SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES 
RELATING TO 
ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY 
(principally invertebrata and cryptogamia), 
MICBOSCOPY, Etc. 
Including Original Communications from Fellows and others.* 
ZOOLOGY. 
VERTEBRATA. 
a. Embryologry.f 
Inversion of Germinal Layers in Primates4— Prof. E. Selenka 
gives a preliminary account of the inversion which he has observed in 
Semnopithecus nasicus and Hylobatcs concolor , and which probably occurs 
in Homo as well. As in other cases, it seems to be due to a coalescence 
of a villus-bearing portion of the blastodermic vesicle with the uterine 
epithelium during the process of gastrulation. 
Degeneration of Villi in Large Intestine of Guinea-pig.§ — Dr. D. 
Schirman finds that the villi abundantly present in the large intestine 
of the embryos of this mammal consist of epithelial cells for the upper 
four-fifths of their length, only the basal fifth having an axial vascular 
connective tissue strand. Only this basal part persists, and passes into 
the formation of Lieberkiihn’s glands; the rest undergoes disruption. 
In other mammals there is no real degeneration or disruption, though 
the villi are used up in forming the glands. 
What is “ Anlage ” ? || — Mr. Arthur Willey suggests that the indis- 
pensable word “ Anlage 5 > might be conveniently rendered “prmordmm.” 
“Forecast” is inadequate, “fundament” is unsightly, and “rudiment” 
is inaccurate, for the rudiment is the middle, not the initial stage in 
organogeny. “ As the organs of the animal body are built up of tissues, 
and these of cells, so, in their development, they spring from rudiments, 
und these from ‘ Anlagen ’ ” — or primordia. 
* The Society are not intended to be denoted by the editorial “ we,” and they do 
not hold themselves responsible for the views of the authors of the papers noted, 
nor for any claim to novelty or otherwise made by them. The object of this part of 
the Journal is to present a summary of the papers as actually published , and to 
describe and illustrate Instruments, Apparatus, &c., which are either new or have 
not been previously described in this country. 
t This section includes not only papers relating to Embryology properly so called, 
but also those dealing with Evolution, Development and Reproduction, and allied 
subjects. % Biol. Centralbl., xviii. (1898) pp. 552-7 (10 figs.). 
§ Verb. Phys. Med. Ges. Wurzburg, xxxii. (1898) pp. 1-9 (1 pi.). 
f Nature, Iviii. (1898) p. 390. 
1899 
C 
