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Show « 887.J DR. SHUFELDT ON THE ANATOMY OF CERTAIN AUKS. 43 many tenanted by other insects in various stages of transformation. Like other spiders, when one meets another there is a fight, which olten ends in the death of both. The spider itself is a very interesting creature. It is about five-twelfths of an inch in length ; its legs are short, strong, and flatfish. The head carries eight simple eyes ; the maxillary palpi of the female are leg-like and hooked. There are four stigmata. The colour is nearly black. The abdomen is not large in proportion to the rest of the body, and bears at its extremity four spinnerets, two large and two small. I send with this paper specimens of the houses and also of the spider. In all cases the houses do not look so well, neither are they so perfect as when fresh cut from the trees; this is partly owing to the shrinking and twisting of the bark in drying. If I can give any other information respecting this spider, or if it would be acceptable to you for m e to send other accounts of personal observation, I shall be pleased to do what I can, according to the limited time I have for this, m y favourite pleasure. 4. Notes on the Visceral Anatomy of certain Auks. By R. W . SHUFELDT, C.M.Z.S. &c. [Received November 12, 1886.] About two years ago the Smithsonian Institution of Washington placed in m y hands for anatomical description a fine collection of bird-skeletons, amounting to nearly a hundred in number, that had been collected by American explorers at different times and at several localities in the Arctic regions. My researches upon this material will quite fill a volume, and are illustrated by several hundred original drawings, the whole being in charge of the Smithsonian Institution for publication. When I received this collection it was accompanied by a few selected alcoholic specimens of Albatrosses and Auks, sent to me with them in order that I might obtain skeletons that were not to be found among the rest of the material, m y work having chiefly to do with the osteology of the groups represented. Among the spirit-specimens of the Auks I found one of each of the two interesting forms known to us as Brachyrhamphus marmoratus and Synthliborhamphus antiquus, or the Marbled Murrelet and Ancient Murrelet respectively. These birds rarely fall into the hands of anatomists in such good condition as these were ; and although I only needed their skeletons for the purpose 1 had in view at the time, I nevertheless took the pains to carefully remove certain parts of their visceral anatomy, and again placing these parts back in the alcohol, I have them now before me for examination. M y surprise was very great to find in these two forms, supposed to be very closely related generically, how very different the corresponding structures and organs occupying the chest and abdomen really were. Some of these differences will be readily appreciated by simply |