192 A CH^TODONT FISH WITH ARABIC CHARACTERS. 



Professor E. W. MacBride, M.A., D.Sc, F.R.8., F.Z.S., gave 

 an account, illusti-ateil by lantern-slides, of his recent investi- 

 gations into the development of the Sea- Urchin (^Echinocardmm 

 cordatum). 



March 5th, 1918. 



Dr. A. Smith Woodward, F.E„S., Vice-President, 

 in the Chair, 



Mr. D. Seth Smith, F.Z.S., exhibited skins of the Hoatzin 



{Opisthocomus cristatus), and described the habits and distribu- 

 tion of the species, illustrating his remarks with lantern-slides. 



A Chcetodont Fish ivith Markings resembling Arabic 

 Characters. 



Mr. C. Tate PtEOAN, M.A., F.R.S., F.Z.S., exhibited photo- 

 graphs of an Indo-Pacific Chsetodont Fish [Holacanthus semi- 

 circulatus Cuv. et Yal.). Two of these had been sent to him 

 by Major H. R. Cartwright, Commandant of Police, Zanzibar ; 



Text-figure 1 . 



they were of a specimen that had been sold in the fish-market 

 for a penny ; the man who bought it was going to eat it and cut 

 off the tail and threw it on the ground ; another man picked it 

 up and called out that it had writing on it, and, indeed, on one 

 side of the caudal fin was written in old Arabic characters 

 " Laillaha Illalah " (There is no God but Aljfih) and on the 

 other side " Shani-AUah " (A warning sent from Allah). The 



