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804 GeneralNotes. LNovember,

minology of the reproductiveorgans of the Cryptogamia."-

At a recent meeting of the French Academy, M. Planchon de-
scribeda new species of American vine under the name of Vitis
berlandieri.-Messrs. E. A. Rau and A. B. Hervey have issued
a Catalogue of NorthAmerican Musci, giving the names of the
species and the general localities.-A valuable contributionto
the subject of insect-destroying Fungi has been publishedby Prof.
A. Giard. Of these the most commonis Entoinopktlhora niuscw,
so common in September and October in our apartments; a
second type is E. megaspermum,a parasite of the cut-wormor
larva of Agrotissegetunm;others are E. curviispora, a parasite of
Simnulizum latipes,a species of black fly,and E. ovispora,parasite
of another fly (Lonec/ta vagina/is). He regards Empusa and
Tarichiumas simplyformsof Entomophthora,and to be used in
the same sense as in zoology the nauplius or zoaa of a Crusta-
cean. He describes as new a fungus parasite of the fleshfly,
underthe name of Eutoinoplit/zora calliphzorw.He then describes
the appearance of a gnat (Chironomus) attacked by the Empusa
formof Entoinop4thora rirnosa,and incidentallyalludes to E. con-
gloinerataof the mosquito. Finally M. Giard refersto the enor-
mous services which Entomophthora renders to agriculture.
" Nothing could be more easy than to multiplythese parasites,
and to introducethem into places where theyhad not hitherto
existed." The caterpillarsof the cabbage butterfly can be exter-
minatedby wateringthem with water containingthe spores of
E. spliaceospermna. By collecting, in winter,these caterpillars,
mummified and filledwithspores,theycan be used in destroying
the hordes of caterpillarsof the next summer. Giard also recom-
mends destroyingthe cut-wormby sprinklingover cabbage beds
water holding the spores of the fungusin suspension. Some
peculiaritiesin the anthers of Clethra are described, by C. R.
Barnes,in the Botanical GazetteforAugust and September.

ZOOLOGY.'
EGGS OF THE TREE CRICKET WANTED.-The undersignedwould
be much obliged for specimensof the eggs of the tree cricket
(CEcanthus). They are laid in the terminalbranchesof the rasp-
berry,plum,oak, grape, and almost any shrubs. The rows of
puncturesmade by the ovipositorof the female are quite easily
detected,and may be found during the Autumn and Winter.
Send twigs by mail.-A. S. Packard, 7r., Providence,R. 1.
Do FLYING FISH FLY -In the Septembernumberof the NATU-
RALIST is a veryinterestingarticle on the subject, " Do Flying
Fish Fly ?" During the past summerI have been enabled to wit-
ness the flightof a good manyflyingfish of the large species
of Ornithology
1 The departments and Maramnialogy
are conductedby Dr. ELLIOTT
CouEs, U. S. A.
188O.] ZoO/Oy. 805

known as Exocetus califorinicuts Cooper. The followingextract

frommy fieldnotes may be of some interestas bearing on this
question:
It fliesfora distance sometimesof nearlya quarterof a mile,
usually not rising more than threeor four feet. Its motionsin
the waterare extremelyrapid,and its motive power is certainly
the movementof its powerfultail in the water. On risingfrom
the waterthe movementsof the tail are continued forsome sec-
onds untilthe whole body is out of the water. While the tail is
in motionthe pectoralsare in a state of veryrapid vibration,and
the ventralsare folded. When the action of the tail ceases, the
pectoralsand ventralsare spread and, as faras we can see, held at
rest. When the fishbegins to fall,the tail touches the waterand
the motionof the pectoralsrecommences,and it is enabled to re-
sume its flight,which it finallyfinishesby fallingin the waterwith
a splash. When on the wingit resemblesa large dragon-fly.The
motionis veryswift; at firstit is in a straightline,but this be-
comes deflectedto a curve,the pectoralon the inner side of the
arc being bent downward. It is able to some extentto turnits
course to shy offfroma vessel. The motion seems to have no
referenceto the directionof the wind, and we observed it best
frontthe bow of a steamer off Santa Catalina island, in early
morning,when bothair and waterwere freefrommotion.-David
S. 7ordan,Ind. State Univ.,Bloomington, haid.
FLIGHTS OF " FLIES. -Under the head of " travelingflies,"the
Americannoticesthe occurrenceof a vast cloud of flies
Scisn/zjfic
on the Hudson river,betweenNew Hamburg and Newburg. It
reached southwardfromshore to shore as far as the eye could
reach,and resembleda great driftof black snow. The insects
were flyingnorthward"as thickas snow flakesdrivenby a strong
wind." The steamer AllaryPowell ran into the fly storm off
Haverstraw,some fortymiles below where the Martinencoun-
tered it. The flieswere " long and black and had lightwings."
A dispatchfromHalifax,Nova Scotia, states that on Sunday,
Sept. 5, immense swarms of flies passed over Guysboro, 120
miles northeastward of Halifax. They came from the east and
resembleda dark cloud.
A correspondentof the Toronto Mail, writingfrom East Pic-
tou, Nova Scotia, describes a similar phenomenonas occurring
there August 21. The flies,forminga veritable cloud, passed
Lismore at 6 o'clock in the evening,close to the shore. They
wentwiththe wind,which was blowing lightly from the west,
occupying about twentyminutes passing a given point. They
made a loud, buzzing noise, which *washeard by many who
missed seeing them. They flew so low that some of them ap-
peared to fall intothe water. About two miles below Lismore
theyslightlychanged theirflight,heading moreto th~enorth.
8o6 GeneralNotes. [November,

CETONIA INDA.-This common insect which in formeryears

was a harmlessbeetle feedingin earlyspringon the sap of freshly
cut maple trees has, withintwo or threeyears,become veryabun-
dant and destructivein differentpartsof New England. During
the past summer it collected in great numberson green corn,
eating the kernals and partly destroyeda field in Middleboro,
Mass., as we learn fromProf.Jenks.-A. S. P.
CAUSE OF THE TWISTINGOF SPIRAL SHELLS.-At the end of his
essay on the developmentof the pulmonateGasteropods,M. Fol
inquiresintothe cause of asymmetryof univalveshells; by most
authorsit has been ascribed to the folding roundof the shell;
Ihering,however,regards the torsionof the shell as due to the
asymmetryof the viscera. Fol regards both these opinions as
too extreme,as in the Heteropoda asymmetricalarrangements
manifestthemselvesat an extremelyearly period. In Helix and
Limax the torsiondoes not appear so early,and is seen simulta-
neously in the viscera and in the shell. To explain the phenom-
ena, it seems to be necessaryto note the process of segmentation
of the ovum; but here unfortunately there is but littleinforma-
tion. The fact that organs like the kidneys,which are, as we
know,primarilydouble,are in the youngestof Gasteropodlarvae,
single,seems to show that the asymmetryis produced prior to
the commencementof the embryonicperiod. In conclusion,as
reportedin the Journalof the Royal Microscopical Society,the
authorpointsout how recentobservationstend to favorthe rees-
tablishmentof the Vermesof Linnxeus. It is impossible, Fol
says, to compare the molluscan larva with a segmented worm
larva; theyonly correspondto the cephalic portionof the larva
of an Annelid,or to an entireRotifer; the Mollusca are not seg-
mented animals which have fused their segments,but theyare
animals which have remainedsimple. In the Vermes, on the
otherhand,the larval form(Lovenian, veliger,trochosphere)can,
withvariationsin form,be traced through "worms," Annelids,
Bryozoa, Brachiopods,and even Echinoderms,and these all form
a phylumquite distinctfromthatof the Arthropoda on the one
hand, and of the Chordata (Tunicata and Vertebrata) on the
other.
THE YOUNG OF THE CRUSTACEANLEUCIFER, A NAUPLIus.-One
of the most interestingobservationswhich we have made this
summeris, that Leuciferleaves the egg as a Nauplius. As Fritz
Muller did not raise the young of Peneus, but relied upon surface
collecting,his observationsare not absolutely conclusive,but I
have seen Leucifer lay its eggs, and I have seen the exit of the
Nauplius fromthe egg, so the occurrenceof a Nauplius is proved,
absolutely,in one stalk-eyedCrustacean.
As almost nothingwas knownabout the habitsof Leucifer,and
nothing whateverabout its embryology,I have devoted especial
1880.] Zoology. 807

attentionto this interestingspecies thissummer,but although the

animals are veryabundantI have been baffledin all my attempts
to findthe eggs or young until within the last week, but have
now got on to the righttrack,and can get a complete historyif
the weatheris calm fora week longer.
The animals are remarkablyregular in their breeding habits.
They copulate late in the afternoon;the eggs are laid about nine
o'clock in the evening,and theyhatch in about thirty-sixhours.
The eggs are attachedvery loosely in an irregularbunch of about
twelveor fourteen, to the last pair of thoracicappendages. They
falloffat the slightesttouch,and this,togetherwiththe rapidity
of theirdevelopment,explains the failureto findthemin speci-
mens collectedat the surface. As they do not flourishin con-
finement, the eggs cannotbe procured in any quantityfromcap-
tive specimens,and until their breeding habitswere known,the
investigationpresentedgreat difficulties.By going out about
eight o'clock on a calm evening and dippingverycarefullywith
a hand net,a great numberof individualsmay be procured,and
if these are carried home with great care and left undisturbed
until about ten o'clock, carefulexaminationwill then show that
several specimens have-bunches of new-laidunsegmentedeggs.
If these specimensare carefullypicked out, and placed by them-
selves, theycan be kept,without much difficulty, until the eggs
hatch,on the second morningafterthe adults were collected.
The course of developmentis of unusual interest,as Leucifer,
like Anmphioxus, presentswhat must be regardedas an unmodi-
fiedembryonichistory. Segmentationis totaland perfectly regu-
lar,and the cells double theirnumberat each cleavage,even after
theyhave become verysmall,and many hundredsin number.
There is a true invaginate gastrula,which is as beautifully
simple,and unmodifiedas the well-knowngastrulaof Sagitta.
The Nauplius is a typical nauplius,verymuch like thatof a
barnacle, or that of Cyclops,and is a marked contrastto the
peculiarand specialized Nauplius of Penaeus. If I had not seen
it hatch I should certainlyhave supposed it to be a Copepod
embryo,as the resemblanceis perfect.
In this connectionI may state that Mr. Wilson has succeeded
in raisingzoaas from the eggs of Libinia,and of a closely-allied
genus. In these,the most highlyspecializedof the Decapods, the
embryonicrecordis acceleratedso muchthatthe zoea has its full
numberof thoracic appendages when it leaves the egg, so the
embryologyof Leucifer is at one end of the series and the em-
brvologyof Libinia at the other.
Wilson has also raised the zoaas of the followingcrabs from
the egg, this summer: Porcellana,Pinnixa,Sesarma, Pinnotheres,
Callinectes.
The skin whichthe crab zYaa sheds soon afterit leaves the egg
has been regardedas a Nauplius skin,but the factthatthe Naup-
808 GeneralNotes. [November,

lius of Leucifer leaves the egg encased in a similar skin,and

molts it soon after,seems to indicatethatit has no morphological
significance.- W. K. Brooks,Beaufort,N. C., Sept.5.
THE FRIGATE MACKEREL, AuxIs ROCHEI, ON THE NEW ENGLAND
COAST.- The United States Fish Commission has obtained
numerous specimens of a fish,before entirely unknown in the
Western Atlantic. This is the frigatemackerel,Auxis rochei,
twenty-eight barrelsof which were taken in a mackerelseine,ten
miles east of Block island,on the 3d of August, by the schooner
AmericanEagle, Capt. Josiah Chase, of Provinceton,Mass.
The Frigatemackerelresemblesin some particularsthe corn-
mon mackerel,in othersthe bonito; the genus Auxis being inter-
mediate in its characterbetween the Scomber and the related
genera Pelamys and Orcynus. It has the two dorsal finsremote
fromeach otheras in Scornber,and the general formof the body
is slender, like that of the mackerel. The body is, however,
somewhatstouter,and insteadof beingcovered withsmall scales
of uniformsize, has a corseletof largerscales under and behind
the pectoralfins. Instead of the two small keels upon each side
of the tail whichare so noticeablein the mackerel,it has the sin-
gle more prominentkeel of the bonitoatid the tunny. Its color
is grayish-blue,somethinglike thatof the pollack,the bellybeing
lighterthan the back. Under the posteriorpart of the body,
above the lateral line,are a fewcloudings or maculationsresem-
bling those of the mackerel. The occurrenceof a large school
of this beautifulspecies in our watersis verynoteworthy, forthe
fishnow forthe firsttimeobservedare verypossiblythe precur-
sors of numerous schools yet to follow. It is not manyyears
since the bonitobecame an inhabitantof our waters,and the dis-
tributionand habits of the frigatemackerel are supposed to be
verysimilarto those of the bonito,Sarda pelamys,and the little
tunny,Orcynuts allileratus,which also firstcame on the coast in
187i, and have since been foundin considerablenumbers.
The frigatemackerelhas been observedin the West Indies and
otherpartsof the tropical Atlantic as well as on the coast of
Europe. In Great Britainit is called the " plain bonito." It is
not unusual in the Bermudas, where it is called the " frigate
mackerel,"a name not inappropriateforadoption in this country,
since its general appearance is more like thatof the mackerel
than the bonito,while in swiftnessand strengthit is morelike the
largermembersof this family.
Since the firstappearanceof this fish many new observations
of its abundance have been received. These fish seem to have
come in immense schools into the waters between Montauk
point and George's bank, and from Mr. Clark's statementsit
appears thattheyhave been observedin small numbersby fisher-
men in previousyears. Several vessels have come into Newport
recently,reportingtheir presence in immense numbers in the
I88o.] Zo alogy. 809

vicinityof Block island. It will interestthe " Ichthyophagists'

Club" to know that several persons in Newport have tested the
fish,and pronounce it inferiorto the bonito. Part of the flesh,
that on the posteriorpart of the body, is white,but behindthe
gills it is black and rank,while the meat near the backbone is
said to be of disagreeable,sour flavor.
It is hard to predictwhat its influencewill be upon otherfishes
alreadyoccupyingour waters. Its mouth is small and its teeth
feeble,so that it is hardlylikelyto become a ravager like the
bonito and the bluefish. There is littleprobability,on the other
hand, that its advent will be of any special importancefroman
economical point of view, for its oil does not seem to be very
abundant,and it would hardlypay at presentto captureit solely
forthe purpose of using its fleshin the manufactureof fertilizers.
Mr. A. Howard Clark,in charge of the Fish Commissionsta-
tion at Gloucester,has communicatedto Prof.Baird some inter-
estingfactsregardingits abundance. From these statementsit
would also appear thatthespecies has been observedoccasionally
in past years. He writes under date of August ioth: " I have
received this morning fromthe schooner Fiz _7.Babson, just
arrivedfromBlock island,a fishansweringto your descriptionof
the Auxis, havinga corseletof scales around the pectoralfinas
in the tunny. The captainof the vessel,Joshua Riggs, reports
thatabout a week ago he had a hundred barrelsin the seine at
one time,and saw over twentyschools of them. He saw them
as far east as Sow-and-Pig light ship. They are very easy to
catch,fliplike menhaden,do not rush,and are not frightened at
the seine. They go in immense numbers,he thinks,as manyas
one thousandsbarrelsto a school. The day afterthe appearance
of these fish the mackerel disappeared,but he does not know
whetherthe mackerelwere driven assay by them or not. They
feed on mackerel food. Mr. Daniel Hiltz, of the same vessel,
says thathe caught one of just the same kind in February,i879,
on a haddock trawl on the eastern part of the Middle Bank in
fortyfathomsof water. He took it to Boston, where it was
called a young bonito."
Mr. John Henderson, of the schooner Sarah C. Wharf,says
thattwo vessels caught such fishrecently,eastwardof here; the
schoonerAmericanEacgle,of Provincetown, took a numberof bar-
relsof themintoNewport,and sold themfora dollara barrel. An-
otherCape Cod vessel,he does not knowhername,took about fifty
barrelsof themand threwthemaway. All the mackerelseiners
fromBlock island reportseeing quantitiesof this new fishwithin
the past fortnight.The captainof the schoonerSarah/C. Whzalf
says he firstsaw them a fortnightago some fifteenmiles off
Block island. The captain and several of the crew of the Ella
AP.7o/nson, of Newburyport, just arrivedfromBlock island,state
they'saw abundance of the Auxis, but did not know what it was
VOL. XIV.-!NO. Xl. 52
8io GeneralNotes. [November,

untilreportscame fromyou at Newport. They opened one and

foundin its stomachthe ordinaryred mackerel food. This crew
differwiththe crew of the schooner Fitz. 7. Babson with regard
to the ease of capturingthem-think them rather difficultto
take; say theyfliplike porgies,and do not rush like mackerel;
theysaw tenlarge schools of themon Saturdaylast whensome fif-
teen miles south of Block island.
I hope that any readerof the AMERICAN NATURALIST who has
seen this fishwill mentionit; some may,perhaps,have an oppor-
tunityof studying its habits. The lengthof those I have seen
ranges fromtwelveto sixteeninches,and theirweightfromthree-
quartersof a pound to a pound and a-half or more. Those sent
to New York marketwere part of the lot takenby the schooner
American Eag-le and brought into Newport,whence they were
shippedby Mr. Thompson,a fishdealer of this place. It would
requirefromeightyto one hundredof themto filla barrel,so the
estimateof Capt. Riggs that thereare a thousand barrelsin one
of the schools, shows how exceedinglyabundantthey mustbe.
Capt. N. E. Atwood, of Provincetown,Mass., the veteran fish-
erman-ichthyologist, has examined the specimens,and is satisfied
that they belong to the same species as fish which he found
abundantin the Azores in i840, when,led by the reportsof Cape
Cod whalers,he went to these islands in search of mackerel,the
mackerel fishingbeing poor at home. No mackerelwere found
except the " frigatemackerel" referredto in thisnote.-G. Brown
Goode, Summer StationU. S. Fisk Corn.,Newport,R. I., Aug.
30, 1880.
ON THE OCCURRENCE OF FREIA PRODUCTA WRIGHT, IN THE
CHESAPEAKE BAY.-Sometimein i85 Prof.Leidy called attention
to the existenceof Freia amnpullain American waters,and from
the poor figuresof the European formthen in existence,he was
led to considerit a new species underthe name of F. anmericana,
but he now considersboth formsthe same. As they are amongst
the inmostsingularand beautifulof the familyof the trumpetani-
malcules or Stentorina,I take pleasure in announcingthat I have
foundthe still more interestingspecies,F productaT. S. Wright,
in shallow waters on the westernshore of the Chesapeake, at-
tached in vast numbersto the shefls of oysters,in companywith
? Loxosoma and otherbryozoa.
The tubes in which the animalculeresidesare formedof a nar-
row transparentribbonof hornyconsistency,wound intoa spiral
and terminatingin a trumpet-shapedextremityfromwhich the
odd peristomeof the inhabitantprotrudes. The basal or attached
end of the tube is usuallybent at an angle to the tube and bears
a strikingresemblanceto the foot end of a stocking fastenedto
some otherobject by the surfaceon which the sole rests. This
portionis not composed, like the tube,of a spiral ribbon,but is
simplya thin-walledsac, fromthe open end of whichthe ribbon
i 88o. Zoology. 81I

takes its rise,but it is composed of the same kind of material.

Many of the tubes show the rimof a trumpetprojectingfromn the
sides of the former, a little above the middle,and of the same
formas the terminalrim,showing that this,like the formdes-
cribedby Mr. WrightfromEnglish waters,may stop buildingits
tube fora time and then recommence.
The adult animal,tube and all, when fullyextended,will meas-
ure 5 of an inch in length. It is of the same color as Stentor
but has the power of elongating and twistingitselfas
cwrzideuis,
greatlyas S. rwseli. The peristomeis quite unlike that of Freia
ampulla and bears a stronglikenessto the blades of a pair of ob-
stetricalforceps. The blades are deeplygrooved,forminga deep
ciliateddemi-canalwithparallel sides, and at the junctionof their
bases lies the spacious, twistedand richlyciliatedpharynx,which
is bounded dorsally and ventrallyby the prominentfolds which
uniteon eitherside withthe long, curved lobes of the peristome.
As in F. awnp?.u1aa finger-shaped knob,which may sometimesbe
extended as a long flexibleappendage,surmountsthe apices of
the lobes of the peristome. There is a small basal disc as in
Stentorand the ectosarcis traversedas in thatgenus by parallel
granularbands, regardedas muscle fibersby some writers. The
usual food balls and vacuoles are present,and I 'was enabledto de-
finesharplythe endosarc fromthe ectosarc,and clearlysee the
longy-beadednucleus. The tube or ribbon-secreting organ de-
scribedby WrightI was unable to discover.
When fullyextendedthe basal portionof the animal becomes
attenuatedto a thinbluish filament, whichwidens towardthe pe-
ristome,wherethe body is over half as thickas the diameterof
the tube. When fullyretractedatid resting,the aninial resembles
in its oblong shape a retractedand restingStentor,and measures
about I as long as when full extended. The agreementof this
formwithF. productais in everyrespectso complete,that I have
no doubt whateverthat theyare the same. The ribbon makes
fromfourto twenty-four turnsin specimensof different ages, and
the turnsare to the right. F. fstyljferWright, is probablyonly a
varietyof this species.-.7o/n A. Ryder,Sept.jd, i88o.
RHIPIDODENDRON SPLENDIDUM.-This remarkable flagellate
monad, which builds a fan-shapedtest composed of radiating
tubes in which the individualslive and divide,is not uncommon,
attachedto the leaves of Sphagum, fromponds in the neighbor-
hood of Woodbury, N. J., fromwhence I have obtained it in
materialfurnishedme by Mr. W. P. Seal. Prof.Stein firstde-
scribedit fromBohemian waters.-7. A. Ryder.
A PALE VARIETY OF POLYXENES FASCICULATUs.-I have just
picked up some specimensof Polyxenes that seem to me unusu-
ally pale in color. I find them under chips, sticks and bits of
bark withinfortyfeetof the sea beach, at St, Jerome,St. Mary's
812 Gener-alNotes. [November,

county,Md., on the Chesapeake bay. The beach at this place is

composed of whitesand, and these littlemyriapodsseem to have
acquired a reddishtingewithnone of the bluish cast so charac-.
teristicof specimenswhich I have examined fromthe vicinityof
Philadelphia. There is so littlepigment in the body walls that
withcarefulilluminationI am able to see the viscera,filledwith
ingesta,veryplainly. There are no other differencesby which I
can distinguishthe formfromP. fasciculatusSay. It may be
called var.pa//idus.
I wishalso to recordthatall the inlandspecimenswhich I have
foundwere always observed underthe bark of trees,a factwhich,
I think,Mr. Say also records,but these I find invariablyon the
ground and in great numbersunderneaththe objects mentioned.
-7. A. Ryder.
ZOOLOGICALNOTES.-A communication has been found by F.
W. Bennettbetweenthe air-bladderand the cloaca in the herring.
The structureof the ovary,ovulation,fecundationand the
firststages of developmentin the bats has latelybeen studiedby
Messrs. Van Beneden and Julin. A contributionto the study of.
the structureof the ovaryof the mole, ermineand bat (Vespcrzigo
pipistre/la)by J.MacLeod, appears in Van Beneden and Bam-
beke's Archives de Biologie. A good deal of attentionis now
being paid by anatomiststo the nervoussystemof the lowerani-
mals, especiallythe ganglioniccenters. A usefultractbearingon
this subjectis Lienard's " Constitutionde l'Anneau CEsophagien."
-Mr. J. A. Lintner'sLepidopteraof the Adirondack regionis
an interestingcontributionto zoo-geography,especiallyto our
knowledgeof the sub-arcticlifeof these mountains. It appears
in the seventh report of the Adirondack Survey. -The re-
searches carriedon by the U. S. Fish Commissionthe past season
fiom Newport-outto the Gulf Stream,have resulted in the addi-
tion of a large numberof new fishes and marine invertebrates.
The hauls made in about threehundred fathomsunder the edge
of the Gulf Stream revealed a strange mixtureof tropical and
arcticlife,withabyssal forms,includingmanyshells and an inter-
estingnew starfish; 150 species new-to the coast being dredged
in a single day. M. Fabre has discovered that two species
of Halictus, a genus of bees, are parthenogenetic. They have
two generationsa year; a vernaland sexual one, originatingfrom
femaleswhich,fecundatedin autumn,have passed the winterin
theircells: the othera-stivaland due to parthenogenesis. From
the union of the two sexes females alone develop; frompar-
thenogenesisa brood of both femalesand males result. Aside
fromthe Aphiclesthese bees are, Fabre claims,the firstexample
known of a sexual generationalternatingwithreproductionwith-
out unionwitha male. A remarkableformof Pedicellariaand
the functionsperformedtherebyare describedby W. P. Sladen in
the Annals and Magrazinefor August.--Villot, after further
i 88o.] Anthropology. 813
study of the hair wormsnow assertsthatthe larve of the Gordii
do not select theirhosts; they encyst themselves and become
developed in the most differentanimals (batrachians,fishes,crus-
taceans,Arachnida,insectsand mollusks). It is, therefore,by no
means the case that the larve of the hair wormsare parasites
peculiar to insects; theyprobablymost frequentfishes,and only
animals,and only these when acci-
exceptionallyinfestterrestrial
dentallyexposed to water,many insects,as ground beetles,man-
tidae,grasshoppersand locusts perishing in this way; the Gordii
in thembeing set at liberty.
ANTHROPOLOGY.1
SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON.-On the ioth
THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL
of February,i879, at the invitationof Dr. J. Meredith Toner,
Col. Garrick Mallery, U.S.A., and Prof. Otis T. Mason, a few
gentlemeninterestedin the studyof man, met in the Smithsonian
Institutionto devise a method of mutual.improvement. The
effortresultedin the formationof the AnthropologicalSociety of
Washington,with Maj. J. W. Powell for president,Dr. Elmer R.
Reynolds,recordingsecretary,and Otis T. Mason, corresponding
secretary. The purpose of the membersbeing to compare notes
upon their different fieldsof research,the organizationhad no
pretentiousdesigns. It is not yet decided whetherthe journal
will be published,inasmuch as the Smithsonian Institutionand
the Bureau of Ethnologyaffordample opportunities of preserving
all papers of permanentvalue.
The followingis a list of papers read from the foundationof
the societyto the end of the year 1879:
i. Indian Pictographs. G. K. Gilbert.
2. Aztec and Guatemalan Antiquities. Otis T. Mason.
3. Arrow-making. Frank H. Cushing.
4. Color Blindness. Dr. Swan M. Burnett.
5. Prehistoric Archaeology. Wills de Hass.
6. Indian Color Names. A. S. Gatschet.
7. Indian Pictographs. Miles Rock.
8. French and Indian Half-breeds. Dr. Victor Havard, U.S.A.
9. Indian Color Names. Albert S. Gatschet.
IO. Comparative Mythology of the Indies. Col. Garrick Mallery, U.S.A.
I i. Aboriainal Cemeteries near Piscataway, Md. Dr. Elmer R. Reynolds.
12. The Zoological Relationship of Man. Prof. Theodore N. Gill.
13. The Sign Language of the N. A. Indians. Col. Garrick Mallery, U.S.A.
14. Poisoned Weapons of the N. A. Indians. Dr. Wm. J. Hoffman.
I5. Fertilizers employed by the N. A. Indians. G. Browne Goode.
i6. Comparison of a written language with one that is spoken only. Otis T.
Mason.
17. Aboriginal Shell Mounds at Pope's Creek. Dr. Elmer R. Reynolds.
i8. Ancient Maps of N. America. John C. Lang.
i9. Comparison of Forest and Geological changes in the Tropics. Miles Rock.
20. Estimation of the age of Prehistoric Remains. Capt. Edwin P. Lull, U.S.N.
21. Turtle-back Celts and their Uses. Dr. Elmer R. Reynolds.
22. Aboriginal Shell-heaps on Soith River, Md. J. D. McGuire.
23. Unclassed Disc-shaped Implements from Benning's, D. C. Dr. Elmer R.
Reynolds.
24. A Strange old Chart. Lt. Coin. W. Bainbridge Hoff, U.S.N.
'Edited by Prof. Oris T. MASON, Columbian College, Washington, D. C.