268 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXI. Xo. 529. 



tints of the so-called 'pure' colors are pro- 

 duced by adding varying amounts of black 

 and white. Mr. Ridgway has himself 

 adopted this system and is elaborating it 

 for practical work in biology. 

 Popular Knowledge of Common Birds: 

 Edward L. Eice, Ohio Wesleyan Uni- 

 versity. 



Statistics showing the number of com- 

 mon birds known by students electing work 

 in bird study in Ohio Wesleyan University 

 during the years 1902-1904. Data have 

 been collected for 71 women and 55 men, 

 both before and after the course. For ease 

 in comparison a limited list of 75 species of 

 birds has been used, the list containing all 

 the very common birds except the Eng- 

 lish sparrow. The number of birds known 

 at the beginning of the course was start- 

 lingly small, the average for the whole 

 class being 21. The average record of the 

 men (27) was decidedly above that of the 

 women (17). Aboiit 12 per cent, of the 

 students (14 women and 1 man) knew 10 

 birds or less. The lowest number reported 

 was 4. No bird was known by all students, 

 the robin (known by all but one) heading 

 the list. Bob-white, crow, hummingbird, 

 blue jay, red-headed woodpecker, bluebird, 

 mourning dove and cardinal followed in 

 order named. The record at the close of 

 the course showed the following averages: 

 for women, 45 ; for men, 56 ; for all stu- 

 dents, 50. 



Xoles and Queries as to: (a) The Cerebral 

 Commissures of the Elephant Shrew, 

 Macroscelides; (b) The Brain and Heart 

 of a Manatee, and ivhat is believed to be 

 the Smallest Known Sirenian Fetus; (c) 

 27(6 Brains of various 'Fishes,' including 

 the Rare Japanese Shark, Mitsukurina; 

 (d)The Swallowing of a Young Alli- 

 gator by a Frog: Burt (J. Wilder, Cor- 

 nell University. 



In the African Macroscelides G. Elliot 

 Smith has described and figured the cal- 



losum as long, but the spleniiun as term- 

 inating in a point without the usual contin- 

 uity with the mesal or commissural part of 

 the fornix ; his specimen was not perfectly 

 preserved and the only example examined 

 by the speaker has not enabled him to de- 

 termine the facts; the apparent condition 

 is unprecedented and difficult to explain ; 

 well hardened brains should be carefully 

 sectioned. Just the reverse condition is 

 presented by the brain of a manatee that 

 was hardened within the cranium in 1885 

 by the continuous injection of alcohol ; not 

 only do the callosum and the fomicommis- 

 sure constitute a single continuous area, 

 but there is no sign whatever of the pseudo- 

 cele ('fifth ventricle' or ventriculus septi 

 pellucidi) ; other unusual features are the 

 great size, especially the height, of the 

 paraceles ('lateral ventricles'), the caudal 

 extension that may, perhaps, represent the 

 postcornu, and the decided ental elevation 

 that converts the deep lateral ( Sylvian ? ) 

 fissure into a 'total' fissure. The heart may 

 not differ materially from those previously 

 examined, but its preparation by continuous 

 alinjection displays to advantage the inde- 

 pendence of the ventricular apexes which 

 is characteristic of the sirenians. The fetus 

 has the tail at less than a right angle with 

 the trunk and the head is strongly flexed; 

 between the two curvatures it measures 

 about 55 mm., a little over 2 inches ; it was 

 figured and described in the American 

 Journal of Science, in August, 1875, but 

 has been commented upon only by ]\[urie ; 

 the minute papilla on the ventral side of 

 the tail has not yet been interpreted. The 

 brain of Mitsukurina is probably now seen 

 for the first time; most of the features are 

 like those of other low sharks, but the 

 olfactory crura are very long; the spiracles 

 are far ventrad of the eyes, and not as 

 figured in Jordan's example. The speaker 

 has already published papers respecting the 

 'fish' brains exhibited, the Folyodon in 



