544 REPORT— 1883. 
5. Report on the Influence of Bodily Exercise on the Elimination 
of Nitrogen.—See Reports, p. 242. 
6. On the Electrical Resistance of the Human Body. By Dr. W. H. Stone. 
7. On some Effects of Brain Disturbance on the Handwriting. 
By Dr. W. H. Stone. 
8. On the Muscular Movements that are associated with certain Complex 
Motions. By R. J. Anperson, M.A., M.D. 
When a muscle contracts, one extremity or both extremities may move. 
When one extremity moves whilst the other is fixed, the fibre may describe a 
plane surface, as when the moving end lies in a right line or a cone, or as when the 
moving extremity lies in the circumference of a circle or other plane-curve. If 
the fibre prove in the plane of the circle, the cone will be reduced to a plane. 
Where both extremities move the fibre may describe a plane, or a cylinder, or a 
ruled surface of a high order. It frequently happens that when one extremity of 
a fibre is fixed, the other extremity moves in a circle, which itself experiences a 
movement of translation. The moving point then describes a trochoid; examples 
in pronator teres and pectoralis major. Muscle fibre may describe curves of a 
complex nature, although the muscles themselves form a simple surface, as in the 
two muscles already cited. 
9. On the Annelides of the Southport Sands. By Dr. Carrineton. 
These observations were made during a stay of full 18 months at Southport 
about 20 years since. 
The shore at Southport is far from productive. The littoral zone extends 
for nearly a mile to the low-water channel. The surface is composed of a fine 
ranulated sand, intermingled in some spots with mud, and in others forming 
banks of shell fragments. In no case do we find any fragments of rock or stone 
large enough for sea-weeds or corallines to cling to, so that practically the 
Coralline and Laminarian zones are wanting, or rather the animals and plants 
characteristic of these zones are for the most part absent. After storms, indeed, 
the beach is often covered with masses of sea-weed detached from the fishing 
hanks outside, and clinging to these many hydrozoa, sponges, and other marine 
species may be found. 
But these are generally in such a battered and mutilated condition as to be 
useless for preservation, nor can we justly claim these ‘rejectamenta’ of the tides 
as natives of Southport. For example, two species of Pholas may occasionally be 
found (rarely, I believe, P. candida has been taken entire), but the nearest’ known 
habitat for these species is Hilbro Island, at the mouth of the Dee. As an instance 
of the selective powers of sea-currents, it may be mentioned that only right-hand 
valves of P. candida are met with at Southport, while at Formby left-hand valves 
are most numerous. 
After the retreat of the tides, the surface is studded with innumerable orifices, 
some small as the prick of a pin, others as large as the little finger. Leading to 
these were often stellate serpentine or labyrinthine markings, or evident worm-casts. 
Near low-water mark on the Birkdale shore, projecting tassels resembling the tag 
ends of old rope are frequent. These are the terminal tubes of Terebel/a, and the 
author, on one occasion, by turning over the excavated sand left by a digger for bait, 
collected about a dozen species of Annelides, some living Heart-Urchins, and a 
Sipunculus. One of these Prof. Macintosh identified with the Maa mirabilis, 
founded by Dr. Johnson on a solitary fragment dredged on the Scotch coast. This 
