335 



numerar}' teeth (premolars) in the upper jaw. — The Secretary exhibited, 

 on behalf of M. George Claraz, an egg of Darwin's Rhea; and read some 

 notes by M. Claraz on the habits and distribution of this Rhea. — Mr. 

 G. A. B oui enger exhibited a specimen of a Brazilian Snake which had 

 partly swallowed an Amphisbaenoid Lizard. The Lizard had in its turn 

 partly eaten its way out through the body of the Snake. — A communica- 

 tion was read from Sir Richard Owen, K.C.B., containing remarks on the 

 structure of the heart in OrnithorhyncJms and in Aptéryx. — Mr. Oldfield 

 Th omas read a paper on the characters of the different forms of the Echidna 

 of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea all of which he was inclined to 

 refer to one varying species. — Dr. St. George Mivart, F.R.S., read a 

 memoir on the anatomy, classification, and distribution of the Arctoidean 

 Carnivorous Mammals. The author, after briefly noticing the papers of other 

 naturalists who have of late years treated of this subject, described the main 

 facts concerning the anatomy of the various Arctoid genera especially as re- 

 gards their osteology and dentition, and gave detailed comparisons of the 

 proportions of the various parts of the skeleton, comparing them with those 

 of the Aeluroids and Cynoids. — Dr. F. H.H. Guillemard, F. Z.S., read 

 the second part of his report on the collection of birds made during the 

 voyage of the yacht , Marchesa'. The present paper gave an account of the 

 birds collected in Borneo. It also contained notes on some birds obtained on 

 the island of Cagayan Sulu, on the north-east coast of Borneo. — P. L. S da- 

 ter, Secretary. 



5. Linnean Society of New South Wales. 



25th March, 1885. — 1. On a Devonian fossil, allied to Worthenia 

 (de Koninck), from New South Wales. By F. Ratte, Eng. Arts and Manu- 

 factures. This fossil was obtained in the Murrumbidgee limestone, near 

 Yass, by Mr. Jenkins, for the Australian Museum. It is interesting from its 

 close resemblance to a new genus recently formed out of Pleurotomaria and 

 others, by Professor de Koninck. It is, however, so different in many re- 

 spects from all species of Worthenia as yet described, that it may probably 

 require to be placed in a distinct genus. For the present, however, the author 

 intends to leave it as above. — 2. On the Phoriaspongiae (Marshall). By 

 Dr. R. von Lendenfeld. Both species described by Marshall have been 

 found by the author, who considers them, together with some new species 

 discovered by himself, to be Ceraospongiae, with Fleshspicules, and not, as 

 Marshall had supposed, Desmacidonidae, or Cianidae, living in sand. There 

 exist many sponges on the Australian shores with a skeleton consisting of 

 arenaceous fibres, which form an irregular network, thus connecting the 

 Phoriaspongiae with the ordinary horny sponges. Eleven species of horny 

 sponges, with Fleshspicules, have been found in Australian waters. Their 

 spicules are described and their relative position to other sponges discussed. 

 The author upholds his previously published views on the relationship bet- 

 ween Ceraospongiae and Monactinellidae, and discusses the hypothesis re- 

 cently put forward by Vosmaer. — 3. Synonymy of, and remarks upon, 

 four species of shells, originally described by Dr. J. E. Gray. By John Bra- 

 zier, C.M.Z.S., etc. The four shells here mentioned — iVass« livida, Strom- 

 bus axistralis, Bulla australis, and Bullina lineata — were all described bj' 

 Gray in the years 1825 and 1827 : but they have been ever since referred to 



