308 YHE ZOOLOGIST. 
of which he had obtained last January. He considered it as most probably 
identical with the ‘‘ Lord-fish” of Yarrell, and gave reasons for doubting the 
Lord-fish as being a deformed example of the Common Cod, as had been 
suggested by several authors. Irrespective of its large head, its upper jaw 
- is elongated and its eye larger than in Gadus morrhua. 
Dr. J. Murie read a short communication, ‘Zoological Memoranda of 
Nile Land.” These were of a varied character, chiefly unpublished jottings 
from his note-book, made in a journey towards the Central African Lakes, 
some years ago. Among the subjects were memoranda as to Pigeons in 
the Nubian Desert; anatomy of Nilotic Fresh-water Turtle, Fordia 
africana, Gray; fish at junction of Blue and White Niles; curious move- 
ments of the Ostrich, &c. 
May 1, 1879.—Lieut.-Colonel Grant, C.B., F.R.S., Vice-President, in 
the chair. 
Messrs. T. E. Brown (of Adelaide, Australia), Richard Rimmer and 
P. O’Shanessy (of Queensland), were elected Fellows of the Society. 
Dr. Edouard Bornet, of Paris, eminent for his researches on the structure 
and reproduction of Algs, and other works on that Order; and Prof. Herrich 
Gustav Reichenbach, jils, Director of the Botanic Gardens, Hamburg, alike 
distinguished for his special knowledge of, and publications on, the Orchid 
group, were elected by the Society as Foreign Members, to fill vacancies 
caused by death. 
Several interesting botanical papers of a physiological cast were read, 
and remarkable plants exhibited and commented on. 
In Zoology a communication, in abstract, ‘On the Structure of the 
Pouched Rats of the Genus Heteromys,” was read by Dr. J. Murie. In 
this paper the anatomy and other peculiarities have been worked out and a 
comparison with other forms given, along with remarks on the subfamily 
Heteromyine generally. The group is poorly represented by specimens in 
the museums of this country, and even the skeleton hitherto has been but 
imperfectly known. By the kindness of Dr. A. Giinther, of the British 
Museum, the author has been enabled, in a cousiderable measure, to fill up 
the anatomical hiatus in our knowledge of these curious American rodents. 
Anniversary Meeting, May 24, 1879.—Prof. Arian, F.R.S., President, 
in the chair. 
In his annual address, the President took for his subject, “ Recent 
Progress in our Knowledge of the Endoproctal Polyzoa.” This had shown 
itself both in anatomy and development. The researches of Nitsch, Oscar 
Schmidt, Salensky, Vogt, Hatschek, and Barrois were especially referred to. 
The author supported the molluscan affinities of the Polyzoa as the most 
strongly marked, but at the same time he could not overlook the fact that 
recent research had been bringing out features which pointed decidedly in 
