Proceedings. cxix. 



" That Vice-Presidents be elected, not to exceed four in number, 

 to be chosen from past Presidents, and that they shall be ex-officio 

 members of the Committee. 



The following donations were announced: — "Science 

 Gossip," from the publishers ; " Societe Beige de Microscopie 

 Proces-verbal de la Seance du 26, Aoilt, 1882 " ; " Annales 

 de la Societe Beige de Microscopie, 1880" ; Cabinet for Slides 

 illustrating " Microscopical Studies," presented by Mr. \V. F. 

 Stanley ; Abstracts of the Transactions of the Royal Society 

 from the beginning, presented by Mr. Topley. 



The President then called upon the Rev. E. M. Geldart, 

 M.A., who read a learned and interesting paper entitled " The 

 birth of Zoological Science in the 4th century B.C.," of which 

 the following abstract has kindly been prepared by the author : — 

 Zoology, as a science, dates from Aristotle, born at Stagira, 

 in Thrace, 385 e.g. Aristotle's work was essentially that of a 

 pioneer. As such he must be judged, and allowance made for 

 the unavoidable deficiencies of his system. His classification 

 in its main outlines is as follows : He begins by dividing all 

 animals into those with blood and those without blood. The 

 animals with blood answer to our vertebrata, and the bloodless 

 to our invertebrata. 



Animals having blood Aristotle further divides into the 

 following groups : — 



I. Viviparous ... ... ... Mammals. 



n. Ornithes ... ... ... Birds. 



HI. Four-footed and footless oyt/ara Reptilia and Amphibia 

 IV. Ichthyes ... ... ... Fishes. 



Bloodless animals are grouped b}- him as follows : — 

 V. Malakia (Molluscs) ... ... Cephalopoda. 



VI. Malakostraka ... ... ... Crustacea (more par- 



ticularly Stomopoda). 

 VII. Entoma (insects) ... ... Terrestrial Annulosa. 



VIII. Ostrakodermata ... ... Gasteropods, Bivalves, 



Ascidia, Holothuria 

 and Actinia. 

 Viviparous animals are further sub-divided by Aristotle as 

 follows : — 

 I. Man. 

 II. Four-hand animals ... ... Monkeys and Apes 



III. Many-toed, fully-toothed and 



tailed... ... ... ... Carnivora, Rodents, 



and Insectivora. 



IV. Double-hoofed, without in- 



cision in upper jaw, and 



furnished with horns ... Ruminants, except the 



Camel. 



