384 



Dr. E. B. Wilson. 



[Dec, 14, 



December 14, 1882. 

 THE PRESIDENT in the Chair. 



The Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, whose certificate had been 

 suspended as required by the Statutes, was ballotted for and elected a 

 Eellow of the Society. 



In accordance with the announcement made from the Chair at the 

 last Meeting, the question of Dr. Armstrong's re-admission was put 

 to the vote, and was decided in the affirmative. The President there- 

 upon declared that Dr. Armstrong was re-admitted into the Society. 



The Presents received were laid on the table and thanks ordered for 

 them. 



The following Papers were read : — 



I. " The Development of Renilla" By Edmund B. Wilson, 

 Ph.D. Communicated by Professor Huxley, F.R.S. Re- 

 ceived October 5, 1882. 



(Abstract.) 



The following abstract contains the more important points estab- 

 lished by a study of the development of Renilla, which was carried on 

 at intervals during three years at the marine laboratory of the Johns 

 Hopkins University, conducted by Dr. W. K. Brooks. The need of 

 farther studies on the embryology of polyps in general must be 

 apparent to every zoologist ; and Renilla, as a highly specialised form, 

 presents a number of special morphological problems, which can only 

 be solved by a study of the embryological history of the organism. 

 This genus appeared, therefore, to be a doubly desirable object for 

 study. 



The paper is divided into four parts. The first comprises an account 

 of the segmentation of the egg and formation of the germ-layers ; the 

 second a description of the formation of the tissues and organs of the 

 primary or axial polyp ; the third part treats of the formation of the 

 colony produced by budding from the axial polyp ; and the fourth 

 deals with a few theoretical questions suggested by the phenomena 

 observed. The leading points of the paper are as follows : — 



