AN ACCOUMT OF THE ANNUAL MEETING. 25 



SECTION OF ZOOLOGY. 



In the Thursday session all the |>a])eis listed on the ]»roorani were read 

 with the exception of that of Ti-of. McMni-i-ich. Dr. K. Pearl and Miss 

 Marv H. Bnn* showed that in the conjnjiation of Paranieeinni there is 

 a much stronger tendency for like to mate with like than occurs in the 

 mating of civilized man. witli resjieet to jdiysical characters. Miss Fran- 

 ces J. Dunbar brought out the fact that the addition of a small quantity 

 of bread to a culture of Paramecium condu<ed to ra]»id multiplication of 

 individuals and a healthy condition of the culture. Miss Jean Dawson 

 announced her discovery that the ])ulmonate mollusc Planorbis has a func- 

 tional gill in addition to a luirg'. Mr. Bryant Walker gave a very inter- 

 esting account with figures of his investigations of the variations in the 

 jaws of Succinea OAalis. showing that definite s]>ecific characters which 

 would be of decisive value in systematic work could not be found in this 

 organ. Mr. A. G. Ruthven described the characteristics of the fauna of 

 the region about the l*orcu]>ine Mountains in the I'pper Peninsula, 

 pointing out the relations between the nature of the habitat and the 

 fauna found in a given place. 



Mr. Ellis Michael, in the opening pa])er of the Friday session, gave a 

 summary of our present knowledge of the fish fauna of the State. He 

 called special attention to the need for further work on the subject, and 

 presented a code of working rules for use in the determination of the 

 synonymy. Prof. H. L. T'lark urged u]>on the Academy in general, and 

 the zoological section in jtarticular. the desirability of at once beginning 

 a systematic biological survey of the State. A very thorough dis- 



cussion of the subject followed the reading of this paper. From the dis- 

 cussion it appeared that all present were agreed as to the desirability of 

 such a survey but there was a difierence of opinion as to the practical 

 possibility of carrying it on in a profitable way under existing conditions. 

 A committee of the section, consisting of Mr. Bryant Walker, Prof. H. L. 

 Clark, Prof. W. B. BarroAvs, and ^Vlr. C. C. Adams was appointed to 

 consider the matter and report at the next meeting. Dr. J. E. Duerden 

 gave an interesting account of his results on the relationships of recent 

 fossil corals and actinians. Prof. H. L. Clark presented two papers on 

 snakes, the first dealing with the discovery of a snake new to Michigan 

 and an exhibit of two large living snakes from Oklahoma. The second 

 paj^er comprised a preliminai-y rejtort of his extensive studies on the 

 variability of the common snakes occuring about Olivet. The next two 

 pajjers dealt with phases of the subject of animal behavior. The first 

 of these was a report by Mr. C. F. Curtis Kiley of his work on the behavior 

 of the Agrionidae larvae. Following this Dr. S. J. Holmes gave an account 

 of the phototactic reactions of Banatra. The responses in this form are 

 very definite and throw im])oitan1 light (Ui certain general problems of 

 phototaxis. The final paper of the session was a description, with ex- 

 hibition of specimens by Dr. J. E. Duerden of a curious case of commen- 

 salism in which a crab carries about specimens of the small actinian 

 Bunodeopsis. one being carried in each chela. Pearl. 



4 



