Mr. S. W. Silver exhibited a specimen of the New Zealand Frost-fish, Lepidopus caudatus, Günther, and commented upon the causes which had been assigned for the mortality to which this fish was periodically subject. Prof. Stewart, in reviewing published opinions on the subject, suggested the possibility of these fish (which in winter were often thrown up on the beach in hundreds) being attracted by the silvery brightness of the frosted banks, in the same way that birds perished from contact with the lanterns in lighthouses to which they were attracted during their migrations. Prof. Howes thought, from the published remarks of those who had written on the subject, that in some instances at least the fish supposed to be Frost-fish belonged to another species, and some confusion had been thereby created.

Mr. S. W. Silver also exhibited a large specimen of polished Totara-wood from New Zealand as illustrating the ornamental nature of a remarkable native tree which might be turned to good account, but which was being generally destroyed by burning, to clear the ground and save trouble, as was said, to agriculturists.

Mr. George Murray exhibited some calcareous pebbles formed by freshwater Algæ, and, with the aid of the oxy-hydrogen lantern, showed the minute details of structure in specimens from different localities.

Dr. J. D. Haviland exhibited a curious collection of Termites, including living specimens of the White Ant of Borneo, and gave a brief account of their habits. His remarks were criticised by Mr. A. Constable, who offered some observations upon Indian species of Termites.

A paper was then read by Mr. H. N. Ridley on the Cyrtandracea of the Malay Peninsula, illustrated by selected specimens of some of the more remarkable species.

April 18th.-Mr. C. B. CLARKE, F.R.S., President, in the chair. Surgeon-Capt. W. H. Elliot was admitted and Mr. W. Will was elected a Fellow.

In view of the approaching Anniversary Meeting, the election of auditors was proceeded with, when Mr. A. D. Michael and Prof. J. R. Green were nominated on behalf of the Council, and Messrs. E. M. Holmes and H. Groves on behalf of the Fellows.

Mr.T.B. Blow exhibited specimens of the river-weed Mourera fluviatilis, Aublet, from the River Essequibo, with observations on its life-history, and lantern-slides illustrating the natural haunts of the plant.

Mr. J. E. Harting exhibited and made remarks upon a collection of West African Lepidoptera which had been forwarded by Mr. J. T. Studley from Old Calabar, and was to be presented to the Natural History Museum, South Kensington.

Mr. Howard Saunders exhibited a specimen of the European Whitewinged Crossbill, Loxia bifasciata, which had been shot near Enniskillen,

Co. Fermanagh, in February last (Zool. p. 110), and was lent for exhibition by Mr. C. Langham.

Some photographs of English Red-deer heads, showing successive growths of antlers in the same stag, by comparison of the shed horns, were exhibited by Mr. Harting, on behalf of Mr. Lucas, of Warnham Court, Horsham.

Mr. A. Trevor Battye exhibited and made remarks upon a collection of plants obtained during his sojourn last summer upon the island of Kolguev.

A paper was then read by Mr. F. W. Keeble entitled "Observations on the Loranthacea of Ceylon," in which island the author had made a short sojourn in 1894. After remarking that in Ceylon many species of Loranthus have large and conspicuous flowers, with the corolla-tube brightly coloured, more or less tubular, and lobed, he pointed out that certain deviations from the typical regularity of the corolla-tube were correlated with the mode of fertilization of the flower by Sun-birds (Nectarinea), and this was made clear by diagrams and some excellent coloured drawings. Discussing the mode of distribution of the seeds, Mr. Keeble first quoted the views of Engler and Prantl, and the remarks in Kerner's Pflanzenleben' (English edition), on the dissemination of the European Mistletoe, and then detailed his own observations in the case of tropical Loranthacea. The modes of germination of various species of Loranthus and Viscum were then described, as well as the curvature and growth of the hypocatyl, and the effect of contact on the latter, and on its suctorial disc; the paper concluding with some remarks on the forms of fruit and seed of Ceylonese species of Loranthacea.

ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF London.

April 2nd, 1895.-Mr. W. T. BLANFORD, F.R.S., Vice-President, in the chair.

The Assistant-Secretary read a report on the additions that had been made to the Society's Menagerie during the month of March, 1895.

The Acting Secretary, Mr. Howard Saunders, exhibited, on behalf of Lord Lilford, a specimen of the American Wigeon, lately obtained in Yorkshire by Sir R. Payne-Gallwey, Bart., as reported in The Field' of the 9th March last.

Mr. H. E. Dresser exhibited and made remarks on Dr. Radde's types of Picus quadrifasciatus and Lanius obscurior from the Caucasus.

Mr. Holding exhibited and remarked on some horns of cattle which showed a singular variation in colour.

Mr. Boulenger exhibited the type specimens of two new Chameleons from Usambara, German East Africa. Special interest attached to them from the

fact that they appeared to be more nearly related to the Madagascar species than to any of the numerous forms now known from continental Africa.

Mr. Walter E. Collinge read a paper on "The Sensory Canal System of Fishes," treating of the morphology and innervation of the system in the Physostomous Teleostei. Descriptions were given of eight species referable to seven genera in the families Silurida, Esocida, Salmonida, and Murænida.

Dr. St. George Mivart read a paper descriptive of the skeleton in Lorius flavopalliatus, comparing it with that of Psittacus erithacus, and pointed out a number of differences in detail.

Mr. G. A. Boulenger made remarks on some cranial characters of the Salmonoid Fishes, and expressed the opinion that there was no justification for separating Coregonus and Thymallus from the Salmonida as had been proposed by Messrs. Cope and Gill.

Prof. T. W. Bridge read a paper in which he pointed out certain features in the skull of Osteoglossum, and directed special attention to the existence of a peculiar oral masticatory mechanism in Osteoglossum formosum, distinct from that furnished by the upper and lower jaws and their teeth. The existence of an essentially similar mechanism in the Ganoid Lepidosteus osseus was also described, and the conclusion was suggested that the two genera offer in this respect an interesting example of parallelism in evolution.

ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.

April 3rd.-Professor RAPHAEL MELDOLA, F.R.S., President, in the chair.

Mr. C. J. Gahan exhibited two examples, male and female, of a rare Prioned beetle, Chariea cyanea, Serville, which had been kindly sent to him for examination by Mons. René Oberthür, and stated that Lacordaire was mistaken with regard to the sex of the specimen which he described in the Genera des Coléoptères.' He pointed out that the elytra of the male were relatively much shorter than those of the female, and that the joints of the antennæ from the third to the tenth were biramose. Mr. Gahan also exhibited two species of the genus Decarthria, Hope, and said he believed these were the two smallest species of Longicorns known.

Dr. Sharp exhibited the soldiers and workers of a species of Termites found by Dr. Haviland in South Africa. He stated that these insects possessed eyes and worked in daylight like hymenopterous ants, and that in habits they resembled harvesting ants by cutting grass and carrying it into holes in the ground. Dr. Sharp said that although these holes were probably the entrance to the nests, Dr. Haviland was unable to find the actual nest, even by prolonged digging; so that the winged forms were still unknown. He thought this species was probably allied to Termes

viarum of Smeathman, in which the soldiers and workers possessed eyes, and had been observed by Smeathman to issue from holes in the ground, and whose nest could not be discovered. Mr. McLachlan observed that it was possible there might be species of Termites without any winged form whatever.

Mr. Rye called attention to the action of one of the conservators of Wimbledon Common, who, he stated, had been destroying all the aspens on the Common. He enquired whether it was possible for the Entomological Society to protest against the destruction of the trees. Mr. Goss said he would mention the matter to the Commons Preservation Society.

Mr. Francis Galton read a paper entitled "Entomological Queries bearing on the question of Specific Stability." The author said that the information desired referred to:-(1) Instances of such strongly marked peculiarities, whether in form, in colour, or in habit, as had occasionally appeared in a single individual in a brood; but no record was wanted of monstrosities, or of such other characteristics as were clearly inconsistent with health and vigour. (2) Instances in which any one of the above peculiarities had appeared in the broods of different parents. In replying to this question, he said it would be hardly worth while to record the sudden appearance of either albinism or melanism, as both were well known to be of frequent occurrence. (3) Instances in which any of these peculiarly characterised individuals had transmitted their peculiarities, hereditarily, to one or more generations.

Mr. Merrifield stated that he received some years ago, from Sheffield, ova of Selenia illustraria, the brood from which produced, in addition to typical specimens, four of a dark bronze colour, and from these he bred a number of specimens of a similar colour. Dr. F. A. Dixey referred to a variety of the larva of Saturnia carpini with pink tubercles. He said the imago bred from this larva produced larvæ of which ten per cent. had pink tubercles. Professor Poulton said he had found larvæ of Smerinthus ocellatus with red spots, and that this peculiarity had been perpetuated in their descendants.

Mr. G. F. Hampson read a paper by Mr. C. W. Barker entitled "Notes on Seasonal Dimorphism in certain Species of Rhopalocera in Natal." Mr. Merrifield said he was of opinion that a record of the temperature at different seasons would be a very desirable addition to observations of seasonable dimorphism. Mr. Hampson said he believed that temperature had very little to do with the alteration of forms. At any rate, according to his experience, in India the wet-season form succeeded the dry-season form without any apparent difference in the temperature. Professor Poulton remarked that the apparent temperature as felt must not be relied upon without observations taken by the thermometer.

-H. Goss and W. W. FOWLER, Hon. Secretaries.

NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS.

The Anatomy, Physiology, Morphology, and Development of the Blow Fly (Calliphora erythrocephala): a Study in the Comparative Anatomy and Morphology of Insects; with illustrations from original drawings by the Author. By B. THOMPSON LOWNE. 2 vols. 8vo. London: R. H. Porter. 1890-95. THIS work is the result of a series of investigations com. menced by Prof. Lowne in 1868, and continued with brief interruptions to the present time. The two volumes, which have been appearing in parts since 1890, are now completed, and contain 776 pages, illustrated with more than 500 original drawings, and full references to 376 memoirs, which, with three or four exceptions, have been carefully studied by the author. There is a copious index containing more than 3000 references, and as the comparative anatomy of the various parts is given, the work will be found a most useful aid to the study of the anatomy of insects generally, on which subject we know of no book of similar extent.

The preparation of such a large number of illustrations as it contains has naturally made it somewhat costly (the published price being three guineas net), but the possessor of a copy will have at command a veritable multum in parvo, the cream of a small library on insect anatomy, elucidated and supplemented by the author's remarks, the outcome of years of laborious research.

A Year of Sport and Natural History: Shooting, Hunting, Coursing, Falconry, and Fishing; with Chapters on Birds of Prey, the Nidification of Birds, and the Habits of British Wild Birds and Animals. Edited by OSWALD CRAWFURD. With numerous illustrations. 4to, pp. i-xii, 1-331. London: Chapman & Hall. 1895.

UNDER this title Mr. Oswald Crawfurd, the late editor of 'Black and White,' has brought together in most attractive form a series of articles which were contributed by different writers to that journal under the heading "Field Sports and Field Studies." Seasonal phases of sport and natural history for every month of the year are presented in no less than forty-five chapters, all of which are appropriately illustrated, though in some cases the drawing is not always accurate. The sketch of a Short-eared Owl