience that a 

 Black Snake, Bascanion constrictor, when confined with 

 any other snake smaller than itself will invariably eat it. 

 The following food has been eaten during the month of 

 July, by a black snake five and a-half feet long, on exhib- 

 ition at Central Park Menagerie : 3 leverits, 3 sparrows, 

 1 cat-bird, 1 small chicken, 1 black snake four feet long, 

 1 milk snake, 1 small rattlesnake ; total weight, eight 

 pounds. W. A. Conklin, 



Museum Building, Central Park. 



DEATH OF A NATURALIST. 



We have to record the death of Mr. Green Smith, 

 of Peterboro, New York, son of the late Gerard Smith, 

 whose name will ever be remembered by those who 

 value the cause of human liberty. 



For many years past Mr. Green Smith left no oppor 

 tunity neglected by which he could add to his fine collec- 

 tions of the birds of the United States. On one occasion 

 he gave $1000 for 240 specimens of humming birds, and 

 probably spent from ten to fifteen thousand dollars in 

 forming his unique collection. 



As Mr. Green Smith purchased specimens, they were 

 prepared and mounted by the well-known taxidermist, 

 Mr. J. G. Bell, of New York City, who appears to have 

 been consulted by Mr. Smith on all occasions. 



During his life Mr. Green offered his collection to the 

 Museum of Natural History in Central Park, on the con- 

 dition that the collection should be kept intact, and 

 should bear the name of the generous donor. The offer, 

 however, was declined by the trustees, on the ground 

 that such a condition was inconvenient, and established 

 a precedent which it was not well to encourage. 



We have reason to believe that such refusal has been 

 long since repented of, and some hope is expressed that 

 this fine ornithological collection may still find a home 

 in the Central Park Museum. 



A German naturalist, in the course of inquiries as to the 

 phosphorescence of the sea, has found that the phenomenon 

 occurs whenever sea-fishes are brought into a three per 

 cent, salt solution. The luminosity begins apparently in 

 the eyes, spreads over the whole fish, and increases day by 

 day. The fish after some time seems luminous through- 

 out. The phosphorescent substance is a kind of mucus 

 which appears dirty-white by day, and shines in the dark. 



The electric light is at last to be put to a crucial test 

 in the city of London. Tenders are to be asked for the 

 illumination of the principal thoroughfares of the area 

 bounded by Cheapside and the Thames, from Blackfriars to 

 London Bridge ; the three bridges from London, South- 

 wark and Blackfriars, along with Queen Victoria street 

 and Ludgate Circus to Cheapside, through King William 

 street to London Bridge, with a cross line from Cheapside 

 to Southwark Bridge. No doubt there will be sharp com- 

 petition, 



