1896.] Zoology. 947 
the berries of dogwood and Virginia Creeper. It eats fewer seeds of 
the poison ivy and poison sumac than the Downy.” 
“ The Flicker eats a smaller percentage of insects than either the 
Downy or the Hairy Woodpecker, but if eating ants is to be considered 
a virtue, then surely this bird must be exalted, for three-fourths of all 
the insects it eats, comprising nearly half of its whole food, are ants. 
It is accused of eating corn, but its stomach yielded only a little. Fruit 
constitutes about one-fourth of its whole fare, but the bird depends 
upon nature and not upon man to furnish the supply.” 
“ Judged by the results of the stomach examinations of the Downy 
and Hairy Woodpecker and Flicker it would be hard to find three 
other species of our common birds with fewer harmful qualities. 
The Ectal Relations of the Right and Left Parietal and 
Paroccipital Fissures.—A preliminary communication upon this 
subject was made by Dr. B. G. Wilder at the last session of the 
American Neurological Association in Philadelphia. 
The following abstract presents the salient points of the paper: 
“The parietal and paroccipital fissures may be either completely 
separated by an isthmus, or apparently continuous. When so contin- 
uous ectally there may still be an ental and concealed vadum or 
shallow. Disregarding the vadum on the present occasion, the ectal 
relations of the two fissures may be designated as either continuity or 
separation. That continuity occurs more frequently on the left side has 
been noticed by Ecker, Cunningham and the writer. Hitherto, how- 
ever, statistics have included unmated cerebrums as well as mates from 
the same individuals. The following statement is based upon the cere- 
brums of 58 adults of both sexes and various nationalities and char- 
acters. The speaker has examined 48; the other ten have been 
accurately recorded by Bischoff, Dana, Jensen and Mills.” 
“The four possible combinations of right and left continuity and 
separation occurred as follows.” 
“I. Left continuity and right separation in 27 ; 46.5 per cent. 
II. Right and left continuity in 22; 38 per cent. 
III. Right and left separation in 8; 13.8 per cent. 
IV. Left separation and right continuity in 1; 1.7 per cent.” 
“ When five groups of persons are recognized the combinations are as. 
follows : 
A. In 8 moral and educated persons, combination I, 62.5; II, 25; 
IIT, 12.5. 
B. In 23 ignorant or unknown I, 56.5; II, 34.8; III, 8.7. 
