1905.] ON THE SPONGE OLATHRINA CONTORTA, 3 



not pi^olong or retain youthful characters of the antlers, but, quite 

 the contrary, caused them to grow irregularly or had the effect of 

 entire suppression of the antler. 



He stated that very frequently an aged Stag or Fallow buck 

 would throw up supernumerary snags at the base of the antler 

 (text-fig, 1, E) or along the side of the beam, which somewhat 

 resembled, and were probably a reversion to, these immature 

 characters, and that there Avere several records of aged or barren 

 hinds growing the simple " pricket " antlers of the first year. 



Mr. R. I. Pocock, F.Z.S., exhibited and made remarks on a 

 specimen of the Spanish Tarantula, Lycosa hispanica, that had 

 died in the Society's Gardens. 



On behalf of Mr. R. 0. Punnett, F.Z.S., and himself, Mr. "W. 

 Bateson, F.R.S., F.Z.S., exhibited specimens of Fowls illustrating 

 peculiarities in the heredity of white plumage, and made the 

 following remarks : — 



Ajnire white breed such as Wliite Leghorn, crossed with a dark 

 breed such as Brown Leghorn, gives a cross-breed substantially 

 white, the colour being recessive. The White Rose-comb Bantam, 

 however, crossed with a coloured breed gives coloured cross breeds, 

 the white being recessive. But in eveiy specimen examined 

 carefully these recessive whites were found to have one or more 

 minute ticks of black pigment. Though, superficially regarded, 

 these ticked whites would be classified as white, experiment proves 

 them to be entirely difierent in nature. These facts elucidate the 

 paradoxical accounts given by Darwin and others that Black and 

 White Bantams crossed together give both blacks and Avhites ; 

 for the black may fully dominate over the white in this particular 



Th« following papers were read : — 



1. On the Sponge Leucosolenia contorta Bowerbank, Ascandra 

 contorta Haeckel, and Ascetta spinosa Lendenfeld. By 

 E. A. MiNCHiN, F.Z.S., University College, London. 



[Received Marcli 16, 1905.] 



(Plate I.* and Text-figures 2-6.) 



The Calcareous Sponges have been a very unfoi-tunate group, 

 from the systematic point of view. From the time when Haeckel 

 swept away all previous generic names, in order to found his so- 

 called natural system, up to the present day, scarcely any two 



* Fov explanation, of the Plate, see p. 20. 



1* 



