The Presidfiit' a Address. .t>o 



The paper by Dr. Greville is a very elaborate one : it is en- 

 titled a " INIonograph of the Genus Asterolmnpra, including 

 Asteromphalus and Spatangidium." The material employed for 

 investigation was obtained from three very different sources ; 

 the first consisted of soundings from the Indian Ocean ; the 

 second, of a deposit from the United States, prepared for 

 examination by Mr. E. W. Dallas ; and the third, of a 

 substance known as the Monterey Stone, prepared by Pro- 

 fessor Walker- Arnott. One great object of this paper is to 

 point out how far the genus Spatangidium of De Brebisson 

 should have been adopted in his former paper ; the species 

 formerly described as belonging to this genus being consi- 

 dered as strictly referable to Asterolampjra or Asteromphalus. 



The paper by Mr. Tuffen West is entitled " Remarks on 

 some Diatomaceaj, new or imperfectly described, and on a new 

 Desmid.^' The sources from which the algte upon which Mr. 

 West^s observations have been madewere various, some of them 

 being from the British coasts, others from the Mauritius and 

 from the so-called Barbadoes earth.. The genus Triceratium 

 is the one principally mentioned ; and of this no less than 

 seven species are described, and figures of each given, with 

 the usual accuracy of this accomplished artist. 



Five other genera are then alluded to, and one or more 

 species of each described of these genera; that of Attheya 

 is new, and its species A. decora was found by Mr. Atthey 

 plentifully on Cresswell Sands, in June, 1859, and in May, 

 1860, in Druridge Bay. At first sight this species is con- 

 sidered to resemble Striatella unipunctata in miniature ; but 

 the presence of spinous processes at the angles, and the entire 

 absence of stripes or attachment of any kind render the 

 establishment of a new genus perfectly necessary. 



The paper of Mr. Norman, read in June, is a continua- 

 tion of that brought before the Society in January, 18G0. 

 It is a list of the various forms of Diatomaceae in the neighbour- 

 hood of Hull. The genera Pinnulai'ia, Stauroneis, Pleuro- 

 sigma, Synedra, Gomphonema, Meridion, and upwards of 

 thirty others, are represented each by one or more species, 

 tending to show not only the richness of the locality, but 

 also the zeal, activity, and powers of discernment of the 

 microscopists of that town in this particular department of 

 scientific inquiry. 



Volvox globator, which within the last few years has occu- 

 pied so much of the attention of microscopical observers, 

 has points in its history still remaining to be cleared up. 

 Dr. Hicks has done much to make the matter clearer, and has 

 pointed out a stage, viz., the amoeboid, in which this Protean 



