1866. | Biology. 543 
of the committee appointed to investigate the extinct birds of the 
Mascarene Islands. Almost immediately after the appoimtment of 
the committee last year, Mr. George Clarke, of Mauritius, had 
discovered a large deposit of bones of the Dodo in the swamp 
known as the “ Marcaux Songes.” By this now celebrated dis- 
covery the whole skeleton of the Dodo had been made known, 
excepting the end of its wing; whereas before the head and foot at 
Oxford, the skull at Copenhagen, the foot in London, and the beak 
at Prague, were all the specimens known of the bird. The com- 
mittee intend to thoroughly search the marsh for the tip of the 
Dodo’s wing; and also to complete their investigation of the 
bone-caves of Rodriguez and Bourbon. 
Dr. Sclater read a paper on the American Prong-horn Antilo- 
capra Americana, in which he pointed out that this animal had 
characters intermediate between those of the Bovine and Cervine. 
The prong-horn had a branching antler like a stag’s, but this was 
covered with a horny sheath, like that of oxen in character. This 
horny sheath, however, unlike that of any Bovine animal, was 
periodically cast off, exposing a new horn beneath. This had been 
observed in the gardens of the Zoological Society in London. Dr. 
Sclater submitted a classification of the Ruminating Artio-dactyls 
to the Section, in which he separated the Antilocapra from the 
other Unguligrades. Professor Huxley elucidated Dr. Sclater’s 
paper by some remarks on the nature of horns. He criticized the 
classification offered by Dr. Sclater, since he considered the Tragu- 
lidze, or musk-deer, as very distinct from the other Ruminants. 
Dr. Carmichzl McIntosh read a paper “On a New Molluscoid 
Animal, a Tunicate,” which he had obtained from the west of Scot- 
land. It appeared to be closely allied to Pelonaia, of Forbes and 
Goodsir. The same gentleman covered the wall of the room with 
some beautifully coloured and highly-finished drawings of Tur- 
bellaria, Annelida, Nudibranchiata, &c., which he had obtained from 
North Uist, a list of which was submitted to the Section; many 
of the forms were new. He also exhibited some smaller drawings 
of great beauty, destined for the Ray Society’s volume on British 
Annelids. Among the specimens shown was one of a deformed 
star-fish, having completely the form of a human figure. It is 
very remarkable that another similar specimen is in the national 
collection. 
Mr. C. Stewart, of Plymouth, read a paper “On the Structure 
of the Echinoidea Regularia, with Special Reference to their Classifi- 
cation.” The value of the minute structure of the “lantern” and 
of the spicules of the alimentary canal, as systematic characters, had 
been to a great extent overlooked. Mr. Stewart gave, in a con- 
densed form, the result of much laborious investigation among 
