ANATOMY. 
Tun. 3 
Provence, Roule (20) gives now an account of the family Cynthiidce. He 
discusses the position of this family, and gives a detailed account of tho 
structure of tho body of a typical Cynthia. In the classification he fol- 
lows Ilerdman, in dividing the family into 3 subfamilies — the fi Uyelince, 
the Cynlhinai , and the Boltenince , of which the two first only are repre- 
sented in the Mediterranean. 
The paper ends with a short account of the family Molgulidce, and the 
species Eugyriopsis lacazei. 
Altogether tho Simple Ascidians of .the coast of Provence, as mado 
known by the various papers of M. Roule, include 28 species, referred to 
13 genera or subgenera belonging to 3 families — Phallusiadce (or Asci- 
diidai), Cynthiidce , and Molgulidce. 
Nansen (16), after an examination of the histology of the nervous 
system (especially the ganglion) in Ascidia and Myxine, comes to the 
conclusion that in the minute structure of the nerve-fibres and nerve- 
cells, and in their arrangement and relations, there is a close resemblance 
between the vertebrata and the invertebrata — Ascidia and Myxine , agree- 
ing in all essential points with what has been described in the higher ver- 
tebrata, and with what Nansen had previously observed in the Myzoslomata. 
Herdman (6) discusses individual variations in the Tnnicata , those 
organs which it usually affects, and those points which should be attended 
to in describing new species of Ascidians. Various abnormal conditions 
in the branchial sac, tentacles, dorsal tubercle, and other organs, and in 
the pigmentation of the body, are described. 
Laiiille (11) gives a brief account of tho structure of tho post-abdo- 
mon, the alimentary canal, and tho branchial sac of tho Folyclinidcc. 
Roule (19) revises some of the Ascidiidcc , and adds to his previous de- 
scriptions of some species. He gives a detailed account of the structure of 
Rhopalona ( Rhopalcea ) neapolitana, Phil., which — he agrees with Herd- 
man— should be placed close to Ecteinascidia , a genus from which it 
apparently differs only in not reproducing by gemmation. 
Lahille (9) gives a short account of the structure of a new species of 
Diplosoma ( D . Jcoehleri) from Guernsey. 
Maurice (13, 14, 15) gives an account of the structure of Amaroecium 
torquatum. He describes particularly the structure of the post-abdomen, 
the heart, tho branchial sac, the muscles, tho nervous system, and the 
alimentary canal. He finds that the dorsal and ventral cavities of the 
post-abdomen are anterior prolougations of the pericardium, while the 
median cavity is connected with the branchial sac, and is the epicardium 
of Van Beneden and Julin. The subneural gland is continuous 
posteriorly with the beginning of the dorsal ganglionic nerve cord. An 
oviduct is present, and its anterior end takes part in the formation of an 
incubatory pouch. 
Lahille (12) gives an account of the arrangement, functions, and 
origin of the muscle-bands in the Compound Ascidian Glossophorum 
sabulosiun (= Polyclinum sabalosum, Giard). 
