407 
dium die Beobachtung gemacht, daß sämmtliche Personen dieser 
Stöcke, wie bei Xexia, nur zwei benachbarte Gastralfilamente besitzen. 
Die untersuchten Arten waren als Sympodium fuliginosum und Xenia 
umbellata bestimmt, und sämmtliches Material, das ich der Güte meines 
Lehrers und Freundes Prof. Hæckel verdankte, war von diesem im 
Rothen Meere bei Tur am Sinai gesammelt worden. Ich habe auch 
Sympodium coralloides und Xenia coerulea untersucht, vermag aber 
nichts Bestimmtes über diese beiden Arten anzugeben. 
Diese Mittheilungen mache ich hier, um Fachgenossen, denen 
sich Gelegenheit dazu bietet, zu veranlassen, die Structur, Entwick- 
lung und Function der Gastralfilamente bei Xenia und Sympodium 
gründlich zu untersuchen; zuverlässige Resultate werden von hoher 
Bedeutung sein für die Morphologie und Physiologie der Alcyonarien 
überhaupt. 
Adelaide, den 7. April 1884. 
III. Mittheilungen aus Museen, Instituten ete. 
1. Zoological Society of London. 
17th June, 1884. — Mr. H. Seebohm exhibited and made remarks on 
some specimens of rare Asiatic and European Birds, and called special atten- 
tion to examples of a newly discovered Russian species, Bonasa griseiventris 
(Menzbier). — Mr. Sclater exhibited the knob of the culmen of the beak of 
a Rough-billed Pelican (Pelecanus), which had been shed by the bird in the So- 
ciety’s Gardens last autumn; and called attention to the fact that on coming 
into breeding-plumage again this summer the bird had grown another knob. — 
Mr. Sclater also called the attention of the Meeting to a very singular habit of 
a Vasa Parrot (Coracopsis vasa)., as observed in the Society’s Gardens. — Mr. 
F. Holmwood gave an account of his observations on the employment of 
the Remora by native fishermen of Zanzibar for the purpose of catching Turtle 
and large fishes. — Mr. R. Bowdler Sharpe read some further notes on 
the new Corsican Nuthatch (Sitta Whiteheadi), in continuation of former com- 
munications on the same subject. — A communication was read from Dr. 
G. Hartlaub, in which he gave the description of a new species of Cree- 
per of the genus Salpornis, discovered in Eastern Equatorial Africa by Dr. 
Emin Bey. The author proposed to name it (after its discoverer) Salpornis 
Emini. — Prof. Flower, F.R.S., read a note on the names of two genera 
of Delphinidae, which he found it necessary to change. — A communication 
was read from Dr. Camerano, giving a summary of the distribution of 
the native Batrachians in Italy. — Mr. G. A. Boulenger gave the de- 
scription of a new variety of lizard of the genus Lacerta from the South Por- 
tugal, which he proposed to describe as Lacerta viridis, var. Gadovit. — A 
communication was read from Mr. H. O. Forbes, containing remarks on 
a paper by Dr. A. B. Meyer on a collection of Birds from the East-Indian 
Archipelago, with special reference to those described by him from the 
