458 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



same genus, and even in other and very different genera. Usually the 

 uninjured whorls could be detected by the apex being of the normal 

 character, but in some cases the abnormality appeared to be congenital* 

 being carried completely into the apex. This raised the question whether 

 these were acquired characters and hereditary, having been impressed upon 

 the offspring born after the parent shell had been injured and renewed by 

 growth. Mr. E. R. Sykes and Mr. B. B. Woodward offered some 

 criticism in the discussion which followed, deprecating the suggestion o^ 

 anything like " mimicry," and regarding the resemblances in question as 

 purely accidental. 



Mr. T. H. Buffham exhibited lantern slides of a red marine alga, 

 Bonnemaisonia hamifera (Heriot), known previously only from Japan, and 

 found floating on the sea at Falmouth. It was suggested that if it had 

 been introduced from Japan it could only have been from spores, or 

 possibly the hamose branches might develop into plants, since the 

 Falmouth specimens were quite fresh, and must have been living near the 

 place of discovery. 



Dr. D. Morris, C.M.G., read a paper on the developement of a single 

 seed in the fruit of the cocoa-nut palm (Cocos nucifera). Alluding to the 

 occurrence of palms with twin and trifid stems arising from one base, it 

 was shown that these were due : (1), to several seeds in one fruit; (2), to 

 more than one embryo in a seed ; or (3), to a branching of the primary 

 shoot. In cases cited by Rumphius, Forbes, and others, several seeds were 

 found in one fruit. The course of development of the single cell was 

 illustrated by means of lantern slides. 



On behalf of Mr. A. J. Ewart, Prof. Harvey Gibson gave an abstract 

 of a paper on "Assimilating Inhibition, the Causes by which it may be 

 induced, and their influence on Vitality." The paper dealt mainly with the 

 discussion of experiments with a large number of plants, and criticism of 

 the results arrived at by other investigators. A discussion followed, in 

 which Dr. Scott, Prof. Reynolds Green, and Prof. Weiss took part. 



Mr. A. C. Seward gave the substance of a paper " On a New Species 

 of Pinites (P. Euffordi) from the Wealden beds of Sussex." 



Zoological Society. 



Nov. 19th, 1895.— Sir W. H. Flower, K.C.B., President, in the chair. 



The Secretary read a report on additions made to the Society's Menagerie. 



A letter was read from Mr. J. H. Gurney respecting a Kingfisher, Alcedo 

 beavani, resident in Ceylon. 



Mr. Sclater gave a short account of certain animals noticed in the Paris 

 Gardens during a recent visit. He also exhibited the skin of a Zebra from 

 Nyasaland, obtained by Mr. R. Crawshay, and a fine pair of horns of Living- 



