"Natural History of New York," states that the "younger individuals, one to four inches in length, are more pyriform in shape, are entirely covered with a dense, downy hair, and the spines are not so prominent as in the adult. In this state he supposes it to be the L. dubia of Edwards. Gibbes, in an article in the "Proceedings of the American Association for 1850," regards the two species as distinct, but says that no absolute characters can be indicated by which they may be separated. He does not know how to account for this prevailing ignorance, as the characters existing, separating the two species, are so plain. He then goes on to give the special characters, which we must omit.

Are the Brachiopods Annelids?—This question is asked and answered by Mr. E. S. Morse in a late number of the "American Naturalist." He replies at great length to Mr. H. Dall, who takes a different view. The paper is too long and too vaguely written for an abstract.

New American Fishes.-Professor E. D. Cope says that a number of interesting additions to the ichthyological fauna of the United States having been sent to the Museum of the Academy of Natural Sciences by his fellowmember Samuel Powell, he places them on record for the convenience of ichthyologists. Several of the species, it will be observed, were new to science at the time they were received; some of them have been described by Professor Gill. Most of these are of West Indian affinity, some being simply well-known species of that region, which have wandered, as has been suggested by Gill, along the Gulf Stream, and turned aside on the southern coast of the New England States.

A New Position for the Nematoid Worms.-Mr. Lowne, who recently read a very valuable paper before the Royal Microscopical Society on the above subject, concludes that it is apparent that the Nematoid worms stand in a clearly intermediate position between the Echinodermata and Annelida. The water vascular system with its vesicles reminds one strongly of an Echinoderm; the pharynx, the pharyngeal teeth, and segmented integument are clearly those of an Annelid, whilst the nervous system is more nearly like that of the earthworm than that of an Echinoderm. In Gordius he thinks there can be no doubt of this, where there is but a single ventral cord. He cannot agree with Dr. Bastian's view that the Nematoid worms are more nearly allied to Echinoderms than to Scolecida, although he must think much credit is due to him for having first pointed out strong affinities with the Echinodermata—not stronger affinities, however, than those known to exist between Nemertids and Echinoderms.

B

Insect Scales.-Mr. S. J. McIntyre, who may be said to have given the greatest amount of attention to the subject in this country, lays down the following conclusions in a paper published in the "Monthly Microscopical Journal" for January, 1. That the principal structural feature in insect scales is corrugated membranes- plan insuring the maximum amount of strength and elasticity with the minimum of weight. 2. That there are a few scales having one surface hackled. 3. That the ornamental requirements of scales are fulfilled either by iridescence or the possession of pigment granules in or upon the membranes. 4. That the beaded appearances seen in scales are due to the following causes, either singly or collectively:-a. Corrugations taking the form of hemispherical embossings; b. Pigments; c. Shadows of projections,

or folds in the membranes, either within or beyond the focus of the objectglass.

Slaughter of Penguins and Seals.-The "Journal of Applied Science " (Nov.) gives an account of this, as conducted in the Falkland Islands. During 'the whole of August and beginning of September large and countless flocks of penguins come from all directions to the Falkland Islands, and where they alight the ground is literally covered with them. This periodical migration is for purposes of reproduction. The people who make a business of killing these birds for their oil, proceed about this time in schooners capable of weathering the storms that are so common at this season.

On

Besides a small crew, these schooners have on board a copotar," " with a gang of from twelve to fifteen men. Their only arm is a short stick. the island to which they repair they find a rough kind of furnace that has been used the previous year, and which seems to heat one or more iron boilers, each of which is capable of holding as much as 250 gallons of oil. These islands are leased from the Colonial Government for five years at a small rent, and every exporting house has several rookeries, which are respected by the rest. The penguin-hunters are generally at their post before the arrival of their intended victims, and when these arrive and drop on the ground by millions, the men go among them and commit great havoc upon the tired birds, heaped together, whose wings are intended more as helps to swim than to fly. After the lapse of five or six hours of incessant slaughter, the "copotar" and his men generally have got enough of birds for one night's boiling. Each man immediately picks up a certain number of the dead birds, and begins to skin them. This operation is done by making a cut in the belly, and, with a peculiar knack, the whole skin, with feathers and all, comes off the bird at one pull. The account goes on further, but space will not permit us a longer abstract.

Abdominal Antennæ of Insects (Sense Organs).—Mr. A. S. Packard, jun., writes on this subject in the "American Naturalist" for December. After referring to Dr. Anton Dohrn's paper in the "Journal of the Entomological Society of Stettin," 1869, he claims himself to have noticed the structures as early as 1866. He says he has been able to detect sense organs (probably endowed with the sense of smell) in the short, stout-jointed, anal stylets of the cockroach (Periplaneta Americana), beautifully mounted by Mr. E. Bicknell. He has recently, after reading Dr. Dohrn's note, observed the sense organs and counted about ninety minute orifices on each stylet, which are probably smelling or auditory organs, such as are described by Hicks. Mr. Bicknell has counted more carefully than he did the exact number of these pits, and made out ninety-five on one stylet and one hundred and two on the other, adding "there were none on the under side of their appendages that he could see." They were much larger and much more numerous than similar orifices in the antennæ of the same insect, and were situated in single rows on the upper side of each joint of the stylets. During the breeding season a peculiar odour is perhaps emitted by the female, as in vertebrate animals, and it is probable that these caudal appendages are endowed with the sense of smell, rather than of hearing, that the male may smell its way to its partner. This is an argument that the broadly pectinated antennæ of many moths are endowed rather with the sense of

smelling than of hearing, to enable the males to smell out the females. He has observed the same organs in the lamella of the antennæ of the carrion beetles, which undoubtedly depend more on the sense of smell than that of touch or hearing to find stinking carcasses in which to place their eggs.

Professor Thomson's Holtenia.—In the "Philosophical Transactions" (Part II., 1869) appears a paper by Professor W. Thomson "on Holtenia, a genus of vitreous sponges," accompanied with beautiful illustrations. The genus, however, appears to Professor Leidy, who writes in the "Proceedings of the Philadelphia Academy" for November, to be synonymous with Pheronema (Pr. A. N. S., 1868, Biolog. and Micros. Dep. 9). A comparison of the figures of Holtenia Carpenteri with those of Pheronema Annæ (“ American Naturalist," 1870, 21, 22) leads him to suspect that the two are probably the same.

A New American Locality for Cordylophora.-In the Academy of Sciences of Philadelphia, at a recent meeting, Professor Leidy stated that, in a recent visit to the Schuylkill river at Fairmount, to seek for specimens of Urnatella, though he had been unsuccessful in obtaining living ones within reach from the shore, he had found, in the same positions occupied by the former, an abundance of Cordylophora. This is the first time that he had noticed this interesting compound hydroid polyp in the vicinity of Philadelphia, and he was surprised that until now it had escaped his notice. Cordylophora was first detected by him in America at Newport, R.I. He had not been able to satisfy himself that it was a different species from the European Cordylophora lacustris, first described by Professor Allman of Edinburgh. It appears, however, to be much smaller. Professor Allman represents the C. lacustris several inches in length, with the polyps a line in length. The American is not more than half the size. As a variety it might be named Cordylophora Americana.

Pterodina Valvata.-Dr. Hudson says that the most striking peculiarity of this new species, which he figures in the "Microscopical Journal,” is the presence of the large transverse muscles for folding the lorica. The lorica is oval and nearly plane, except on its under-surface, along its major axis; where it carries a sub-conical case, in which lie the greater part of the softer portions of the rotifer. The base of the cone is the opening from which the rotatory head is protruded, and the lorica is here slit to give free play to the head, while the muscles close the flaps of the slit when the head is drawn within the lorica. At a distance from the head of about two-thirds of the length of the lorica, there is a circular opening through which the false foot is protruded and withdrawn. The water vascular system with three tags on each side can be plainly seen; but there is no contractile vesicle. There are, however, two objects which appear to be expansions of the canals, and possibly answer the purpose of the contracticle vesicle: he cannot say, however, that he ever saw them contract.

The Chair of Natural History in the University of Edinburgh, the duties of which were so long and ably discharged by Professor Allman, has been given to Professor Wyville Thomson, F.R.S., until lately Professor of Natural History at Queen's College, Belfast. This of course creates a vacancy, the applicants for which are, we understand, numerous, but we have not as yet heard of any one being selected.

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