2 PEOCEEDIlSrGS OF THE 



full series wliicli had furnished that gentleman with material for 

 a monograph on the general development of the animal, now in 

 course of publication. Briefly referring to the previous attempt 

 of Pnrker and Thomas to secure material for the study of this 

 subject, he said that the palgeontological discoveries of Credner 

 justified us in regarding the Ehynchocepbalia as ihe most central 

 among terrestrial Vertebrata. He remarked that the specimens 

 had been sent him fur the express purpose of working out the 

 development of the skeleton. Recapitulating the more salient 

 discoveries recently announced by Prof. Dendy, in his preliminary 

 paper m the Proc. Eoyal Soc. and elsewhere, he said, in comment 

 upon them, tbat the plugging of the nostrils by cellular tissue 

 during development is a phenomenon already described by the 

 late T. J. Parker in Jpteryx^ and that it appeared to him akin to 

 that of the occlusion of the oesophagus of the vertebrate embryo 

 first described by Balfour, which De Meuron had sought to asso- 

 ciate with the metamorphosis of the branchial diverticula. He 

 pointed out that Dendy's discovery of a third pair of incisors was 

 confirmatory for the upper jaw of the conclusions of the late 

 Dr. G. Baur, and remarked that he had received a letter from 

 Prof. Dendy, dated Sept. 12th, stating that he and his colleagues 

 at the Antipodes had secured a Government Order protecting 

 the eggs as well as the young of Hatleria. 



Mr. A. P. Grossman, P.L.S., exhibited some photographs illus- 

 trating the case of a chicken hatched and reared by a Common 

 Buzzard. The Buzzard had laid an egg in captivity, and mani- 

 festing a desire to incubate, a hen's egg was substituted, which 

 in due course was hatched and the chicken reared, the foster- 

 parent feeding it upon morsels of flesh. It thus appeared that 

 in a conflict of instinct, under altered conditions of life, the 

 maternal instinct had proved stronger than the natural impulse 

 to kill and devour weaker prey. 



Mr. J. E. Harting remarked that the case was not an isolated 

 one, instances of Buzzards rearing chickens having been previously 

 recorded (Zool. 1881, p. 106), as w ell as several cases of Eagles 

 hatching goose-eggs and rearing the goslings (' Is ature,' April 

 1879, and ' Eield,' Eeb. 1896), 



Messrs. H. & J. Groves exhibited specimens oiNitella liyalina., 

 Agardh, a new Bi'itish plant, and made some remarks on its 

 afiinities and distribution. 



Mr. W. Carruthers, E.E.S., and the President made some 

 observations by way of comment. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. " On Craterostigma pwmilum, Hochst." By Prof. H. 

 Marshall Ward, E.E.S., and Miss Dale. 



2. " On Amphipoda from the Copenhagen Museum and other 

 sources." By the Eev. Thomas E. E. Stebbing, E.L.S. 



