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PROCEEDINGS OF IRISH SOCIETIES. 



ROYAI. ZOOI^OGICAI. SOCIETY. 



Sir Robert Bai.1., F.R.S., President of the vSociety, has been appointed 

 to the Lowndesean Chair of Astronomy at Cambridge. The Council has 

 passed a congratulatory resolution, regretting the consequent departure 

 of vSir R. Bail from Dublin. 



Among the animals recently presented to the Gardens are two Genets 

 and a Civet Cat, from V. W. Brown, Esq., and two Guinea Pigs from 

 J. A. Higgens, Esq. The purchases include three Lemurs, a Caracal, a 

 Polar Bear, and two Opossums. 



The Report of the Society for 1891, is of considerable interest. The 

 success in breeding lions, which has long been a marked feature in the 

 gardens, continues. The lioness "Queen," bought in 1883, has had, since 

 then, nine litters, numbering twenty-eight cubs of which only one died. 

 Twenty-five were sold for about ^^1,000, and one male, "Romeo," and one 

 female, are still in the gardens. 



DUBININ MICROSCOPICAI, CIvUB. 



January 21st.— The Club met at Dr. W. Frazer's. Mr. W. F. de V. Kane 

 showed a Trematode {Octodactylus inhaerens, Dal.) from the gills of a Ling. 

 He does not think that this species is rightly identified by Van Beneden 

 as his Plerocotyle pahnata, neither the contour, eggs, nor suckers of the 

 specimen agreeing with Van Beneden's description. 



Mr. G. H. Carpenter showed the palp of a male Tegenaria taken at 

 Glendalough, Co. Wicklow, and described as a new species (T! Jiibernica), 

 by Rev. O. P. Cambridge. The form of the radial apophysis differs from 

 ail known British species of the genus. Its nearest allies, T. nervosa, 

 Sim., and T. larva, Sim., are from the eastern Pyrenees, so it seems likely 

 we have here another iink between the fauna of Ireland and that of the 

 southern and alpine districts of Europe. 



February i8th.— The Club met at Mr. W. Andrews'. Mr. G. Pirn 

 showed a INIould {Myxotrichuni deflexnm). It consists of minute tufts of 

 h3'phae with .short acute branchlets which are deflexed, giving the 

 appearance of a tiny larch tree. The history of the specimen is remark- 

 able. Last autumn Mr. Pim received from Professor Scott a minute 

 Peziza, found growing on a distempered wall at the Royal College of 

 Surgeons. Some of this was sent packed in Sphagmnn, to Rev. H. W. 

 Lett. He could not find the Peziza, which being very fragile, had got 

 lost on the way, but on the Sphagmivi he did find the Myxotrichum. As 

 this mould is usually got on waii-papers, etc., there can be little doubt 

 that it had originated at the College. 



INIr. Kane showed a larva of a parasitic Copepod, Cecrops lotrcillii, which 

 possesses six pairs of elongated appendages besides the three naupliar 

 pairs. He concludes from this that the nauplius stage is very short, and 

 that the animal develops rapidly into a free-swimming copepod. Risso 

 states that it is found in great numbers in the Mediterranean, floating far 

 from land, and unattached to any host. 



Mr. Carpenter showed the terminal abdominal segments of the male 

 Halobates regalis, sp. n., taken by Professor Haddon in Torres Straits. 



Dr. ScharfF showed the aberrant pelagic Opisthobranch, Phyllirhoe 

 bucephaluvi. Per, from the INIediterranean ; the transparency of body of 

 this mollusc makes it an excellent microscopic object, the internal 

 anatomy being clearly visible. A parasitic jeliy-fish {Mnestra parasitica) 

 seems always to be found attached to the anterior region of Phyllirhoe. 



Mr. A. F. Dixon exhibited a vertical radial section through a marginal 

 spherule of Actinia equina. The section showed the spherule to be a club- 

 sliaped, hollow outgrowth of the upper part of the body wall. The outer 

 layer of ectoderm of the outgrowth is entirely made up of nematocysts 



