362 



Long, total. 43^/2, membri anterior. 29Y2) poster. Sl^/^, manus 13^2» 

 femoris 251/27 tibiae 27'/2» pedis 371/2 w^ni, 



Hab. in insula Nossi-Bé satis frequens (5 spec). 



Francofurti ad Moenum, sexto Calendas Majas ISSI. 



III. Mittlieilungen aus Instituten, Gesellschaften etc. 



1. Zoological Society of London. 



7th June, 1881. — The Secretary called the attention of the meeting 

 to the opening of the Insectarium in the Society's Gardens, which had taken 

 place on the 25th April, and read a report on the insects that had been 

 reared and exhibited there, drawn up by Mr. W. Watkins, the Superintend- 

 ing Entomologist. — Mr. F. M. Balfour, F.Z.S., read a paper on the 

 development of the skeleton of the paired fins of Elasmobranchs, considered 

 in relation to its bearings on the nature of the limbs of the Vertebrata. The 

 object of the investigations recorded in this paper was explained by the author 

 to be twofold — viz., on the one hand to test how far the study of the deve- 

 lopment of the skeleton of the fins supported the view which had previously 

 been arrived at by the author to the efi"ect that the paired fins were the spe- 

 cialised and highly developed remnants of a once continuous lateral fin on 

 each side ; and on the other to decide between the views of Gegenbaur and 

 Huxley and Thacker and Mivart as to the primitive type of fin-skeleton. The 

 author pointed out that the results of his researches were entirely favourable 

 to the view that the paired fins were structures of the same nature as the 

 unpaired ; and that they gave a general support to the views of Thacker and 

 Mivart. They clearly showed that the pelvic fins retain more primitive cha- 

 racter than the pectoral. Conclusions were drawn somewhat adverse to the 

 views recently put forward on the structure of the fin by Gegenbaur and 

 Huxley, both of whom considered the primitive type of fin to be most nearly 

 retained in Ceraiodus, and to consist of a central multisegmented axis with 

 numerous rays on its two sides. It appeared in fact, that the development 

 of the skeleton demonstrates that a biserial type of fin like that of Ceratochis 

 could not have been primitive, but that it must have been secondarily de- 

 rived from a uniserial type, by the primitive bar along the base of the fin 

 (the hasipterygiuyn] being rotated outwards, and a second set of rays being 

 developed on its posterior border. — Mr. W. T. Blanford, F.Z.S., read 

 some notes on a collection of Persian Reptiles recently added to the British 

 Museum, amongst which was an example of a new species of Lizard, pro- 

 posed to be called Agama persica. — A communication was read from the 

 Rev. O. P. Cambridge, C.M.Z.S., on a new Spider of the family Thera- 

 pJiosidae. The chief interest attaching to this Spider was the fact that it had 

 lived in the Gardens of the Society from March to October, 1880. Mr. Cam- 

 bridge proposed to name the species Homoeomma StradlingU, after Dr. Strad- 

 ling, who had brought the specimen in question home from Bahia. - — • Mr. 

 G. E. Dobson, C.M.Z.S., read a paper on the pharynx, larynx, and hyoid 

 Taones in the Epomophori , indicating some very remarkable peculiarities of 

 structure, in which these Bats appear to difl"er not only from all other Chi- 



