Dr. W. N. F. Woodland, F.Z.S., gave an account of a paper 

 on the structure and function of the gas-producing mechanism 

 (" red body ") found in connection with the gas-bladders of anany 

 Teleostei (Physoclisti and Physostomi), After summai-izing some 

 of the principal facts known concerning these subjects, the author 

 discussed various theoiies already advanced to account for the 

 details of gas-production, and showed that the most satisfactory 

 hypothesis was a combination of the views of Jaeger and of 

 Nusbaum a,nd Reis, supplemented by additional facts and sug- 

 gestions then advanced in the paper. Among the additional 

 physiological facts adduced were the sti-iking distribution of the 

 capillaries of the rete mirahile of the erythrocytolytic granules 

 resulting from the action of Jaeger's toxin on the blood, and the 

 peculiar endothelium of the arterioles towards the proximal pole 

 of the rete. Both of these facts, together with the otherwise 

 meaningless conformation of the rete, supj)orted the view already 

 advanced by the author that the rete mirahile duplex is essen- 

 tially a device to ensure the diffusion into the artei'ioles of the 

 toxin poured into the blood by the gas-gland, so that . erythi'o- 

 cytolysis shall be well advanced (and therefore the abstraction of 

 oxygen made easy) by the time the arterial blood reaches the 

 gas-" secreting " cells. The author also made suggestions con- 

 cerning the exact meaning of htemolysis in connection with the 

 abstraction of oxygen from the blood by the gas-gland cells. The 

 first part of the pa.per dealt with the comparative morphology 

 of gas-glands. 



Prof. J. CossAR EwART, M.A., F.R.S., F.Z.S., gave an account 

 of his memoir entitled "Skulls of Oxen from the Roman Station 

 at Newstead, Melrose," illustrating his remarks by lantern-slides. 

 He stated that examination of the skulls from Newstead lent 

 support neither to the descent of all European cattle from the 

 Urus {Bos prhnigenius) nor to the descent of all European, 

 Indian, and African breeds from the Asiatic Urus {B. nomadicus). 

 He dealt with the evidence to be derived from the maxillse, the 

 occiput and the temporal fossse, and stated his conclusions as 

 follows : — - 



1. That the Celtic Shorthorn [Bos longifrons) is probably more 



intimately related to the Zebu of India [Bos indicus) than 

 to the European Urus [Bos ])rimi genius). 



2. That long premaxillje are usually correlated with an occiput 



of the Bos primi genius type, while short premaxillse are 

 usually correlated with an occiput of the Bos acutifrons 

 type. 

 .3. That polled black Galloway cattle and polled white " wild " 

 Oadzow cattle are intimately related to the Urus, that 

 fiat-polled Aberdeen- Angus cattle probably include amongst 

 their ancestors an ancient Oriental race now represented 

 by, amongst others, a Syrian breed with rudimentary 

 horns, and that round-polled cattle may belong to a still 

 more ancient Oriental race descended from Bos acittifrons 

 of the Punjab Siwaliks. 



