SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 187 



proceeding in part from the pentagonal nerve-ring surrounding the mouth, 

 and in part from central nerve-matter distributed along the course of the 

 radial nerve-trunks. One of the experiments whereby the fact of such 

 central co-ordination (depending on a sense of gravity) was proved, consisted 

 in rotating an inverted Echinus upon a wheel moving in a vertical plane. 

 It was found that whatever phase in the righting manoeuvre the Echinus 

 might have attained at the moment when the rotation commenced was 

 maintained so long as the rotation continued; but the manoeuvre was 

 resumed as soon as the rotation was allowed to cease. The paper concluded 

 with an account of the effects of the various nerve-poisons on the Echino- 

 dermata. 



There followed, in abstract, the 17th part of the Rev. R. Boog Watson's 

 memoir on the Mollusca of the ' Challenger' Expedition. In this part the 

 family Pyramidellid.ee is dealt with, and descriptions given of twenty-three 

 new species of the genus Euliina and one of the genus Stylifer. — J. Murie. 



Zoological Society of London. 



February 20, 1883.— Prof. W. H. Flower, LL.D., F.R.S:, President, 

 in the chair. 



Prof. F. Jeffrey Bell exhibited a selection of microscopical preparations 

 received from the Zoological Station at Naples, and made some remarks 

 upon them. 



Mr. J. Jenner Weir exhibited and made remarks on an apparently 

 hermaphrodite specimen of Lyccena iceirus. 



Mr. Sclater gave an account of the birds collected by Mr. H. 0. Forbes 

 during his recent expedition to Timor Laut, and exhibited the specimens. 

 The species were fifty-five in number, sixteen of which were described as 

 new to science under the follhwing names : — Ninox Forbesi, Strix sororcula, 

 Tanyrjnetthus subajfinis, Geoffroius tenimberensis, Monarcha castus, Monarcha 

 mundus, Hhipidura hamadryas, Myriayrafulviventris, Micraca hemixemtha, 

 Orauculus unimodus, Lalaye mcesta, Pachycephala eirctitorquis, Dicaumful- 

 gidum, Myzomela annabellm, Calornis crassa, and Meyapodius tenimberensis. 

 The general facies of the avifauna as thus indicated was stated to be 

 decidedly Papuan, with a slight Timorese element, evidenced by the occur- 

 rence of certain species of the genera Geocichla and Erythura; while the 

 new Owl, Strix sororcula, was apparently a diminutive form of a peculiar 

 Australian species. 



Prof. F. Jeffrey Bell read the second of his series of papers on the 

 Holothuroidea. The present communication contained the descriptions of 

 some new species which the author had discovered while examining the 

 specimens of this group contained in the collection of the British Museum. 



