7978 



Entomological Society, 



fed regularly since captivity with raw meat, oysters, &c. about twice a week. Two 

 individuals, measuring each about one inch in diameter, when expanded, were located 

 on a piece of rock. On Saturday morning, about half-past nine o'clock, on syringing 

 the tank, according to custom, I observed that the mouth of one of them was un- 

 usually and very greatly distended ; the fissure reaching almost across the disk of the 

 anemone, whose circular appearance was thereby changed for an irregular loop-shaped 

 form.* On reaching home, about five o'clock, I found, to my astonishment, that 

 fission had taken place, and that the object of interest had, by some wonderful meta- 

 morphosis, become two distinct creatures, each about as large as a fourpenny-piece. 

 They had moved apart and were partially expanded, looking none the worse for 

 Nature's operation. I have since fed them and they appear quite at home, though a 

 little ragged at one side of the column where the fissure occurred. I had noticed for 

 several weeks past that the opaque whiteness of my snowy friends had changed for a 

 pearly hue ; and I had a strong impression that one, if not two others, will eventually 

 multiply in this manner. With the exception of A. Cereus, if my memory is correct, 

 I do not find any other instance of this kind mentioned in your ' Actinologia,' to which 

 I immediately referred for a precedent. Have you met with any other of the S. Ich- 

 thystome since the two described in your ' Actinologia' ? I have what appears to me 

 a specimen, although its colours are not so brilliant as the figure in your plate ii. It 

 was brought from Weymouth (the correct locality), on an oyster-shell, a wee little 

 thing, which T have once fed up (when expanded) to the size of a silver twopenny-piece : 

 it seems very hardy. A fine A.Dianthus (of orange-huff colour), in my possession, 

 has just moved its quarters, and left a small portion of its base, which is rapidly 

 assuming the shape of a young indiv idual. This is further in confirmation of your 

 excellent description of this beautiful anemone. — W. R. Hughes; the General Hospital \ 

 Birmingham,) February 20, 1862. 



Proceedings of Societies. 

 Entomological Society. 

 March 3, 1862.— Frederick Smith, Esq., President, in the chair. 



Donations. 



The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the 

 donors:—' Proceedings of the Royal Society,' vol. xi. No. 47; presented by the Royal 

 Society. ' The Canadian Naturalist and Geologist, and Proceedings of the Natural 

 History Society of Montreal, conducted by a Committee of the Natural History 

 Society,' vol. vi. ; by the Society, ? The Zoologist ' for March ; by the Editor. ' The 

 Intellectual Observer,' Nos. 1 and 2 ; by the publishers, Messrs. Groombridge and 

 Sons. 'The Journal of the Society of Arts' for February; by the Society. 'The 

 Literary Gazette ' for February ; by the Editor. ' The Athenneum ' for February ; by 

 the Editor. ' List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the 



* My correspondent subsequently suggested a figure of 8, or two circles slightly 

 overlapping, as conveying a clearer idea of the form. — P. II. G. 



