~- 
1883.] Zoölogy. 557 
the darters—to bring about the perfect adaptation of these struc- 
tures to a newly acquired mode of feeding. Mr. Forbes’ observa- 
tions refer to the Indian darter (Plotus melanogaster), but will un- 
d. 
doubtedly apply to our Anhinga bir 
ZooLoGICAL NoreEs—Pyrotozoans:—The Journal de Micrographie 
for February contains illustrated reports of Professor Balbiani’s 
lectures at the College du France on unicellular organisms, also 
continues the report of his useful course on Sporozoa, finishing 
his account of the Coccidies. Dr. Pelletan, the editor, publishes 
an account of the reproduction by division of Dinodsyon stipita- 
tum——Some interesting Infusoria are described by A. Gruber 
in the last number of Zeitschrift für wissen. Zoologie. H. O 
Brady describes Keramosphzra, a spherical porcellanous foram- 
inifer analogous to Orbitolites and dredged about twenty-five 
degrees south of the south-western corner of Australia, by the 
Challenger (Annals and Mag. Nat. Hist.). 
Sponges.—Mr. H. J. Carter describes several new sponges, and 
Proposes the group of Phlceodictyina for certain species having a 
laminated and concentric structure. The green color of Spong- 
illa is situated in the little spherical granules of the sponge-cell. 
——Mr. Stuart O. Ridley describes four new Primnoans and Gor- 
gonians from the Mauritius. 
Celenterates.—The arrangement of the family Coralliide, to 
Which the red coral of commerce belongs, has been discussed by 
S. O. Ridley in the Proceedings of the Zodlogical Society of 
London. These alcyonarian corals are chiefly remarkable for 
Possessing a continuous stony axis, covered by only a thin corti- 
yer of a softer spiculiferous material, into which the polypes 
are retractile. Precious coral, probably all derived from the Med- 
iterranean, is used by the Chinese and Japanese as ornaments, 
a Chinese empress’s necklace having been made of alternate 
pieces of jade and coral.—One of the most interesting results 
of the studies of MM. A. Kowalevsky and A. F. Marion on the 
development of the Alcyonaria, was the great difference observed 
in the order of the appearance of various parts in Sympodium. 
In some larvæ of delayed fixation the dissepiments were sketched 
out while the vermiform stage persisted, and the ectoderm had 
Oped mesenteric folds and a section almost identical with 
that of an Actinia, while yet no sclerites was forming. In the 
same laying were normal larve that were quickly transformed. 
„_ _orms—Dr, J. Barrois publishes (Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist.) an 
attempt at a general theory of the embryogeny of the Bryozoa 
(Pe yz0a), founded upon the study of their metamorphoses. This 
“Iver states that the relations between the larva and the adult 
: have not before been fully made out. In the Entoprocta there is 
ae > y complete passage, though in a complex manner, of the 
ae organs of the larva into those of the adult. In the Ectoprocta 
