Page:The Zoologist, 3rd series, vol 1 (1877).djvu/372

346 Mr. P. Herbert Carpenter, B.A., orally demonstrated from diagrams the gist of a well-illustrated memoir by him, "On the Genus Actinometra (Müll), with a Morphological Account of a new Species from the Phihppine Islands." In his MS. the author shows the impossibility of adhering to Miiller's classification of the Comatulæ, according to the number of the ambulacra which radiate' from the peristone, and the necessity of extending the limits of Müller's genus Actinometra, so as to include all those forms of Alecto, in which the mouth is eccentric, and which have no place in the genus Antedon as defined by Mr. Norman. Another feature of many Actinometræ is the complete closure of the ambulacral grooves on more or fewer of the posterior or aboral arms, and the entire absence from such arms of a ventral ciliated epithelium, and of the so-called ambulacral nerve beneath it. The rosette of Actinometra presents a more embryonic condition than that of Antedon, the primitive basals undergoing a less complete metamorphosis; but it is closely anchylosed to fine prismatic pieces, which result from more or less complete ossification round the connective tissue-fibres of the synostosis between the centro-dorsal piece and radial pentagon. These pieces, traces of which also occur in Antedon Eschrichtii are closely similar to the fine basals of Solanocrinus costatus of the Wurtemburg Jurakalk, except in the fact that they do not as in Solanocrinus appear on the exterior of the calyx.

In the absence of the author, the Secretary shortly referred to a "Description of Genera and Species of Australian Phytophagous Beetles," by Dr. Joseph S. Baly. In this communication fourteen species, in all, of the genera Triocephala, Rhombostromus, Bucharis, Polyachus and Ditiopidus are treated of.

The title only of Mr. R. Bowdler Sharpe's third part of his "Contributions to the Ornithology of New Guinea" was announced, the author himself not being present.

This was followed by Dr. W.C. M'Intosh's paper, "On the Annelida obtained during the Cruise of H.M.S. 'Valorous' to Davis Strait in 1875."

The specimens were collected by Dr. Gwyn Jeffreys, though barely in such good condition as those received from the 'Porcupine' and 'Osprey' Expeditions. Since the days of Fabricius, the Annelids of the Greenlandic Seas have received unusual attention in comparison with those of other parts, Œrsted, Malmgren, Otto Zorell, Luthen and others having added considerably to the number known. Though, by an unfortunate circumstance, the dredging received a check, and limited the species of marine Polychata to about sixty-eight, yet of this comparatively small number thirteen are new to the Greenlandic area, and in addition nine are new to ecience. As far as at present can be judged by the Annelids, Dr. Jeffreys' opinion, that the Greenlandic Invertebrates are more European than American, is substantiated. Dr. M'Intosh describes in detail the various