1888.] Address. 61 



discoveries in Natural Science which might have remained unrecorded 

 for some time, if not for ever. In Part II, published envlj in 1887, there 

 are six papers, whilst in Part III there are eleven memoirs ; these, 

 however, will be more properly considered amongst the results of 1888, 

 as this part has not yet left the printer's hands. Of the papers in Part 

 II, those by Dr. Cunningham are (1) 'On the effects sometimes follow- 

 ing the injection of the choleraic comma-bacillus into the subcutaneous 

 tissues in guinea-pigs,' and (2) ' On the phenomenon of gaseous evolution 

 from the flowers of Ottelia alismoides.^ In the former paper, it is shown 

 that his inoculations were, in some instances, followed by an excessive 

 multiplication of the bacilli within the bodies of the animals operated 

 upon, and death with certain symptoms resembling those which charac- 

 terise cholera in the human subject supervened, but the author does not 

 think that the phenomena induced warrant the conclusion that they 

 were of a truly choleraic nature. The two papers by Dr. Barclay are 

 on the life-histories of two species of Uredinece, one parasitic on Strohi- 

 lantJies dalhousianus, which he has named JEcidium strohilantliis^ and 

 the other on Urtica jparvijlora, which he considers to be a variety of Aeci- 

 dium urticce, a parasite well-known in Europe. Both parasites are 

 heteroecious, or requiring two distinct hosts on which to complete their 

 development. In the case of the former, the second host is Follinia 

 nuda, and in that of the latter, it is Garex setigera. These are the first 

 species of jEcidia whose life-histories have been worked out in India. 



Dr. King, F. R. S., discusses, in his paper ' On the fertilisation of 

 Ficus hispida,' a problem of great interest in vegetable physiology which 

 still remains unsolved. Lastly, Dr. Bomford notes the discovery of 

 some eggs of Distonia {Bilharzia) hm^natobium in the intestines of two 

 transport cattle which died in Calcutta. The discovery is of some 

 importance, since hitherto the existence of this parasite has only been 

 known in Africa, the Mauritius, and Arabia. 



Indian Museum. — The Indian Museum continues to hold a high 

 place in popular estimation, the number of visitors during the year of 

 report being 460,992, giving an average of 1,928 for each day during 

 which it was open to the public. Amongst the principal acquisitions 

 of the year are the zoological collection from the Indian shores and 

 deep seas contributed by the Marine Survey, and a collection of snakes 

 from Singapore, mammals nad birds from Afghanistan collected by 

 Captain Yate, European Diptera from Dr. E. Becher, British Hyme- 

 noptera from Mr. E. T. Atkinson, invertebrates of the Arctic seas 

 from the Stockholm Museum, and the Mergui collections that have been 

 named through Dr. Anderson. The Trustees have long recognised their 

 position as guardians of Imperial scientific research in India, but it has 



