1883.] ON THE MOLLTJSCA OF THE ' TRITON ' EXPEDITION. 389 



within two years ; but most of the green ones are still living, and one 

 of them has just changed its plumage. I first noticed the black 

 feathers appearing about two months ago, and now it is altogether of 

 a glossy blue-black, being, I suppose, aboutten years old, but possibly 

 more. This proves, I think, that only the very old cocks change 

 their colour, and soon die off afterwards, which would account for 

 the very few black cocks to be met with in the bush." 



Remarking upon this, Mr. Sclater said that there was no doubt 

 that these Bower-birds were a long time assuming the adult dress, 

 but that male birds in full plumage had certainly lived for several 

 years in the Society's Gardens. 



Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S., read a memoir on the muscular 

 and endoskeletal systems of Limulus and Scorpio, drawn up by him- 

 self with the assistance of his two pupils, Mr. W. J. Barham and 

 Miss E. M. Beck. These investigations seemed to confirm Prof. 

 Lankester's previously expressed views as to the near affinity of these 

 two forms, hitherto usually referred to different classes of the animal 

 kingdom, and to justify the association oi Limulus with the Arachnida. 



This paper will be printed entire in the Society's 'Transactions.' 



The following papers were read : — 



1. On the Mollusca procured during the Cruise of H.M.S. 

 'Triton' between the Hebrides and Faroes in 1882. 

 By J. GwYN Jeffreys, LL.D, F.R.S., F.Z.S. 



[Eeceived June 10, 1883.] 



(Plate XLIV.) 



The sea-bed lying between the Hebrides and the Faroe Islands, 

 or the submarine region now known as the " Faroe Channel," has 

 been partially examined during the last few years for zoological and 

 physical purposes. 



In 1868 the first experimental or tentative expedition was made 

 in one of onr small Government steam-ships, to explore the deeper 

 parts of the sea around our coasts ; and the Surveying-ship ' Light- 

 ning ' was assigned and equip])ed for that service. The expedition 

 was placed under the scientific charge of Dr. Carpenter and the late 

 Sir AVyville Thomson ; and the results were given by Dr. Carpenter 

 and published in the ' Proceedings of the Royal Society ' for December 

 1868. In that short cruise, part of the submarine region above men- 

 tioned was described as the " Warm area," and another part as the 

 "Cold area'" — the bottom temperature of the former ranging from 46° 

 to 50° F. and of the latter from 32° to 4 1°. Dr. Carpenter noticed 

 that the Fauna inhabiting tlie " Warm " area was comparatively of 

 a North-British type, and that of the " Cold " area more Scandinavian 

 or Boreal. The "depths examined in the cruise were from 60 to 650 

 fathoms. 



