﻿162 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  development 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  beyond 
  our 
  reach," 
  and 
  again 
  : 
  " 
  But 
  

   when 
  all 
  these 
  admissions 
  are 
  made, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  conserving 
  

   action 
  of 
  natural 
  selection 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  fullest 
  degree 
  recognized, 
  we 
  

   cannot 
  close 
  our 
  eyes 
  to 
  two 
  facts 
  : 
  first, 
  that 
  we 
  are 
  utterly 
  

   ignorant 
  of 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  ideoplasm 
  of 
  the 
  germ-cell 
  

   can 
  so 
  respond 
  to 
  the 
  play 
  of 
  physical 
  forces 
  upon 
  it 
  as 
  to 
  call 
  

   forth 
  an 
  adaptive 
  variation 
  ; 
  and 
  second, 
  that 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  

   cell 
  has 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  seemed 
  to 
  widen 
  rather 
  than 
  to 
  narrow 
  the 
  

   enormous 
  gap 
  that 
  separates 
  even 
  the 
  lowest 
  forms 
  of 
  life 
  from 
  

   the 
  inorganic 
  world 
  " 
  (p. 
  330). 
  h. 
  s. 
  w. 
  

  

  15. 
  Tables 
  for 
  the 
  Determination 
  of 
  Minerals 
  by 
  Physical 
  

   Properties, 
  ascertainable 
  with 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  Field 
  Instruments. 
  

   Based 
  on 
  the 
  System 
  of 
  Prof. 
  Dr. 
  Albin 
  Weisbacb, 
  by 
  Persifor 
  

   Frazer, 
  163 
  pp. 
  1897 
  (J. 
  P. 
  Lippincott 
  Co.). 
  — 
  The 
  fourth 
  edition 
  

   of 
  the 
  Weisbach 
  tables 
  prepared 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Frazer 
  has 
  recently 
  

   been 
  issued. 
  A 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  new 
  material 
  has 
  been 
  added 
  

   and 
  the 
  tables 
  have 
  been 
  adapted 
  in 
  other 
  respects 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  

   them 
  even 
  more 
  useful 
  than 
  before 
  to 
  the 
  student. 
  These 
  tables 
  

   are 
  now 
  too 
  well 
  and 
  favorably 
  known 
  to 
  need 
  more 
  than 
  this 
  

   brief 
  notice. 
  

  

  16. 
  Per 
  Lichtsinn 
  augenloser 
  Tiere 
  von 
  Wiltbald 
  A. 
  Nagel. 
  

   8vo. 
  120 
  pp. 
  Jena, 
  1896 
  (Gustav 
  Fischer). 
  — 
  This 
  memoir 
  dis- 
  

   cusses 
  at 
  length 
  the 
  function 
  of 
  sight 
  in 
  eyeless 
  animals. 
  It 
  

   begins 
  with 
  a 
  lecture 
  on 
  the 
  apparent 
  paradox 
  of 
  " 
  seeing 
  without 
  

   eyes." 
  This 
  is 
  followed 
  by 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  author's 
  interesting 
  

   experiments 
  showing 
  that 
  many 
  animals 
  are 
  still 
  sensitive 
  to 
  light 
  

   and 
  distinguish 
  the 
  direction 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  comes 
  after 
  the 
  re- 
  

   moval 
  of 
  the 
  eyes. 
  The 
  concluding 
  part 
  discusses 
  the 
  theories 
  of 
  

   vision 
  and 
  perception 
  of 
  light 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  animals. 
  

  

  17. 
  Additional 
  information 
  concerning 
  the 
  giant 
  Cephalopod 
  of 
  

   Florida 
  y 
  by 
  A. 
  E. 
  Verrill. 
  — 
  After 
  the 
  publication 
  of 
  the 
  notice 
  

   in 
  the 
  January 
  number 
  of 
  this 
  Journal, 
  I 
  received 
  additional 
  facts 
  

   concerning 
  this 
  huge 
  creature 
  from 
  Dr. 
  Webb. 
  He 
  has 
  also 
  sent 
  

   me 
  photographs,* 
  taken 
  two 
  days 
  after 
  it 
  came 
  ashore, 
  giving 
  

   four 
  different 
  views 
  of 
  it. 
  

  

  These 
  photographs 
  show 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  an 
  eight-armed 
  cephalopod, 
  

   and 
  probably 
  a 
  true 
  Octopus, 
  of 
  colossal 
  size. 
  Its 
  body 
  is 
  pear- 
  

   shaped, 
  largest 
  near 
  the 
  broadly 
  rounded 
  posterior 
  end. 
  The 
  

   head 
  is 
  scarcely 
  recognizable, 
  owing 
  to 
  mutilation 
  and 
  decay. 
  

   Dr. 
  Webb 
  writes 
  that 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  after 
  the 
  photographs 
  were 
  

   taken 
  (De<\ 
  7th), 
  excavations 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  the 
  stump 
  

   of 
  an 
  arm 
  was 
  found, 
  still 
  attached, 
  36 
  feet 
  long 
  and 
  10 
  inches 
  in 
  

   diameter 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  broken 
  off 
  distally. 
  

  

  This 
  probably 
  represents 
  less 
  than 
  half 
  of 
  their 
  original 
  length, 
  

   as 
  the 
  arms 
  of 
  Octopus 
  generally 
  taper 
  very 
  gradually 
  and 
  

   are 
  often 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  times 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  body. 
  What 
  looks 
  like 
  

   the 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  stumps 
  of 
  arms 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  front 
  view.f 
  

  

  * 
  These 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Edgar 
  Van 
  Horn 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Ernest 
  Howatt, 
  to 
  whom 
  

   my 
  thanks 
  are 
  due 
  for 
  the 
  proofs. 
  

  

  f 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  drawings 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  photographs 
  of 
  the 
  front 
  view 
  and 
  side- 
  

  

  