437 



November 22, 1859. 



Dr. Gray, V.P., in the Chair. 



Mr. Daniel G. Elliot of New York exhibited three specimens of 

 hybrid Ducks from his own collection, which had been obtained on 

 the south shore of Long Island, U. S. A. One of these was consi- 

 dered to have been produced by a cross between the Wild Duck 

 (Anas hoschas) and Pintail {Bajila acuta), the second by the Wild 

 Duck and Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata), and the third pro- 

 bably by the American Scaup (Fuligula affinis) and the Canvas- 

 back (F. valisnerid) or the American Pochard (F. americana). 



Dr. Hamilton exhibited three curiously plumaged Pheasants shot 

 in Norfolk, which had the appearance of males on the lower surface 

 and females on the upper. They were birds of the year. Upon 

 careful dissection, no traces of sexual organs, either male or female, 

 were discernible. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. Description of MacAndrewia and Myliusia, two new 

 forms of Sponges. By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., V.P.Z.S., 

 P.E.S., ETC. 



(Radiata, PI. XV. XVI.) 



In 1841 Mr. Stutchbury described in our Proceedings a Sponge 

 brought from Barbadoes, in the Museum at Bristol, which was pecu- 

 liar for being entirely formed of agglutinate silicious spicula, forming 

 a tough semitransparent glass-like spongy mass. By exchange I 

 have obtained half the specimen of this most curious and interesting 

 sponge, so that I have the means of comparing those I have described 

 with the one then made known. 



In July 1851 Mr. R. MacAndrew kindly presented to the British 

 Museum a Coral from St. Michael's, one of the Azores, which then 

 attracted my attention, but I put it aside in hopes that I might ob- 

 tain a specimen of it in spirits, which would enable me to under- 

 stand more completely its history and character. No other specimen 

 having, however, come under my examination, the subject dropped 

 out of my mind. 



It was accidentally placed with the Stony Corals, and its hardness 

 and resemblance to the genus Gemmipora are some excuse for this 

 mistake. Some time ago Mr. Holdsworth, when studying the corals 

 in the Museum, observed that it evidently did not belong to that 

 group : and a very superficial inspection, indeed its mere lightness, 

 was enough to show that such was the case. 



I again placed it aside, thinking that I had seen a figure of the 

 animal as an Alcyonium in Messrs. Quoy and Gaimard's 4 Voyage,' 

 and in Dana's ' Zoophytes,' and that I would study it when I had 



