ART. XXXI.-Brief Contributions to Zoology from the Museum of Yale College. No. XII.-Descriptions of new and imperfectly known Ascidians from New England; by A. E. VERRILL. [Continued from page 100.]

Family, BOTYLLIDE (restricted).

The three divisions established by Milne Edwards among the sedentary compound Ascidians differ so much in internal structure as to entitle them to rank as distinct families: BOTRYLLIDE, including Botryllus and Botrylloides; POLYCLINIDE, containing Polyclinum, Amouroucium, Aplidium, and the allied forms; DIDEMNIDE, including Didemnum, Leptoclinum, and several other related genera.

Botryllus Gouldii Verrill. Figures 14 to 19.

Botryllus stellatus Gould, Rep. on Inv. of Mass., 1st ed., p. 320, 1841 (non Gætn.). Botryllus Schlosseri Binney, in 2nd ed. Gould Inv. Mass., p. 3, Pl. xxiii, fig. 319, 1870 (non Pallas); Dall, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., xiii, p. 255, 1870.

This species commonly forms thick, fleshy, translucent incrustations on sea-weeds and zoophytes, the form which it assumes depending upon the shape of the object. The masses

are often several inches in length and half an inch or more in width. The animals are short oval, as seen at the surface, and

Figure 14.-Botryllus Gouldii Verrill, enlarged one half, showing part of a mass attached to the stalk of a Tubularia.

Figure 15.-One of the animals enlarged 20 diameters: a, anal orifice; b, branchial orifice; c, branchial sac; d, oesophagus; e, stomach; g, anus; o, right ovary. In this cut the stigmata are too few and too distant and the larger longitudinal vessels were accidentally omitted.

Figure 16. --Portion of the branchial sac of an adult individual, enlarged 40 diameters: 1,4 large longitudinal vessels; m, m, large transverse vessels, connected by the small longitudinal vessels between the stigmata, and by the large ones. Figure 17.-Two of the stigmata, enlarged 100 diameters, showing the cilia attached to the inner margin.-(All the figures are from camera-lucida drawings by the author, from Brooklyn specimens).

form circular or elliptical groups, of from five to sixteen or more, surrounding circular or elliptical cloacal openings. The "marginal tubes are numerous in all parts of the common tissue, the enlarged ends appearing as oval or pyriform spots lighter than the ground color. The branchial openings are

small and circular, surrounded by a light halo. The animals differ considerably in form, according to the state of contraction. The anal open

ing is usually considerably more distant from the branchial than in figure 15, and its tube much larger and more divergent. The outer end or branchial side of the body usually projects considerably beyond the branchial opening, as in figure 18. The form of the stomach also differs, and in preserved specimens it is difficult to determine its normal form. Its surface is finely corrugated or irregularly ribbed, with a glandular structure, which is finely granulated.

The colors of the specimens were not very carefully examined during life, but the common tissue is greenish-gray and the animals purplish, with a lighter central spot. When preserved in alcohol the tunic is finely speckled with deep purple, the stomach and ovaries are light yellow. The branchial sac has eight or nine transverse purple vessels, and six or more longitudinal ones that are of the same size and color, with smaller, nearly uncolored ones between (figs. 16, 18). The stigmata are narrow elliptical or oblong (fig. 17). Seen externally the branchial orifice is surrounded by a white spot, and another light spot is situated at the anal opening near the inner end. The marginal tubes are dull yellow, with the enlarged ends often opaque white.

Brooklyn, Long I.,-D. C. Eaton; Charlestown, Mass.,—F. G. Sanborn Salem,-E. S. Morse.

This species appears to be more nearly allied to B. polycyclus of Northern Europe than to B. Schlosseri, but is apparently quite different from both.

Figure 18. Another individual, seen from the left side, and enlarged 10 diameters: a, anal tube; e, stomach; i, ventral duct of the branchial sac; o, left ovary; , one of the "marginal tubes" developing as a bud.

Figure 19. The same bud (r, fig. 18) enlarged 40 diameters: c, branchial sac with seven transverse vessels. faintly developed; the branchial orifice is not formed, but is indicated by a transparent spot surrounded by a faint circle; e, stomach and curved intestine; o, o, ovaries. Some of the purple pigment cells of the tunic are already developed.

[To be continued.]

SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE.

I. CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS.

1. On the synthesis of indigo blue.-The beautiful discovery of the artificial production of alizarin is now followed by that of indigo blue. The path to this discovery was opened by Baeyer, who by the action of a new reducing agent succeeded in forming the first derivative of indigo free from oxygen-indol, and subsequently in preparing this artificially. The same chemist also redu ced isatin to indigo blue, giving thereby further encouragement to the hope of artificially forming indigo blue itself. By the dry distillation of equal molecules of calcic acetate and benzoate, Emmerling and Engler obtained acetophenon, the methyl-ketone of benzoic acid, H ̧. Nitric acid converts this into two isomeric nitro-derivatives, a crystalline body, ¤ ̧H, (N→ ̧), which is not susceptible of transformation into indigo blue, and a reddish yellow syrupy compound with the same empirical formula. As the empirical formula shows, two molecules of this body by losing 2 molecules of water and 2 atoms of oxygen would yield one molecule of indigo blue.

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By using a mixture of zinc-dust and soda-lime at a high temperature, both these changes occurred, the heat serving to remove the water. Afterward it was found that the water might first be expelled by a carefully regulated heat. When small quantities of the mixture are heated over a good Bunsen's lamp, in narrow test tubes, a dark sublimate is formed on the colder parts of the tube, which on heating gives the characteristic violet vapors of indigo blue. The sublimate also gave with lime and ferrous sulphate a solution of indigo-white, which again by oxidation gave the characteristic purple film. The artificial production of indigo-blue, although in extremely small quantity, is thus rendered certain. The authors give for the structural formula of indigo-blue the following scheme: N-CH-¤—CH

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so that it represents the azo-derivative of a peculiar ketone, having the formula:

but not yet prepared. In view of the facility with which azocompounds are converted into hydrazo-compounds, indigo-white will have the formula:

The constitutions of the other bodies belonging to the indigo series will be:

The method given above for the artificial formation of indigoblue does not of course hold out any prospects of success in repla cing the natural by the artificial product, but is certainly to be regarded as one of the highest triumphs of synthetic chemistry.Berichte der Deutschen Chem. Gesellschaft, 3ter Jahrgang, p. 885, (Nov. 28th, 1870).

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2. On the products of the distillation of coal tar having high boiling points.-Among the products of the distillation of coal tar having higher boiling points than anthracene, Gräbe and Liebermann found chrysen CH12. Gräbe has continued the investigation, and has discovered a new hydrocarbon, having the formula €1H, to which he has given the name of Pyren. This hydrocarbon may be isolated by combining it with picric acid, with which it forms a red crystalline mass, having the formula €16H10+H2(NO2),→H. Ammonia unites with the acid and sets free the pyren in the form of colorless leaves which closely resemble anthracen, are soluble in alcohol, benzol, ether and bisulphide of carbon. It melts at 142° C. and distills at a higher temperature than anthracen. Nitric acid readily converts pyrene into nitro compounds. A mixture of potassic chromate and sulphuric acid converts it into pyrene-chinon. Bromine gives two derivatives, 1H,Br2. Br2 and €,H,Br3. Pyrene-chinon is a red powder which is reduced by zinc powder to pyrene, which Gräbe regards as phenylene-napthalin, and for which he gives a complex structural formula.-Berichte der Deutschen Chem. Gesellschaft, 3ter Jahrgang, p. 742.

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3. On a new reaction for Chloroform.-A. W. HOFMANN has given a very elegant process by which one part of chloroform in 5000-6000 parts of alcohol may be detected with certainty. The liquid to be tested is poured into a mixture of aniline with an alcoholic solution of caustic soda. When chloroform is present, on gentle heating a violent reaction takes place, with evolution of the characteristic powerful odor of the isonitril. Bromoform and iodoform give the same reaction as well as chloral, but no other known substances.—Berichte der Deutschen Chem. Gesellschaft, 3ter Jahrgang, p. 769.

W. G.

4. On the homologues of Naphthalin.-FITTIG and REMSEN have succeeded in replacing an atom of hydrogen in naphthalin by an atom of methyl or ethyl, by a process similar to that by which ethyl benzol was formed, that is to say, by the action of

sodium upon a mixture of mono-bromnaphthalin with iodid of methyl or ethyl. Methyl-naphthalin is a colorless, limpid, somewhat thick liquid, with a faint aromatic odor. It is insoluble in water, and boils at 231°-232° C. With fuming sulphuric acid it gives methyl-naphthalin-sulphuric acid, €,H,CH3 ( ᏚᎾ, ᎾᎻ Ethyl naphthalin is also a colorless, limpid liquid. It boils at 251°-252° C., and forms an ethyl-naphthalin-sulphuric acid, which gives a well defined copper salt.-Ann. der Chemie und Pharmacie, clv,

112.

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W. G.

3. On the Spectrum of the Aurora Borealis; by JOHN BROWNING, Esq., (Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, November 11, 1870).-During the display of the Aurora Borealis which occurred on the evenings of the 24th and 25th of October, I confined my attention to observing the spectra of the light, taking it in different parts of the sky. When the spectroscope was directed to the more luminous portions, which were generally of a silvery white, the spectrum appeared to me to consist of only one line. I could not succeed in verifying the position of this line; but it appeared to be situated between D and E in the spectrum. When observing the light of the red portions of the sky, a faint red line became visible. I had no means of verifying the position of these lines with any degree of exactitude; but I was able to throw into the field of view a faint continuous spectrum from a distant light, and also the bright yellow sodium-line produced by a spirit-lamp.

The color of the green line was very peculiar; had I not been able to observe it by comparison, I could not have formed any idea of its position. It was an exceedingly light silvery green, or greenish grey, and often seemed to flicker. Besides the two lines particularly described, I occasionally suspected others, one in the red and one in the blue; but I could not be at all sure of this. The color of the light of the aurora seen over the greater portion of the heavens resembled exactly that of the discharge of electricity from an induction-coil through a vacuum formed from atmospheric air.

II. GEOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY.

1. Geological Survey of Ohio.-The publication of the Report on the progress of the Geological Survey of Ohio for 1869, is announced on page 146. It consists of: I, a Report of Progress by J. S. Newberry, Chief Geologist; II, Report of Progress in the Second District, by E. B. Andrews, Assistant Geologist; and III, Report on the Geology of Montgomery Co., by Edward Orton, Assistant Geologist. A colored geological map, about a foot square, accompanies the volume, and shows many rectifications of former ideas with regard to the rocks. The region of the Cincinnati uplift, which extends east of north from Cincinnati to the eastern end of Lake Erie, and is occupied about Cincinnati by the lowest exposed rocks of the state, the Cincinnati or Hud