SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 155 



forwarded on behalf of the Society on the death of H.R.H. the Duke of 

 Clarence and Avondale. 



The President announced the presentation, by Sir Joseph Hooker, M.D., 

 K.C.M.G., to the Society of two medallion portraits of Sir James Ross and 

 Dr. John Richardson, whose names are well known in connection with 

 arctic exploration. The medallions were executed in 1843 by the late 

 Bern hard Smith. A vote of thanks to the donor was passed unani- 

 mously. 



Mr. Clement Reid exhibited a collection of fossil plants and seeds which 

 he had found associated with the bones of Rhinoceros and other animals in 

 the neighbourhood of Selsea and West Wittering. By means of diagrams, 

 Mr. Reid showed the exact position of the bed, and described the condition 

 in which the various specimens were deposited. 



On behalf of Mr. W. E. Beckwith, of Shrewsbury, Mr. H. Seebohm 

 exhibited a specimen of White's Thrush (Turdus varius, Pallas ; Oreocincla 

 varia, Seebohm), which had been shot in the parish of Moreton Corbet, 

 seven miles from Shrewsbury, on the 14th January last. He pointed out 

 that this species, which inhabits Eastern Asia, belongs to the subgenus 

 Oreocincla, an exclusively eastern group of ground Thrushes, and is the only 

 one which is palaearctic and migratory. It does not breed anywhere west 

 of the Yenisei, and its occurrence in Europe is accidental. Mr. Seebohm 

 added that it had been met with twice in France, four times in Italy, three 

 times in Belgium, once or twice in Austria and Prussia, once in Norway, 

 thirteen times in Heligoland (between 1827 and 1884), and about a score of 

 times in the British Islands, including three occurrences in Ireland, and 

 one in the extreme south of Scotland. 



On behalf of Mr. A. Craig Christie, the Secretary exhibited some 

 specimens, as was supposed, of Lycopodium complanatum, collected in 

 Scotland, on which it was suggested that the plant might be regarded as 

 British. In the opinion, however, of Mr. James Groves, who had carefully 

 examined the specimens, and other botanists present, they were referable 

 to L. alpinum. Mr. Groves pointed out the distinctive characters of both. 

 Mr. Carruthers was of opinion that L. complanatum had been met with in 

 the South of England, but not within the last ten years. Mr. E. M. Holmes 

 was under the impression he had seen it growing a few years ago near 

 Stroud. 



A paper was then read by Mr. A. D. Michael on variations in the 

 internal anatomy, and especially the genital organs, of the Gamasina, a 

 typical subfamily of the Acari. In this paper the author gave the results 

 of two years' research, including many hundreds of dissectious and serial 

 sections, with lengthy observations of the living creatures. The comparison 

 of variable organs was worked out in numerous species, showing great 

 specific differences. Four of the species were found to be previously 



