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and welcome addition to the already good collection in that institution. — 

 Mr. G. A, Boulenger, F.R.S., exhibited a specimen of Polypterus Lapradii 

 Steindachner, with large external gills, recently brought home from the 

 Senegal by M. P. Delhez. The fish measured 390 millimetres, and was there- 

 fore the largest on record in which this larval character had been retained. 

 In connection with this interesting example, Mr. Boulenger also exhibited 

 a full-grown female of the Common Newt (Molge vulgaris), from the environs 

 of Vienna, bearing well-developed external gills. — Mr. S. L. Hin de read 

 a series of field-notes on the Mammals which he had met with during five 

 years' residence in East Africa, and illustrated them with lantern-slides from 

 photographs of the animals taken in their native surroundings. Some of the 

 points specially dwelt upon were the preservation of game-animals in East 

 Africa, and the possibility of the acclimatization of East-African animals in 

 the British Isles. — Mr. W. Bate son, F.R.S., exhibited a specimen of an 

 Isopodous crustacean, Asellus aquaticus, in which one of the antennules was 

 replaced by a well-formed mandible. The case was to be regarded as an 

 instance of Homoeosis, or the transformation of one organ into the likeness 

 of another with which it is in serial homology. — A communication was 

 read from Mr. F. P. Bedford, F.Z.S., on the Echinoderms collected by 

 himself and Mr. W. F. Lanchester in Singapore and Malacca. The paper 

 dealt with 16 species of Echinoids and 17 species of Asteroids, and contained 

 systematic details and notes on the habits and distribution of most of the 

 species. One of the Echinoids (Asthenosoma heteractis) and two of the Asteroids 

 [Craspidaster glauconotus and Astropecten pleiacanthus) were described as 

 new. In the case of the new species of Asthenosoma some anatomical details, 

 hitherto unnoticed in any Echinoids, but probably of more value from a 

 morphological than from a systematic point of view, were briefly described. — 

 Mr. F. E. Blaauw, C.M.Z.S., gave an account of the Zoological Garden of 

 Berlin and of the progress which it had made under the management of the 

 last three Directors — Dr. Bodinus, Dr. Max Schmidt, and Dr. L. Heck. 

 He also made remarks on the principal animals observed during a recent 

 visit to that Garden, and called special notice to the large series of specimens, 

 from various localities, of some of the larger Mammals — such as the Lionj 

 Tiger, Leopard, and Zebras — and to other remarkable objects in the 

 Collection. — P. L. Sclater, Secretary. 



April 3rd, 1900. — The Secretary read a report on the additions that 

 had been made to the Society's Menagerie during the month of March 1900. 

 — Mr. G. E. H. Barrett-Hamilton, F.Z.S., contributed a paper entitled 

 "Notes on Mus sylvaticus and its Allies, Subspecies, and Geographical Varia- 

 tions." Several new subspecies were described, viz. : M. s. Wintoni, of 

 Western Europe, to replace the name oîflavicollis, now shown to be a syno- 

 nym of M. s. typicus ; M. s. celticus, a small dark form from Western Ireland 

 and some other localities ; M. s. princeps, a large bright form from Roumania ; 

 M. s. tauricus, a small red form from Asia Minor; M. s. pallipes, a pale form 

 from Turkestan; and M. s. draco, a bright Chinese form. The subspecies of 

 Mus sylvaticus already known were enumerated and described, and among 

 them was included the fossil M. Lewisi Newton. Mus argenleus Temminck 

 was regarded as the representative of Mus sylvaticus in Japan, and the posi- 

 tion of the fossil species M. orthodon Hensel was discussed. An attempt was 

 made to correlate the variations of Mus sylvaticus with those of other mam- 



