88 REPOKT— 1864. 



to Dr. Van Hoist, of Amstertlam, Berbice, for brlugiug this gum first to the notice 

 of the Society of Arts in 18G0. It abounded in the forests of British Guiana, and 

 was especially prolific at the time of the full moon. On the day of the full moon 

 the yield of gum was from six to ten times greater than at other limes. After the 

 tree had been tapped, it was said it could be tapped again every two months. The 

 wood was used for building purposes and for furniture, and he was informed the 

 tree was not injured by being tapped. A tree yielding a gum similar in eveiy re- 

 spect was discovered to exist, by Gen. CuUen and Col. Cotton, in 1853, grovdng 

 along the whole line of the Western Ghauts on the Malabar coast, Southern India, 

 from lat. 8° 30' to lat. 10° 30', at an elevation of from 2.500 to 3000 feet above the 

 sea. The climate of the countrv' where the bullet-tree is found in Berbice is un- 

 healthy ; but, however that may be, probably some of the free slaves of America 

 might be induced to settle there and become traders. 



Mr. Yates exhibited specimens of Ci/cas revoluta, Cycas cirdnalis, and Cerato- 

 zmnia mexicana. 



Zoology. 



On the Manatus Vogelii. Extract of a Letter to Sir John Eichaedson from 



Dr. Baikie. 



Dr. Baikie is at present trying to get the skeleton of the Ayii, or Manatus 

 Vogelii, of which Professor Owen described a skull. The true habitat of this 

 animal is the Niger, below the rapids. Its existence in the upper country, where 

 Vogel perished, has not been ascertained. 



On an Ancient Cornish Barrow. By C. Spexce Bate, F.R.S. 



This paper refers to a mound in Constantine Bay, in which, on being cut, was 

 found an irregularly shaped stone covering a pit about twenty inches deep, and 

 fifteen in diameter. Within this was a rough earthen vase, containing a quantity 

 of bones, both ^-ase and bones being much broken ; the latter were undoubtedly 

 human remains. The bones had evidently undergone the action of fire. 



On a Hitman SJmll and the Bones of Animals fonnd ivith Pottery in a Kjok- 

 Jcenmbclden on the Coast of Cormvall. By C. Spence Bate, F.R.S. 

 The remains were found near the ruins of the ancient church of Constantine, on 

 the north coast of Cornwall. The bones were those of a sheep, lamb, deer, and roe- 

 buck. The pottery consisted of three qualities. The author thought there could 

 be no doubt that a small round islet in the middle of the bay, near the mound, at 

 one time was a continuation of the sandhills upon the mainland. It was evident, 

 therefore, that their separation had taken place since the beds of shells and bones 

 were deposited. This circumstance afforded presumptive eAidence that the site 

 of the ancient occupation was anterior to the period when the land was swept 

 away, and that in extent it must have been much greater than at present. From 

 one extreme point to the opposite these mounds continue for half a mile along the 

 coast. Taking into consideration that portion which has been washed away, the 

 author thinks this old shell-mound must have been the site of a very extensive vil- 

 lage of prehistoric man. The human skull was found not in the shell-bed, but in 

 the sand a short distance from it. 



Observations on the Spinnerets of Sjpiders. By Eichaed Beck. 

 The pui-pose of this paper was to draw the attention of naturalists to the aid 

 afforded by the binocular microscope in the determination of the external forms 

 of the spinnerets of spiders, which, when understood, will no doubt supply good 

 generic and specific characters ; but, to compare the details of their structure, it is 

 necessary to make camera-lucida sketches from living specimens, and many of these 



