10 
ing 17 papers were from individuais not belonging to 
the Society, and were communicated to it by the Secretary 
or by other Members. The corresponding number of com- 
munications in the year 1873 was 141. 
These communications were submitted to the Committee 
of Publication, by whom the following orders were made 
respecting them. Four were ordered to be printed entire 
in the ‘Transactions’ of the Society, and 98 in the ‘ Pro- 
ceedings,’ such illustrations being in each case allowed as 
the Committee considered necessary for the purpose. Of 
the remaining communications, abstracts or extracts were 
considered to be sufficient for publication. 
2. Sc1ieEnTIFIC PUBLICATIONS. 
In order to obtain the more speedy and exact publi- 
cation of these papers, the Committee of Publication 
determined in 1873 that, commencing with the year 1874, 
the ‘ Proceedings’ should be issued in four parts instead of 
three and at exact dates as follows :-— 
Part I. containing papers read in January and February 
on June Ist. 
Part II. containing papers read in March and April, on 
August Ist. 
Part III. containing papers read in May and June, on 
October 1st. 
Part IV. containing papers read in November and 
December, on April Ist of the following year. 
The Council have pleasure in stating that it has been 
found practicable to carry out this arrangement, and that 
the four parts of ‘Proceedings’ for 1874 have been 
ready at the above-named dates. 
The eighth volume of the Society’s quarto ‘ Transactions’ 
was completed last year by the issue of the seventh, 
eighth, and ninth parts, the last of which contained also 
the titlepage, contents, and index of the volume. The 
ninth volume was also commenced by the issue in No- 
vember last of Part I. The memoirs contained in these 
four parts are :— 
Vou. VIII. Part VII. (March, 1874). 
On the Axial Skeleton of the Ostrich (Struthio camelus), 
By Prof. St. George Mivart, F.R.S. (with 79 woodcuts). 
