PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 139 
3lst January, 1893. 
Professor F. O. Bower, D.Sc., F.R.S., F.R.S.E., F.L.S., Presi- 
dent, in the chair. 
By the kind permission of the Right Hon. Edward Marjori- 
banks, M.P., a fine specimen of the Tarpon or Giant Herring 
(Megalops thrissoides) was exhibited by Professor Edward E. 
Prince, B.A., F.L.8., who stated that the fish when captured 
weighed 84 lbs., and measured 5 ft. 24 in. in length by 1 ft. 24 
in. in width. It has been known to attain still greater dimen- 
sions, as an example which weighed 112 lbs. is preserved in the 
University Museum at St. Andrews. The species frequents the 
shores of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, and spawns a short dis- 
tance from the land, but does not congregate in such numbers 
as the herring of our own seas. It affords capital sport for rod 
and line fishing, and requires even more careful manipulation 
than is necessary for landing the heaviest salmon. The scales of 
the Tarpon are very large, and show a strong metallic lustre. 
Its life-history and development do not seem to have yet been 
fully investigated. 
Mr. Robert Dunlop exhibited a House Sparrow (Passer domes- 
ticus, Linn.) with three legs. The bird was full-sized and in 
ordinary plumage, and had been killed by a cat. 
Mr. Duncan Mackenzie showed a skin of a Carpet Snake 
(Morelia variegata) from Queensland. 
The Chairman (Professor Bower) exhibited an interesting series 
of plants collected in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, and stated 
that most of the species were common on the mainland of Europe, 
but of rare occurrence in Britain. These included Silene conica, 
_ Linn., Medicago sylvestris, Fr., M. minima, Desr., Peucedanum 
_ palustre, Mench, Galium anglicum, Huds., Artemisia campestris, 
Linn., Scleranthus perennis, Linn., Salicornia radicans, Sm., 
Ruppia spiralis, Hartm., Apera Spica-venti, Beauy., Ammophila 
baltica, Link, Corynephorus canescens, Beauy., Festuca ambigua, 
Le Gall, &e. 
Mr. George Russell showed a series of specimens illustrating 
the remarkable polymorphism of Odontoglossum crispum. After 
pointing out the distinctive characteristics of the typical plant, 
