26 



the barbs forming at the proximal extremity, the white tip of the 

 winter feather formed also the light base of the summer feathei'. 

 The summer feather was rather shorter than the normal, and 

 possibly was not fully grown when the autumn moult intervened. 



Mr. R. I. PococK, the Superintendent of the Gardens, exhibited 

 the tail of a Crested Porcupine to show the peculiar structure of 

 the quills which constituted the animal's so-called " rattle." 



A communica.tion was read from Messrs. John Rennie, D.Sc, 

 and Harry Wiseman, B.Sc, of the University of Aberdeen. It 

 contained an account of the Ascidians of the Cape Yerde Marine 

 Fauna collected by Mr. Cyril Crossland, B.A., B.Sc, F.Z.S., and 

 recorded the occurrence of ten species of Ascidise Simplices, of 

 which three were described as new. 



Mr. F. E. Beddard, F.E..S., communicated a paper, on behalf 

 of Mr. Lionel K. Crawshay, on variations in the Arterial System 

 of certain species of Anura. 



A commiuiication was read from Mr. Guy A. K. Marshall, 

 F.Z.S., containing descriptions of fifty-three new species of African 

 Coleoptera of the family Curculionidse. 



A paper by Mrs. 0. A. Merritt Hawkes, B.Sc. (Lond.), on the 

 Cranial and Spinal Nerves of Ghlamydoselachus anguinei(,s, was 

 read. It contained a description of these nerves and discussions of 

 them from the point of view of the nerve-component theory, and 

 showed that the nervous as well as the other systems of Chlamy- 

 doselachus combined specialized and primitive features ; that the 

 nervous system was intermediate in position between that of 

 ScylliuTn and of Chimoira ; that the trigemino-facial complex 

 exhibited but few signs of the primitive ; that the ti'ue facialis 

 was interesting owing to the presence of pre- and post-trematic 

 rami apart from the.truncus hyomandibularis ; that there was a 

 chorda tympani ; that the giossopharyngeus probably supplied 

 two neuromasts ; that the vagus was disappointing in that its 

 ganglia were mostly indistinguishable, but this was probably due 

 indirectly to the marked backward swing of the jaws. On the 

 other hand, it showed that there was a sixth ramus branchialis 

 vagi to the I'emnants of a seventh arch ; that a hypoglossal nerve 

 was present ; thit the acoustico-lateralis rami were closely related 

 to one another, their distribution showing the close functional 

 relationship of neuromasts and ampullae of Lorenzini ; and that 

 both the lateral line system and ampullae wei-e primitive and 

 remarkably unstable. 



In a communication regarding two mammals obtained by Major 

 Powell-Cotton in the Ituri Forest, Mr. R. Lydekker, F.Z.S., 

 referred a dark-coloured Cat's skin to a race of Felis chrysothrix, 

 and also described a giant Elephant-Shrew as new. 



