Ii6 The Irish Naturalist, June, 
IRISH SOCIETIES. 
ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
Recent gifts include a Guinea Baboon and a Leopard from Captain G. 
Furnell, a pair of Nigerian Lion Cubs from Lieutenant Ackland, a Malabar 
Squirrel from Dr. R. R. Leeper, and a Royal Python from Captain Lefroy. 
A number of animals have been acquired by purchase or deposit, including 
a pair of Pig-tailed Monkeys, two Red Howler Monkeys, a Black Agouti, 
Brazilian and Black Squirrels, a pair of Paradoxures, a Rasse, a pair of 
Persian Jackals, a pair of Ariel Toucans, and a pair of Flamingoes. A 
Tree Porcupine has been born in the Gardens, and the Black-necked 
Swans on the lake have reared two young birds. 
The newly -arrived Nigerian lion -cubs have short hair of a rich brown 
colour, contrasting with the longer-haired, pale-coated specimens born in 
the Dubhn Lion-house. 
DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 
April 9. — The Club met at Leinster House, J. H. Wood worth 
(President) in the Chair. 
N. CoLGAN exhibited living specimens of freshly hatched Actaeonia 
Cocksi, together with living specimens of the adult animal and of the 
closely allied Limapontia capitata. Eggs of both species were also shown, 
those of Actaeonia being in an advanced stage of development, with the 
eyes and body-pigment of the embryos clearly visible through the shell. 
The young Actaeoniae were about i mm. in length and at this early stage, 
with the characteristic tentacular processes as yet quite undeveloped, 
were very similar in aspect to Limapontia. The egg -clusters exhibited 
were of interest as showing the aberrant nature of the development in 
the genus Actaeonia, which alone amongst the opisthobranch mollusca, 
as Pelseneer has shewn, dispenses with the free veliger stage. The 
young Actaeoniae, just 4 days old, had been hatched out from an egg 
cluster taken in a half -tide pool at Bullock, Dublin Bay, on the 2Cth 
March last. 
R. Southern showed a specimen of Grania maricola, an oligochate 
worm obtained in the course of the Clare Island Survey. The 
remarkable character of this species necessitate the creation of a new 
genus, named after the famous chieftainess of Clare Island. The genus 
is characterised by the peculiar arrangement and structure of the setae, 
which are absent in the anterior region of the body. This species is 
also noteworthy as being the first oligochate obtained below low -water 
mark. It was dredged in 24 fathoms in Clew Bay, and has since been 
found in 20 fathoms in Dingle Bay. A full description is published 
in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy (Clare Island Survey), 
vol. xxxi. 
J. N. Halbert exhibited specimens of an interesting kind of mite which 
was found adhering to the bodies of centipedes from Trinidad. The mite 
