
TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 77 
Milne-Edwards, a name proposed for the Medusa Beroé of Forskall, which is the 
Mediterranean form of the species, and to which Professor Milne-Edwards, in an 
admirable memoir, very rightly assigned the Beroé ovatus of Lamouroux, the Beroé 
elongatus of Risso, the Beroé rufescens of Eschscholtz, the Idya Forskalii, Beroé albens, 
Beroé Chiajit of Lesson himself. The author suggested its probable identity with the 
Beroé ovatus of Brown, the Beroé Cucumis of Otho Fabricius and Sars, the Beroé 
Capensis and Beroé punctata of Chamisso, and the Beroé macrostomus of Peron and 
Lesueur. In spite of the elucidation of the subject by Milne-Edwards, several of the 
so-called species, as Beroé albens, B. punctata, ovatus and Capensis, were retained by 
Lesson and distributed even under different genera. Beroé fallax, founded on a figure 
by Scoresby, is probably the same species. In the genus Jdya of Tremonville, retained 
on account of the animal having its ‘body open at the two poles” (a misconception 
founded on some of the curious contractile changes which these animals assume), we 
find Idya Peronii, which is Beroé macrostomus of Peron, Idya Capensis, Idya Cucumis, 
the names annexed to Fabricius’s species, Zdya elongatus, a six-ribbed monstrosity, 
mistaken for a species by Risso, Idya borealis, so far as the reference to Scoresby 
goes, and Jdya ovata (Beroé ovatus of Brown), all almost without a question identical. 
Then follows the genus Medea of Eschscholtz (this to Lesson is a Beroé with in- 
terrupted bands of cilia), in which he places Medea fuigens, the species discovered by 
Macartney, and Medea dubia, founded on the fountain-fish of the old voyager Mertens, 
both undoubtedly Beroé Cucumis; whilst Medea arctica, founded on one of Scoresby’s 
figures, was probably the same. The genus Cydalisia of Lesson himself follows, 
instituted on account of the presence of “ two little ciliated openings” at the pole op- 
poste the mouth. Every person who has examined a Beroé knows that the two 
ittle rays of cirrhi which Lesson means by this phrase, are present in every individual. 
The Cydalisia punctata is certainly Beroé Cucumis, and the C. mitreformis probably 
that species. “Then comes the genus Pandora of Eschscholtz, which is defined on 
account of the ciliary bands being lodged in furrows bordered by membranous folds ; 
evidently the condition of Beroé described in this communication. The Janira hea- 
agona, founded on a figure of Slabber, was probably also the species before us. 
Thus there would appear to be about fifteen species distributed under four if not six 
genera, constructed out of this one animal. Such proceedings tend to confuse zoolo- 
gical science, and are the more inexcusable since the full and accurate dissertation of 
Milne-Edwards on Beroé Forskali was at hand to guide, and is even quoted in Lesson’s 
work, 
Prof. E. Forbes laid upon the table several papers containing observations made by 
the Dredging Committee. He hoped that the Committee would soon be able to present 
to the Section some general facts as the result of the investigations which had now 
been going on for so many years. 

Tf Vitality be a Force having Correlations with the Forces, Chemical Affinities, 
Motion, Heat, Light, Electricity, Magnetism, Gravity, so ably shown by 
Professor Grove to be modifications of one and the same Force? By R. 
Fower, M.D., F.R.S. 
_ The author, after having shown that each of these modified forces can be excited by 
any other, or in its turn be the exciter of all the rest, and consequently the antecedent 
or consequent indifferently of each of the others, proceeded to show that this is equally 
true of vitality, and that the coils in which these forces are latent, and by whose mo- 
difications in an excited state they are rendered apparent to our senses, constitute one 
of the differences between them. For instance, the change of temperature to which 
‘the infant is necessarily exposed at its birth, the heat going rapidly out of it, excites 
_ the motion necessary for inspiration. This gives the oxygen of the air access to the 
_ carbon of the blood by endosmosis; this again to animal heat. From that electricity 
_ -may be obtained; and from electricity, by an appropriate coil, magnetism. Gravity 
the infant acquires by its growth, and can counteract by its muscular contractility. 
It may be said that an infant affords no evidence of the production of the forces, light, 
electricity and magnetism, but the experiments of Dr. Faraday have demonstrated 
that all these may be produced by the vitality of the Gymnotus, and rendered palpable 
