12 Red Sea Shells. 



Saturday, November '2nd, 1867. 



The Society held its Thirty-fifth Meeting at Mr. Farrar's House. 



R. C. Welch was elected a member. 



The President mentioned that Mr. Leaf had kindly presented 

 the Society with £\0. for the purpose of stuffing the collection of 

 Phasianidae. 



The objects exhibited were : — 



A Model of Brooks' Deep-Sea Sounding Apparatus, made by a member 

 of the School . . . . . . . . Bt Mb. Fabbab. 



A Caterpillar from New Zealand, with a fungus attached 



By Mb. Gbiffith. 

 Madrepores, Cornu Ammonis, Calamite . . . . Br Elgood. 



A collection of Red Sea Shells. . . . . . By Mb. Young. 



Mr. Young then read the following Paper : 



BED SEA. SHELLS. 



The shells I have brought for the inspection of the Society are a 

 selection from a large number 1 collected myself nearly four years 

 ago, on the shores of the Red Sea, with a few subsequent additions. 

 Let me mention, for the warning of any who after hearing my 

 story may be disposed to follow my example, that this is not the 

 first time they have brought me into a most serious difficulty. If 

 ever you should be tempted, as I was, in your zeal for conchology 

 to wade "sans culottes" for many hours under a burning Eastern 

 sun, you will probably find at last, as I did, that you have lost all 

 the skin of your legs and nearly doubled their natural size, even 

 if worse consequences do not ensue, but this was nothing in 

 comparison of the predicament these same shells have now 

 brought me into, of having to parade my ignorance of conchology 

 before the Harrow Scientific Society. To be honest, it was not 

 the pursuit of science so much as the love of beautiful forms and 

 colours that sent me wading in the shell strewn pools of the Suez 

 shore. I think, therefore, that instead of attempting to be very 

 profound, I will try and give you from my own experience some 

 idea of what is to be seen there by any one who has eyes in his 

 head, time at his disposal, and a little spare cash in his purse. 

 The love of beauty is often the beginning of science, and if I 

 could inspire any of you with a desire to go one day and explore 

 for yourselves, not merely the sand levels and coral pavements on 

 which the Red Sea tide deposits its wealth of cones and trochuses, 

 but the granite aud sandstone ranges likewise of the Siuaitic coast, 



