70 Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. [July, 



known genera of fishes, and the author conceives that it is related 

 to some of those intermediate animals found upon the coast of New- 

 South Wales. 



I4NST.EAN SOCIETY. 



On Tuesday the 7th June, a paper was read on the long sea- 

 worm, the Gordius Maximus of Montague, by the Rev. Hugh 

 Davies. 



At the same meeting there was read a description of a fossil 

 alcyonium from the chalk strata near Lewis, by Gideon Mantell, 

 Esq. 



On Tuesday June 21st, a description of the cajeput oil tree, by 

 Dr. Roxburgh, was read. In \JdJ it was brought from the 

 Maldives to the Botanic Garden at Calcutta, where it throve very 

 well, multiplied considerably, and produced blossoms and perfect 

 fruit. It was from these trees, about 13 years of age, that Dr. 

 Roxburgh's description was taken. The stem was slender, con- 

 sidering the height of the young tree, which was about 20 feet; 

 the bark smooth and peeling oft' like that of the birch ; the twigs 

 pendulous like those of the weeping willow ; the leaves lanceolate 

 and smooth. They yield an aromatic oil. He considers it as a 

 pew species, to which he gives the name of melaleuca cajeputi. 



At the same meeting, a paper by Dr. Leach was read, on the 

 class of insects called myriapoda ; in which the animals composing 

 it were distributed into two orders, viz : 



1. Chilognalha. Maxillae, none; palpi, indistinct; labrum, 

 simple. 



2. Syngnatha. Maxilla?, two, distinct, connected at their 

 base; palpi, four; maxillary ones filiform, simple; labial ones 

 terminated by a little hook. 



These orders were considered as constituting distinct classes by 

 Fabrieius ; but as they agree in anatomical structure they cannot 

 be viewed in that light. Latreille placed them with the Arachnides, 

 on which class a memoir by the same gentleman was read, in which 

 the following arrangement was proposed. 



Subclass. I. Oclopoda, feet eight. This division contains the 

 following orders, the character being founded on the structure and 

 divisions of the body, viz: 1. Podosoma. 2. Polymerosoma. 

 3. Duomerosoma. 4. Monomerosoma. 



Subclass. 2. Hexapodci, feet six. This subclass consists of two 

 orders, which are formed from the situation of the mouth; viz: 

 1. Ccphalostoma. 2. Notosloma, which latter order contains the 

 genus Nijcteribia of Latreille, Pthcridium of Hermann. 



In the paper on the Arachnides, he related a curious obser- 

 vation by Sir Joseph Banks. This gentleman observed one day a 

 spider running across the table with a fly in its mouth ; surprised 

 at this sight, he caught it, and found it a common web-spinning 

 spider ; but having only three feet instead of eight, the loss of its 

 limbs had prevented it from spinning its web, and obliged it to 



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