54 Proceedings. 
Mr. Henry M. Wallis, of Reading, lectured on 
THE Evonvurion oF THE Human Ear. 
He described with great care the result of some years’ obser- 
vations on the ears of young infants, from which he found that 
the hairs on the human ear have a strong tendency to meet in 
a tuft on the inturned tip on the margin of the helix. This 
tends to confirm the idea that the human ear was formerly 
erect as in many beasts, and that the hairs served to protect 
the upright ear from the weather by shooting off the rain from 
it. He also called attention to the intrinsic muscles which 
still exist and enable some persons to wag their ears. In Apes 
there is no sign of an ear-tip, nor are their ears hairy. 
Mererine, held at Redhill, 17th of December, 1897. 
Mrs, Whittard exhibited a specimen of Aphrodite aculeata, 
from Bournemouth. 
Mrs. E. Frith exhibited specimens of a fungus, Geaster forni- 
catus, from Hertfordshire. 
Mr. A. W. Brown exhibited specimens of a new species of 
Arthropod, of the genus Peripatus, from Durban, 8. Africa. 
Mr. A. W. Brown, B.A., F.L.S., of Oxford, gave an address on 
REcENT RESEARCHES IN THE LIFE-HISTORY OF EELS, 
The life-history of the Eel has been a mystery since the 
days of Aristotle, although many attempts to explain it have 
been made. The facts leading to a correct understanding of 
the subject have been accumulating for the last 20 years, but 
the finishing-touches have been put only within the last 5 years 
by the Roman naturalist, G. B. Grassi. 
The Eel is a fish modified for life in the mud. It is more 
or less degenerate too, having no pelvic fins, very small scales 
