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bill [Ornithorhynchus anatinus). The author stated that he was of opinion, after 

 many year's observation of the animal, that the Duckbill was viviparous and 

 that the young were not, as was generally supposed, hatched from the eggs 

 after they had been deposited, — Dr. C. I. Forsyth Major, F.Z.S., exhibi- 

 ted the skull of a fossil aquatic musteline animal, Enhydrictis galiciodeSj gen. 

 et sp. nov,, from the Pleistocene ossiferous breccia of the Island of Sardinia, 

 which he stated had affinities with both the Neotropical Galictis and with 

 the genus Trochictis from the Middle Miocene of European deposits. — Mr. 

 J. S. Budgett, F.Z.S., read a paper (illustrated with lanternslides) on the 

 structure of the larval Polypterus. His observations confirmed the belief 

 that the Crossopterygians were a very generalized group of Vertebrata, and 

 he concluded that the particulars of structure in which other more recent 

 groups agreed with these ancient types were probably of a primitive rather 

 than of a secondary nature. In the course of the paper the structure and de- 

 velopment of the skeleton and the urinogenital organs of Polypterus were 

 discussed. — Mr. L. A. Borradaile, F.Z.S., read a paper on the spawn and 

 young of a Polychaete Worm of the genus Marphysa from Ceylon, allied to, 

 or identical with, Marphysa teretiuscula Schmarda. — Dr. P. Chalmers Mit- 

 chell, F.Z.S., read a paper ''on the Anatomy of Gruiform Birds, with spe- 

 cial reference to the Correlation of Anatomical Characters". The commu- 

 nication was based on dissections of birds belonging to the Rallidae, Gruinae, 

 Araminae, Psophiinae, Dicholophidae, Otididae, Rhinochetidae, Eurypygidae, 

 and Heliornithidae, the material consisting chiefly of birds that had lived in 

 the Society's Gardens. In memoirs already published. Dr. Mitchell had shown 

 that in the case of Pigeons and of Kingfishers there was a general correlation 

 between archecentric conditions of the wing (diastataxy) and archecentric 

 conditions of other structures, and between apocentric conditions of the wing 

 (eutaxy) and apocentric conditions of other structures. The Gruiformes con- 

 tained members exhibiting both conditions of the wing, and the present 

 communication described these conditions in detail , and then proceeded to 

 an exposition and discussion of the distribution and nature of the anato- 

 mical modifications displayed by the soft parts of the various birds. Dr. 

 Mitchell reserved detailed conclusions at present, as he hoped in later com- 

 munications to extend similar observations to a number of allied forms, but 

 pointed out that there was no exact correlation of apocentricities in the case 

 of the Gruiform assemblage. — Prof. F. G. Parsons, F.Z.S., read the first 

 portion of a paper, prepared by himself and Prof. B. C. A. Windle, F.R.S., 

 on the muscles of the Ungulata. This part dealt with the muscles of the 

 head, neck, and fore-limbs of these Mammals. — Mr. F. E. Beddard, F.R.S., 

 gave an account of the minute structures in the Spermatophores of the Earth- 

 worms of the genus Benhamia. — Mr. G. A. Boule nger, F.R.S., read some 

 further notes on the African Batrachians which he had recently described 

 under the names Trichobatrachus rohustus and Gampsosteonyx Batesi. From 

 additional material received since the descriptions of these Batrachians were 

 given, the author stated that the villose dermal papillae of Trichobatrachus 

 robustus were also strongly developed in the males, and were apparently sea- 

 sonal peculiarities, as he had previously supposed. The additional specimens 

 of Gampsosteonyx Batesi substantiated the comparison which Mr. Boulenger 

 had made between this Batrachian and the Pleurodeles, and a similar con- 

 dition of the terminal phalanx in Trichobatrachus svas also pointed out. — A 



