EDITORIAL GLEANINGS. 45 



Saw-billed Duck (two), (Fulica americana, Gmelinj, and Mud-hens 

 (Rallus crepitans, Gmelin), Sheldrake (Mergus americanus, Casein), Red- 

 breasted Merganser (M. serrator, Linn.), Hooded Merganser (Lopho- 

 dytes cncullatus, Reichart), Common Cormorant (Graculus carbo, Gray), 

 Ruddy Duck (Erismatura rubida, Bonaparte), Summer Duck (two), Coween 

 Duck (three), Great Northern Diver, or Loon (Colymbus torquatus, Brun- 

 nich), Muffle-head Diver (C. arcticus). The scientific names are mainly 

 taken from Samuels's ' Birds of New England and Neighbouring States.' " 



At the meeting of the Zoological Society, on Nov. 29th, the disputed 

 classificatory position of an interesting animal was considered, when Mr. 

 F. G. Parsons, F.Z.S., read a paper on the anatomy of adult and foetal 

 specimens of the Cape Jumping Hare (Pedetes coffer). In it the different 

 systems — osseous, muscular, nervous, circulatory, digestive, &c. — were de- 

 scribed in some detail, and contrasted with the corresponding parts in two 

 Jerboas (Dipus hirtipes and D. jerboa). The author regarded the muscular 

 system as furnishing the best clue to the position of the animal, and, con- 

 sidering all the evidence in his possession, looked upon Pedetes as being 

 nearly akin to the Jerboas ; but thought that, if a sharp line had to be 

 drawn anywhere between the Mouse-like and Porcupine-like rodents, 

 Pedetes should be placed on the hystricomorphiue, and the Dipodidce on the 

 myomorphine side of that line. The radial ossicle in the carpus, described 

 by Bardeleben as a praepollex, was found to answer accurately to that 

 writer's description ; but Mr. Parsons failed to find any proof which 

 satisfied him of its digital nature. 



At another meeting of the above Society, held on Dec. 13th, a com- 

 munication was read from Mr. H. H. Brindley, on certain characters of the 

 reproduced appendages in the Arthropoda, particularly iu the Blattidce. 

 It was a continuation of a paper published in the ' Proceedings ' of the 

 Society for 1897 (p. 903), and contained observations on the process of 

 regeneration of the legs in the Blattidce. Some review of our knowledge of 

 the regeneration of appendages in other Arthropods was attempted, from 

 which it appeared that while certain appendages iu certain groups when 

 regenerated were always apparently exact replicas of the normal, in other 

 cases, besides the legs of Blattidce, regenerated appendages invariably 

 differed from the normal in such constant respects that they should be 

 regarded as alternate " normals " rather than as imperfect reproductions of 

 the congenital normal structures. In the case investigated in detail there 

 was evidence that the process of ecdysis involved reconstruction of the soft 

 parts as well as of the cuticle of the appendage. 



