ORDINARY MEETING.* 



Prof. E. Hull, LL.D., F.R.S., l^nT the Chair. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed, and the 

 following elections were announced : — 



Members : — The Et. Eev. A. Clifford, D.D., Bishop "Designate of 

 Lucknow ; C. F. Dowsett, Esq., London ; E. H. Fremlin, Esq., Kent. 



Life Associates :—W. Bodkin, Esq., M.D., Essex ; Eev. G. H. Butt, 

 B.A., Camb,, Lincolnshire. 



Associates : — The Et. Eev. the Bishop of Down and Connor, Ireland ; 

 General the Et. Hon. Sir John Clayton Cowell, P.C., K.C.B., Master of 

 the Queen's Household ; the Eev. T. S. Bacon, I)..T)., United States ; H. 

 W. Bush, Esq., Kent ; the Eev. C. D. Bradlee, D.D., Ph.D., United States; 

 Major-General A. W. Drayson, F.E.A.S., &c., Hants ; C. H. S. Davis, 

 Esq., M.D., Ph.D., United States; E. M. Eyton, Salop ; Major H. J. 

 Elverson, 2nd Queen's Eegiment ; A. H. Harris, Esq., China ; Princi^jal 

 A. H. Hildesley, M.A., Punjab, India ; Eev. J. Moulson, M.A., Oxon, 

 Punjab, India; 'Eev. F. G. Le P. McClintock, A.B., Ireland ; A. Mueller, 

 Esq., M.D., Ch.D., Australia ; Eev. J. M. P. Otts, D.D., LL.D., United 

 States ; Eev. J. M. H. du Pontet de la Harpe, M.A., B.D., London ; Martyn 

 J. Smith, Esq., Worcester ; C. A. Sherring, Esq., B.C.S., India ; L. W. 

 Thrupp, Esq., B.A., London ; Eev. H. M. Walter, M.A., Oxon, Berks ; Eev. 

 E. H. Weakley, Egypt ; Eev. H. F. Wright, M.A., Oxon, India ; Eev. 

 T. Wood, F.E.S., Herts. 



The following Paper was then read by the Eev. E. F. McLeod, in the 

 Author's unavoidable absence : — 



PRINCIPLES OF RANK AMONG ANIMALS. By 

 Professor Henry Webster Parker, United States. 



SYNOPSIS of recognised principles of rank in the 



i\ animal kingdom is a desideratum. No separate liead 

 is made of these principles as ajDplied to organs, e.g., those 

 of locomotion, reproduction, circulation, etc., with one excep- 

 tion — brain, for reasons connected with the last two heads. 

 The outline here given is made to bear incidentally on man's 

 position in nature, but without reference to his physical 

 origin. 



1. A rise above vegetal characters is a rise in grade. 

 Plants have a general plan of structure, similar parts 

 radiating from an axis. Several grand divisions of the 

 animal kingdom would conform to this plan ; and some of 

 the organisms are plant-like in appearance, in budding, and 

 otherwise. Moreover, plants have digestion, circulation, 

 respiration, and reproduction ; hence these functions (which, 

 indeed, are all that some animals seem to possess, besides 



* December 5, 1892. 



