2636 Zoological and Microscopical Societies. 



Proceedings of the Zoological Society. 



Note. — No Meetings of this Society have been held since the last reported in this 



Journal. 



November 1. — John Edward Gray, Esq., in the chair. 



Alexander Kerr, Henry Moseley, John Beaumont, and C. A. Law, Esqrs., were 

 elected Fellows. 



The Keport of the Council stated that the visitors to the gardens in the Regent's 

 Park, during the last three months, amounted to 50,064 in number, presenting a total 

 increase on the year, as compared with 1848, of 24,564 ; and as compared with 1847, 

 of 72,685. The Report also announced that twenty-eight donations of books had 

 been received in the library, and that several interesting and valuable additions had 

 been made to the menagerie by Lieut.-Colonel Messiter (28th regiment), Capt. Worth, 

 R.N., W. D. Christie, Esq., Lieut. Tyler, R.E., the Marquis of Salisbury, the Mar- 

 chioness of Westminster, W. Danford, Esq., Lieut. Cave (53rd regiment), T. Fellows 

 Reade, Esq., and other friends of the Society. 



The new reptile house and the new building appropriated to ostriches form an 

 extensive addition to those portions of the menagerie which may be visited through- 

 out the winter without exposure to the weather. 



The collection of reptiles continues to receive accessions, and among the latest are 

 fine examples of two well-marked varieties of the cobra di capella (Naia tripudians) 

 from India. 



The most interesting bird obtained since the last meeting is the Abyssinian pin- 

 tado {Numida plilonorhyncha), now for the first time imported into Europe, for which 

 the Society is indebted to the Hon. C. A. Murray. A pair of Ocyphaps lophotes have 

 hatched three broods in the gardens during the past summer, and there appears to be 

 every prospect of acclimatizing this beautiful species as completely as has been the 

 case with Turtur risoria. Another most interesting incident has been the production 

 of a hybrid between the two species of crowned pigeon (Goura coronata and G. Vic- 

 toria) : this is the first recorded instance of either of them breeding in Europe. 



The menagerie on the last day of October contained upwards of 1400 animals ; 

 and the Society continues to receive favourable assurances of support from an in- 

 creasing band of foreign correspondents. The last letter which had reached the 

 Society was due to the influence of Rear-Admiral Bowles, V.P., and contained the 

 gratifying intelligence that Capt. Keppel, of H.M.S. Meander, had shipped a young 

 Mias uran-utan, from Singapore, on the 6th of September last. — D. W. M. 



Proceedings of the Microscopical Society of London. 



November 14. — J. S. Bowerbank, Esq., F.R.S., &c, in the chair. 



Mr. Leonard read a paper on the growth of the Glumaceae, and exhibited speci- 

 mens of grasses in a growing state under the microscope : it appeared that the elon- 

 gation of the blade is due to the accession of cells of the radical extremity thereof, by 

 which accession the distal extremity was forced onwards. 



Mr. Shadbolt read a paper on the siliceous loricae of Arachnoidiscus. 



