18 



(4) The frontlet and antlers of a specimen of the Manchurian 

 Wapiti [Gervus xcmthopygus), to show variation in the structure 

 of the two antlers, one having a short " bez "-tine nearly midway 

 between the " brow " and the " trez," the other a long " bez "-tine 

 rising close to the " brow "-tine. 



Mr. D. Seth-Smith, F.Z.S., the Society's Curator of Birds, 

 exhibited a living Hybrid Duck, which was believed to be a cross 

 between the White-eyed Pochard [Aythya nyroca) and the Marbled 

 Duck [Marmaronetta angustirostris). It was hatched at Scampston 

 Hall, Yorkshire, from a clutch of eggs laid by a Marbled Duck 

 at Lilford Hall, Northamptonshire. The bird displayed the 

 characteristic markings of Marmaronetta, but the general colour 

 was dark reddish brown. It had been presented to the Society 

 by Mr. W. H. St. Quintin, F.Z.S. 



Mrs. E. W, Sexton presented a paper, communicated by Dr. W. 

 T. Calman, F.Z S., " On the Amphipod Genus Leptocheirus." 

 In preparing this revision of the genus the type specimens of 

 nearly all the species had been examined. The author found 

 that in some cases difierent stages of growth had been described 

 by difierent authors as distinct species, in other cases the in- 

 adequacy of the original descriptions and figures had led to the 

 introduction of a number of unnecessary synonyms. The speci- 

 mens of Zaddach's L. pilosus and Grube's L. gvttatus had been 

 examined and re-described, and the number of valid species in 

 the genus was now seven, namely : L. pilosus, L. pinguis, 

 L. hirsutimanus, L. p)ectiiiatus, L. giMatus, L. aberrans, and 

 L. hispinosus. 



Messrs. J. Lewis Bonhote, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., and F. W. 



Sm4lley, F.Z.S. , read their paper on Inheritance of Colour in 

 Pigeons, which dealt with the first results of a long series of 

 experiments. Although chiefly Mendelian in character, the 

 authors laid stress on the fact that in several respects their results 

 seemed to point to a further law or laws, which were able to 

 modify the expected Mendelian results and in regard to which 

 the Mendelian theory ofiered no satisfactory solution. They 

 showed, for instance, that in Chequer and Blue matings there 

 was a regular tendency to an over-production of Chequers, in 

 the Grizzle matings the tendency was to an over-pi-oduction of 

 Blues. Another point apparently inexplicable on the Mendelian 

 hypothesis was the difierence in shades of the same colour ; by 

 disregarding these and considering them all as gametically iden- 

 tical, the results gave approximately the expected proportions, 

 but, on the other hand, the shades of the difierent birds lui- 

 doubtedly afl^ected their progeny, and hence the gametes must 

 also have been afi"ected. The prepondei'ance of a certain sex in 

 a particular colour was also noted, as well as an increase of white 



