490 ox AX EARTHWORM WITH BIFID TAIL. [DeC. 12^ 



presented by Sir Harry Johnston, G.C.M.Ct., K.O.B., on Nov. 

 25tli. 



A Oapybara {Hydrochoertis ccqyyharcC). a Violet-eared Humming- 

 bird {Petasophora iolata), two Purple Sugar-birds {Ccereba ccerulea), 

 two Spotted Emerald Tanagers (Calliste guttata), and a Red-billed 

 Toucan [RhamjjJiastos erythrorhynchus), from Caracas, Venezuela^ 

 presented by Oapt. Albert Pam, F.Z.S., on Nov. 25th. 



The Secretary exhibited a coloured print, published by 

 E.. Ackermann in July 1812, of Polito's Royal Menagerie at 

 Exeter 'Change, London. Mr. Polito died in 1814, and the 

 Menagerie was taken over by his chief assistant Mr. Cross, a 

 relative of the well-known Liverpool naturalist. The Exetei" 

 'Change Menagerie became famous in 1827, because of the death 

 of an Elephant which became infuriated and had to be killed. 

 The Secretary was indebted to Mr. Howard Saunders, V.P.Z.S., 

 for calling his attention to a long account of this occurrence 

 published in Hone's ' Every- Day Book ' for 1827. 



Mr. A. H. Cocks, F.Z.S., exhibited twelve enlarged photographs 

 of Whales taken by him at the Finwhaling Factories in East 

 Finmarken in 1883-89. The species represented yfeve MegajJtera 

 longimaiia, Baloinojytera sibhaldii, B. inusculus, and B. horealis. 



Mr. Geo. P. Mudge, F.Z.S., exhibited an abnormal Dogfish 

 [Scyllium canicula) in which the proximal limb of the siphonal 

 stomach was everted into the pharynx, where it took the form of 

 a flattened spathulate-shaped sac. Within the sac (which was 

 lined with ccelomic epitheliiim) there were contained the distal 

 loop of the stomach, the sjjleen and pancreas. That it was a 

 permanent condition, formed in the course of development, he 

 believed to be shown by the great length of the lieno-gastric 

 arteiy and by the presence of a peculiar triangular-shaped inva- 

 ginated sac, supplied by this artery, and infolded from the dorsal 

 surface of the everted loop of the stomach at its anterior end. 



Mr. Mudge also exhibited an Earthworm {Allolohophora sp. ?) 

 with a bifid posterior extremity. It was foinid at Bradfield, 

 Manningtree, in Essex, and was sent to Mr. Cole, the honorary 

 curator of the Essex Field-Club Museum, who was kind enough 

 to lend it to Mr. Mudge for description. The worm was normal 

 to about the 56th segment, or to rather more than one-half its 

 length, when it divided into two nearly symmetrical branches ; 

 the I'ight branch at its oiigin was just a trifle larger than the 

 left, but otherwise the two were equal. 



A distinct anal aperture was present at the posterior extremity 

 of each branch, and indicated that the intestine was branched in 



