X PKOCEEWKfiS, 



OiiDiNART Meeting, IGth Novembee, 1893, at St. Albans. 



Arthtje Steadling, Esq., M.E.C S., F.Z.S., President, in tlie 

 Chair. 



Dr. Dudley Buxton, Bushey Cottage, Bushey Heath, was 

 proposed for membership of the Society. 



The following lecture was delivered : — 



"Aquatic Mammals." By the President. 



Having first drawn attention to the distinction between 

 amphibious and aquatic mammals, the President pointed out that 

 the latter might be divided into three great groups — (1) the seals 

 and their allies, true Carnivora, (2) the Cetaceans, and (3) the 

 Sirenians. That the seals are immeasurably the youngest of the 

 three groups was, he said, proved by their structure. The sea-lion 

 or sea-bear, which furnishes the seal-skin fur, was more easily 

 trained than any other animal except the elephant. Its brain was 

 large and complex, and it possessed a high degree of intelligence, 

 having even been taught to count to a certain extent. The walrus 

 came between the sea- lion and the true seal, standing, however, 

 much nearer the former than the latter. Differing widely from 

 these aquatic Carnivora were the Cetacea, in which group are 

 included such animals as the rorqual, sperm-whale, grampus, 

 porpoise, and dolphin, the more interesting points of the structure 

 and habits of each of which were successively passed in review. 

 The whale, he said, was probably the largest animal in existence, 

 having been estimated to weigh 200 tons, which is equal to an 

 army of about 3,000 men. The Atlantic right-whale or Greenland 

 whale yielded the whalebone of commerce, which was snch a 

 valuable product, being worth about £3,000 per ton, or about 

 a third of its weight in silver. Having described some of the 

 curious uses to which whalebone is put, and referred to the toothed 

 whales, the President finally passed on to the consideration of the 

 third group of aquatic mammals, the Sirenia, in which are the 

 estuarine or fluviatile dugongs and manatees. 



OEDrNAEY Meeting, IQrn Decembee, 1893, at Watfoed. 



Aethue Stradling, Esq., M.E.C.S., F.Z.S., President, in the 

 Chair. 



Dr. Dudley Buxton, Mr. J. W. Duvall, Miss Lake, and Dr. 

 'W. Duncan Scott, M.A., were elected Members of the Society. 



Mr, J. Good^vin, Langley Park House, Watford; Mr. Thomas 

 Hope, St. lion an' s. AVatford ; Mr. Clement Janes, Himter's Earm, 

 Leavesden, Watford ; Mr. Picton Jones, Conishead, Watford ; Mrs. 

 Osborne, Widcombe Lodge, Watford ; Dr. H. Ashton Rudvard, 

 St. Alban's Road, Watford ; Mr. Rupert W. Sedgwick, 44 High 

 Street, Watford; Mr. Thomas Turner, Oakleigh, Watford; and 

 the Kev. Arthur Wilson, M.A , Leavesden Vicarage, Watford, were 

 proposed for membership. 



