O PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



The following papers were read : — 



1. " On a Collection of Plants from Gunong Tahan, in Pahang, 



by Mr. H. C. Robinson." By Henet Nicholas Eidlet, 

 M.A., P.E.S., P.L.S. 



2. " Report on the Aleyouaria of the Red Sea." 3y Prof. J. 



Arthur Thomson. (Communicated by the President.) 



3. " Report on the Crinoidea of the Red Sea." By H. C. 



Chadwick. (Communicated by the President.) 



4. " Notes on some Marine Algae of the Red Sea." By Prof. 



R. J. Harvey Gibson, M.A., F.L.S. 



5. " Hydroid Zoophytes from the Red Sea." By Miss L. R. 



Thoenelt. (Communicated by the President.) 



December 19th, 1907. 



Prof. W. A. Herdman, F.R.S., President, in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the General Meeting of the 5th December, 1907, 

 \^ ere read and confirmed. 



The President read an Address to H.M. Gustaf V. of Sweden 

 on the death of our late Honorary Member, H.M. Oscar II., 

 v\hich was unanimously adopted, signed by the President and 

 Secretaries, and ordered to be sent to His Excellency the Swedish 

 Minister for transmission. 



Professor Frederick Keeble, Miss Eva Whitley, and Mr. "William 

 Robert Worthington Williams were admitted. 



Mr. Edward Charles Stuart Baker, Mr. Edward Alfred 

 Cockayne, M.A., B.M.(Oxon.), Miss Emmeline Crocker, and 

 Mr. Philippe Leveque de Yilmorin wei'e proposed as Eellows. 



Mr. James Masson Hector and Mr. Charles Francis Massy 

 Swynnerton were elected Fellows, and Mr. Herbert Clifton 

 Chadwick was elected an Associate. 



Dr. G, Archdall Reid read his paper, communicated by 

 Sir Ray Lankester, K.C.B., F.R.S., F.L.S., "On Mendelism 

 and Sex," of which the following is the Author's abstract : — 



Species are adaptional forms ^vhich have arisen under the 

 operation of Natural Selection. The evidence is plain that, 

 speaking generally, variability is controlled and regulated by 

 Natural Selection ; therefore variability itself is, in a real sense, 

 an adaptation. Nearly all variations are spontaneous as is proved 

 by a mass of evidence afforded by human beings ; Natural Selec- 

 tion builds solely on spontaneous variations. When selection 

 ceases as regards any character, that character tends to i-etrogress ; 

 therefore retrogressive variations tend to predominate over pro- 

 gressive variations. This tendency to retrogression is very useful 

 and has played an immense part in adapting species to their 



