the supply, seemed to be requested by the latter to "give me some;" a request that did not seem to be refused. Soon pairs of ants became locked together mandible to mandible, the one giving, the other receiving, a drop of honey. As quickly as a lepismid perceived this condition of affairs, he rushed in between the pair and intercepted the drop or a portion of it in its passage, and then retreated precipitately, but only to treat another pair in a similar manner, and so on until his hunger was appeased. Lepisma then is not in the ant hill for an exchange of services, like some of the staphylinds; nor to be "milked," like the aphid, nor to be a common parasite, nor a common thief; but is there as more or less of a wary freebooter.-F. C. K.

Lipophrys a Substitute for Pholis.-In my article on the application of the name Pholis to the gunnels, I find a note was omitted, replacing the homonymous name of the blennioid genus. As the latter will be left without a proper name on account of the preoccupation of the one it has so long borne by the gunnel, a new one will be requisite for the blennioid genus, then, I propose the designation Lipophrys (, indicating want or absence; opus, eyebrow) in illusion to the absence of the superciliary cirri, and its type is the common Blennius pholis (Linn) of Europe.

I have given the family name Pholidida, because there are some who will not retain Xiphidion on account of the existence of a prior Xiphidium, and therefore would not adopt the family name derived from that genus. If, however, the latter is retained, it would be better modified as Xiphidiida.-THEODORE GILL.

Blind Batrachia and Crustacea from the Subterranean Waters of Texas.-From an artesian well, 188 feet deep, recently bored at San Marcos, Texas, there were expelled more than a dozen specimens of a remarkable batrachian, together with numerous crusta ceans. The latter are described by Mr. Benedict, and the batrachian by Dr. Stejneger.

The crustaceans comprise numerous shrimps (one new species, Palamonetes antrorum, a lesser number of Isopods of a new genus (Cirolanides), and a very few Amphipods.

All the species are white, blind and have unusually long, slender feet and antennæ.

The Batrachian, for which Stejneger creates a new genus, is described under the name Typhlomolge rathbuni. It belongs to the family Proteidæ, and is more nearly allied to Necturus than to Proteus.

3

* In analogy with λίπο-βλέψάρος, without eyelids, and λίπογληνος, without eyeballs, or sightless.

Like the crustaceans, it is blind. The most remarkable external feature is the length and slenderness of the legs. In commenting on this peculiarity, Dr. Stejneger says: "Viewed in connection with the welldeveloped finned swimming tail, it can be safely assumed that these extraordinarily slender and elongated legs are not used for locomotion, and the conviction is irresistible that in the inky darkness of the subterranean waters they serve as feelers, their development being thus parallel to the excessive elongation of the antennæ of the crustaceans."

The gills are external, its color nearly white, having the upper surfaces densely sprinkled with minute pale gray dots, and its total length measures 102 mm. (Proceeds. U. S. Natl. Mus., Vol. XVIII, 1896.)

Lungless Salamanders.-Following up the observations of Dr. H. Wilder, certain tailed Batrachia examined by Dr. Einar Lönnberg with reference to their possessing functional lungs have brought to light the following facts: Desmognathus auriculatus Holbr. and Plethoden glutinosus Green exhibit no trace of either lungs or larynx. A median longitudinal groove is the only remaining rudiment of the aditus ad laryngem. The transverse laryngeal muscles are well developed in Plethodon glutinosus, as is also the median narrow strip of connective tissue at which the muscles insert themselves.

Manculus quadridigitatus has no trace of lungs, larynx or aditus ad laryngem, and, although the laryngeal muscles are well developed, the connective tissue between the muscles is very feebly developed. The median strip of connective tissue forming a point of insertion for the laryngeal muscles can be seen. This species exhibits the most reduced rudiments of the laryngeal apparatus of the specimens under observation.

Amblystoma opacum possesses rudimentary lungs and a small aditus ad laryngem. The author regards the lungs as rudimentary, because they are so very small and narrow, measuring about 9 mm. in length and 1 mm. in width at the broadest place. It is probable that the function as respiratory organs in conjunction with some other organ, either the skin or "la cavité bucco-pharyngienne," as Camerano has found to be the case with Spelerpes fusca.

The theory suggested by the author to explain the reduction and oss of lungs in these animals is stated as follows: When these salamanders lost the gills and increased in bulk, the small and not very composite lungs were insufficient for respiration, so that the buccopharyngeal cavity (? together with the exterior integument) even from the beginning had to play a certain part. In some of the forms the

respiratory capacity of that cavity increased more rapidly than that of the lungs, which is the easier to understand, as the air breathed must first pass through that cavity, and because the cavity is rather large. When this capacity had developed to a certain extent, the lungs were no longer needed, and gradually atrophied from disuse.

All the salamanders examined lead a more or less terrestrial life; but the peculiar characteristic of reduction of lungs is not confined to terrestrial forms. (Zool. Anz. XIV, Bd., No. 494, 1896.)

Batrachia Found at Raleigh, N. C.-Necturus maculatus. Water Dog. This species is caught by anglers in the spring, and seems scarce, as I have only seen eight specimens so far, none of which measured over 7 inches in total length. Some of them were evidently breeding females.

Amblystoma opacum. Marbled Salamander. Common. They lay their eggs in dry season under logs on the edges of dried-up pools, and the eggs hatch out quickly when the pools fill up again from rain; whether they do this in wet seasons I do not know. Sometimes the larvæ are very abundant, sometimes very scarce. This winter, after a dry autumn, they are abundant. Last winter, after a wet autumn, I found difficulty in securing any. The eggs are laid in

October and November.

Amblystoma punctatum. Quite rare here.

Plethodon glutinosus. Viscid Salamander. Very common under rotten logs in woods.

Manculus quadridigitatus. Tolerably common. This species enters the water in December to breed, and retires to dry land again about February. It seems entirely terrestrial, except when breeding. I took nearly full grown larvæ in May, 1895.

Spelerpes bilineatus. Striped Salamander. Common. This salamander is found in the water, breeding from December to March; the larvæ first appear in May, and do not attain their full growth till a year or more afterwards. Except in the breeding season I believe it to be entirely terrestrial.

Spelerpes guttolineatus. Tolerably common. Found mostly in or around rocky springs or on the edges of rocky brooks, or of the larger streams. They can be taken containing eggs in November; but I have never seen any larvæ that had any sign of belonging to this species.

Spelerpes ruber. Red Triton. Aquatic, though like the next species sometimes found under logs not far from the water. Judging from the varying size of larvæ taken at the same time of year, I think it proba

ble that this species spends at least one whole year, and possibly two, in the larvæ state.

Desmognathus fusca. Brown Triton. Found in all brooks, and is very common. The larvæ attain the adult condition in a shorter time than those of Spelerpes bilineatus, as though they are both hatched about the same time; the larvæ of this species complete their metamorphosis in the autumn or winter following their birth, being then only about one-half the size of larvæ Spelerpes bilineatus of the same age. We get specimens of very varying coloration; some being nearly black, some very light.

Diemyctylus viridescens. Newt. Common in weedy pools. Amphiuma means. Rare. I know of eight adults and twenty-two larvæ having been taken here, all being two-toed specimens.

Bufo americanus.

spring and summer.

Common Toad. Very abundant. Breeds in

Scaphiopus holbrookii. Last May I collected fifty breeding in a pool only a few yards from my house; in every case the grasp of the male was inguinal. The cry was not much louder than that of the common toad. I have occasionally dug them out of the ground.

Hyla versicolor. Common.

Hyla pickeringii. Abundant. Breeds in March and April.

Chorophilus feriarum. Abundant. Breeds in February and March. I have never seen this species except at the breeding season.

Aeris gryllus. Cricket Frog. Abundant. Active all the year round except in the severest weather. This species breeds from April through most of the summer.

Engystoma carolinense. This species is very abundant in the breeding season, which is in July and August, and possibly the two preceding months. Have never seen any except when breeding; I think they are nocturnal.

Common.

Rana pipiens. Leopard Frog. Abundant. Breeds in March. Rana clamata. Spring Frog. Rana catesbiana. Bull Frog. breeds in February and March. Rana palustris. Pickerael Frog. Rare, Only four specimens so far. -C. S. BRIMLEY.

Not as common as the preceding two

The Frilled Lizard.-The report that the Frilled Lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii) inhabiting the tropical parts of the Australian continent, is in the habit of running erect on its hind legs, receives confirmation from W. Saville Kent. Specimens in captivity were

seen by him to run thirty or forty feet at a stretch, in an erect position on their hind legs, and when after resting momentarily on their haunches, to resume a running course. The conformation of the hind foot is such that when running only the three central digits rest upon the ground. Consequently the track made by this lizard in passing erect over wet sand would correspond with such as are left in mesozoic strata by various Dinosauria (Nature, Feb., 1896). Mr. Kent suggests affinities with the latter order; but these do not exist, as Chlamydosaurus is a typical Lacertilian. It is not the only lizard that progresses on its hind legs, as Mr. Francis Sumichrast pointed out several years ago that a species of the Iguanid genus Corythophanes found in Mexico has the same habit.-(ED.)

The Palatine Process of the Mammalian Premaxillary.— While engaged in the study of the comparative anatomy of Jacobson's Organ, Mr. R. Broom came across some interesting facts in connection with the palatine process of the mammalian premaxillary, which he puts on record in the Proceeds. of the Linnean Soc., N. S. W., Vol. X. 1895. From his observations he concludes that the os paradoxum in Ornithorhyncus, the anterior vomer (Wilson) in Ornithorhynchus, the anterior paired vomer in foetal Insectivora, etc. (Parker), the prepalatine lobe of vomer in Caiman (Howes), and the vomer in Lacertilia and Ophidia (Owen, Parker, etc.), are homologues or synonyms of the process under discussion. He therefore suggests the name prevomer, to cover all the designations which the different forms of this ossification has received. (Proceedings of the Linnæan Soc. of N. S. Wales).

New formation of nervous cells in the Brain of the Monkey, after the complete cutting away of the occipital lobes. It is known that the noviformation in the nervous cells in the nervous centres and above all in the brain has not yet received a definite solution. There has been made, however, a number of researches on this important question, but the contradictory results arrived at, have not as yet advanced our knowledge on this subject. On the contrary, the conclusions arrived at by M. G. Marinesen, presented to the Society of Biology in 1894, are that the cells and nervous fibres of the nervous centres do not grow again after their destruction.

In pursuing his studies on the physiology of the occipital lobes, M. Alex. N. Vitzou has discovered the presence of cells and of nervous fibres in the substance of noviformation, in the Monkey, two years and two months after the complete cutting away of the occipital lobes. The entire extirpation of these lobes results, as is known, in a total loss of