XXIV. PROCEEDINGS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
cability of von Baer’s ‘‘law’’ is incompatible with 
the truth of the statement that successive stages in 
a single ontogeny form “‘ records ’’—even ‘‘ imperfect 
records ’’—of successive stages of the phylogeny of 
the same species. 
Clues to the affinities of the Rhizocephala have 
been obtained from the study of their ontogenies : 
and larval (or embryonic) structure may be expected 
to give similar clues in other cases. The similarity 
of the nauplei of these animals to the nauplei of | 
other crustaceans may justify the conclusion that 
the Rhizocephala are genetically related to the 
Crustacea, 7.e. that Rhizocephala and Crustacea 
have descended from common ancestors, and even 
perhaps from common ancestors which passed 
through a nauplius-like stage in their development, 
but it does not justify the conclusion that those 
common ancestors (or any of them) possessed in 
their adult condition any single character which 
distinguishes a nauplius from any adult crustacean 
now living. 
An interesting discussion followed in which Prof. 
Herdman, Mr. Lomas, Mr. I. C. Thompson and 
Dr. Hanitsch participated. 
3. A note by Mr. W. J. Beaumont on Lucernarians found 
4. IDYe, 
at Port Erin was communicated by Prof. Herdman. 
(See ‘‘ Transactions,” p. 253). 
Hurst read a note on ‘‘a hypothetical explanation 
of the function and mode of action of the tentacu- 
locysts of Scyphomeduse”’ in which he explained 
that :— 
The food of pelagic meduse is confined to regions 
not far removed from the ocean-surface. In stormy 
weather a large medusa very near the surface 
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