ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
277 
whole developing around the portal vein. Histological and embryological 
considerations lead to the conclusion that the structure is a sort of intra- 
intestinal spleen. The same holds for the lymphoid tissue developed in 
Myxinoids around the tributaries of the portal vein. J. A. T. 
7- General. 
Colloid Chemistry of Protoplasm. — L. V. Heilbrunn ( Proc . 
Amer. Soc. Zool. in Anat. Record, 1922, 23, 125). Experiments on the 
protoplasm of sea-urchin ova indicate that protoplasm is a positively 
charged colloid. But the surface layer is negatively charged, for the 
salts that coagulate the protoplasm cause the plasma membrane to swell, 
and those that liquefy the protoplasm tend to prevent this swelling. It 
is the electric charge that keeps colloidal particles dispersed through the 
liquid that contains them. J. A. T. 
Facial Hair in White and Negro Races. — Mildred Trotter 
( Washington University Studies , 1922, 9, 271-89). No sexual differences 
and no racial differences in the actual number of facial hairs have been 
found. The facial hairiness of man does not lend itself to Friedenthal’s 
classification of human hair. There is no sexual difference in length or 
in diameter of facial hairs until after the tenth year of age. After this 
age the length of the facial hairs in the male greatly exceeds the length 
of the facial hairs in the female. The facial hairs of women of the 
white race slightly exceed those of the coloured race in length. After 
the tenth year the diameter of the facial hair in the male greatly exceeds 
the diameter of the hair in the female, but the smaller hairs in comparable 
regions of the face in the two sexes are similar throughout life. The 
hairs of the white race show a greater average thickness than the hairs 
of the coloured race. In both sexes of both races the upper lip is the 
region showing the most constant tendency for vigorous growth of hair. 
There is no constant difference in length or in diameter of hairs of dark- 
haired women and light-haired women, but dark-haired women often 
seem to have a heavier growth of facial hair, chiefly because of deeper 
pigmentation. J. A. T. 
Fat-soluble Vitamines in Marine Organisms. — J. Hjort {Proc. 
Roy. Soc., Series B, 1922, 93, 440-9, 13 figs.). Oils extracted from 
marine plants (green algae) have been proved to have a very strong 
effect on the growth of rats fed on a diet deficient in fat-soluble vitamines, 
and it seems to indicate the working hypothesis that fat-soluble vitamines 
in the sea arise in plants as on land. Marine animals probably get these 
substances from the plants. Cod roe produced an immediate and rapid 
increase in the weight of rats, and drying does not destroy the growth- 
promoting factors. It is proposed to enquire into the influence of the 
food of marine animals on that periodicity in their growth which is so 
remarkable in northern waters. J. A. T. 
Seaside Notes. — Percy E. Raymond {Amer. Journ. Sci., 1922, 3, 
108-14). A study of seashore phenomena from the palaeontological 
side. Jelly-fishes on the shore, coated with driven sand, are far from 
