Minutes of Proceedings Ixvil 
The embryos of Mermis are armed with spines, and bore their way 
out of the egg membrane, and perhaps also into the bodies of the 
hosts. 
In the Gordiide the sexes are distinct, and the digestive apparatus is 
in rudimentary condition. It is not quite certain how or where the 
pairing occurs. 
When the time of maturity of the ova has come, the female Mermis 
endeavours to bury herself in the soil, either for mating, as some 
suggest, or simply to deposit the eggs in a damp or moist spot, if, as 
others assert, the embryo has already been impregnated before it bored 
into the host. 
Whatever the process may be, the embryos are viviparously repro- 
duced, and being set free, they pass a certain time of their early life in 
the earth. 
They are very tenacious of life, and are reputed to be able to with- 
stand complete desiccation for a long period without injury to their 
vital powers (Cobbold). 
The growth of Mermis is very rapid. I have seen examples over 
twelve inches long in the bodies of young locusts that had shed their 
third skin only, and could not thus be older than twenty days. From 
all accounts, the host dies from, or after, the exodus of the parasite ; 
moisture, however, is absolutely necessary to the development of this 
parasite on a scale sufficient to check in a sensible manner the number 
of locusts now found everywhere, and it is thus doubtful if the efficacy 
of Mermis proves to be very great. 
Mr. PERINGUEY laid on the table the MSS. of the Descriptive Cata- 
logue of the South African Coleoptera, family Carabide, Part 1. 
The PRESIDENT read Dr. Schénland’s paper on some skulls in the 
Albany Museum, illustrated by some photographs. 
Mr. FouRCADE made some interesting and lengthy remarks on the 
paper, relating his own experience in searching for anthropological 
remains in the Knysna and Humansdorp districts, and giving as his 
opinion that the skeletons he found there belonged to Strand-loopers, a 
different race from the Hottentots and Bushmen. 
ORDINARY MoNTHLY MEETING. 
Wednesday, June 27, 1894. 
Mr. R. MArtotu, Ph.D., M.A., President, in the Chair. 
The undermentioned presents were announced, and the thanks of the 
Society voted to the donors: 
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