150 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
undertaken at the request of the Natural History Society of 
Glasgow for a projected “‘ Fauna of Scotland,” and published in 
January, 1880. 
Side by side with these productions other excellent work was 
in progress. In 1874 appeared the second edition of Bell’s 
‘ British Quadrupeds,’ a considerable portion of which was revised 
by Mr. Alston, whose name appears as coadjutor on the title- 
page; and in 1879 he commenced his account of the Mammals 
of Mexico and Central America for Messrs. Godman and Salvin’s 
‘ Biologia Centrali Americana,’ which, fortunately for zoologists, 
he had just completed at the time of his death. This valuable 
contribution to science, extending over 200 quarto pages, may be 
regarded as his most important work—a work which, if he had 
published nothing else, would alone have entitled him to a place 
in the front rank of scientific naturalists. 
But it is not only as a loss to zoological science that the 
untimely death of Edward Alston will be regretted; he will be 
remembered by those who knew him best for his generous open- 
hearted disposition, his honest straightforward character, and his 
private worth as a friend. 
At the time of his death he held the post of Zoological 
Secretary to the Linnean Society, of which learned body he was 
elected a Fellow in 1876. 
PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 
Linnean Society or Lonpon. 
February 3, 1881.—Rosertr M‘Lacu.an, Esq., F.R.S., in the chair. 
Lieut.-Col. A. A. Davidson (Madras) was elected a Fellow. 
Dried specimens of a Worm and of a Fresh-water Mussel, in which 
the soft tissues were preserved intact by a new method adopted by 
Prof. C. Semper, were exhibited on behalf of Herr L. Wirth, of Wurzburg. 
Mr. A. D. Michael read a communication, ‘‘ Observations on the Life- 
History of Gamasine.” In this the author endeavoured to decide some of 
the disputed and knotty points in reference to these humble parasites, 
M. Megnin, of Versailles, and Dr. Kramer, of Schleusingen, both good 
authorities on the subject, being at variance thereon. Mr. Michael, 
believing that detached observations on captured specimens may have 
produced unreliable results, has himself bred Gamasids, closely followed 
their changes and growth, and watched their manners, and thus has 
