PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 473 



Meeting of 8th May, 1889, at King's College, Strand, WoC, 

 THE Pkesidbnt (Db. C. T. Hudson, M.A., LL.D.) in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the meeting of lOth April last were read and 

 confirmed, and were signed by the President. 



The President said that some new species of Asplanclma had 

 recently been described by M. de Guerne, but upon examining the 

 figures which were given in illustration he had come to the conclusion 

 that this observer had studied the teeth by the examination of specimens 

 which had either been crushed or treated with caustic potash. The 

 teeth of these rotifera were extremely brittle, and if any pressure was 

 applied to them, as was most frequently done, they were very liable to 

 be fractured, and the pieces would then get scattered about in various 

 directions. There were eases in which new species had actually been 

 made out of them in accordance with the positions in which they 

 happened to fall. By means of a drawing upon the black-board, the 

 President showed the effects of such crushing in producing a variety of 

 alterations in the apparent structure of the trophi of Asplanchna, 

 The solid triangular base of the ramus, which was described as one of 

 the new characters, was nothing more than a muscular portion at its 

 lower end, namely, the half of a stout muscle which embraced the free 

 end of the fulcrum and sloped upwards to a projection on either ramus. 

 To make it quite clear how a difference in the aspect or position would 

 produce some of the alterations described, he had made a large model in 

 wax composition of the trophi of Asplanchna, by means of which he 

 pointed out how some of the so-called new forms could readily be seen 

 by viewing the model from different points. 



The President also said that amongst the nominations read that 

 evening was the name of Mr. Thomas Whitelegge, a gentleman living in 

 Australia, who had sent him a great many beautiful things at different 

 times. Amongst these was a specimen of Lacinularia, which was very 

 curious, consisting of a number of separate individuals associated together 

 in a cluster, but all united at their lower ends to a common stem of re- 

 markable length, the lower end of which was spread out as a kind of 

 solid foot. A representation of the form having been drawn on the 

 board and further described, the President said it was possible to suggest 

 a way of accounting for this curious growth by supposing that these 

 rotifers, being capable of secreting a viscid material, had done this some- 

 what abundantly, and being drawn upwards by tire action of the trochal 

 discs, an elongation of that viscid material would take place, and then, 

 by the motions given to them by the ciliary action, these stems would 

 first be plaited together, and ultimately become fused. 



In modelling the trophi of Asplanchna, he had trusted to a formula he 

 had met with for making the material ; this was equal parts of bees'-wax, 

 olive oil, flake white, and lead-plaster. The result was as they saw 

 before them ; something which it was very easy to mould in any required 

 form, but which remained so soft that it could not be touched without 

 spoiling. If any of the Fellows present could tell him how to make 

 something of the kind which would harden he should be very much 

 obliged. 



Mr. J. D. Hardy asked the President whether, in the case of the 



