MIDLAND UNION GENERAL BUSINESS. 155 



questions is so great, that it has been decided to separate the subject 

 of Biology into the two branches of Zoology and Botaay, and to make 

 each of these the subject for a year's work. The Darwin Medal will, 

 therefore, be awarded in 



1882 for Zoology, 



1883 ,, Archajology, 



1884 ,, Botany, 



1885 ,, Geology. 



It has also been decided that all papers shall be eligible for the medal 

 which have been sent m for publication in the Midland Nattiraliat since 

 the expiration of the last term for which a medal was awarded for the 

 same subject. For example, any paper on Geology received between 

 March 31st, 1881, and March 31st, 1885, will be considered in awarding 

 the Darwin Medal for 1885. 



At a meeting of the Management Committee of the Union, held in 

 the Room of the Natural History and Microscopical Society, at Mason 

 College, Birmingham, the following gentlemen were requested to act 

 as adjudicators of the Darwin Medal for 1882 : — 



Prof. T. W. Bridge, M.A. 



H. J. Carter, Esq., F.R.S. 



Dr. Spencer Cobbold, F.R.S. 



Rev. W. Houghton, F.L.S. 



G. B. Rothera, Esq. 

 and Mr. W. J. Harrison, F.G.S., was requested to act as Secretary to 

 the adjudicators. 



The Council has received from Mr. Harrison the following report :^ 



Report of the Adjudicators of the Darwin Medal, 1882. 



The adjudicators have great pleasure in awarding the Darwin Gold 

 Medal for Zoology to Prof. A. M. Marshall, M.A., M.D., D.Sc, and 

 W. P. Marshall, M.I.C.E., for their paper on the " Pennatulida," now 

 appearing in the magazine which is the organ of the Union — The 

 MidUuid Naturalist. 



Each adjudicator made a searching and minute enquiry into the 

 work submitted for their consideration, and the following extracts 

 from their individual reports will indicate the care and thought 

 bestowed by them upon the matter. 



Dr. Spencer Cobbold, F.R.S., writes : — " Considering the work 

 done, I deemed it only fair that a prolonged and careful scrutiny 

 should be made. I assign to the paper on the " Pennatulida," by Prof. 

 A. M. Marshall, 100 marks. From the plan I have adopted it will be 

 understood that the acquisition of 100 marks implies that this memoir 

 is regarded by me as a practically, if not an absolutely, perfect paper 

 of its kind." 



H. J. Carter, Esq., F.R.S., remarks : — " As to the " Pennatulida " 

 paper by the Messrs. Marshall, this, in point of arrangement, descrip- 

 tion, and illustration, is a verv excellent and instructive contribution. 



Prof. T. W. Bridge, M.A., states that " The paper by Prof. Marshall 

 and Mr. W. P. Marshall on the " Pennatulida " is an able, admirably 

 ilustrated paper, and contains several important additions to our 

 knowledge of an interesting, but comparatively little-known group of 

 animal forms. After quoting Kolliker's scheme for the classification 

 of the group, the authors give (1) a brief general account of the species, 

 (2) an anatomical description, which includes an account of the 

 mechanical properties of the skeleton, the anatomy and histology of 

 the coenenchyma and polypes, and the polymorphism of the zooids. 

 Reference is then made to the other existing species of Funicixlina, 



