REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 53 



the Mineral Water Hospital, on Tuesday evening, Feb. 7, the 

 President in the chair. — Mr. A. Pitman was unanimously elected 

 a member of the Society. — After the reading of the minutes, the 

 President referred to the great loss which the Society had sustained 

 since its last general meeting by the death of Mr. Charles Moore, 

 F.G.S., who was one of its original founders. He thereupon 

 moved a vote of condolence to the widow of their deceased 

 fellow-member, which was seconded and carried. The President 

 (Rev. E. T. Stubbs, M.A.) read the paper of the evening, on 

 " A Species of Lepeophthirus," which he found in the Aquarium 

 at Brighton upon a Bass. The species is apparently hitherto 

 unknown. The history of the Lepeophthirus, a genus of the 

 Crustacea, was sketched in an interesting way, and it was described 

 as a creature which, among many others, is formed not to fill a 

 spot in the world unoccupied or untenanted, but to live and 

 multiply upon the bodies of other animals. Such creatures, known 

 as parasites, form not at all an inconsiderable class among living 

 beings, and many of them are tenanted by other and smaller 

 parasites. The specimen he was describing had been handed to 

 him by the courteous manager of the Brighton Aquarium in 

 August last. It was found by him on the Bass, one of the fishes 

 of the Perch family, and since then Mr. Stubbs had found a very 

 similar creature on the John Dory. He had no doubt that the 

 parasite belonged to the genus Lepeophthirus, of which there are 

 at present six or seven species, the largest being the one frequently 

 found on the salmon, Z. Stromii. The paper entered fully into 

 the history and anatomy of these curious creatures, and was 

 accompanied by some excellent drawings and a large collection of 

 slides. — A discussion followed the reading of the paper, and 

 Mr. Braham referred to the theory of deterioration in the limbs of 

 parasites, consequent upon their inaction. — A cordial vote of 

 thanks was given to the President for his instructive paper. 



The Bath Microscopical Society held a general meeting on 

 Tuesday, March 7th, the President, the Rev. E. T. Stubbs, being 

 in the chair. Arrangements were made for searching the canal for 

 fresh-water Ufe, to be exhibited by several members on the next 

 club evening. Mr. Alfred Allen, one of the Vice-Presidents, read 

 a paper on " Legs of Insects," accompanied by several novel 

 diagrams, in which, by the use of red discs, the remarkable variety 

 of position was shown which these organs occupy in the several 

 orders of the insects. The locomotive organs from the larval 

 state to the condition of the perfect insect were interestingly 



