shift their quarters from year to year. On Aug. 3rd we both observed an adult Lesser Tern (S. minuta) rise from a cockle-bed in Broad Bay, Stornoway.--JOHN H. TEESDALE (St. Margaret's, West Dulwich).

The Sanderling in Australia.-In the middle of July, 1894, when out for a stroll along the beach, I had a family shot among a party of waders a mile or two south of Point Cloates (which is situated at the base of the North-West Cape peninsula). I picked up eight Turnstones, Strepsilas interpres, two Little Sandpipers, and two other waders, which lacking the hind toe at once caught my attention. None of my books here containing any reference to the Sanderling, Calidris arenaria, I made a skin of one of my specimens, and forwarded it to Mr. A. J. Campbell, of Melbourne, who in turn sent it to Colonel Legge. He replies :-“ Calidris arenaria iu abraded plumage, with new winter feathers coming on back and wings." From Mr. Campbell's note in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Victoria,' it seems that only one other occurrence of the species has been noted here, namely, in New South Wales. Probably the bird visits these shores more often than is suspected.-THOMAS CARTER (Point Cloates, viâ Carnarvon, West Australia).

[This occurrence is noteworthy, for Mr. Seebohm, in his fine quarto work on the Geographical Distribution of the Charadriida and Scolopacida, makes no mention of the occurrence of the Sanderling in Australia. But so long ago as April, 1844, two examples of this bird were obtained by John Macgillivray in Sandy Cove, N. S. Wales, and are preserved in the Derby Museum, Liverpool (cf. Newton in Records of Australian Museum,' vol. ii. p. 22; and Nature,' 23rd June and 7th July, 1892.—ED.]

SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.

LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON.

May 2nd, 1895.-Mr. C. B. CLARKE, F.R.S., President, in the chair. Prof. J. W. Carr and Mr. W. Will were admitted Fellows, and Drs. C. Nordstedt, of Lund, Rudolph Philippi, of Santiago, and M. Woronin, of St. Petersburg, were elected Foreign Members.

Mr. H. M. Bernard showed under the microscope the circumscribed patches of setæ above and below the stigmata on the pupa of the Vapourer Moth, Orgyia antiqua. The arrangement suggested a vanished notopodium just where in the Hexapods a dorsal branch of a parapodium ought to have vanished, according to the exhibitor's method of deducing the different groups of the Arthropoda from their Annelidan ancestors, as sketched in his recent paper on the Galeodida.

Mr. E. M. Holmes exhibited some new British Algæ from Dorsetshire and Sussex; amongst others Ulvella confluens and Ectocarpus Reinboldi,

both discovered last month at Weymouth, and the latter previously known only from the Baltic.

Mr. J. E. Harting exhibited and made remarks on a specimen of Cuculus canorus in the rare hepatic plumage (Cuculus hepaticus, Sparmann), recently obtained at Bishop's Waltham, Essex.

Mr. W. T. Thiselton Dyer, C.M.G., then gave an abstract of a paper by the late Mr. John Ball, F.R.S., "On the distribution of Plants on the southern side of the Alps," prefaced by some account of the author's life and special work in relation to the alpine Flora.

May 24th

Anniversary Meeting. Mr. C. B. CLARKE, F.R.S., President, in the chair.

The Rev. A. Thornley and Mr. Rudolf Beer were admitted Fellows of the Society.

The Treasurer presented his Annual Report, duly audited, and the Secretary having announced the elections and deaths during the past twelve months, the usual ballot took place for new members of Council. The following were elected:-Prof. J. B. Farmer, Mr. A. Gepp, Prof. Howes, Dr. St. G. Mivart, and Mr. A. S. Woodward.

On a ballot taking place for the election of President and Officers, Mr. Charles Baron Clarke was re-elected President; Mr. Frank Crisp, Treasurer; Mr. B. D. Jackson, Botanical Secretary; and Prof. G. B. Howes, Zoological Secretary.

The Librarian's Report having been read, and certain formal business disposed of, the President delivered his Annual Address, prefaced by some remarks on the present position of the Society. On the motion of Sir Joseph Hooker, seconded by Dr. John Anderson, a vote of thanks was accorded to the President, with a request that he would allow his Address to be printed.

The Society's Gold Medal was then formally awarded to Prof. Ferdinand Cohn, of Breslau, and was received on his behalf by Mr. B. D. Jackson for transmission through the German Embassy.

The President having called attention to the retirement of the Zoological Secretary, Mr. W. Percy Sladen, after holding office for ten years, an announcement which he felt sure would be received with universal regret, it was proposed by Mr. Carruthers, seconded by Mr. Crisp, and supported by Mr. Charles Breeze, "That the Fellows of this Society, regretting the retirement of Mr. Walter Percy Sladen from the post of Zoological Secretary, which he has occupied for the past ten years, desire to record upon the Minutes of the Society's Proceedings an expression of their high appreciation of the services which he has rendered to the Society, and of the very able manner in which he has at all times discharged the duties of his office."

This resolution, having been put, was carried unanimously, and after a sympathetic reply from Mr. Sladen, the meeting adjourned to June 6th.

In the evening a number of Fellows of the Society dined together at the Grand Hotel, Charing Cross, the President occupying the chair, and being supported by several distinguished visitors.

ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.

May 7th, 1895.-Sir W. H. FLOWER, K.C.B., F.R.S., President, in the chair.

The Secretary read a report on the additions to the Society's Menagerie during the month of April, and called attention to two specimens of the Irish Stoat, presented by Viscount Powerscourt; also to two Polar Hares from Norway, presented by Mr. O. Gude; and to specimens of the peculiar Parrakeet of Antipodes Island, Cyanorhamphus unicolor, presented by the Countess of Glasgow, Sir Walter E. Buller, and Mr. W. E. Collins.

A letter was read from Dr. F. A. Jentink concerning a Monkey lately described as Cercocebus aterrimus, of which the type had been acquired by the Leyden Museum. Dr. Jentink considered this Monkey to be the same as Cercocebus albigena, Gray.

Mr. J. H. Gurney exhibited and made remarks on a rare Kingfisher, Alcedo beavani, obtained in Ceylon by Mr. A. L. Butler.

Mr. G. F. Scott Elliot made some remarks on the fauna of Mount Ruwenzori, in British Central Africa. He stated that Elephants occur in great numbers on the east side of the mountain. There were also many still living, and vast stores of ivory, in the Congo Free-State, just beyond. the south-west corner of the English sphere of influence. He pointed out the presence of the Hippopotamus in the Albert-Edward Nyanza, and its abundance in the Kagera River. It was found frequently in the country of Karagwe, usually near the marshy lakes leading to the Kagera. On the alluvial plains about the east of Ruwenzori Jackson's Hartebeest, Bubalis jacksoni, the Kob, Cobus kob, and another Waterbuck (perhaps of a new species) were common. No Buffaloes were seen. A Bushbuck also occurred on Ruwenzori, from 7000 to 8000 feet. Of Monkeys he had noticed the presence of a black and white Colobus, which he could not identify, and of at least two other species, probably a Cercopithecus and a Baboon. Some small Mice brought home had not yet been identified. Leopards were numerous, and Lions were also common on the lower grounds. Two species of Sunbird were brought back, one of which ascends to 11,000 feet on Ruwenzori. Mr. Scott Elliot concluded by remarking that the general idea of distribution gathered from the flora seemed to confirm such data as he could gather from the fauna of the country which he traversed during his journey.

Messrs. F. E. Beddard and P. Chalmers Mitchell made a communication on the structure of the heart in the Alligator, as observed in specimens that had died in the Society's Menagerie.

Mr. Chalmers Mitchell described the anatomy of the Crested Screamer, Chauna chavaria, pointing out some resemblances between the alimentary canal of that bird and the Ostrich, and giving a detailed comparison of the structures of Chauna chavaria and Palamedea cornuta.

A communication was read from Dr. Percy Rendall containing fieldnotes on the Antelopes of the Transvaal.

Dr. St. George Mivart read a paper on the skeleton of Lorius flavopalliatus as compared with that of Psittacus erithacus.

May 21st. Lt. Col. GODWIN-AUSTEN, F.R.S., V.-P., in the chair.

Mr. Sclater made some remarks on the Zoological Institutions he had recently visited in Egypt, namely, the new Zoological Garden at Gizeh, the Zoological Museum in the Government Medical School at Cairo, and the Ostrich-farm at Matarieh.

Mr. Howard Saunders exhibited and made some remarks on a Duck, believed to be a hybrid between the Wigeon and some other species undetermined, which was shot on the Moy Estuary, Co. Mayo, last winter.

Dr. R. Bowdler Sharpe gave an account of the ornithological collection made by Dr. Donaldson Smith, during his recent expedition into Somaliland and Gallaland, containing about 500 specimens, referable to 182 species, of which twelve were new to science.

Mr. G. A. Boulenger read a synopsis of the genera and species of Apodal Batrachians, and gave a description of a new genus and species proposed to be called Bdellophis vittatus.

Lt. Col. H. H. Godwin-Austen read a list of the Land-Molluscs of the Andaman and Nicobar groups of islands in the Bay of Bengal, and gave descriptions of some new species, together with a complete account of the distribution of all the species in the various islands of these two groups.

A communication was read from Dr. J. Anderson, containing the description of a new species of Hedgehog from Somaliland, which he proposed to name Erinaceus sclateri.

A communication from Mr. R. Lydekker contained notes on the structure and habits of the Sea-Otter, Latax lutris.

A communication was read from Dr. B. C. A. Windle containing remarks on some double malformations observed amongst fishes.

Mr. F. E. Beddard read a paper on the visceral and muscular anatomy of Cryptoprocta, dealing chiefly with the brain, alimentary canal, and muscles of this Carnivore.-P. L. SCLATER, Secretary.

ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF London.

May 1st.-Prof. RAPHAEL MELDOLA, F.R.S., President, in the chair. Mr. Oswald H. Latter was elected a Fellow; and Dr. C. G. Thomson, of the University, Lund, Sweden, was elected an Honorary Fellow, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Pastor Wallengren.

Mr. H. St. J. Donisthorpe exhibited a variety of Rhagium bifasciatum, a longicorn beetle, taken in the New Forest, in which the elytra were of a light testaceous colour.

Mr. Waterhouse exhibited a living larva of a longicorn beetle found in a boot-tree which had been in constant use by the owner for fourteen years, the last seven of which were spent in India. The specimen was brought to the British Museum on May 6th, 1890, and was put into a block of beech wood, in which it had lived ever since; it did not appear to have altered in any way during these five years. It had burrowed about eight inches, and probably made its exit accidentally. Mr. Blandford referred to a similar case which had come under his notice.

Mr. C. G. Barrett exhibited a long series of the dark and stronglymarked varieties of Agrotis cursoria and A. tritici, taken on the sandhills of the north-east coast of Scotland by Mr. Arthur Horne, of Aberdeen.

Mr. Dale exhibited a specimen of a Sesia, supposed to be a new species, from the New Forest.

Mr. O. E. Janson exhibited a remarkable species of Curculionidæ from the island of Gilolo, having exceedingly long and slender rostrum, antennæ, and legs; it was apparently an undescribed species of the genus Talanthia, Pascoe.

Mr. Nelson Richardson called attention to a paper by himself, in the 'Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club,' on the subject of Dorset Lepidoptera in 1892 and 1893.

Mr. W. L. Distant communicated a paper "On a probable explanation of an unverified observation relative to the family Fulgorida." In this paper the author cited the expressed opinions of certain naturalists as to the luminous properties of some species of this family. In the discussion which ensued Mr. Blandford said he thought further evidence was required on the subject of the alleged luminosity in the Fulgoride before the statements contained in Mr. Distant's paper could be accepted.

Mr. J. J. Walker, R.N., contributed "A Preliminary List of the Butterflies of Hong-Kong, based on observations and captures made during the winter and spring of 1892-1893." Prof. Meldola commented on the interesting character of the paper from an entomological point of view, and the value of the observations therein on the geology, botany, and climate of Hong-Kong.-H. Goss, Hon. Secretary.