300 PROCEEDINGS OF METROPOLITAN SOCIETIES. 



by the Limnoria terebrans, and exhibited some specimens of wood 

 that had been perforated by it under peculiar circumstances. He 

 stated that no sort of wood was exempted from its depredations, and 

 contended for the necessity of constructing metallic piers, which, 

 if properly varnished, will long resist the corroding action of salt 

 water. Mr. Yarrell then exhibited a specimen of an Anchovy which 

 had been taken in a White-bait net that morning in the Thames, 

 being the first instance which he had known of its occurrence in that 

 river, although in the Severn it was not unfrequent, and was nume- 

 rous around Devonshire and Cornwall. Indeed, so plentiful had this 

 valuable fish been lately ascertained to be in Swansea Bay, and one 

 or two neighbouring localities, that a company was about to be formed 

 for the purpose of capturing it on an extensive scale. It might easily 

 be distinguished from all the ordinary species of Clupea by the rela- 

 tive proportion of the jaws, the upper of which exceeded the lower. 

 Mr. Yarrell also related an instance of the Common Herring living 

 for many years and propagating freely in fresh water, where, how- 

 ever, it did not attain a large size, but was very superior in flavour to 

 those taken at sea. Mr. Martin exhibited some species of reptiles 

 sent from the Phillippine Islands by Mr. Cummings, to whom the 

 Society was indebted for many interesting skins of animals, together 

 with some valuable observations on their habits. A species of 

 Iguana, named by him, after the donor, /. Cummingsii, was particu- 

 larly remarkable in having long spinous processes supporting a mem- 

 branous caudal crest, a character which was observable only in the 

 male. A species of Veranues was also characterized. Some skins of 

 Mammalia forwarded by the same correspondent were next described 

 by Mr. Waterhouse, who pointed out a new Paradoxure, which was 

 stated to be a great destroyer of poultry, of which it devoured only the 

 bowels. There were three specimens of it, an old male, and two 

 young animals. A Genet, suspected to be new ; an undescribed 

 Squirrel ; a small but undetermined Galiopithecus ; and specimens 

 of a Tarsier, formed part of the same collection ; and a highly in- 

 teresting notice of the manners and habits of the last-named animal 

 was read before the oeeting. Mr. Waterhouse then exhibited the 

 skins of twelve species of Mammalia new to the Society's collection, 

 which, on that account, had been presented by M. Pictet, of Geneva. 

 Among them was a remarkably fine example of the Collared Sloth 

 ( Bradypus torquatus), which completed the series of that genus, 

 as ascertained at present. The others were, Stentor fusctts, C'ebus 

 monachux, Callithris mekmochda (three American Monkies), Chei- 



