174 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [July, 



chief's camp to Senafe and down to Koomeylee, staying three or four 

 days at each. At Koomeylee the heat was great ; 112° and 113° in the 

 shade, but it went down to 95° at night. Here it is cooler ; never 

 much more than 105° I think. 



The fauna at Koomeylee had totally changed since February. 

 Many new birds having arrived, and all or nearly all the old ones 

 vanished. I got a few good things. 



W. T. Blanford. 



The President mentioned that in more recent letters Mr. W. Blanford 

 stated that altogether he had been able, notwithstanding the shortness 

 of the time, to bring together about 900 specimens of natural history.* 



On the. Anatomy of Sagartia jSchilleriana, and Membranipora 

 Bengalensis by Dr. F. Stoliczka. (Abstract.) 



Dr. Stoliczka communicated to the meeting the results of his exa- 

 mination of the anatomy of Sagartia Schilleriana and 3Iembranipora 

 JBengalensis, two species found living in brackish water at Port 

 Canning. 



After having briefly pointed out the circumstances which led to the 

 discovery of the Sagartia [this being a species of the Actiniacece] Dr. 

 Stoliczka stated that there are hardly any instances recorded of species 

 of this kind of corals having been permanently found living in brackish 

 water. The Actinice [using this name in a general sense] are as a rule 

 only met with attached to rocks along the sea shore, generally at a 

 moderate depth, or hidden in crevices and holes between the tide- 

 marks. The present species which belongs to the genus Sagartia, was 

 found living, attached to old trunks of trees, in water which, according 

 to an analysis of Mr. D. Waldie, only contains about one-third of the 

 saline constituents of pure sea water, in 1000 parts of which they vai 

 from 32 — 37 parts. In general, however, all the principal constituents, 

 the chlorides, iodides, &c, are present, the difference only affecting th( 

 quantity, not the quality. 



The principal and distinctive characters of the species, Sagartk 

 Schilleriana, are the extreme softness and transparency of the body, 



* Letters by recent mails announce that Mr. Blanford was starting for Bogos, 

 to the North- West, from Massovvah, from which expedition he looked for many 

 additions and novelties. — Ed. 



