71 



ings did not exhibit anything like an organized structure, and 

 Mr. Cunningham considered that the character of the surface 

 was entirely due to the action of a current of water passing 

 over the material when in a soft state, and therefore easily 

 moulded to the forms presented. 



Mr. Cunningham made some remarks upon the Sea Serpent, 

 and stated that a friend of his had a stuffed snake in his pos- 

 session about fifteen feet long, which had been captured by 

 some seamen belonging to the ship "Bencoolen/' about three 

 miles from the coast of Java. The animal had raised its head 

 two feet from the water as if to attack the persons in the boat, 

 and was secured by means of a boat-hook. It was kept alive 

 for three days, and subsequently stuffed. Its circumference 

 was about six inches at the neck, and ten at the thickest part 

 of the body. 



Mr. Sansom exhibited a specimen of a peculiar fungus, the 

 Dictyonema Membranaceum of Agardth. Tt had been consi- 

 dered as an Alga by that botanist, but it appeared that he had 

 been mistaken in the genus. It was most nearly allied to the 

 Ulva pavonia of Swartz, now the Cora pavonia of Fries. The 

 fungus was of a cup shape, not much unlike an urn, and of a 

 splendid green tint. It was found by Mr. J. P. G. Smith on 

 the island of Caripee, in the river Amazon, growing on the 

 trunk of a tree, about ten feet from the surface of the water. 



Mr. Yates described a new Machine for Drying Cotton and 

 Linen Fabrics, which had been found very useful in the manu- 

 facturing districts. It consists of a large cylinder fixed hori- 

 zontally, and supplied with openings fixed obliquely at either 

 end. The wet pieces of goods being put into the machine, it 

 is whirled round with extreme rapidity ; and the centrifugal 

 force thus produced drives and presses them to the sides. The 

 water is thus forced out; and the drying process is further 

 promoted by the strong current of air passing over the clothes 

 through the openings above mentioned. 



Called the, attention of the Society to the construction of 



