PROCEEDINGS OP THE SOCIETY. 169 



nearly all — flagellate. Again also, as to the remark about the inactivity 

 of the sperroatozooicls being comparative, he thought the difficulty was 

 hardly so great as imagined. Supposing the fertilizing spermatozoa to 

 be absolutely motionless, he did not see why the race should on that 

 account become extinct, because in this case they had an instance of true 

 copulation, in which these bodies were introduced completely within the 

 passage of the female organ, and it was quite conceivable that by the 

 contraction of its walls they might be eventually brought into contact 

 with the ovum. In the other case mentioned it might be that an amce- 

 biform action was subsequently taken on, because it seemed that a ray or 

 burr-like form was in itself practically unfit to be carried up the duct 

 of the female. 



Mr. A. W. Bennett said that in the case of one very large class of 

 plants — the FlorideEe — the spermatozoa were entirely devoid of the 

 power of motion. 



Prof. Bell pointed out that the amoeboid motions in the case of the 

 higher Crustacea had been noticed by a Bussian observer. 



Mr. W. M. Maskell's paper, " Note on 3Iicrasterias americana Ealfs 

 and its varieties," was read by Mr. Crisp (supra, p. 7). 



Mr. A. W. Bennett said that this paper struck him as being one of 

 very great interest ; but to those who had given up the idea of fixity of 

 species it was a matter of arrangement whether they regarded them as 

 different, or as varieties of the same species. The genus Micrasterias 

 was one of the most interesting of the Desruidieae, because of the com- 

 paratively large size and great beauty of many of the forms. The 

 author spoke of the great advantage which would accrue from a mono- 

 graph of the Desmidiera, but he thought if they had a complete mono- 

 graph of only Micrasterias it would be of inestimable value. One of the 

 whole group would be a matter of such enormous labour that it could 

 hardly be hoped for. He could completely corroborate what the author 

 said as to the very great variety of forms which existed in individuals of 

 the same species. He thought this paper was a contribution to science, 

 for which the Society ought to be grateful. 



The following Instruments, Objects, &c, were exhibited:— 



Mr. Bolton: — Canthocamptus minutus. 



Mr. Burgess : — Carterina spiculotesta Carter, Eaine Island, Torres 

 Strait. 



Mr. Crisp :— Jaubert's Microscopes (2). 



Mr. Guimaraens : — Diatoms from Sysran, Government of Simbirsk, 

 Russia (a new deposit). 



Mr. Michael : — Specimen of Mounting Medium in which 01. Rhodii 

 had been used. 



New Fellows :— The following were elected Ordinary Fellows : — 

 Messrs. C. Spence Bate, F.R.S., W. Laurence Gadd, F.C.S., and Rev. 

 Thomas S. King. 



1888. n 



