Zoological Society. 5723 



probably being too early in the season for it.—/. Hardy; Radnor Street, Hulme, 

 Manchester. 



The Aquarium. — The aquarium described in the * Zoologist' (Zool. 4957) was 

 cleared out the other day, to clean the glass, the contents not having been changed 

 for two years and three-quarters, fish being in it at the latter part of the period. 

 During an absence of seven months the newt, beetles and mollusks lived on, without 

 any feeding or attention beyond the addition of a little water, to make up for the loss 

 by evaporation. — George Guyon; June 15, 1857. 



Proceedings of Societies. 

 Zoological Society. 

 Tuesday, May 26, 1857.— Dr. Gray, F.R.S., V.P., in the chair. 



Mr. Bartlett read a paper on the Chinese sheep, describing and referring to 

 specimens presented to the Society by H.R.H. Prince Albert, to whom they were 

 sent from China by Rutherford Alcock, Esq., H.M. Vice-Consul at Shanghai. The 

 most important feature with regard to these sheep is their great fecundity. The three 

 ewes in the Society's gardens having produced thirteen lambs in the spring of the 

 current year. Mr. Bartlett having submitted specimens of the wool of these sheep to 

 the Council of the Chamber of Commerce for the worsted district of Bradford, read 

 the Report of Dr. Price to that board upon it, which was favourable as to its quality 

 for certain branches of manufacture. 



The Secretary read a paper communicated by Mr. Cuming, containing descriptions 

 of thirty-one new species of land shells by Dr. L. Pfeiffer. 



Dr. Gray read a paper on the animal and bark of the genus Antipathes. In the 

 Proceedings of the Society for 1832, he described for the first time the bark and 

 animal of Antipathes dichotoma, from Madeira. He observed that this species had 

 been separated from the others of that genus because the surface of the axis is smooth 

 and not covered with a number of minute uniform cylindrical spines, like the true Anti- 

 pathes, and has been called for that reason Leiopathes, and it has been further stated 

 that, although Leiopathes has a distinct bark and animal like the Gorgoniadae,this may 

 not be the case with the normal species of the genus. Dr. Gray had failed to discover 

 any traces of a bark or any kind of animal matter in the various specimens examined 

 by him until a few days since, when Mr. Samuel Stevens laid before him a very fine 

 specimen of Antipathes from the Sechelles, which was entirely covered with a very 

 distinct bark or animal covering. 



Tuesday, June 23, 1857.— Dr. Gbay, F.R.S., V.P., in the chair. 



Mr. Sclater read a paper containing descriptions of twelve new or little known 

 species of the South American family Formicariida;. 



