144' DUBLIN If ATXTRAL HI8T0ET SOOIETT. 



view of the affinities of the last-mentioned order, he (Dr. Wright) was 

 not disposed to concur, since he saw no reason to dissent from the views 

 of De Quatrefages and others, who proposed to remove these animals 

 from the Echinoderms, properly so called. He did not consider it ne- 

 cessary to occupy the time of the meeting with detailing the various facts 

 brought to light by Professor J. Reay Greene and himself, during their 

 recent toar round the coast, since a summary of these would, ere long, 

 be published in the Reports of the British Association; but he would 

 wish to record the occurrence of the Purple Sea Urchin {Echinus livtdus), 

 in the Cape Clear district, which must now be considered as a well- 

 established southern habitat for this remarkable species. 



Dr. Kinahan was perfectly aware that the opinions adverted to were 

 held by several leading zoologists, but he by no means considered the 

 arguments brought forward on the subject as conclusive or satisfactory, 

 and should, therefore, include both the Holothuridea and Sipunculoidea 

 in the proposed lists, the rather as so little authentic had been published 

 on the matter, owing to the difficulty of procuring information, and the 

 general consequent apathy of naturalists concerning the group. 



Professor J. Reay Greene briefly commented on the question referred 

 to by his friend, Dr. Wright, a question of high anatomical and physiolo- 

 gical import. It amounted, in short, to this — Is the water vascular 

 apparatus which theGephyrea possess strictly identical with the ambu- 

 lacral system of the true Echinodermata ? For his own part, he could 

 not but coincide with the opinion of De Quatrefages and Huxley on the 

 subject. With regard to the Holothuriadeae, he thought it advisable 

 that they should be altogether omitted in the list to which Professor 

 Kinahan had alluded, since he (Professor Greene) was of opinion that 

 the genera and species of Holothuridese inhabiting the British seas had 

 not yet been determined with sufficient accuracy. He would not detain 

 those present with the views which he entertained as to the true mode 

 of subdividing the remaining orders belonging to the same extensive 

 division. These he hoped, eventually, to bring forward in a matured 

 form. In reference to the distribution of these animals, he would 

 observe that, with the exception of the north-west district, there was no 

 part of the Irish coast which had not been carefully examined by either 

 himself or Dr. Wright. 



The President declared the following duly elected as ordinary Mem- 

 bers : — 



Dominick John Corrigan, M. D., M.R.I. A., Dublin; P. L. Pea- 

 cocke, Esq., Dublin. 



The meeting then adjourned till the first Friday in February. 



