Zoology. 741 
Tae ELECTRIC Lieut IN MARINE CoLLEcTING.—Professor W. 
A. Herdman communicates to Nature an account of experiments 
made with the electric light in marine collecting, from which we 
make the following extracts: A sixty-candle power Edison-Swan 
submarine light was arranged in the mouth of a tow-net, and the 
whole lowered to a depth of three fathoms and allowed to remain 
there for half an hour. Another similar net, but without illumi- 
nation, was lowered on the opposite side of the ship to the same 
depth and for the same length of time. When hauled to the surface 
the dark net contained practically nothing, while the other held an 
abundant gathering, consisting chiefly of Crustacea. Another test 
was made, both nets being lowered to the bottom (six fathoms), and 
with similar results. It was noted that the Amphipods taken with 
the light in the deep net appeared to be mostly red-eyed species. 
If on detailed examination this is confirmed, it may indicate an 
interesting relation between the color of the eyes and sensitiveness 
to the electric light. 
Tue Fauna OF THE SUEZ Canau.—Dr. E. von Martens exhibi- 
ted at a meeting of the Berlin Gesellschaft Naturforschender 
Freunde (Stzber. 1887) a collection of shells made in the Suez Canal, 
and made some remarks upon the origin of the fauna of the Canal. 
Collating all known observations, he found that of twenty-seven 
species of molluscs found in the Canal, nine came from the Medi- 
terranean and eighteen from the Red Sea. An examination of the 
fishes showed a similar condition. Of sixteen species reported from 
the Canal, six were from the Mediterranean and ten from the Red 
Sea side. The distribution of the species in the different parts of 
the Canal is shown by tables; and a glance at these clearly indicates 
that the admixture of faune is far from complete. 
BRAIN or Ceratopus.—In a paper (Proe. Roy. Soc’y., XLIII.) 
Mr, Alfred Sanders concludes that the brain of Ceradotus presents 
an embryonic condition in three respects, viz.: first, in the extreme 
size of the ventricles and in the tenuity of the substance of their 
walls ; second, in the alternating origins of the dorsal and ventral 
roots ; third, in the fact that the origins of the dorsal roots are close 
to the central line. Compared to Protopterus, it differs in the shape 
and the imperfection of the cerebral lobes, and in the fact of its 
having a well-developed rhinencephalon ; but it agrees in the nar- 
rowness of the thalamencephalon and mesencephalon, and in the 
breadth of the medulla oblongata, as also in the rudimentary char- 
acter of the cerebellum. Ceratodus agrees also with the ganoids in 
the comparative narrowness of the mesencephalon and in the pro- 
portions of the cerebellum. With the Plagiostomes it agrees in the 
structure of the optic lobes, both orders presenting a large ganglion 
