PEOCEEDIirGS OF THE 



The following papers were read : — 



1. " On the Spinning-Glands of Fhri/nus." By Henry Meyners 

 Bernard, F.L.S. 



2. " Contributions to the Knowledge of Monocotyledonous 

 Saprophytes." By Percy Groom, F.L.S. 



January 17th, 1895. 



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



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed. 



Mr. Stephen Trovte Dunn, Mr. James Peter Hill, Mr. "Robert 

 Okell, Mr. William Burne Stonham, Surg.-Capt. John Henry TuU 

 Walsh, and Mr. James Wilshire were elected Fellows. 



Mr. George Murray exhibited lantern-slides representing a 

 new part of PacJiytheca, consisting of a cup-shaped receptacle in 

 which Pacliytheca was fouud by Mr. John Storrie of CardiflF, 

 The walls of the cup are composed of radiating chambers like 

 those of AcetabuJaria, and in the centre there are traces of an 

 axile structure. Mr. Murray considered that this discovery only 

 made the interpretation of the nature oiPachytheca more difficult 

 than ever. 



Mr. Arthur Lister exhibited and made remarks upon a 

 Land-Bail, Crex pratensis, which had been found a few days pre- 

 viously near Axminster in Devonshire, where it had been killed 

 by coming in contact with telegraph-wires. The occurrence in 

 midwinter of a bird which is a summer visitor to this country 

 seemed to him to be worth notice. 



Mr. J. E. Harting exhibited specimens of northern sea-birds 

 which had been driven upon the East Coast of England during 

 recent gales : amongst -others the Little Auk, Mergulus alle, of 

 which great numbers had come ashore dead or in an exhausted 

 condition ; the Little Gull, Larusminutus, obtained at Whitstable 

 on January 5th; and an example of Briinnich's Guillemot, Uria 

 Brunnichii, Sabine (Trans. Linn. Soc. xii. p. 538), a species 

 which, though abundant in Greenland, North-east Iceland, and 

 Spitzbergen, is of such extremely rare occurrence on our coasts, 

 that not more than two or three authenticated instances of its 

 appearance here have been recorded. The specimen exhibited 

 liad been forwarded by Mr. W. J. Clarke of Scarborough, near 

 which seaport it had been shot on the 7th December last. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. " On some Variations in the Number of Stamens and 

 Carpels." By I. H. Burkill, F.L.S. , 



