1887] Zoology. 581. 
worm, the white-marked tussock-moth, and the fall web-worm 
are the insects discussed. The Proceedings of the Natural 
History Society of Wisconsin for April devotes oar 2 P to 
a piper y on the special senses of wasps, by G. E G 
Peckham 
ZOOLOGY. 
The Fauna of Liverpool Bay.—A short time ago, at the in- 
= oTe of Professor W. A. Herdman, of Liverpool, England, 
“Liverpool Marine Biological Committee” was formed, the 
te of which was to explore the fauna of Liverpool Bay and 
the adjacent seas. The first report of this committee has re- 
cently been published, and occupies three hundred and seventy 
pages, with ten plates and two maps, of vol. xl. of the “ Proceed- 
of the Irish Sea are very considerable. The specimens collected 
were turned over to specialists to work up, and from their reports 
and lists of species it has been found that of the nine hundred 
and thirteen species recorded, two hundred and thirty-five were 
_ new to the region embraced; sixteen were never before reported 
from the British seas, and of these seven species and three varie- 
ties are new to science. Of the special reports on the different 
groups we can only allude to Professor A. Milne Marshall’s ex- 
cellent sketch on shallow-water faunas, and that of the Rev. H. 
H. Higgins on pioneers in local biology. Professor W. A. Herd- 
man in a supplementary paper deals with variability in the tuni- 
cates, while J. H. Gibson discusses the systematic value of the 
spines of the polychztous worms, oats to the conclusion that 
they are of but moderate importance. There are a few notes on 
the attempted introduction of the quahog (Venus mercenaria), 
which does not appear to have been successful. Among the 
projects outlined for the future is a Sid mar examination of the 
fauna between tide-marks. This littoral zone is to be divided 
into belts, corresponding to its daia above low-water mark, 
and each belt is to be examined separately with a view of 
ascertaining, among other points, the daily SRE e which 
uires., 
The Systematic Position of the anra dae a 
Vosmaer, in the concluding portion of his volume on the Porifera 
in Bronn’s “ Klassen und Ordnungen des Thierreichs,” discusses 
e various views held as to the relationships of the sponges, and 
advances some ideas of his own, which, from his familiarity with 
the subject, are worthy of attention. He divides the sponges 
VOL. XXIs—NO. 6, 39 
