342 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
SUMMARY 
OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY 
( principally Invertebrata and Cryptogamia ), 
MICROSCOPY, Ac., 
INCLUDING ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS FROM FELLOWS AND OTHERS.* * * § 
ZOOLOGY. 
A. VERTEBRATA : — Embryology, Histology, and General. 
a. Embryology. t 
Transmission of Acquired Characters.! — Prof. R. S. Bergh makes 
a vigorous attack on the doctrine of the non-inheritance of acquired 
characters. The weak point which he finds — one which others have 
previously noticed — is that there is insufiBcient evidence in support of 
the conclusion that the nucleus is the sole bearer of hereditary qualities. 
The cell-plasma, and especially the centrosomata, must be taken account 
of. This Prof. Bergh illustrates from several sets of facts. 
Evolution of Man.§— Over the well-known initials “ A. M. M.” there 
is a very interesting review of the fourth edition of Prof. E. Haeckel’s 
* Anthropogenie ’ ; while the work is, from several points of view, recom- 
mended to the general reader, it is pointed out that the account of the 
development of the human embryo is very unsatisfactory and imperfect ; 
in the last ten years our knowledge on this subject has increased so 
much that it is “ from a stage corresponding to a chick-embryo at the 
commencement of the second day onwards as complete and as well 
illustrated as that of any other Mammal.” For this we are chiefly 
indebted to the splendid work of Prof. His. 
The Human Ovum.H — Prof. M. Holl describes several ovarian ova. 
Each showed a tunica adventitia, which measured 4 p. in thickness on 
ova of 84-88 p, and was concentrically marked, but without radial 
* 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. % Zool. Anzeig., xv. (1892) pp. -13-52. 
§ Nature, xlv. (1892) pp. 182-3. 
|| Anat. Anzeig., vi. (1891) pp. 548-56 (4 figs.). 
