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Katural History Society of Glasgow. — On 2nd, of July, 1851, a number of gentlemen formed 

 themselves into a society, under the name of "The Natural History Society of Glasgow " the 

 objects of which are to encourage the pursuit of Natural History in all its branches and to 

 foster a love of this science, by meetings for the exhibition of specimens, both native and foreign 

 the -reading of communications, and excursions for mutual improvement. 



John Scouler, M. D., L. L. D., F. L. S., Lecturer to the Natural History Society of Dublin 

 is Honorary President, William Gourlie, Esq,, President, and W. B, Lorrain, M. D. Vice- 

 President, for the present season. 



At a special meeting held on 9th. July, Dr. Scouler read a paper "On the Symmetry of 

 Plants and Animals." He observed that the great distinction between plants and animals 

 consists, as Aristotle has long since observed, in the presence of sensation in the one class and 

 its absence in the other. The functions of the plant were of two kinds only — nutritive and 

 reproductive; while in the animal there was, in addition, a complicated apparatus of sensation and 

 locomotion, connected by the central part of the nervous system. In vegetables the symmetrical 

 arrangement of parts was consequently more simple than in animals, having no relation to 

 locomotion. In the vegetable the parts were disposed in a spiral line, or radiated from a central 

 axis, and hence could not be considered as bilateral. A flower, for example, had neither a rio-ht 

 and a left side, nor anterior and posterior parts. On the contrary, in the animal kingdom there 

 was always an anterior part, indicated by the position of the mouth, and having near it the 

 chief nervous mass, whether a brain or a ganglion, and also the principal organs of sense. By 

 ascertaining the position of the mouth, we had, therefore, a certain means of reoognisino- the 

 anterior extremity, and by this means, as Agassiz had well shown, we could recognise the 

 posterior extremity and the right and left side ; consequently the bilateral symmetry even of the 

 radiated zoophytes, as the Sea-urchin and the Sea-star. Dr. S. continued, that the same kind 

 of investigation when extended was sufficient to prove the existence of this bilateral symmetry 

 throughout the animal kingdom, although it became obscure in proportion as the animal was 

 deprived of active locomotive powers, or enclosed in a shell. Of the greater or less distinctness 

 of the bilateral symmetry in proportion to the proportion of locomotion, we had examples in the 

 Cirripeds and the Lerncea, in which the young animals were perfectly bilateral, and furnished 

 with ambulatory feet, while in the adult females, permanently fixed to foreign substances or 

 to the bodies of other animals, almost every vestige of symmetry was lost. Nevertheless even 

 in zoophytes of very limited locomotive powers, we could still trace the bilateral sjTnmetry. 

 Even in the Actinia the foot was divided into two lateral portions, and in the allied genus of 

 Fungia we observed this division even in the coral or polypiary formed by the animal. 



At the first ordinary meeting, held on the 5th. August, Mr. John Gray read a paper "On 

 the Hydrocanthari of the West of Scotland." This paper is retained in the meantime, at the 

 author's request, for the insertion of additional species. 



Mr. Egbert Gray gave an interesting account of an excursion made by himself and Mr. 

 J. P. Eraser in July, to the shores of East Lothian and Berwickshire, including a visit to the 

 Bass Rock; illustrating the geological remarks with a numerous suite of fossils. At Dunbar 

 Mr. G. noted the interesting fact that the Coalfish, or Sethe, ( Merlangus carbonarius,) is, at 

 certain seasons at least, of very voracious habits. During the Herring-fishery at that town, it 

 had taken the place of Acanthias vulgaris, (the Common Dogfish,) a most destructive enemy to 

 industrious fishermen, as it devours the Herrings, besides destroying the nets. (This occurrence 

 is detailed in "The Naturalist," for November, 1851.) On the 21st. the party rambled along 

 shore, and examined a raised beach of some extent, about sixteen or twenty feet above the usual 

 level. This "ancient sea margin" was full of the usual objects to be found on the sea-shore, 

 and contained besides a number of Helices, or Snail shells, which had obviously been buried at 

 the same time with the others. The whole mass had become quite black, and strongly matted 

 with roots of grass, etc. Part of the same day was devoted to collecting fossils, in which various 

 parts of the shore abound. These have been alluded to by Mr. W.-Eerguson, in his Geological 

 Monograph, recently published in "The Naturalist," and consist chiefly of Encrinites of two 

 or three species, including one pear-shaped, and the remains of shells and corals. Many specimens 

 were noticed which were finely branched, and one or' two little moimds in the bed were entirely 

 composed of fragments of tentacula, or arms, some of which were not thicker than threads. 



