406 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
breeding among relatives tends gradually to infertility, as Ritzema Bos 
previously concluded. Some of the detailed results are also of much 
interest. 
Telegony and Maternal Impressions.* * * § — Dr. Otto vom Rath has 
made an interesting critical study, and some experiments, bearing on 
these alleged phenomena. It is not easy to sum up the paper, the points 
of which depend on the criticism of particular cases ; but it may be noted 
that the author thinks biologists are still apt to be “ too superstitious.” 
Cases of maternal impression are shown to be “ Marchen,” and Telegony 
is still unproved. 
Hermaphroditism.f — Dr. J. FI. Babor directs attention to the pheno- 
mena which he has observed in Limax maximus. There is in the gonads 
a succession of sexual states, — female, hermaphrodite, male, hermaphro- 
dite, female. He compares this with what is known in Cymothoidae, Apus, 
Stichostemma , Myzostomata, and Myxine. Even in the human testes he 
has found in old subjects cellular strands which show here and there 
“ primordial ova and primitive follicles.” The generalisation suggested 
is that the indifferent germinal epithelium has the power of producing 
both kinds of sex-cells in succession. 
Studies in Consanguinity.! — A. L. Herrera refers in a resume to 
his studies on “ the origin of individuals and the construction of the 
organism by internal conditions,” § and submits a series of tables intended 
to facilitate the discussion of the facts of inheritance. He refers to 
successful inbreeding in race-horses, and to the fact that inbreeding 
of white or whitish rabbits is less successful than that with those of 
stronger colour. Otherwise, we fail to find anything concrete in his 
resume ; but we should like to have the original. 
Development r of Lizard’s Skull. || — Herr E. Gaupp gives a pre- 
liminary account of his researches on the development of the Lacertilian 
skull, — his material consisting of Lacerta agilis, L. vivipara, Anguis 
fragilis , and Platydactylus mciuritanicus. The component elements are 
discussed under four categories : — 
(1) The primordial chondrocranium and its ossifications. 
(2) The ‘‘covering bones,” in more or less close relation to (1). 
(3) The proper “skin-ossifications” ( lamina supraocutaris , lamina 
super cili arts, &c.). 
(4) The supra-orbital bone, which appears very late, and is held to 
deserve a separate category. 
Regeneration of the Lens.^f — Dr. A. Fischel has investigated this 
in the larvae of salamanders. He finds that there is no regeneration on 
the part of epithelial portions of the cornea which have been ruptured 
or brought into intimate relations with the iris. The regeneration is 
due to the cells of the inner layer of the pars iridica retinse. The 
extirpation of the lens may stimulate regenerative processes at several 
* Ber. Nat. Ges. Freiburg, x. (1898) pp. 333-59. 
t Verb. Zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, xlviii. (1898) pp. 150-3. 
t Bull. Soc. Zool. France, xxiii. (1898) pp. 78-81. 
§ Mem. Soc. Sci. Antonio Alzate. 
|| Ber. Nat. Ges. Freiburg, x. (1898) pp. 302-16. 
Tf Anat. Anzeig., xiv. (1898) pp. 373-80. 
