PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 29 
Mr. A. Peckover exhibited and made a few remarks on two skins of the 
young of the Madagascar insectivore, Hemicentetes nigriceps, Giinth., and 
on a series of insects from the same island, collected by Mr. A. Kingdon, 
near Antananarivo. 
Mr. E. D. Crespigny showed a specimen of the Umbelliferous plant, 
Tordylium maximum, Linn., obtained near Tilbury Fort, a locality where 
it had disappeared for a considerable length of time. 
November 16, 1876.—Prof. Atuman, President, in the chair. 
Messrs. J. C. Oman, RK, H. Peck, and D. G. Rutherford were duly elected 
Fellows. 
Mr. H. N. Moseley, of H.M.S. ‘Challenger,’ read a paper on the Flora of 
Marion Island. This island possesses considerable interest from its isolation 
and being within the Antarctic drift. It is about 1000 miles from the 
African continent, 450 from the Crozets, 1200 from the desolate Kerguelen 
Island, above 2000 from Tristan D’Acunha, and 4500 from the Falklands, 
to which, nevertheless, its Flora appears related. It is 6f volcanic origin 
and snowclad. The rocks at half-tide are covered with Darvilea utilis, above 
high tide Yillea moschata is found in abundance, and beyond the beach a 
swampy peaty soil covers the rocks, where there is a thick growth of 
herbage; this is principally composed of species of Acena, Azorella, and 
Festuca, the first of these three being the most abundant plant on the island, 
though the latter grass is by no means scarce. The cabbage-like plant, 
Pringlea antiscorbutica, is less profuse than at Kerguelen’s Land. Some 
of the Ranunculus group are met with at water-pools near the sea; four 
kinds of Ferns were obtained, Lomaria alpina being the most numerous. 
Lichens are scarce, but Mosses in plenty form yellow patches, which stand 
out conspicuously midst the green vegetation, which rises to an altitude of 
probably 2000 feet. From the occurrence of Pringlea on Marion Island, 
the Crozets, and Kerguelen Island, and the existence of fossil tree-trunks 
on the two latter, the author surmises an ancient land-connection between 
them. 
Mr. Moseley exhibited some insular floral collections in illustration of his 
paper and of the various parts touched at by the ‘Challenger.’ He also 
called attention to a series of yolumes and pamphlets on Natural History 
obtained by him in Japan. 
A memoir on the birds collected by Prof. Steere (Michigan, U.S.) in the 
Philippine Archipelago was read by Mr. IR. Bowdler Sharpe, and numerous 
coloured drawings of the new and rare forms were exhibited and com- 
mented on. Although it is but lately that Lord Tweeddale’s remarkable 
monograph on the Philippine birds was published, with immense 
additions to the Avifauna, yet Prof. Steere’s collection has yielded over 
sixty hitherto unknown species. Many novelties may therefore still be 
