438 The American Naturalist. [May, 
Mottusca.—Dr. R. E. C. Stearn’s recent paper, “ Notes on recent 
collections of North American land, freshwater and marine shells 
received from the U. S. Department of Agriculture,” adds consider- 
ably to our knowledge of the distribution of several species of Mot: 
luses. No new forms are described. 
VERTEBRATA.—H. H. Wilder points out” that in the adults of 
Desmognathus fusea, D. ochrophæa, Plethodon erythronotus and Giyrino- 
Philus porphyriticus, lungs and trachea are completely absent, respira- 
tion taking place by the external skin. 
Biétrix claims” that in the branchial lamellæ of sharks and Th 
the blood is contained in a system of lacunz, which, from their m 
membrana propria and endothelium, cannot be regarded as capillar- 
ies. 
Heinrich Ernst Zeigler studied the yolk nuclei of fishes some years 
ago. He now returns to the subject and brings" new evidence to T 
port his previous thesis that after the close of segmentation the "E 
nuclei of the yolk of sharks and teleosts contribute nothing to 
development of the embryos. : 
r T H. Bean Aoba a new genus and species of n 
Fish under the name Plagiogrammus hopkinsii. The type binge 
lected with other fishes intended for the aquaria at the World a je 
at Monterey, Cal. ‘In confinement it hides in rock crevices gon 
dom ventures from its place of concealment. It is about 6 ine 
length. 
Dr. L. Stejneger describes a new species of blind-snake from the 
Congo region of Africa under the name Typhlops preocularis. phi 
Robert Ridgway records as new Geothlypis poliocep y x is 
coming from the Lower Rio Grande Valley, the type being tou 
Brownsville, Texas. resent- 
r. F. W. True regards Taylor’s mouse (Sitomys tay lori) pE 
ing such combinations of characters as to warrant its being ae 
as the type of a new subgenus to which he gives” the apres ee 
- He also describes (l. c. p. 689) a new species of Sitomys (8. 
from Honduras, 
“Proc. U: S. Nat. Mus. XVI, 748, 1894. 
- “Anat. Anzeiger 1X, 216. 
2C, R. Soc. Philomath Paris, Jan., 1894. 
Ber. Naturf. Gesell. Freiburg, VIII, 192, 1894. 
“Proc. U. S, Nat. Mus. XVI, p. 699. 
™Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. XVI, 709: 
Proc. Nat. Mus. XVI, p. 691. 
“Proc. U S Nat. Mus. XVI, 758. 
