38 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
Dec. 4.—Prof. FiowrEr, C.B., LL.D., F.R.S., President, in the chair. 
Mr. Howard Saunders exhibited, and made remarks on, au adult male 
of the American Green-winged Teal, Querquedula carolinensis, shot in 
Devonshire in November, 1879. [This bird was noticed at the time in 
‘The Zoologist’ (1880, p. 70), where, on the same page, another is 
mentioned which was shot forty years previously, at Hurstbourne Park, 
Hants.— Ep. ] 
Mr. Oldfield Thomas gave an account of the Mammals obtained by 
Mr. C. M. Woodford during his second expedit‘on to the Solomon Islands. 
The total number of species now known from the Solomons was twenty-two, 
of which no less than eight had been discovered by Mr. Woodford. There 
were also two new genera of Bats to be added to the one previously described. 
Mr. F. E. Beddard read a paper upon the genus Clitellio, which had been 
recently investigated by him at the Marine Biological Station at Plymouth. 
‘he paper contained an account of the anatomy of two species, Clitellio 
arenarius and C. ater ; the most important fact referred to was the presence 
of an oviduct, which had only lately been found in the Tubificide (in the 
genus Psammoryctis). ‘The paper also contained some remarks upon the 
synonymy of the two species, particularly of C. ater, which was probably 
identical with d’'Udekem’s Tubifex benedii and with Zeuger’s Peloryctis 
inquilina. It was also pointed out that C. ater is not congeneric with 
C. arenarius, but probably belongs to Eisen’s genus Hemitubifex. 
Prof. Howes and Mr. Davies read a paper on the distribution and 
morphology of the supernumerary phalanges in the Anurous Batrachians, 
The authors described for the first time the primary mode of development 
of asupernumerary phalanx. They concluded that the same is in the Anura 
identical with the interphalangeal syndesmoses, and that the syndesmoses 
and phalanges are derivatives of a common blastema. In its fully differen- 
tiated condition the structure in question was shown to be functional in 
receiving the direct thrust under the weight of the falling body in saltation ; 
all the variations in structure being readily intelligible on that view. The 
authors discussed the bearings of the facts upon classification and upon the 
broader question of the morphology of supernumerary phalanges in general. 
They showed that the facts of development indicated a probable intercalary 
origin of the latter from the inter-articular syndesmoses; and that the 
numerical increase of the phalanges in the Cetacea may have been associated 
with the loss of ungues, somewhat similarly to the way in which the 
multiplication of segments of the cartilaginous rays in the paired fins of 
the Batoidei would appear to have been connected with the disappearance 
of horny fin-rays. The authors also showed that the Discoglossid@ alone 
among the Anura retained for life the undifferentiated syndesmoses, and 
that this feature testified more forcibly than anything else to their low 
affinities. ‘Thcy also described a commuvity of structure between the 
