1884.] North American Batrachology in the years 1880-83. 149 
In the Siphonophora, then, the reduction of a colony of budded 
individuals to the condition of a single composite individual has 
greatly progressed, so far as indications go. Their embryologi- 
cal development points to such an origin. In fact, the Hydrozoa 
generally are born from the egg as ciliated planule, which, after 
a period of free-swimming existence, become fixed and develop 
the mouth and tentacles of the Hydroid type. Only later the 
polyp buds sprout and the polypary is formed. Thus their em- 
bryological development indicates the character of their phylo- 
genetic evolution. 
(To be continued.) 
"Tt 
Ve 
REVIEW OF THE PROGRESS OF NORTH AMERICAN 
BATRACHOLOGY IN THE YEARS 1880-1883. 
BY W: N. LOCKINGTON., 
| this department little has been done in the direction of de- 
Scriptive zodlogy—probably little remains to be done in the 
limits of the United States, while the researches of Sumichrast 
Bocourt, Cope and others, must have nearly exhausted the riches 
of Mexico and Central America in batrachian forms. Fortunately 
the batrachia are still, as they have been, favorite subjects with 
the anatomist and embryologist, and to this fact we owe much of 
the material presented in this article. 
The Most important addition to North American Batrachology 
Within the two years to which we are confined is certainly that of 
M. Brocchi, forming one of the quarto numbers of the magnifi- 
cent work which for several years has been published under the 
direction of M. H. Milne Edwards, by order of the Minister of 
Public Instruction, and entitled “Mission Scientifique au Mex- 
ique et dans lAmerique Centrale.” The part already published, 
ough containing only the Raniformia and a portion of the 
ylæformia, comprises descriptions of seventy species, eleven of 
which are new. The classification adopted is unfortunately that 
; a Dumeril and Bibron. The primary division of the Anura is 
Phaneroglossa and Aglossa. The former group is divided 
in r ylæformia, Raniformia, Hemiphractiformia (having teeth 
th jaws), Bufoniformia and Hylapesiformia, the last section 
nng forms which are toothless like the toads, but are with- 
Sut the dilated sacral vertebre of the latter. The Aglossa are 
