SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 117 



Mr. John Rattray was elected and Mr. W. H. Blaber was admitted a 

 Fellow of the Society. 



Mr. J. E. Harting exhibited Gould's coloured plate of a Humming-bird, 

 Phathornis longuemareus, of which species a pair had made their nest in 

 the drawing-room of Mr. Hamilton, of Queen's Park, Trinidad. The nest 

 was built in a palm about five feet high, standing in a tub within the room. 

 The first egg was laid on the 27th December last, the second on Dec. 29th, 

 and a young bird was hatched on Jan. 12th. The circumstance was regarded 

 as quite unprecedented, though Mr. D. Morris was able to quote a case, 

 which came under his own observation in Jamaica, wherein a Humming- 

 bird built its nest on the extremity of a saddle-bar in a verandah. Full 

 details are given in ' The Field ' of Feb. 20th. 



Mr. Harting also exhibited some photographs of the egg-cases of two 

 species of Dogfish (Scytlium), and made some remarks on the mode of 

 deposition and period of incubation as observed in different aquaria. 



Mr. F. N. Williams read a paper on the genus Dianthus. He pointed 

 out that Velezia, Dianthus, and Funica form a natural group of genera 

 distinguishable from the Silene group by their seeds, which have a facial 

 hylum and straight embryo. Velezia may be distinguished from Dianthus and 

 Funica by having half the number of stamens. There are, however, three 

 characters to be relied on in distinguishing these two genera: — (1) the 

 presence of an epicalyx of bracts ; (2) the number of nerves to the calyx ; 

 (3) the junction of the claw with the blade of the petal. This last character 

 was regarded as distinguishing very clearly Dianthus from Funica. In 

 Dianthus the blade of the petal is abruptly narrowed into the claw, so that 

 the two are distinct; in Funica the transition is gradual. Mr. Williams 

 was of opinion that the species of Dianthus might be arranged in three 

 natural groups (subgenera): — (1) in which the flowers are numerous and 

 clustered as in " Sweet-william"; (2) the largest group in which the flowers 

 are few and usually solitary on the branches of the stems, as in Carnation ; 

 and (3) a small group intermediate between Funica and the true Pinks, and 

 corresponding with the genus Kohlrauschia of Kunth. The number of 

 species recognised by Mr. Williams in this monograph amount, in round 

 number, to 250. 



A paper, by Messrs. G. J. Hinde and Win. Holmes, was then read, 

 " On the Sponge Remains in the Lower Tertiary Strata near Oamaru, 

 Otago, New Zealand." Near Oamaiu there are beds of white, friable 

 siliceous rock of upper Eocene age, almost entirely composed of sponge 

 spicules, diatoms, and radiolaria, thus resembling in character the diotom 

 and radiolarian ooze of the present deep seas. The sponge remains 

 are all detached ; they belong largely to the Monactinellidce, though 

 Tetractinellid, Lithistid, and Hexactinellid spicules are also present. The 

 smaller flesh spicules of these different groups arc perfectly preserved, 



