98 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



conformation. Omitting, however, the question of their antiquity, 

 he confined himself to instituting a comparison between them and 

 an extensive series of crania from difierent countries, wliich he had 

 on the table. The peculiarities of the Neanderthal cranium were 

 shown to exist in other crania, although not to the same degree, 

 and there was no ground for admitting that it was anything but a 

 genuine human cranium. With respect to the degree of intellect 

 which the owner of this peculiar skull possessed, nothing could be 

 inferred, as classification of the brains and nervous system of 

 animals would never give a scale of intelligence. Dr Scouler 

 also exhibited an interesting collection of fossil boues from 

 Gibraltar. 



PAPER READ. 



On Porcellidmrn fimhriatum of Claus. By Mr David Robertson. 



This entomostracan, which is new to Britain, and was only last 

 year introduced as new to science, I have been well acquainted 

 with for the last four or five years. The specimens which I now 

 exhibit were mounted on the slide as far back as 1859. I had 

 sent specimens to several parties who are interested in various 

 branches of the small Crustacea, but as little was known of the 

 family in this country, and that scattered among periodicals, 

 there was nothing conclusive come to regarding it till this autumn, 

 when the Rev. Alf. M. Norman wrote me stating that he believed 

 one which I had sent him was of this species. On referring 

 to Glaus' Fig. of the animal, there was no difficulty in identi- 

 fying it. There is one feature in the arrangements of its 

 segments I may notice, which seems to separate it from all the 

 members of the family in which it is placed. That is, the fourth 

 segment is prolonged into two hooks, one on each side; whereas 

 in allied genera it is the fifth segment that is so jDrolonged. 

 It is a tenacious sucker. Wlien fixed to the side of the vessel 

 in which I had it placed, I have had sometimes to rub a little 

 spirits on the brush to get it removed. I take it with the dredge 

 at Cumbrae, in a few fathoms of water, generally on Melobesia 

 and old shells, among the roots of Laminaria saccharina. 



