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PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 17 
talented Naturalist, Mr. Blackwall, who has so long studied 
them, and to express a hope that some of our members will be 
tempted to engage in the study of this neglected portion of our 
fauna, and favour us with a catalogue of our local species, which 
I believe will be found more numerous than supposed. Mr. R. C. 
Clapham then read a valuable paper upon “ the natural formation 
of Iron Pyrites,” similar to that with which he has already favoured 
the Club, on Sulphur, and which will also appear in our pages. 
Some beautiful microscopic alge, found by our painstaking mem- 
ber, Mr. Thomas Athey, were exhibited under the microscope, 
and described in a paper by Mr. Tuffen West, F.L.S. The meet- 
ing was concluded by the reading of a most interesting paper by 
the Right Hon. Lord Ravensworth, forwarded through Mr. John 
Hancock, “ On the Changes of the Plumage in the Cock Pheasant,” 
illustrated by specimens, and which will, I believe, be printed. 
This converse of the usual changes of the “ male birds” of the 
Pheasant consisted in the male partially assuming the plumage 
of the female, and an instance was mentioned in which the spurs 
had undergone a change in form from those of the ordinary Cock 
Pheasant. His Lordship also remarked on the occurrence of 
considerable numbers of these “ androgynous” mutations during 
the late year, for as scarcely any young birds survived the storms 
of the cold breeding season, the gamekeeper had to resort to old 
birds to supply the larder. . 
The Seconp Eventne Mesrtine was held on Thursday, the 
14th of March last, and was numerously attended. After 
the election of seven new members, an exceedingly interesting 
paper “ On the Common Brittle Star, Ophiocoma rosula, with 
some remarks on the growth of the rays and their appendages,” 
was read by Mr. Hodge, and a large number of microscopic pre- 
parations of the various portions of this curious creature, as well 
as drawings of great beauty, shewed how imperceptibly the parts 
assumed forms and proportions apparently at variance with those 
originally developed. The reading of this was followed by an 
equally valuable contribution by Mr. Tuffen West, F.L.S., “ On 
the Feet of Insects,” being an abstract of a paper prepared for 
the Linnean Society, illustrated by numerous drawings and 
VOW Vis PDs 1 c 
