ON THE LIFE-HISTORY OF THE DRAGONFLY. 439 



AVES. 



2 Somali Ostriches (Struthio molyhdophanes), purcliasecl on 

 May 8th. 



2 White Rheas [Rhea americana), purchased on May 12th. 



1 Kagu {Bhinochcetus jubat'us), f i-om New Caledonia, purchased 

 on May 4tli. 



4 Long-tailed Shrikes [Urolestes melanoleucus) and 1 Black- 

 collnred Bnrbet {Lyhius iorquatus), from iSonth Afi'ica, deposited 

 on May 22nd. New to the Collection. 



4 Isabelline Turtle-Doves (Tu.rttir isahellina), 2 Rosy-grey 

 Tiirtle-Doves (Turticr roseigriseus), 6 Dongola Turtle-Doves 

 {Turtur decijnens), from Nortli-East Africa, deposited on May 1st, 

 and 2 Spotted-bellied Francolins (Francolinus spilogaster), pre- 

 sented by Major Maurice Portal, F.Z.S., on May 1st. All new 

 to the Collection. 



Reptilia. 



1 Siamese Crocodile (Crocodilus siamensis) and 2 Tentacled 

 Snakes {IJerpeton tentaculatwm') from Siam, the latter new to the 

 Collection, presented by Dr. Malcolm Smith, F.Z.S. 



Prof. J. E. Duerde-V, F.Z.S. , exhibited and made remaiks upon 

 a series of Ostrich ec'2\s. 



Dr. R. J. Tillyard, M.A., D.Sc, F.L.S., F.E.S., gave an 

 account, illustrated by lantern-slides, of The Life-history of the 

 Dragonfly, Avith special reference to Australian forms Dr. 

 Tillyard dealt first with the structure of the female ovipositor, 

 and showed the correlation between the habit of laying ej2gs in 

 the tissues of plants and the elongated form of the eggs, on the 

 one hand, and that of laying them freely in the water, tlie eggs 

 in this case being of a much more rounded form, '1 he develop- 

 ment of the embryo and the hatching of the larva were next 

 dealt with ; the creature that hatches from the G,^,% is not an 

 active larva, but a sheathed pronymph, Avhose existence lasts but 

 a few seconds, and from which the active young larva emerges ia 

 its turn, representing actually the second larval instar of other 

 insects. Tlie various types of larva} found in the two suborders 

 Anisoptera and Zygoptera Av^re next shown, and a series of 

 slides dealt with the inteiesting larval specialisations in the 

 gizzard, the prehensile labial mask, and the rectal and caudal 

 Pills. 



