THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 131 



F.L.S., the Secretary was directed to convey to him a unanimous 

 vote of thanks, together with an expression of the regret of his 

 fellow-members at his departure. Professor Spencer then an- 

 nounced that Mr. F. G. A. Barnard had consented to act as 

 editor for the present and in doing so emphasized the fact that 

 Mr. Barnard had always taken a very prominent part in the affairs 

 of the Club, both as secretary (a post he held for six years) and 

 librarian, and was, therefore, specially fitted for the work. The 

 announcement was most favourably received by the meeting, and 

 Mr. Barnard will enter upon his duties at once. 



ELECTION OF MEMBERS. 



On a ballot being taken, Miss Eileen Maloney, the Rev. R. 

 Poynder, Dr. W. H. Johnstone, and Messrs. C. Allen, H. Best, 

 R. Cheeseman, A. C. Danks, J. Guilfoyle, W. Jones, R. Lowe, 

 A. F. Thiele, A. Tulk, C.E., J. West, and J. Williams were elected 

 members of the Club ; no less than twelve of these being nominated 

 by Mr. C. French, F.L.S. 



PAPERS. 



A lecturette by Professor Spencer on " How Different Animals 

 See" followed. Before proceeding to details the lecturer remarked 

 that any part of the body specially modified for the purpose of 

 being influenced by rays of light may be looked upon as an eye, 

 and one of the strangest and most beautiful things in nature is the 

 curious way and the very different parts of the body in which eyes 

 are developed in different animals. In every eye, however, two 

 structures are essential. There must be a little mass of pigment 

 in the skin, and a nerve fibre in connection with the spot con- 

 taining the pigment. The latter absorbs the ray of light, and the 

 nerve-ending is affected, setting up a sensation which we know as 

 " light." Every gradation may be seen in different animals, from 

 the simple structure above described, which can only serve to 

 appreciate differences in the intensity of light, to the most com- 

 plicated eye, by means of which perfect images of external objects 

 are formed and the most complex sensations of sight are produced. 

 Three different types of eyes were then referred to ; the first type, 

 that of the " pin-hole," being illustrated by reference to the Jelly- 

 fish, Limpet, and Pecten, whilst it was pointed out that the eyes of 

 some of the Chitons vary in number from 360 to more than 1,000. 

 The second type, the "compound" eye, occurs amongst crabs, 

 lobsters, spiders, &c. In these forms each eye has a great num- 

 ber of facets, every one of which corresponds to a separate eye- 

 like structure placed immediately beneath it. The theories as to 

 " sight" in this group were briefly discussed, the mosaic vision 

 theory meeting with the greatest consideration. In the earliest 

 condition of the crustacean Branchipus only a single median eye 

 is present ; later on an eye is developed on either side, and all 

 three persist throughout the animal's life. This example led up 



