404 SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.—D. 
orders with certain features suggestive of the Thysanura. Recently a few live 
specimens have been obtained and preliminary studies of the internal organs 
made. 
Resembling a stone-fly larva in general appearance and in the structure of 
the head capsule, thoracic nota and slender jointed cerci, it approaches the cock- 
roaches and termites in the mouth-parts, legs, cerci and genitalia, but has a 
prominent exserted ovipositor like that of a long-horned grasshopper, and 
possesses also certain characters suggestive of Mantids, Phasmids, Embiids and 
Dermaptera (earwigs). Orthopteroid also is the presence of styli throughout life 
in the male and in the immature stages of the female, but the division of the 
sternum of the 9th abdominal segment of the male, which bears the styli, into 
median sternite and lateral styligerous coxites, is a primitive feature suggestive 
of certain Thysanura. Another Thysanuroid character is the apparent independ- 
ence of the tracheal systems arising from each abdominal spiracle, and the 
absence of muscles connected with the latter is also noteworthy. The general 
features of the internal anatomy, which have been only partly worked out, 
confirm our conclusions as to the systematic position of Grylloblatta as based 
on the study of its external structure. 
29. Sir Witi1am Herpman, F.R.S.—Note on the Structure and 
Affinities of Ramulina. (Presented by Prof. W. J. Daxrn.") 
This large calcareous organism, forming masses up to 8 cm. in diameter 
and covering considerable areas of the sea-bottom, was dredged by Herdman 
in 1902 from depths of about 100 fathoms in the Indian Ocean south of Ceylon, 
and was then identified as a massive Foraminifer related to the genus Ramulina. 
It was described in detail and figured by Dakin in 1906 as a new species under 
the name Ramulina herdmani. Since then the Ceylon material has been 
examined by several other zoologists and regarded by some as a sponge, by 
others as a Foraminifer, or an aberrant Protozoon related to Foraminifera, or 
a compound of two or more organisms. 
It is composed of long, slender, calcareous tubes or pipes and rounded massive 
ampulle united in various ways to form a complex mass, and it is crowded 
with siliceous sponge spicules, both loose in the interior of the protoplasm 
and also built into the calcareous walls and sometimes projecting in tufts from 
the growing ends. But these spicules represent and are evidently derived from 
several different groups of sponges, such as Monaxonida, Tetractinellida, and 
Hexactinellida. The walls of the pipes are penetrated by regularly arranged, 
closely placed tubules opening on the surface, and these as well as the main 
tubes are lined by a chitinous (?) membrane. ‘There are various other complica- 
tions which give rise to appearances very unusual in the Foraminifera, but which 
approach the structure seen in Carpenteria and Polytrema as figured by Mebius 
and by Hickson. I have no doubt that the Ceylon ‘Ramulina’ (which may 
require to be placed in another genus) is a Foraminifer which will take its 
place in a series of massive forms of advancing complexity, such as Carpenteria, 
‘ Ramulina,’ Sporadotrema, Polytrema, Homotrema. 
(Specimens were exhibited.) 
Wednesday, August 13. 
30. Discussion on The Origin of Land Vertebrates. Opened by Prof. 
E. S. Goopricu; Prof. D. M. S. Warson, Mr. J. T. 
Cunnincuam, Prof. W. K. Grueaory following. 
31. Dr. Neu B. Hates.—The Anatomy of a Fetal Elephant. 
A foetal African elephant was obtained by purchase from the Belgian Congo. 
Of the eleven other foetuses known, eight were not investigated anatomically, one 
was fit for skeletal examination only, and two belonging to the British Museum 
have not yet been described. The present specimen is fairly well preserved, and 
will be used for the dissection of the muscles, nerves, and skeleton of the head. 
1 Sir William Herdman died shortly before the Meeting. 
