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“horse tails.’”’ These two families—the club mosses and the “ horse 
tails ’—seem to-day far apart and very unlike in their structure ; 
but it was pointed out that in Chetrostrobus, a unique form from 
the lower coal measures, proof was seen that the two families had 
a common ancestor. Cheirostrobus presents characters pointing 
to both these families, and, though not itself the actual “ missing 
link,” is yet related to it and shows that such a link once existed. 
The family of ferns was next considered. Until three years ago 
the fern-like plants of the coal measures were all thought to be 
true ferns. The complex organs known as seeds, characteristic 
of the higher forms of plants developed in the evolutionary process 
in later ages, were not known to have existed at the time the coal 
measures were formed. Lately, however, it has been shown that 
many of the fossils in these rocks that look so like ferns are really 
true ‘‘ missing links,’ bearing complex gymnospermic seeds on 
their leaves. A connecting link is thus found in these remote 
ages between the true spore-bearing ferns and the gymnosperms, 
especially cycads, of the present day. The story of the discovery 
of seeds in Lyginodendron was told and its importance emphasized. 
The lecturer deplored that at present there were no true links 
known between the flowering plants and other families, and 
suggested that, when the Mesozoic beds become as well known as are 
the Paleozoic, something of the kind would be discovered. 
On Friday, February 1st, the Annual General Meeting was 
held, under the presidency of Sir Samuel Wilks, Bart., F.R.S., the 
President. The Report of the Council was read and adopted. 
The President, Officers and Council were elected. 
The meeting was resolved into an ordinary meeting. 
Prof. E. H, Starling,, M.D., F.R.S., gave a lecture on ‘‘ The 
Mechanism of Digestion,’’ illustrated with experiments. The 
lecturer began by pointing out a fundamental difference between 
the animal body and inanimate engines. It differs in having 
no separation between the part supplying energy from combustion 
and the working parts. Muscles use their own material to obtain 
energy, and are themselves the working parts of the body. Hence 
food materials require to be altered into such forms as can pass 
through the tissues into the blood—they must be rendered soluble. 
Food stuffs are found to contain substances belonging to one or 
more of the following groups, together with a varying quantity 
of water :—1x. Nitrogenous substances containing nitrogen, sulphur, 
carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. These are necessary for the 
building up of the tissues. 2. Carbohydrates, as starch and sugar, 
containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, which serve to supply 
