2 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE 



innocuous to man had proved fatal to some of the lower animals, 

 he mentioned in support of the converse case that the berries of 

 the yew and privet, which are generally considered to be poisonous 

 to man, were greedily eaten by blackbirds, thrushes, bulliinches, 

 and other birds ; while, on the other hand, several cases were on 

 record of pheasants having been poisoned by eating yew-leaves. 

 The immunity of goats from yew poisoning was remarkable in 

 view of the fact that deer and cattle died after eating the leaves 

 of that tree, although it had been stated that the ill effects were 

 due to the leaves having been eaten in a desiccated state, and not 

 while growing on the ti'ee. 



A discussion followed in which Messrs. E. M. Holmes, Thomas 

 Christy, A. W. Bennett, J. B. Carruthers, Eevs. F. Walker and 

 T. E. E. Stebbing took part. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. " On the Comparative Anatomy of certain Species of Ence- 

 phalartosr By W. C. Worsdell, P.L.S. 



2. " On a Collection of Brachyura from Torres Straits." By 

 W. T. Caiman, D.Sc. (Communicated by D'Arcy W. Thompson, 

 F.L.S.) 



December 7th, 1899. 



Dr. Albert C. L. Gt. Gunthee, F.E.S., President, in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed. 



Messrs. Greorge A. Gammie, James Scott Grordon, Henry 

 St. John Jackson, Henry Edward Heath Smedley, and Thomas 

 William Woodhead were elected Fellows of the Society. 



Dr. Otto Stapf, A.L.S., exhibited specimens of Malayan and 

 African species of Kickxia, Blume, to show the differences which 

 exist between the two forms. These differences were noticeable 

 in the shape and size of the corolla, the insertion and general 

 relation of the stamens to the tube of the corolla, the placenta- 

 tion, the structure of the fruit, and the general habit of the 

 plants. As the name Kickxia would have to be retained for the 

 Malayan species, he pi*eposed the name Funtumia for the African 

 species, from Fantum, a vernacular name for F. elastica. He 

 further pointed out, by means of flowering and fruiting specimens 

 of F. africana, Stapf {Kickxia africana, Benth.), and of F. elastica 

 {Kickxia elastica, Preuss), that the latter, and not the former 

 (as was originally assumed), was the source of the so-called Lagos 

 rubber, thus confirming the conclusion to which Dr. Preuss had 

 •come with regard to the origin of this rubber. 



