297 



May 25th, 1883. — Ordinary Meeting. 



Dr. M. C. Cooke, M.A., A.L.S., President, in the Chair. 



The minutes of the preceding meeting were read and confirmed. 

 The following gentlemen were balloted for, and duly elected members 

 of the Club :— Mr. T. E. Barratt, Mr. C. A. Drake, Mr. G. E. Mainland, Mr. 

 H. C. Mais, and Mr. W. R. Sharer. 



The following donations to the Club were announced : — 



" Proceedings of the Linnean Society " ... From Mr. T. C. White. 

 " Proceedings of the Belgian Microscopical ) 



Society" ] » theSoci£ ty- 



"Science Gossip '' ... ... ... ... ,, „ Publisher. 



" The Analyst '' ,, „ Editor. 



'• The American Naturalist " ... ... ... In .exchange. 



" The American Monthly Microscopical \ 

 Journal' 3 ... ... ... ... ) 



"Van Heurck's Belgian Diatoms " ... ... Purchased. 



" Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science " „ 



" Annals of Natural History " ... ... ... „ 



"Cole's Studies in Microscopical Science"... ,, 



One Slide —Section of Kawri Pine from New') From Mr niark: e 

 Zealand ... ... ... ... ) 



The thanks of the Society were unanimously voted to the donors. 

 The Secretary said they would no doubt be pleased to hear something of 

 one of their members, Dr. Whittell, who had recently returned to Australia, 

 and had forwarded thence a newspaper containing a report of a paper, 

 which he had read at Adelaide, " On a Compound Ascidian." This news- 

 paper also contained an account of a discussion which had taken place at a 

 meeting of the Farmers' Association on seed pickling as a means of keeping 

 wheat from the attacks of fungi. 



The Secretary then read the following extracts : — 



" Mr. H. Whittell, M.D., then read a paper on the ' Dissection of a 

 Compound Ascidian,' which he believed to be undescribed, and of which 

 he had recently found two specimens near the Glenelg Jetty. Each animal 

 of the composite structure had a separate opening through the external 

 test, and the pharyngeal sac admitted of such easy separation as to afford 

 a perfect view of its structure. A peculiar feature of this sac is that in 

 addition to the usual leaf-like expansions at the mouth there are to be seen, 

 just within the cavity, a large number of long curling tentacles, which, 

 like those of polyzoa, are evidently retractile. In a few of the best 

 examples some of these can be seen protruded some distance through the 

 mouth. Within the deeper parts numerous young embryos are found. 

 These all have long tails, which disappear as the animal advances in deve- 

 lopment. It was explained that in some ascidians the tail remains 

 permanent, and that many naturalists believe that the close resemblance 

 between these forms and some of the lowest types of fish justified the 



