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SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
months under straw in a cave. Under the hard brown skin there were 
neither muscles nor blood-vessels to be seen, only a fibrous dry mass of 
connective tissue fibrils and debris of muscle-fibres, with countless mites. 
He reports the occurrence of Tyroglyphus siro, T. longior, Coprophagus 
echinopus, Uropoda nummularia sp. n., and Cheyletus eruditus, which, with 
the exception of the last, had effected the mummification of the corpse. 
In another case this was due to Tyroglyphus infestans, 
e. Crustacea. 
Alimentary Canal of Oniscidse and Asellidae.* — Herr W. Schonichen 
describes the four regions, — oesophagus, gizzard, mid-gut, and rectum. 
For the first time, a clear and full description of the gizzard is given, 
and the syncytial nature of the mid-gut epithelium is conclusively 
proved. Pores on the intima of the mid-gut are also noted, and evi- 
dence is given that this area is at once absorptive and secretory. The 
author has discovered two peculiar canals diverging from the gizzard, 
but has no clue as to their meaning. The gizzard has no pores on its 
intima, and is certainly neither secretory nor absorptive. Some inter- 
esting notes on the moulting of the gut are also communicated. 
“Mid-Gut” of Isopods.f — Dr. J. Playfair McMurrich points out 
very forcibly that Schonichen has quite misunderstood his position in 
regard to the function of the mid gut in Isopods. In his paper, J 
McMurrich, while maintaining the ectodermic origin of the “ mid-gut,” 
stated quite distinctly that “ digestion and absorption are both performed 
by the liver caeca, and apparently by them alone.” 
British Pandalidse.§ — Mr. W. T. Caiman gives descriptions of the 
four species of Pandalus now known to occur in British waters, viz. 
P. montagui, P. hrevirostris , P. propinquus , and P. leptorhynclius, noting 
several characters not hitherto pointed out. The very aberrant branchial 
formula of P. hrevirostris may perhaps be held to justify the recognition 
of a new genus, for which the name Pandalina is proposed. 
New Cirripedia.|| — Dr. C. W. S. Aurivillius gives a preliminary 
notice of the collection of Cirripedia formed on the Prince of Monaco’s 
expeditions. There are 43 Lepadidse and Balanidae, of which about 
half are new. Some of the new forms are very interesting morpho- 
logically ; some of the material sheds light on the development of 
abyssal Lepadidae ; and the whole collection reveals an unsuspected 
richness in the Cirriped fauna of the North Atlantic depths. Latin 
diagnoses of a score of new species are given. 
Annulata. 
Development of Nephelis vulgaris.1T — Herr D. Filatow discusses 
various obscure points in the development of this leech, e.g. the origin 
of the larval oesophagus by invagination, the digestive character of the 
* Zeitsclir. wiss. Zool., lxv. (1898) pp. 143-78 (1 pi. and 2 figs.). 
f Zool. Anzeig., xxii. (1899) pp. 67-70. % Jouru. Morphol., xiv. (1897). 
§ Ann. Nat. Hist., iii. (1899) pp. 27-39 (4 pis.). 
|| Bull. Soc. Zool. France, xxiii. (1898) pp. 189-98. 
If Zool. Anzeig., xxi. (1898) pp. 645-7 (2 figs.). 
