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In describing the various plumages Mr. Bonhote pointed out that 

 the hybrids Mallard [Anas hoschas) X Spotbill [A-, pcecilorhyncha) 

 X Pintail {Dafila acuta) were divisible into two races, a light 

 and a dark, and also that, whereas in the full-plumaged drakes 

 the Mallard and Pintail characters were chiefly apparent, in the 

 eclipse plumage the characters of the Spotbill supervened. Some 

 curious resemblances to species other than their parents were 

 then noticed, and also characters that could be referred to no 

 known species. 



Mr. Bonhote then referred to a paper he had read to the 

 Linnean Society last year, pointing out that colour-variations 

 tended to appear first of all on cei-tain definite parts of the body, 

 and that these parts, to which the name " poecilomeres " had been 

 giA^en, were common to mammals and birds alike. After treating 

 of this matter at some length, Mr. Bonhote came to the conclusion 

 that, from the study of the birds shown, hybridisation tended 

 to bring about great variation, which followed the lines of the 

 poecilomeres, and as the result of that variation resemblances were 

 shown towards species which had no part in their parentage. 



As illustrating this last statement, a bird (presumably a hybrid 

 between a Wigeon and Pintail) which had been shot wild a short 

 time back was shown. This bird, in addition to the characters 

 of the two parent species, showed on the head ma.rkings that 

 might be referred to both the Teal and the New Zealand Duck. 



A communication from Mr. Cyril Crossland, F.Z.S., contained 

 an account of the CEcology and Deposits of the Cape Verde 

 Marine Fauna. The Author pointed out that so far as the Cape 

 Yerde Group was concerned there was no evidence of any common 

 tropical marine fauna, though certain species were found in both 

 the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Reef animals were remarkably 

 few in number, the fauna in their place having a considerable 

 subtropical constituent. 



Bock simulating coral-rag was formed at the low-tide level by 

 serpulid tubes fused together by Lithothamnion, and by the latter 

 and Foraminifera between 5 and 20 fathoms. The absence of 

 i-eefs might be due in some degree to the remarkably steep coasts 

 of the islands, but it was more especially owing to the extra- 

 ordinary dominance of boring sponges, worms, and molluscs. 

 Beach sandstone w.^s formed by the deposition of calcareous 

 cement where the f i-esh water met the salt ; it was only found in 

 certain situations, and was everywhere being slowly eroded away 

 by the sea. 



Mr. C. Tate Regan, F.Z.S., read a paper entitled " A Revision 

 of the South- American Cichlid Genera, Crenacara^ Batrachops, 

 and Crenicichla" in which 23 species were described, 4 of them as 

 new to science. 



A communication from Capt. Ft. Mein^ertzhagex contained 



