380 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OP GLASGOW. 



also sent for exhibition two illustrated Japanese books dealing 

 with the subject of marine algae. 



Mr. John Paterson, Vice-President, on behalf of Mr Charles 

 Kirk, exhibited the following birds : — (a) the Waxwing, Ampelis 

 garrulus (L.), from Caldercruix • (b) an Albino Hedge-Sparrow, 

 Accentor modularis (L.), from Bellshill ; (c) the Greenshank, 

 Totanus canescens (Gmelin.), from Islay. 



Mr. Patersom also exhibited a specimen of the Glass-rope 

 Sponge of Japan, Hyalonema sieboldi, (Gray.) 



Mr Peter Macnair exhibited (a) a fine specimen of 

 Metacrinus rotundus, P. H. Carpenter, a crinoid from Japan ; 

 (b) a stalked young specimen of Comatula rosacea, Link. This, 

 which is only a larval stage of Comatula, was originally believed 

 to be a distinct species, and as such, was named Pentacrinus 

 europceus J. Vaughan Williams ; (c) a case of Fossil Crinoids 

 from silurian and local carboniferous strata. 



Mr. James Rankin, M.B., CM., B.Sc, Glasgow University, 

 read a paper descriptive of a Mite, Glyciphagus spinipes, Koch., 

 found infesting furniture, and illustrated his remarks with 

 lantern slides and microscopic preparations. After an outline 

 of the anatomy of the Arachnida, Dr. Rankin stated that a 

 short time ago there had been sent to him at the University 

 some specimens of a small animal which had been found in 

 considerable numbers infesting furniture which had been 

 recently purchased. The furniture was of oak, stuffed with 

 horsehair, and covered with leather. These animals proved to 

 be Mites, and he had identified them as Glyciphagus a?isor, 

 Gervais, and G. spinipes, Koch. The generic name was given 

 to these Mites by Hernig, who found them on sugar-coated 

 prunes. The Mites are about the fiftieth part of an inch in 

 length, and may be recognised by the absence of a transverse 

 groove on the body between the second and third pairs of 

 limbs, by the fact that the limbs are the tint of an onion, 

 by the spiny processes on the limbs, and by the numerous 

 long hairs on the body, the posterior ones being specially long, 

 and nearly all having closely adjusted secondary hairs. They 

 are found on Cantharidce, in collections of insects, in hay and 

 straw, and in damp cellars, especially on moulds. Although the 

 first-named is a domestic pest in many places, in the present 



