1893.] DB. G. L. JOHIS^SOK ON THE SEAl's EYE. 719 



banded with pale fuscous, the anterior legs a little clouded ^^dth 

 fuscous. Pronotum smooth, obsoletely, minutelj'' punctate on the 

 posterior lobe. Hemelytra longer than the abdomen, the reins 

 and a series of spots at the apex of the membrane fuscous. Outer 

 margin of the abdomen piceous. 



Length to end of abdomen 4 millim., to tip of membrane 4| 

 millim. ; width of base of pronotum | millim. 



One specimen is in the collection from this island. 



This species seems to be not rare in Cuba, Several specimens 

 have been sent to me from that island by Dr. Gundlach, and othex's 

 are in his collection, 



Fam. VELiiDiE. 

 Genus Microvelia, Westw. 



MiCROVELIA MARGINATA, sp, nOV. 



Dull black, nearly wedge-shaped, minutely pubescent, and 

 obsoletely punctate, with the breast orange and the pronotum 

 bordered with orange. Head rather blunt, convex between the 

 eyes, a little compressed and produced at the end of the clypeus, 

 the underside pale testaceous. Antennae stout, closely hairy, 

 black ; third and fourth joints longer than the others, the fourth 

 longest, acutely tapering at tip ; the basal joint thicker than the 

 others, much longer than the second, pale beneath. Rostrum 

 stout and swollen at base, reaching behind the anterior cox^, pale 

 testaceous, piceous at tip. Pronotum broad, moderately convex, 

 with the humeral angles bluntly rounded, and not prominent as 

 in 21. capitata, Guer. Pectus broadly yellow, dusky on the middle 

 and posteriorly, Cox80 and legs pale testaceous ; the posterior 

 legs dusky above, and fulvous on the middle of the tibiae. Scu- 

 tellum dusky, mostly concealed by the pronotum. "Wing-covers 

 black, bluntly rounded at tip. Abdomen black above, tinged with 

 lead-colour and a little sericeous beneath, the lateral margins 

 broadly fulvous ; the venter has sometimes a row of fulvous dots 

 ach side. 



Length to tip of abdomen l|-2 millim,, to end of wing-covers 

 2\ milUm, ; width of pronotum | millim. 



Several specimens, both winged and un winged, were collected 

 by Mr. Smith in the pools of cool ^\■ater at various localities on 

 the island. 



3. Observations on the Refraction and Vision of the SeaPs 

 Eye. By G. Lindsay Johnson, M.D., F.Z.S. 



[Received November 21, 1893.] 



In the course of my investigations on the vision of the Mam- 

 malia, I was particularly struck with certain peculiarities in the 

 eye of Phoca vitulina, tlie Scotch Seal, so frequently met with off 

 our northern coasts. The eye, as everyone must have observed, is 



