688 REPORT— 1901. 



made most of tlie collections in shallow water, near the shore, at Cape Flora ; but 

 also in deep water, as, for instance, in the farthest north station, in 81° N., where 

 he dredged in 250 fathoms. Marine inrertebrates form by far the greatest part of 

 the collections. Three new mammals were recorded, viz., the Fin-back Whale, 

 Narwhal, and Floe Rat (the smallest hnown seal). Also five new birds, viz., 

 the Lapland Bunting, Shore Lark, Turnstone, Bonaparte's Sandpiper, Purple 

 Sandpiper. Among invertebrates the crustacean collection is the most remarkable, 

 173 species being obtained. This remarkable number is greater than all the 

 previously known species of animals of Franz Josef Land. Of these the author 

 pointed out that there were ten species new to science, and that the striking 

 feature was the recurrence in the high north latitude of species which inhabit 

 British shores. Other classes of animals were also richly represented iu the 

 collection. 



8. On the Mechanism of the Frog' a Tongue, 

 By Pi'of. Marcu-s Hartog and Nevil Maskelyne, 



SATURDAY, SEPT£3IB ER li. 

 The Section did not meet. 



MONDAY, SEPTEMBER IG. 



The following Papers were read : — 



1, Dimorphism in Foraminifera. By J. J. Lister, F.R.S. 



2, The Relation of Binary Fission and Conjugation to Variation. 

 By 3. y. Simpson, D.Sc. 



It is a long-standing generalisation that binary fission is mere duplication ; that 

 the products of the process are exactly alike. The use of this generalisation in 

 theory is obvious. In binary fission we do not look for variation ; accordingly we 

 are left with an excellent rationale of conjugation, and so, finally, of sexual repro- 

 ductiou, viz., a means to produce variation in the interests of evolution. 



A possible objection to the belief that binary fission is duplication may bo 

 raised on a priori grounds. Conjugation would still appear to be unconfirmed in 

 the case of the Amceboidea. It, then, there was no variation through binary 

 fission, there could not have been evolution. 



The contention is not that there is always variation in binary fission, which is 

 probable, but perhaps impossible to prove. "Where it was not quantitative, it 

 might yet be qualitative. In many cases quantitative variation cannot be esta- 

 blislied under a less magnification than C2.j. 



The species specially examined in this connection were Paramecium caudatum 

 and Stylonichia pustulata. The points to which hitherto examination has been 

 restricted are : («) the general outline ; {b) the total length ; (c) the extremest 

 breadth ; {d) the distance between the two contractile vacuoles (Paramecium) ; 

 (e) the length of the middle caudal bristle (Stylonichia) . 



In all these five points I found variation ranging in (b) from 1 to 20/i, in (e) 

 from 1 to 20^, in {d) from 1 to 20/^, for Paramecium ; and for Stylonichia in {b) 

 from 1 to 60/i, in (c) from 1 to 20/x, and in (e) from 1 to 10/i. The variation in 

 (a) for either form is demonstrated by microphotographs. The general corre- 



