8416 



Annelides. 



Mr. Waterhouse read some " Notes on Omalium riparium, Thorns., Homalota 

 laevana, 3fuls., Kr., H. dilaticornis, Kraatz, and H. nigritula." Specimens of these 

 species were exhibited to the Meeting. 



Mr. Walker communicated a paper entitled "Characters of Undescribed South- 

 African Lepidoptera-Heterocera, in the collection of W. S. M. D'Urban, Esq." 



Major Parry communicated a paper entitled "A few Observations upon Lucanus 

 Lama, Oliv., and its Synonyma." 



The President read some " Observations on Ants of Equatorial Africa," containing 

 a criticism of some of the statements of M. Du Chaillu with respect to the ants of that 

 region. 



Mr. W. F. Kirby read a paper " On the Geographical Distribution of European 

 Rhopalocera, in which the author expressed himself as an adherent to the Darwinian 

 theory of the origin and development of species. — J. W. Z>. 



Vitality of Sabella. — I have been noting lately with much interest the extreme 

 vitality shown by a Sabella in a mutilated condition. The annelid was found at Ryde on 

 the 5th of December, and came into my possession on the following day, when it appeared 

 in health, judging by its rapid retreat into its tube on any alarm. Ou the 7th it 

 seemed languid, and on the 8th was found lolling half out of its tube, and but little 

 inclined to notice any disturbance. On the morning of the 9th the head and gills, 

 separated from the body, were lying at the bottom of the aquarium, and the rest of the 

 creature, which I at first thought had been devoured by a fish confined with it, was 

 discovered at a little distance under some sea-weed. Knowing the habit of these 

 annelids is to quit their tubes to die, I transferred both the defunct portions, as I thought 

 them to be, into a separate vessel of sea-water, and after awhile, proceeded to put the 

 body portion into liquor potassae to prepare the foot-bristles for the microscope. This 

 part was apparently dead, but on attempting to do the same with the head portion it 

 was noticed to be still living, the one or two pairs of feet attached moving spontaneously, 

 but they ceased to do so in the evening. During the afternoon the gills moved occa- 

 sionally, and some of their pectinations were observed to curl about, but as all seemed 

 motionless at night death was supposed to have taken place. On the following day 

 (the 10th) similar movements were observed, and continued in the evening. From 

 this time the appearances were regularly noted three or four times a day. The move- 

 ments of expanding the gills and bending the pectinations were remarked throughout 

 the 11th, but the feet on the body portion attached were extended and motionless, nor 

 did they after this show any sign of life. On the 12th the gills expanded and con- 

 tracted as strongly as ever, but the attached fragment of the body showed symptoms 

 of decomposition by getting rather flocculent. 13th. Motion the same, but some of 

 the gills had become curled at the end, and I thought they were paler; they expanded 

 and closed, however, like the others, and their pectinations moved the same. The 

 motion continued on the 14th, though rather languidly, and the gills were inclined to 

 curl. 15th. The gills curled ; occasionally some of them moved by slightly bending 

 or straightening, never, however, becoming straight. They ceased to expand and 

 contract in unison, and seemed more flaccid, obeying any movement of the water. 

 Individual pectinations gave a decided movement now and then, bending and returning. 

 The gills continued curled on the 16th, moving slightly at times. The pectinations 



