718 EEPOET — 1888. 



In many stoclis the soft tissues invest the exterior of the stalk down to its base. 

 The fully-grown discs were producing free swimming larvae during the month 

 of March. 



5. On the EcMnoderm-ata of the Sea of Bengal. 

 By Professor F. Jeffrey Bell, M.A., Sec. B.M.8. 



I am ahle to make an addition of some interest to the report on the Echinoderms 

 of Ceylon which I communicated to the British Association in 1885. Collections 

 of great interest have been made at Mergui by Dr. John Anderson, F.R.S., and 

 at his instigation at the Andamans, while Mr. E. Thurston, Superintendent of the 

 Madras Museum, has lately made a rather large collection at Tuticorin. If we add 

 to the species collected at these stations those which have been noted by others, we 

 find that the whole number of species found in the Bay of Bengal is 149. This is a 

 considerable advance on the fifty-one specimens which, three j'ears ago, I reported 

 from Ceylon. The additions have not all, of course, been made since then, but the 

 more important are due to the collections of Anderson, the Sarasins, and Thurston. 

 If we compare the lists of forms with those given in the ' Alert Report,' we find 

 much to support the view there held, that there is in the Indo-Pacific area an 

 intertropical Echinoderm fauna. Within the Bay of Bengal it is not possible to 

 show that this doctrine is erroneous, but an examination of the Persian Gulf would 

 aSbrd an excellent test, and it is much to be wished that such an examination 

 might be made. It may be confidently predicted that some interesting examples of 

 the modification of common Indo-Pacific species would be discovered therein. 



TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11. 



The following Papers and Reports were read : — 



1. Discussion on Coral Beefs. 



Mr. W. T. Thiseltox-Dtee, President of the Biological Section, said : — We 

 have met this morning in conjunction with our colleagues from the Geological 

 Section to consider a question which at the present moment is very deeply 

 attracting the interest not merely of biologists but of geologists — the vexed question 

 which has been raised with respect to the origin of coral islands and coral reefs. 

 One of the earliest researches of the late Mi'. Darwiu was a memoir iipon the 

 origin of these islands, and in it he was disposed to attribute them in great 

 measure to the subsidence of the land upon which they were ultimately formed. 

 I will not anticipate the statement of the reader of the paper as to the points of 

 difierence between Mr. Darwin's views and those which are now held, but it was 

 in consequence of the explorations of H.M.S. 'Challenger' that a series of facts 

 were brought before the scientific world which in some degree made it extremely 

 probable that ]Mr. Darwin's views did not form the only explanation to which these 

 curious phenomena are susceptible. A very distinguished individual has thought 

 fit to bring before the scientific world the preposterous assertion that we are 

 leagued together in a conspiracy of silence with the object of suppressing the 

 progress of scientific truth. I cannot pretend that that assertion has influenced us 

 in holding this discussion to-daj% It so happens that we have the presence of two 

 distinguished scientific men who have had opportunities of examining these 

 questions for themselves ; they will state their views, and you -will judge for 

 yourselves in which direction you are inclined to think the ultimate solution of the 

 problem may be found. At any rate I think I maj- claim that our minds are 

 absolutely open, and that we attribute no weight to the authority of tradition, 

 however eminent. The only thing we really want to know is what is the 

 conclusion that commends itself to our minds with the greatest probability, and 

 which is based on the largest number of ascertained facts. 



