Wellington Philosophical Society. 445 



emerges, and throughout the female pupal stage, and only become practical 

 towards the close of the third, or adult, "imago" female stage. 



I suppose this curious arrangement, if it be not unique in Nature, is at 

 least exceptional in the highest degree. It seems contrary to all one's ideas 

 of the fit sequence of things that a male animal should, at the time when it 

 has to perform its functions, be not only incomplete but absolutely devoid of 

 all organs except those for generation ; and should afterwards, when there 

 is no need for it, proceed to develope the remaining principal organs, head, 

 body, legs, and so on. M. Moniez is not himself fully satisfied that he has 

 discovered the full solution of the problem, nor can explain clearly the 

 action of the male on the female larvae enclosed with it. As regards the 

 dormant retention of the reproductive power by the females from their 

 earliest larval stage to their full maturity, that may be to some extent 

 explained, perhaps, on SirE. Owen's theory (Discourse on Parthenogenesis, 

 1849), in which a constant though limited succession of generations can be 

 maintained without the action of the male in every case. This theory 

 proceeds on the retention of the power of reproduction in some of the 

 "nucleated cells" of the first female of the series. In the case, however, of 

 Lecanium hesperidum it is not so much a question of transmission of power 

 as of the repetition of the sexual act in every instance under very peculiar 

 conditions : it is not a case of true " parthenogenesis." But M. Moniez is 

 not sure that the males are to be found in every female Lecanium, and seems 

 to think that there may be parthenogenesis sometimes. Anyhow, the dis- 

 covery which he announces appears to be one of great importance, and 

 deserves to be made known in this country now, even though the full text of 

 his pa2)er has not yet come out. 



Sir James Hector agreed that this discovery was of the highest 

 interest in its bearing on the deep question of the implicit memory 

 involved in generation and the explicit memory evolved in adult growth. 

 He, however, quoted parallel cases to show that it was not altogether 

 an unexpected phenomenon. The essential feature of generation being the 

 absolute death of the sperm or male element, by absorption into the 

 germ or female element, it followed that in its simplest form the sperm 

 never does survive generation. The latency of its influence on the 

 germs, which appears in the case cited, until the female individual 

 reached full development was paralleled by the history of many morbid 

 growths, of which instances were mentioned. He trusted that this discovery 

 would direct renewed attention to this profoundest of all questions in science : 

 of how individual characters and memories of structures modified by habit 

 can be concentrated in the simple sperm cell nucleus, to be again unfolded 

 with unfailing fidelity. 



Mr. Hudson mentioned that the Diptem pupipara exhibited in some 

 degree a parallel to the extraordinary case mentioned by Mr. Maskell, the 

 insect being retained within the body of the mother until developed into a 

 pupa, and then deposited as a large abnormal egg, which soon hatches out 

 into the perfect insect, capable of reproduction. 



The President said that this was a subject of great importance — 

 probably one of the most interesting questions that had ever been brought 

 before the Society. We must await with eagerness the result of further in- 

 vestigation. 



The remainder of the evening was occupied by the ex- 

 amination, under microscopes lent by various members, of slides 

 illustrating the propagation and reproduction of Alga. The 

 following objects were exhibited : — 



Penium margaritaceum, conjugation, with single smooth zygospore. 

 Closterium acerosum, ,, ,, ,, 



Closterium lineatum, ,, with double smooth zygospore. 



Cosmarium stanmorense ,, with spiny globular zygospore. 



