336 
TOPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
il I had followed one of these animals — or a congener thereof — to a small 
hole in a rock. In vain I solicited him to come out by gentle pulls with a 
boat-hook ; at last, when they were harder than he liked, he discharged the 
contents of his sepia-bag all over me, and spoilt my waistcoat and trowsers 
completely — that dye requiring no mordant, and being, as far as I know, 
indelible.” 
The Anatomy of the genus Thronima . — In an interesting paper of the 
Royal Society, published in the “ Proceedings” for March, Dr. J. D. 
Macdonald enters into a minute account of this singular crustacean, 
which is very excellently illustrated in the plate which, singular enough 
for the Proceedings of the Royal Society, accompanies the paper. The case 
which accompanies the animal seems most strange. Dr. Macdonald says on 
this point that a specimen was taken in the towing-net, but with the 
addition of a numerous progeny of young in a large gelatinous but tough 
nidamental case. This interesting nest was shaped like a barrel, but with 
both ends open, and the external surface was somewhat tuberculated and 
uneven. The wall of the tube presented numerous round and puckered 
openings, observing no very definite arrangement, but through which entering 
currents were observed to pass. These openings generally, though not 
invariably, pierced the tuberculations. An external membrane, with an 
internal lining, were distinctly visible, both seeming to be continuous at 
the rims of the tube. The space between these layers was filled up with a 
pulpy substance, in which scattered nucleiform bodies were detected with a 
higher power of the microscope. I have been particular in the description 
of the case, as some far-fetched guesses were made as to its real nature. The 
cutting, piercing, and tearing implements of Plironima would very soon alter 
and reduce a bell-shaped Medusa, a Salpian, or a Pyrosoma tube to the 
required pattern ; for there is usually a great uniformity in the character and 
appearance of this case. 
A Revision of the Echini has been conducted by Mr. Alexander Agassiz. 
Part III. of his work, quarto, which has forty-five plates, has quite recently 
been issued. Professor S. E. Verril thus notices its appearance in a late 
number of u Silliman’s American Journal.” He says that this excellent 
work is profusely illustrated by unique plates, a large part of which have 
been made by different photographic printing processes, directly from 
photographs of the specimens, and are of unrivalled excellence. The 
“Woodbury-type process, the Albert-type, and the Heliotype, have all been 
•successfully employed, while superior lithographs have also been used to 
some extent. Part III. contains detailed descriptions of all the known 
species, except those of the east coast of North America, which were 
described in Part II. Such species are, however, referred to in their proper 
systematic places. Twenty-eight plates illustrate Part III. ; the remaining 
seventeen relate to structure, and belong to Part IV., but are issued in 
•advance of the text, owing to the loss of the MSS., drawings, and some of 
'the plates, by the gre^t Boston fire in November, 1872. _ 
