2 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE 



skin produced by contact with the bulb-scales of Hyacinths is 

 due immediately to puncture by the numerous raphides. 



On behalf of Dr. H. B. Hewetson of Leeds, Mr. Harting 

 exbib'ted a photograph of a specimen of Macqueen's Bustard 

 {Olis Macqueeni) which had been shot at Easington, in Holder- 

 ness, on the l7th October last, and gave a brief account of the 

 species, which had now been met with in England for the third 

 time ; its first occurrence having been noticed in Lincolnshire in 

 Oct. 1847, and the second in Yorkshire in Oct. 1892. 



Mr. Hugh Warrand exhibited a remarkable bird which was 

 believed at first to be a hybrid between the Eed Grouse and 

 Ptarmigan, but which in the opinion of Mr. Ogilvie Gri'aat, 

 Mr. Millais, and Mr. Harting, could only be regarded as an 

 abnormally pale-coloured Grouse. Only one possible instance 

 had been recorded of such a hybrid as was suggested, viz. in the 

 case of a bird which was exhibited some years ago by Prof. 

 Newton to the Zoological Society (P. Z. S. 1878, p. 793), and had 

 since been figured by Mr. Millais in his work on G-ame Birds. 



A specimen of the Cream-coloured Courser {Cursorius isabel- 

 linus), an extremely rare visitor to this country from North 

 Africa (probably vid Spain), which had been shot on Salisbury 

 Plain, at Earlstoke, on the 10th October last, was exhibited by 

 Mr. Harting, who gave particulars of the occurrence, and stated 

 that another example of this bird had since been obtained in 

 Boulay Bay, Jersey. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. " On Mediterranean Bryozoa." By Arthur William 

 Waters, E.L.S. 



2. " On some new Species of Grassula from South Africa." 

 By Dr. S. Schonland, F.L.S. 



3. "On the Holothurians of New Zealand." By Prof. A. 

 Dandy, E.L.S. 



November 19th, 1896. 

 Mr. A. D. Michael, Vice-President, in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed. 



Messrs. John Earrah and Albert Henry Pawson were elected 

 Eellows of the Society. 



Dr. D. Morris, C.M.G., exhibited from the Eoyal Gardens, 

 Kew, the inflorescence of Fterisanthes polita, a singular species 

 of the Ampelidese, received in 1894 from Mr. H. N. Eidley, 

 E.L.S., of Singapore, and now in flower for the first time in 

 Europe. It is a slender plant, climbing 15 to 20 ieet over 

 trees, a native of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and North 

 Borneo. The cordate leaves are entire and spinose ; the tendrils 



