1890.] Zoblogy. 83 
tific Laboratories. Dr. Wheaton states that the song of the evening 
grosbeak is a miserable failure. In Vol. I. of the Bulletin will be 
found a note on the song, and the complete osteology of the species, 
by Prof. C. L. Herrick, with plates.—W. G. Ticut, Denison Univer- 
sity, Granville, O. 
Note on the Seventh Cervical Vertebra of the Cat.— 
While preparing a skeleton of a young cat, I was interested to note 
that the diapophyses of the seventh cervical vertebra were perforated 
for the passage of the vertebral artery and vein. Flower (Osteology 
of the Mammalia, p. 38) states that ‘‘the transverse process’’ (of the 
Carnivora) ‘‘ has no inferior lamella, and its base is imperforate.’’ 
Wilder, however (Anatomical Technology, p. 172), says that in the 
cat the last cervical vertebra is rarely perforated.—Joun I. NORTHROP. 
Zoological News.—Protozoa.—J. Künstler (Comptes Renders, 
1888) has found a protozoan parasite resembling Lophomonas blattarum 
in the posterior part of the intestine of Limulus. In the same place 
he describes other entozoic protozoa from various hexapods 
Dr. Plate’s observations on the luminosity of Noctiluca (Ann. and 
Mag. Nat. Hist., 1889) are interesting. When specimens were placed 
on moist blotting-paper, and examined under a high power, he found 
that the character of the light varied. At times it consisted of sharp 
flashes followed by total darkness, or by a faint light for a minute or 
two. Again, the surface might be faintly luminous while at the same 
time small points sparkled brightly, or, lastly, the whole surface was 
luminous on account of such sparkling points. The light is produced 
by the outer layer of plasma, and is stimulated by irritation. Pure 
oxygen passed over the specimens produced a dull light visible for sev- 
eral minutes. In nitrogen no light is produced. 
The most noticeable of Gruber’s new species of Protozoa (Bericht 
Naturfor. Gesellschaft Freiburg, 1888) is a new Protomyxa, which 
differs from Haeckel’s oft-quoted species, P. aurantiaca, in being 
colorless. Staining with picrocarmine brought out the fact that nuclear 
substance (chromatin) was actually preSent as small granules scattered 
through the protoplasm. The bearings of this upon the validity of the 
Monera is at once evident. 
Crustacea.—Rev. A. M. Norman presents some notes on British 
Amphipods in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History for June. 
A new genus, Megaluropus, is described, and the synonymy of several 
species of Gdiceride is straightened out. In August he continues 

