1893.] On the Genera of the Dipnoi Dipneumones. 925 
offenbar ohne jegliche Funktion. NACH PETERS SIND SIE DA- 
GEGEN BEI JUNGEN EXEMPLAREN STARKER ENTWICKELT. Ich 
glaube dass man diese organe . . . . am richtigsten, oder 
wahrscheinlichsten, in die Reihe der vielfachen accessorischen 
Athmungsorgane, die wir bei Fischen finden, stellt. Ich 
finde es ferner sehr zweifelhaft, ob sie etwas mit den üuseren 
kiemen von Polypterus gemein haben die anderen Ursprungs, 
anderen Baues ist und von anderun Blutgefüssen versorgt 
wird." 
The branchial blood-vessels, as described by Peters and 
Owen (for Protopterus), are very different structures. 
Parker found external gillsin all of the specimens examined 
by him, but his largest were still comparatively small animals. 
He quotes Peters as finding them on fish 2—3 feet long, and 
that in young specimens they are thinner, while in old speci- 
mens they are broader. Parker assertsthat my statement that 
these gills are only present in young animals is certainly in- 
correct. Boas quotes Peters as above, which is not in harmony 
with Parker's use of Peters’ words. The majority of writers on 
this point agree that they belong to small or young animals, 
as is the case with the gills of Polypterus, and Parker's mater- 
ial was not sufficient to add anything to the settlement of this 
question. 
With reference to the food habits of Lepidosiren annectens, 
there is no longer any doubt as to its omnivorous tastes. 
Professor Parker has shown that it may, at times, be canni- 
balistie, but he errs in supposing that I maintained that it had 
entirely changed its food habits. Starting from supposed car- 
nivorous ancestors, I claimed that Ceratodus had become essen- 
tially herbivorous in its habits, while Lepidosiren had only 
partly modified its habits in this respect. On page 510 of my 
Freiburg paper, Professor Parker might have read: *Der Darm 
ist bei Ceratodus stärker verändert, als bei Lepidosiren, und 
diese Verschiedenheit correspondirt mit der Grósse der verün- 
derung, die Function erfahren hat,"and further, thatDas Futter 
des Ceratodus besteht gegenwärtig aus verschiedenen, kleinen 
Mollusken (reichliehe Schale von Gasteropoden und Lamelli- 
branchiaten fanden sich im Darme), Gras, Riethgras und Zahl- 
