104 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



among the numerous sandbanks of the Firth, near Silloth, on Feb. 24th. 

 Its arrival was at ouce reported to me, and I had the pleasure of examining 

 it early on the following day. It proved to be a male fish, full of milt. 

 The total length was considerably less than some that have been taken at 

 different times on other parts of the coast. Nevertheless, the fish 

 measured 7 ft. 9 in. in total length, its greatest girth being 5 ft. 2 in. It 

 weighed 28 stone, and was in splendid condition. The entire fish, all but 

 the skin and viscera, was eaten, being distributed, to all who cared to try 

 it, in the town of Penrith, whither it was taken for preservation. The 

 flesh was found to be as rich as salmon. Many who tasted it compared it 

 to veal. The stomach only contained five partly digested vertebra? of some 

 other species of fish. — H. A. Macpherson (Carlisle). 



SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES 



Linnean Society of London. 



Feb. 6th.— Mr. C. B. Clarke, F.R.S., President, in the chair. 



The Rev. E. Woodruffe-Peacock, and Mr. William Cole were admitted, 

 and Messrs. J. Backhouse, Gilbert Christy, and I. Richards were elected 

 Fellows of the Society. 



Sir W. H. Flower, K.C.B., F.R.S., presented to the Society, on behalf 

 of the subscribers, a portrait of Mr. William Carruthers, F.R.S., ex-President 

 of the Linnean Society, painted by Mr. J. Hay. On the motion of Mr. J. G. 

 Baker, F.R.S., it was resolved that the portrait be accepted, and that a 

 cordial vote of thanks to the donors be recorded. 



Prof. C. Stewart exhibited a series of dissections of skulls, illustrating 

 the development of air-cavities. The skull of a Herring carefully dissected 

 to show the relations of the ampulla? of the pneumatocyst to the cranial 

 bones ; of a Crocodile, to show those of the extra-tympanic cavity and 

 siphonium; of a Rook, to show the limitations and relationships of the 

 vesicular and other strata of the cranial roof; and of a Chinchilla and a 

 Phascolarctus, to illustrate the variations and development of the "bulla" 

 and of its associated structures, were the chief objects shown. Prof. Stewart 

 expressed himself favourable to the belief that the parts mentioned in the 

 Herring are functional for acoustic purposes. In this he was supported by 

 Prof. Howes, who referred in detail to the arrangements occurring in Hyodon 

 and Mormyrus as substantiating this conclusion. 



On behalf of Mr. B. G. Cormack, Dr. D. H. Scott gave the substance 

 of a paper on Polystelic Roots of certain Palms. He remarked that with 

 scarcely any exception roots show one normal vascular bundle or stele. The 

 author, utilizing material from Ceylon, found that in Areca catechu, Linn., 

 Cocos nucifera, Linn., and a species of Verschaffeltia, the young roots agree 



