564 report — 1878. 



result has been somewhat similar, it is highly probable that the conditions have 

 been parallel. 



Alpheus in the young stage is a free-swimming animal with powerful organs of 

 vision ; but in its adult condition it burrows in the mud of the sea-bottom, where 

 the eyes are of little use, except to see things in close proximity, and where they are 

 liable to injury from rough accidents, unless they be protected, as they are, by the 

 strength of the overlying carapace. 



The history of Willemoesia and its allies I believe to be very parallel with that 

 of Alpheus. In its young stage it has well-developed eyes, which it loses when it 

 has arrived at its adult condition. This I believe to be attributable to a similar 

 cause, viz. that it burrows iu the soft mud of the deep-sea bottom. 



This is borne out by an examination of the contents of the stomach, which I 

 found to be full of the remains of the structures found in the Globige?-ina-ooze. 



That the depauperised state of the organs of vision is not due to the loss of 

 light from the great depth at which Willemoesia is taken is evident from the fact 

 that Thalascaris, n.g. (Oranognidse) is taken at depths equally great, and is 

 remarkable for the large size of its eyes. 



Willemoesia, moreover, is not necessarily one of our deepest sea inhabitants. 

 Willemoesia leptoclactyla was taken both in the Atlantic and Pacific at a depth 

 of 1900 and 1375, while Polycheles Hclleri and Pentacheles obscurus were taken 

 north of New Guinea at a depth of 1070 ; yet most of the other species, even in- 

 cluding Polycheles Heleri, were takeu at depths between 610 and 120 fathoms. 



The bottom temperature has only been recorded iu seven of the stations at 

 which the species were taken — that is, only from the deeper soundings ; these, 

 however, vary from G° to 1°"8 O. I am therefore inclined to think that temperature 

 can only be second to that of the character of the sea-bottom itself. 



Out of the thirteen stations from which specimens of this group have been 

 recorded, the bottom consists of what has been named Globigerina-ooze in eight, 

 one is recorded of mud, and two 'r.c' (which, I suppose means red clay), and one 

 only on hard ground; but as this occurs only once, and that with an animal 

 (Poh/cheles Ifelleri) that is also recorded from another station where Globigerina- 

 ooze' exists, I think that we may safely infer that the whole group are inhabitants 

 of a soft bottom, preferring that in which animal life suitable for their existence 

 abounds, and that their general structure and form are in accord with their habitat. 



3. On the supposed Radiolarians and Diatoms of the Goal-measures.* 

 By Professor W. C. Williamson, F.R.S. 



4. On the Association of an Inconspicuous Corolla with Proterogynous 

 Dichogamy in Insect-fertilised Flowers. By Alex. S. Wilson, M.A., B.Sc. 



It is a well-ascertained fact that the great majority of conspicuously coloured 

 flowers are proterandrous, that is, the anthers are matured before the stigmas of the 

 same flower. Plants where this arrangement for the prevention of self-fertilisation 

 obtains have also for the most part their flowers growing close to each other, 

 forming a more or less compact inflorescence, as in Erica, Calluna, Vaccinium, Digi- 

 talis, Linaria, Gladiolus, &c. The flowers are also in many cases all turned to one 

 side of the floral axis, the inflorescence being termed secund. By these means the 

 plants as a whole are rendered more conspicuous. In the indefinite or basifugal 

 mode of flowering which is the commonest form, the flowers come out in succession 

 from below upwards ; hence on any given spike the older flowers will be lower 

 down than the younger ones, and it follows with proterandrous dichogamy the 

 lower flowers will at a given time be in the second or female stage, while those 

 towards the upper extremity of the stalk will have only attained to the first or 

 male condition. The lower flowers will in fact have shed all their pollen, and have 

 their stigmas ready to be fertilised by the time the anthers of the upper flowers are 

 beginning to shed pollen. On the other hand, in a plant with proterogynous 



* See Section C, p. 534. 



