1899.] H. P. Shastvi— Exhibition of a MS. 39 



of 1,310 fathoms. We may be pretty sure that it actually lives at the 

 bottom ; for its large bead, its short slender and tapering tail, and its 

 extremely short and small gill-plates, show that it cannot be an active 

 fish. At a depth of 1,310 fathoms we may be sure that there is no 

 sunligbt, and Ave are therefore not surprised to find that in Tauredophi- 

 dium the eyes are completely atrophied and are safely embedded in 

 connective-tissue Avliich, again, is covered over by tlie skin of tlie head. 



2. Aulastmnamorplta phosphorops and Thanmastomias atrox are 

 known in these seas from 1,000 and 1,310 fatlioms respectively. They are, 

 without doubt, actively locomotive fish, and probably swim about in 

 the gloom of the middle depths. Whether they move in gloom or in 

 absolute darkness is probably immateral for both of them are riclily 

 provided with organs that — like the luminous glands of fire-flies — 

 secrete pliospborescent light. Their eyes are well developed — in 

 AuJastomaiiiorpha enormously so, for the same reason that the eyes of 

 many familiar nocturnal land-animals are peculiarly large. 



3. Thanmastomias atrox and Chiasmodus niger illustrate the action 

 of deep-sea conditions on ravenous animals such as the majority of 

 fislies are. Observe the formidable teeth, the cavernous mouth, and (in 

 Chiasniodus) the enormously distensible stomach. 



4. 1 have lastly to sliew a model that appears to upset our calcu- 

 lations. It has been implied that Tauredophidi am has lost its func- 

 tional eyes because it lives in the dark, and that Aidastomamorpha and 

 Thanmastomias although i\\ej live in darkness, or, at any rate, in deep 

 gloom, have retained their eyes because they have acquired their own 

 means of illumination. But here is a fish Benthohatis moreshyi, which 

 undoubtedly lives at the bottom and at a depth to which sunlight does 

 not penetiate, and which — as we should therefore expect — is blind, but 

 which yet has, in the skin of its back, numerous little luminous pores. 



The probable explanation of this apparent anomaly is that the 

 pores are lures to attract prey — the prey being then instantly killed 

 or disabled by the powerful electric organs which Benthohatis possesses. 



Mr. F Finn exhibited six specimens (three living) of the Bronze- 

 cap Teal (Eunetta falcata) and one of the clucking Teal {Nettium 

 formosum) obtained recently in the Calcutta market, and made remarks 

 upon them. 



Mahamahopadhyaya Haraprasad Shastri exhibited a MS. of the 

 Astasahasrika Prajnaparaniita written in Kalauda and discovered by 

 him in Nepal and made the following remarks. 



The manuscript which I exhibit to-day was acquired at Bhatgaou 

 from a Buddhist priest named ManiharaJc. We have got many copies 

 of the Astasahasrika, but none so interesting as this. The chief interest 

 lies in the fact that the manuscript was copied at Nalanda, the great 

 Buddhist monastery where Hioun Thsang received his knowledge of the 



