26 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



characters peculiar to this fish in its native habitat disappear 

 when it is removed to other localities. 



In Systematic Zoolof^y we have had before us the completion 

 of two great works tliat already have in part appeared in our 

 ' Transactions,' — I refer to the fifth and last part of the Eev. A. 

 E. Eaton's Monograpli of tlie Ma\ flies, in which he has added 

 5 new genera and GS new species to the Ephenieridge, and to the 

 third and concluding part of the Monograph of r( cent Brachio- 

 poda, the last work of Dr Thos. Davidson, whose memoirs on 

 the fossil as well as on the recent Mollusca of this group will 

 remain a unique and lasting memorial to our late Fellow. We 

 have monographs presented to us on the family Chalcididse by 

 Mr. Kirby, on the ge^nus Lophopus by Mr. S. O. llidley, and on 

 Dero by Mr. Bousfield. In Geographical Zoology we have had 

 communicated to us an important series of papers on the collec- 

 tions made by Dr. Anderson in his exploration of the Mergui 

 Archipelago. Dr. Anderson himself described the Birds ; the 

 other groups have been dealt with in separate memoirs by Carter, 

 Duncan, Bell, Moore, von Martens, De Man, Bates, Hincks, 

 Hoek, Selenka, and S. O. Ridley. Some of these have alread}' 

 been published in our Journal, and it has been resolved to de- 

 dicate two volumes of the Journal to this extensive series of 

 memoirs which so greatly extend our knowledge of the Fauna of 

 the Indian Ocean. Another equally important series of papers 

 have dealt ^vith the large collections made by Dr. Aitchison in 

 the Afghan Boundary Expedition. He obtained 800 species of 

 plants, of which 100 were new to science; and his zoological 

 collections were also very extensive. The night devoted to these 

 papers was all too short lor the purpose ; their real value will 

 only be fully appreciated when the parts of the ' Transactions ' 

 to be devoted to them are in our hands. Consitlerable progress 

 has already been made towards this end. A liberal donation 

 from the Government of India will assist the Society in meeting 

 the necessarily heavy cost of this work. 



Dr. Duncan and our Secretary, ]Mr. Sladen, have investigated 

 the structure of the test of Discoidea cylindrica, a common 

 Echinoid from the Upper Cretaceous formation ; and by the help 

 of a singularly well-preserved specimen in the British Museum 

 these gentlemen expounded the structure and h imologies of the 

 various parts, and cleared up differences of opinion which exist 

 among [previous observers. To Mr. Romanes we ai e indebted 

 for an extremely interesting account of his ex|)eriments in regard 

 to the sense of smell in dogs ; and to Mr Geddes for his lucid 

 paper on variations in plants and animals, in which he proposed 

 to find, in the constructive and destructive changes that are 

 essential to living protoplasm, the source of the modifications in 

 cells, organs, and individuals. 



This rapid review is suflBcient evidence that the subjects which 

 have occupied our attention during the year have been of the 



