1188 Recent Literature. [ December, 
although the money for this purpose is in the hands of the State 
treasurer. This money was saved from his meager appropriation 
by Professor Rominger, who thus offers to the Legislature a rare 
example of economy. The governing body of Michigan should 
recognize this fact by returning the money to their ex-State- 
geologist, and publishing the report without delay by a new 
appropriation. Professor Rominger has the endorsement of the 
geologists of the country. 
“re 
oe 
RECENT LITERATURE. 
ROMANES’ RESEARCHES ON THE Nervous SYSTEMS OF JELLY 
AND StTar-FIsH.'—The beautiful researches and discovery by 
Haeckel of a nervous system in Geryonia, consisting of true 
ganglion cells and true nerve-fibers, and the extension by the 
Hertwig brothers of our knowledge of the nervous system of 
Medusz in general, especially the naked-eyed forms, marked a 
most important step in animal morphology. 
These microscopical observations were, except Haeckel’s dis- 
covery, forestalled by the physiological experiments of Professor 
Eimer and Dr. Romanes, who, however, worked independently 
of each other. In the present work Dr. Romanes gives a popu- 
lar account of his own researches, with due mention of and credit 
to Dr. Eimer’s researches in the same direction. 
After having some account of the structure of the Medusz, we 
are afforded the results of fundamental experiments. The author 
proved that excision of the extreme margin of a nectocalyx (or 
umbrella) of the naked-eyed Medusz causes immediate, total and 
permanent paralysis of the entire organ. This result is striking 
and decided. Indeed, adds the author, “I do not know of any 
case in the animal kingdom where the removal of a center of | 
muscular system, there being no subsequent movements or 
_ twitchings of a reflex kind to disturb the absolute quiescence of 
_ the mutilated organism. The experiment is particularly beauti- 
ful if performed on Sarsia; for the members of this genus being- 
remarkably active, the death-like stillness which results from the 
