LINKEAN SOCIETY OF LONDOIT. 7 



vestiges but of service to the animal while encapsulated withm its 

 egg-case. 



Some additional remarks were made by the President. 



Mr. J. E. Harting, F.L.S., exhibited a nearly white variety of 

 Mus rattus recently obtained iu Carnarvonshire, and made some 

 remarks on the difference of haunts and habits in the two species 

 M. rattus and M. decunianus, and on their usual antagonism. In 

 reply to Mr. H. J. Elwes on the question of occasional hybridism, 

 lie stated that no well-established case of the kind liad been 

 recorded, although some years ago Mr. Barrett Hamilton had 

 ■described (Zoologist, ISSS, p. 14:\) a suspected hybrid which was 

 partly brown in colour, partly black, and exhibited some other 

 intermediate characters. He referred to the so-called Irish rat, 

 Mus Jiiber?iicus of Thompson, which was now regarded as a 

 permanent black variety of Mus decunianus not confined to 

 Ireland. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. " A Eevision of the Genus Arenaria.'' Bv F. X. Williams, 

 F.L.S. 



2. "On the Histology of the Salivary, Buccal, and Harderian 

 Glands of the Colubridce, with Notes on their Tooth-succession 

 and the Eelationships of the Poison-duct." By G. S. West, 

 A.R.C.S. (Communicated b}'^ Prof. Howes, Sec, L.S.) 



March 3rd, 1898. 



Dr. St. Geoege Mivaet, F.E.S., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed. 



Mr. Frank Tufuail was admitted, and Dr. Charles Symes and 

 Prof. Arthur Mead Edwards were elected Fellows of the Society. 



Mr. Thomas Christy, F.L.S., exhibited specimens of the Mora 

 Nut of British Guiana {Dimorphandra Mora, Schoinb.), of which 

 Borne had been lately introduced into London by Colonial brokers 

 as the Kola Nut {Cola acuminata). It appeared, however, on 

 anal) sis that the former contains no Caffeine, a product for 

 which the latter is of definite commercial value. It remained to 

 be ascertained wnether the Mora Nut has any economic value. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. " Observations on the Structure and Morphology of the 

 Cranial Nerves and Lateral Sense-organs of Fishes, with special 

 reference to the Genus Gadus." By Frank J. Cole. (Com- 

 municated by Prof. W. A. Herdmau, F.RS., F.L.S.) 



2. " On the Occurrence of Gar ex helvola in Britain." By 

 George Claridge Drnce, F.L.S. 



3. " On some Arctic Spiders collected in Franz Josef Land 

 during the Jackson-IIarmsworth Polar Exj)editiou." By the Bev 

 O. P. Cambridge. (Communicated by A. D. Michael, F.L.S.) 



