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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XLII 



rayi murrayi, M. murrayi typica, and 21. murrayi timorensis, 

 the typica not representing the typical form at all. Jletacrinus 

 murrayi (to speak with nomenelatorial accuracy), previously 

 known from the Ki Islands and Arafura Sea, was again found 

 at the Ki Islands, and also at Timor. 



Perhaps it is wisest to do as Dr. Doderlein has done and recog- 

 nize by name the various geographical variations of the Meta- 

 crinus species, but it certainly conjures up a terrible vista of 

 possibilities, for it is difficult to imagine more variable organisms 

 than the species of this genus, according to my experience. I 

 have examined some additional varieties of M. superbus from 

 Japan, and a bewildering, though small, series of M. angulatus 

 from the same locality, some of which fall into the group with 

 ''five raclials," and others into that with eight to twelve, while 

 M. rotundus, also falling into both groups, is even more variable ; 

 and it seems to me that if we once get a good start on the tri- 

 nomial system in any branch of the recent crinoidea, with the 

 continuance of the present activity in the field, it will not be 

 long before each genus will require a specialist for its elucidation. 



Dr. Doderlein is to be congratulated on the results of his 

 study of the Siboga collection, and the production of a vol- 

 ume which will long stand as the authoritative work on the 

 stalked crinoids of the East Indian seas, and which not only 

 treats of the stalked crinoids systematically as a class, but sug- 

 gests many interesting new lines of investigation, and bears 

 throughout the stamp of one who not only has an exhaustive 

 knowledge of the group under consideration, but of many differ- 

 ent forms of animal life as well. 



Austin Hobart Clark. 



IT. S. Bureau of Fisheries.* 



ANIMAL PATHOLOGY 



Trypanosome Diseases.— Recent investigations which have been 

 carried out in foreign laboratories with the object of ascer- 

 taining the mode of cure for sleeping sickness, and other try- 

 panosome diseases have resulted in demonstrating certain fea- 

 tures in the biological conduct of these protozoa towards chemical 

 stimuli which are of extreme interest. Thus far only three 

 2 Published with the permission of the Commissioner of Fish and 



