390 
8UMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
Position of Pulicidse.* * * § — Dr. R. Heymons maintains that Dahl’s in 
terpretation of the mouth-parts of fleas is not correct, while Krsepelin’s 
is. It has been noted above that Dahl, prompted partly by his discovery 
of Puliciphora, believes that fleas have close affinities with Diptera. 
Heymons agrees with Kraepelin in an interpietation of the mouth-parts 
of the two orders which in no way suggests near relationship, and he 
sums up as follows : — The mouth-parts of Pulicidae consist, in the larva r 
pupa, and imago, of an unpaired upper lip, two mandibles, two maxillee 
with maxillary palps, and a labium. There is no hypopharynx. The 
flea does not use the upper lip for piercing the skin of its host, but does 
this with the mandibles, which are worked by two protractors and two 
retractors. Morphologically the Pulicidae deserve to rank as an inde- 
pendent order (Siphonaptera), and Puluiphora lucifera is a typical Dip- 
teron (Phoridae) unrelated to fleas. 
Mallophaga.f — Prof. Y. L. Kellogg describes numerous new Mallo- 
phaga from birds of Panama, Baja California, and Alaska. A second 
paper by the same and Bertha L. Chapman deals with Mallophaga from 
birds of California. A third paper by Mr. R. E. Snodgrass presents the 
results of the first serious attempt to study comparatively the anatomy 
of these insects. It is hoped that a study of their embryonic and post- 
embryonic life-history may soon bo undertaken. 
J3. Myriopoda. 
Fauna of Caves.J — Dr. Carl Verhoeff has an interesting paper on 
this subject with special reference to the Chilopoda and Diplopoda. He 
believes that both groups were originally blind, and that this blindness 
has persisted in certain families of both, while it has disappeared in 
many others. The existence of blind forms in caves is due to the fact 
that in this environment the blindness has no injurious effect, but the 
blindness is in all cases primitive, and is not induced by the habitat. The 
author is of opinion that this statement will be found to have a wider 
application than merely to the two classes named. Further, he doubts 
whether such a thing as an absolute cave-fauna exists, for in many 
cases at least it is certain that the cave-dwellers are washed out of the 
caves in the rainy season, and are then found as terrestrial forms. 
5. Arachnida. 
A Spider of the Dawn.§ — Dr. E. A. Goldi describes the habits of 
Epeiroides bahiensis Keyserling — “eine Dammerungs-Kreuzspinne ” — of 
Brazil, which makes its web in the early morning hours, and rolls it up 
lull of victims as the sun rises. During the day the spider lies hidden 
under the shade of a leaf, occupied with digestion. Its booty consists 
chiefly of the small winged males of Coccidae, and of a species of Dor- 
thesia in particular. 
Australian Cattle Tick.|| — Mr. C. J. Pound publishes a series of 
observations on this subject. The cattle tick is described as an “ insect,” 
* Zool. Anzeig., xxii. (1899) pp. 223-40 (3 figs.). 
f ‘ Contributions to Biology from the Hopkins Seaside Laboratory,’ xix. (1899) 
224 pp., 17 pis. t Zool. Anzeig., xii. (1899) pp. 157-64. 
§ Zool. Jahrb., Abth. Syst., xii. (1899) pp. 160-9 (1 pi. and 1 fig.). 
|| Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensland, xiv. (1898) pp. 28-38. 
