> fee hess 
1885.] Recent Literature. 1199 
ted, and a number of star-fish and Echini be scattered over the 
floor of the tank, in a few hours almost the whole number will 
be found congregated in the narrow slit of light. 
“On removing with a pointed scalpel the eye-spots from a 
number of star-fish and Echini without otherwise injuring the 
animals, the latter no longer crawled towards the light, even 
though this were admitted to the tank in abundance, but they 
crawled promiscuously in all directions. On the other hand, if only 
one out of the five eye-spots were left intact, the animals crawled 
towards the light as before. It may be added that single detached 
rays of star-fish and fifth-part segments of Echini crawl towards 
the light in the same manner as entire animals, provided, cf 
course, that the eye-spot is not injured.” 
Finally, the presence of a sense of smell in star-fish which had 
been kept fasting for several days, was proved by presenting them 
with small pieces of shell fish. They immediately crawled to the 
food, and “if a small piece of the food were held in a pair of 
forceps and gently withdrawn as the star-fish approached it, the 
animal could be led about the floor of the tank in any direction.” 
By progressively cutting off the rays and other experiments, 
it was found that the olfactory sense was equally distributed 
throughout their length, but along the lower surface. 
These researches are certainly of much interest, and' are posi- 
tive additions to our knowledge of the nervous system and of the 
physiology of these types of life. 
Jorpan’s CATALOGUE OF FISHES OF NORTH America.'—This 
catalogue will be a sxe gua non of the ichthyologist. It is not 
only an index to the subject, but a good illustration of a generally 
rational nomenclature. The number of species now known is 
1683. This number will be increased to a moderate extent from 
fresh and coast waters, and to a greater degree from deep-sea ex- 
plorations. Thus the take of the Fish Commission steamer A/- 
_batross, for the past season includes seventy-five species which 
are not yet described. Wa 
Professor Jordan’s efforts to do justice to honest work have 
been in the main successful. While employing such of the names 
of Rafinesque as are accompanied by recognizable indications ; 
others formerly adopted are rejected, as resting on no sufficient 
evidence. We think, however, that in a few instances the author > 
has gone a little further in favorable consideration of slip-shod 
work than justice to good work demands. Thus he adopts the 
two names Hypsoblennius and Reinhardtius, which were proposed 
without diagnosis or explanation, in preference to Isesthes and 
_Platysomatichthys, which were defined when proposed. Professor 
Jordan has not previously taken this position, and he now informs 
Ca the Fishes known to inhabit the waters of North America north of the 
Wie: atte : By D. S. JorpAN (Extracted from the Annual Report of the. 
Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries for 1884). 1885, p. 185. 
