TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 97 



twelve tentacles. His next new one is a Tiina, which he has named Tima Forheiii, 

 in memory of the late Professor E. Forbes ; the principal diftereuce between it 

 and Tima Bairdii is that instead of having only sixteen tentacles, in it they are 

 numerous. Several others came in for their share of notice, and then he mentioned 

 Goodsireamirahilis, a new genus founded by Dr. T. Stre thill ;AVright, and published 

 by him in the second volume of the Transactions of the Royal Physical Society 

 of Edinburgh. The author got this speicmen at Peterliead in 1851. He fully con- 

 firmed Dr. Wright's observations, and added that some of his specimens had two 

 additional, but shorter tentacles than Dr. Wright's ; he thought this only a sexual 

 difterence. He then described what he considered the most cm-ious of all he had 

 seen, a new genus {Staurophora) to the British shores, and the largest naked-eyed 

 Medusa hitherto noticed in our seas. It was first found in the Pacific by Mertens 

 when on a voyage round the world ; since foimd by Agassiz in Boston Bay, America, 

 in 1849, and was described by him in a paper entitled " Contributions to the Na- 

 tural History of the Accdephce of North America." The umbrella is crossed by 

 four gastrovascular canals; from each of them hang two curtain-like masses; and, 

 to appearance, it has neither mouth nor stomach. However, by parting the curtains 

 both are to be seen. He described it at great length, and stated that he got it ofi" 

 Peterhead several times in 1851, and that it grew from -J; in. in breadth to 3| in. in 

 breadth between May and June. He has named it Stuurophora Keithii, to mark 

 his respect for the founder of Marischal College, Aberdeen, it having been first 

 found near Keith Inch, Peterhead, once the property of the unfortunate house of 

 Keith. 



On the Zoological Aspects of the Grouse-disease. 

 By the llev. H. B. Tmsxkam, M.A., F.li.S. 



The rapid extension and epidemic character of the grouse-disease was attributed 

 in great measure to the indiscriminate slaughter of predatory animals. These, it 

 was true, destroj^ed game, but it was only the weakest and tlie most diseased ani- 

 mals that they could make a prey of. In this way disease was stamped out, as 

 had been artificially done with the cattle plague. He commented severely on the 

 encouragement given by landed proprietors to the destruction of wild animals, 

 complaining that upon this question game-preservers were more open to be in- 

 fluenced by ignorant gamekeepers than by naturalists. The grouse-disease had 

 existed sporadically for at least two years before it was generally noticed. 



On Birds' Nests and their Plumacje ; or the Relation between Sexual Dif- 

 ferences of Colour and the Mode of Nidification in Birds. By Alfred R. 

 Wallace, F.R.G.S., F.L.S. 



The author pointed out the hitherto unnoticed fact, that whenever female birds 

 resembled the males in being adorned with gay and conspicuous colours, their nests 

 were so placed or so constructed as to conceal the sitting bird. He sliowed that 

 this generalization was supported by a vast number of facts in all the chief groups 

 of birds, while the exceptions were few and unimportant, and concluded by point- 

 ing out its correspondence with the general principle of protection in modifying 

 colour, and by arguing that the whole of the phenomena could be well explained 

 on the theory of the preservation of useful variations. 



1 



Anatomy and Phxsioiogt. 



On Protagon in relation to the Molecular Theory of Organization. 

 By Prof. Hughes Bennett, M.D., F.li.S. E., of Edinburgh. 

 The author pointed out that the progress of scientific discovery tended singu- 

 larly to confirm the truth of the molecular theory of organization, which he had 

 first laid before the Association at its Meeting in Glasgow twelve years ago*. The 



* Report of the British As.sociatioii, 1855, p. 119, 

 1867. ' 'i- ^ 



