The Zoologist — August, 1874. 4121 



Geueral Strachey, Messrs. W. T. T. Dyer, J. E. Harting, W. P. Hiern, 

 and J. J. Weir. 



It was moved by Mr. Busk, seconded by Mr. Carruthers, and carried 

 unanimously : — " That the Secretaries be requested to convey to Mr. 

 Bentbam the cordial thanks of the Society for his invaluable services 

 throughout the thirteen years during which he has occupied the President's 

 chair ; to express to him the regret with which the Fellows contemplate the 

 loss of his services, and to assure him that the zealous interest which he has 

 taken in the welfare of the Society and the great efforts which he has made, 

 with so much liberality and success, to increase its prosperity and usefulness, 

 will always be held in grateful remembrance." 



It was moved by Mr. Busk and unanimously resolved: — "That the 

 thanks of the Society be also given to Mr. Stainton on his retirement from 

 the office of Secretary, with an expression of the Society's deep regret on 

 losing his valuable services in that capacity." 



June 4, 1874. — G. J. Allman, M.D., President, in the chair. 



The President exhibited a number of living specimens of firefly [Lnciola 

 italica) recently taken by himself in the neighbourhood of Turin, calling 

 attention to the remarkable synchronous emission of flashes of light by 

 numerous individuals, and pointing out that the phosphorescence is a 

 phenomenon not of darkness merely, but of twilight or night. 



Dr. W. G. Farlow exhibited and described microscopical preparations 

 made in the botanical laboratory of the University of Strasburg, illustrating 

 a remarkable asexual development from the prothallus of Pteris serrulata. 

 In the centre of the cushion or thickest part of the prothallus were a number 

 of scalariform ducts, the prothallus bearing a number of antheridia, but no 

 archegonia. From these ducts a leaf is developed directly, after which a root 

 is also developed, and last of all a stem-bud. A comparison was drawn 

 between this growth, which was observed in this species only, and the buds 

 indirectly produced from the protonema of a moss. Normally the prothallus 

 of a fern is entirely destitute of vascular tissue of any kind. 



The following among other papers were read : — " On the Kestiaceae of 

 Thunberg's Herbarium," by M. T. Masters, M.D. ; " On Napoleona, Om- 

 phalocarpum, and Asteranthos," by Mr. J. Miers. 



June 18, 1874. — G. J. Allman, M.D., President, in the chair. 



E. Birchall, Esq., James Leathem, M.D., and J. Harbord Lewis, Esq., 

 were elected Fellows. 



Mr. D. Hanbury exhibited branches of olive grown in the open air at 

 Clapham, some bearing flowers, others nearly ripe fruit; also a specimen of 

 Eheum officinale, Baill., now grown in this country for the first time, the 



