1865.] Zoology and Animal Physiology. 507 



head upon the axis of the head, is insufficient ; for, notwithstanding, 

 all the varieties in position, the relations of the upper eye to the sur- 

 rounding bones of the head remain the same in all forms. This 

 passage of the eye obliquely up through the head has, moreover, been 

 proved by direct observations upon young Flounders. Minute 

 pellucid specimens from the Mediterranean have been described by 

 Kafinesque and Eisso, and specimens have lately come under Steen- 

 strup's notice from the Atlantic, about an inch long, having the 

 eyes on the left side, and with them were other small fishes, resem- 

 bling them in all particulars, save in this — that they were apparently 

 quite symmetrical, with an eye on each side of the head. They were 

 Flounders in an earlier stage. Perfect transitional forms have been 

 noticed, giving " expressive evidence that the eye actually goes from 

 one side up through the head over to the other side — in other words, 

 that the symmetrical (young) fish by degrees squints its eye in and 

 up through the head, out to the other side, and finally squints itself 

 into a perfect Flounder." 



The French Museum of Natural History has recently been fortu- 

 nate enough to succeed in the reproduction of the Mexican Axolotls, 

 which had never before been accomplished in Europe. The Museum 

 possesses in the reptile department six of these animals, five males 

 and one female. The eggs, spawned in the usual manner, consisted, 

 like those of all Batrachians, of a black vitelline sphere, placed in 

 the centre of a transparent vitelline membrane, which was again sur- 

 rounded by a larger albuminous envelope. Nearly all the eggs were 

 fruitful, and the hatching took place from twenty-eight to thirty days 

 after they were laid. Soon after the egg was quitted, an important 

 change occurred ; the buccal cleft opened itself, and the animal fed 

 with avidity upon the animacules floating in the water ; in conse- 

 quence of this, the stomach, which could hardly be recognized in the 

 embryo, now became by degrees quite apparent. M. Dumeril 

 is still engaged in observing the further development of these 

 animals. 



The reptiles in the Museum are very interesting generally. The 

 ' Courrier des Sciences ' states that in spite of croup, which seems to be 

 the malady par excellence of the serpent tribe, there are still living a 

 black trigonocephalus, acquired in 1842 ; and a tree-frog and fresh- 

 water tortoise, dating from 1846 and 1847 respectively. Eight 

 pythons, which measured on leaving the egg four years ago from ■ 45 

 to • 5 metre, have now acquired lengths varying from 2*5 to 3*3 metres ; 

 and a South American crocodile, which in 1857 was "3 metre in length, 

 now measures l£ metre. 



In order to encourage the study of Economic Entomology, the 

 Council of the Entomological Society has announced that it has de- 

 cided to offer two prizes of the value of five guineas each, to be 

 awarded to the authors of memoirs of sufficient merit, and drawn up 

 from personal observation, on the anatomy, economy, or habits of any 

 insect, or group of insects, especially serviceable or obnoxious to man- 

 kind. The memoirs should be illustrated by figures of the insects in 

 their different states, and if the species be noxious, they must show 



