46 proceedings: biological society 



terrestrial and lacustrine. The fact that the majority of the genera 

 are marine and that this list includes all the more primitive genera 

 points strongly to a marine origin for the group. It also supports 

 the idea advanced by Professor Richters in 1909 that the tardigrades 

 are probably most closely related to the chaetopod worms and should 

 be removed from the class Arachnida in or near which the group is 

 usually placed in our zoological text books. Professor Hay's com- 

 munication was illustrated by charts and diagrams. 



J. N. Rose: Exhibition of Venezuelan plants and fruits. 



Dr. Rose had on exhibition a large tableful of fruits, fruit products, 

 and various articles made of parts of Venezuelan plants. He explained 

 their use and described the plants from which they were obtained. 

 The specimens were obtained for the most part in the vicinity of La 

 Guaira and Caracas. Dr. Rose's communication was discussed by 

 Messrs. H. Pittier, M. W. Lyon, Jr., and others. 



M. W. Lyon, Jr.: Poisonous snakes. 



Dr. Lyon -gave an account of the various specific substances that 

 have been found in snake venoms, and outlined their modes of action 

 on the various tissues of bitten animals. He spoke of the various 

 antiserums that have been prepared against these venoms, and their 

 therapeutic uses. He called attention also to the non-specific treat- 

 ment of snakebites in the light of modern statistics and experiments. 

 He then gave a brief outline of the classification of venomous snakes, 

 and discussed their geographic distribution and the development and 

 structure of the poison gland and fang. His communication was 

 illustrated by lantern slide views of skulls, glands, and fangs of poisonous 

 snakes, of types of poisonous snakes, and of some of the histological 

 changes caused by snake venom. It was discussed by Messrs. A. A. 

 Doolittle, H. Pittier, H. M. Smith, H. E. Ames, and T. E. Wilcox. 



The 562d regular and the 37th annual meeting Of the Society was 

 held at the Cosmos Club, Saturday, December 16, 1916; called to order 

 by President Hay at 8 p.m. with 23 persons present. 



Annual reports of officers and committees were submitted. Elec- 

 tion of officers for the year 1917 resulted as follows: President, W. P. 

 Hay; Vice-presidents, J. N. Rose, A. D. Hopkins, Hugh M. Smith, 

 Vernon Bailey; Recording Secretary, M. W. Lyon, Jr.; Corresponding 

 Secretary, W. L. McAtee; Treasurer, Ned Dearborn; Members of 

 Council, N. Hollister, J. W. Gidley, William Palmer, Alex. 

 Wetmore, E. A. Goldman. President Hay was nominated as vice- 

 president of the Washington Academy of Sciences. 



Ex-president B. W. Evermann then gave an illustrated lecture 

 regarding the present condition of the museum of the California 

 Academy of Science and its aims and aspirations. This was dis- 

 cussed by Messrs. E. W. Nelson and Vernon Bailey. 



M. W. Lyon, Jr., Recording Secretary. 



