SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 275 



Spencer Moore, and Dr. D. H. Scott. The President and Officers were 

 re-elected. The Librarian's Report having been read, and certain formal 

 business having been transacted, the President delivered his Annual 

 Address, taking for his subject, " Conimensalism and Symbiosis." On the 

 motion of Dr. R. C. A. Prior, seconded by Mr. Jenner Weir, a cordial vote 

 of thanks was accorded to the President for his able address, with a request 

 that he would allow it to be printed. 



The Society's Gold Medal was then formally presented to Dr. Alfred 

 Russel Wallace, in recognition of the service rendered by him to zoological 

 science by numerous valuable publications. After Dr. Wallace had replied, 

 the President announced the gift, by Dr. R. C. A. Prior, of an Oxy-hydrogen 

 Lantern for use at the evening meetings, and moved a vote of thanks to 

 him for his valuable donation. This having been carried by acclamation, 

 the proceedings terminated. 



June 2. — Prof. Stewart, President, in the chair. 



The Vice-Presidents for the year having been nominated by the 

 President, and a vote of thanks to the Officers of the Society having been 

 proposed by Mr. Thomas Christy, seconded by Mr. C.J. Breese, and carried, 

 a ballot took place, when the following were declared to be elected: — 

 Messrs. H. A. James, J. R. Leeson, W. B. Scott, R. H. Wallace, and 

 E. H. Allen. 



Mr. H. Bernard exhibited specimens and made remarks on the probably 

 poisonous nature of the hairs and claws of an Arachnid [Galeodes). 



On behalf of Capt. Douglas Phillott, there was exhibited a curious case 

 of malformation in the beak of an Indian Parrakeet, Palceornis torquatus. 

 The upper mandible was so abnormally decurved as to almost penetrate 

 between the rami of the lower mandible, and although the bird was 

 apparently in good health at the time it was shot by Capt. Phillott at Dera 

 Tsmail Khan, Pubjab, in March last, it was evident that had it not been 

 killed then, death must have soon ensued from a severance of the trachea 

 by the sharp extremity of the prolonged mandible. 



Mr. D. Morris exhibited and made some very instructive remarks on 

 plants yielding Sissal hemp in the Bahamas and Yucatan, and pointed out 

 their distribution and mode of growth. He also exhibited and described 

 the preparation of a gut silk from Formosa and Kiangchow. 



Mr. Scott Elliott gave a brief account of a journey he had made to the 

 west coast of Alrica, and described the character of the vegetation of the 

 particular region explored, and the plants collected by him. 



Mr. Jenner Weir exhibited and made remarks on a species of Psyche. 



On behalf of Mr. Ernest Floyer,, a paper was read by the Secretary on 

 the disappearance of certain desert plants in Egypt through the agency of 

 the Camel. 



