Page:The Zoologist, 3rd series, vol 1 (1877).djvu/55

Rh Mr. A. Peckover exhibited and made a few remarks on two skins of the young of the Madagascar insectivore, Hemicentetes nigriceps, Günth., and on a series of insects from the same island, collected by Mr. A. Kingdon, near Antananarivo.

Mr. E.D. Crespigny showed a specimen of the Umbelliferous plant, Tordylium maximum, Linn., obtained near Tilbury Fort, a locality where it had disappeared for a considerable length of time.

November 16, 1876.—Prof. President, in the chair.

Messrs. J.C. Oman, R.H. Peck, and D.G. Rutherford were duly elected Fellows.

Mr. H.N. Moseley, of H.M.S. 'Challenger,' read a paper on the Flora of Marion Island. This island possesses considerable interest from its isolation and being within the Antarctic drift. It is about 1000 miles from the African continent, 450 from the Crozets, 1200 from the desolate Kerguelen Island, above 2000 from Tristan D'Acunha, and 4500 from the Falklands, to which, nevertheless, its Flora appears related. It is of volcanic origin and snowclad. The rocks at half-tide are covered with Darvilea utilis, above high tide Tillæa moschata is found in abundance, and beyond the beach a swampy peaty soil covers the rocks, where there is a thick growth of herbage; this is principally composed of species of Acæna, Azorella, and Festuca, the first of these three being the most abundant plant on the island, though the latter grass is by no means scarce. The cabbage-like plant, Pringlea antiscorbutica, is less profuse than at Kerguelen's Land. Some of the Ranunculus group are met with at water-pools near the sea; four kinds of Ferns were obtained, Lomaria alpina being the most numerous. Lichens are scarce, but Mosses in plenty form yellow patches, which stand out conspicuously midst the green vegetation, which rises to an altitude of probably 2000 feet. From the occurrence of Pringlea on Marion Island, the Crozets, and Kerguelen Island, and the existence of fossil tree-trunks on the two latter, the author surmises an ancient land-connection between them.

Mr. Moseley exhibited some insular floral collections in illustration of his paper and of the various parts touched at by the 'Challenger.' He also called attention to a series of volumes and pamphlets on Natural History obtained by him in Japan.

A memoir on the birds collected by Prof. Steere (Michigan, U.S.) in the Philippine Archipelago was read by Mr. R. Bowdler Sharpe, and numerous coloured drawings of the new and rare forms were exhibited and commented on. Although it is but lately that Lord Tweeddale's remarkable monograph on the Philippine birds was published, with immense additions to the Avifauna, yet Prof. Steere's collection has yielded over sixty hitherto unknown species. Many novelties may therefore still be