others mention its being carnivorous, and spinning a silken web like that of a spider, but which he believes to be for protection from its enemies, while he doubts its carnivorous habits, regarding it as probably a vegetable feeder. He then entered into the subject of systematic position, structure, distribution, number of species, concluding with a detailed description and zoological remarks on those now known. He observed that the larva of a species of Embia has been noticed in fossil amber. The living forms inhabit both hemispheres at spots wide apart. None are known from Australia.
Mr. G. Busk verbally explained the more important points in the succeeding paper, viz., "Observations on British Polyzoa," by the worthy field-naturalist, Mr. C. Peach. The latter has faithfully described and delineated a number of forms of this marine family, some of which he considers as new to science, and of other known genera and species he adds much information regarding their habits and history. For instance, Scrupocellaria scruposa he finds has tubulous wool-fibre-like roots, armed with spines, by which it attaches itself to certain sponges, &c., a fact which appears to have been overlooked in all works on British Zoophytes, though Mr. Busk, in his ' Catalogue of Marine Polyzoa,' has adverted to S. Macandrei from the coast of Spain and S. ferox from Bass' Straits as possessing "radical tubes hooked." Eschara stellata and Discopora meandrina, both dredged by Mr. Gwyn Jeffreys off Shetland in 1864, Mr. Peach considers as new species.
A short, partly descriptive, paper by Mr. Edward J. Miers, "On Species of Crustacea living within the Venus' Flower-basket (Euplectella) and in Meyerina claviformis," was laid before the meeting. Among the late Dr. J.S. Bowerbank's collection of Sponges recently acquired by the British Museum authorities was a bottle containing Crustacea from within Alcyonellum speciosum, from Zebu, Philippines, ninety-five fathoms. The existence of Crustacea within some of the vitreous sponges has been long known; nevertheless a technical account of the species so imprisoned has been hitherto somewhat defective. Mr. Miers' account of Spongicola venusta, De Haan, of Æga spongiophila, Semper, and of Cirolana multidigitata supply this want.
Several interesting botanical papers were read and discussed, viz., Dr. Maxwell Masters, "On the Morphology of Primroses;" the Rev. G. Henslow, "Note on the Numerical Increase of Parts of Plants;" Mr. Marcus Hartog, "On the Floral Development and Symmetry in the Order Sapotaceæ;" and "A Notice of the Lichens of the 'Challenger' Expedition," by the Rev. J.M. Crombie.
June 21, 1877.— The Rev. G. Henslow, M.A., F.L.S., in the chair.
Dr. John M'Douald, Gothic House, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, was duly elected a Fellow of the Society.
