40 PEOCEEBINGS OF THE 



and April last, in a direction from N.E. to S.W. The movement 

 commenced about 7 a.m. and lasted until noon, when it decreased, 

 and was renewed in the afternoon for another two hours. 

 Mr. Harting referred to the remarks on this subject made by 

 Sir Emerson Tennent (' Nat. Hist. Ceylon,' 1861, p. 404, note), 

 to the observations of Darwin on the countless myriads of butter- 

 flies met with at sea some miles off the mouth of the Plata (' Nat. 

 Toy.' 1852, p. 158), and to a paper by Mr. R. M<'Laehlan on the 

 migratory habits of Vanessa Cardui (Entom. Month. Mag. xvi. 

 p. 49). He did not think that the movement was analogous to 

 the migration of birds, which migrated in opposite directions in 

 spring and autumn ; for the insects moved only in one direction, 

 and did not return, vast numbers perishing en route. The phe- 

 nomenon rather resembled what had been observed in the case of 

 lemmings, locusts, and dragonflies, and might be explained as a 

 sudden exodus from the birthplace, leadiug to a compensating 

 reduction of the species after a season exceptionally favourable 

 to its increase. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. " On a new Distomum.'''' By Gr. S. West. (Communicated 

 "by Prof. George Bond Howes, Sec.L.S.) 



2. " On Pseudocodium, a new genus of Algse." By Mme. van 

 der Bosse. (Communicated by George Murray, F.L.S.) 



3. " On the Nature of Mobiusispongia parasitica." By A. 

 Yaughan Jennings, F.L.S. 



4. " On a new Genus of Eoraminifera of the Family Astro- 

 rhizidse." By A. Vaughan Jennings, F.L.S. 



June 20th, 1895. 



Mr. Chaeles Baeon Claeke, F.E.S., President, in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed. 



Mr. George Massee was elected a Fellow. 



Messrs. E. Baker and C. Eeid exhibited some rare plants from 

 the limestone hills Co. Kerry, including Pinguicula grandifiora, 

 Lam., contrasted with Pinguicula vulgaris, and Saxifraga Geum 

 contrasted with 8. umbrosa, with a view of determining their 

 value as subspecies or geographical races. 



Mr. Carruthers exhibited some feathers of a Cuckoo taken at 

 "Whitchurch, Shropshire, on 23rd May last, amongst which were 

 some moulted feathers which were held connected with the new 

 ones which had replaced them by means of the barbed seed- 

 capsules of a subtropical grass, Cenchrus echinatus. 



On behalf of Mr. S. Loat there was exhibited a Cuckoo's egg 

 taken from the nest of a Hedge-Sparrow, together with five 



