SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 233 



including the whole of the upper side of the head. The dark markings 

 are normal, and, particularly on the under side, contrast strongly with the 

 general pale hue of the snake. There is, however, no trace of the transverse 

 yellow markings at the occiput, whence the species gets its trivial name— 

 „ ringed snake." Its length is nearer three feet than two. Snakes are in 

 great abundance here, but I have never before seen the above variety, nor 



am I aware that a similar one has ever been recorded from any locality. 



0. Pickarb-Cambridge (Bloxworth). 



SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES, 



Linnean Society of London. 



April 21, 1892. — Prof. Stewart, President, in the chair. 



Mr. Henry Groves was elected a Fellow. 



An example of an Australian bird (Gymnorhina), which had lately been 

 shot near Tor Abbey, Devonshire, after being observed all the winter, and 

 which had doubtless escaped from confinement, was exhibited, on behalf of 

 Mr. W. Else, Curator of the Torquay Museum. 



On behalf of Mr. Charles Head, of Scarborough, two specimens of the 

 Whiskered Bat, Vespertilio mystacinus, taken in that neighbourhood, were 

 exhibited by Mr. J. E. Harting. 



Mr. W. B. Hemsley read a paper entitled " Observations on a Botanical 

 Collection made by Mr. A. E. Pratt in Western China, with descriptions of 

 some new Chinese plants from various collections." Mr. Pratt travelled, in 

 1889-90, in Western China, close on the borders of Eastern Tibet, and 

 though chiefly in search of zoological specimens, he fortunately secured the 

 services of a native who had been trained to dry plants by Dr. Henry, the 

 result being that he was enabled to bring home a very interesting botanical 

 collection. The plants were obtained chiefly at elevations of 9000 to 

 13,590 feet, in the neighbourhood of Tat-sien-lu, a frontier town situated in 

 abou 4 30° N. lat. and 102° 15' E. long., and although Mr. Hemsley reported 

 that he had not finished working out the collection, he estimated that it 

 contained about 500 species, of which perhaps 150 species were new to 

 science. The paper was criticised by Mr. C. B. Clarke, who remarked 

 that the mountain ranges of Western China seemed to abound in showy 

 herbaceous plants, rivalling in this respect the richest districts of the 

 Himalayan region, of which, in fact, it is a continuation. 



Mr. H. M. Bernard then gave an abstract of a paper '* On the relation 

 of the Acaridae to the Arachnida," in which he argued that the former had 



ZOOLOGIST. JUNE, 1892. T 



