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Show 468 PROF. HOWES ON PALINURUS PENICILLATUS. [May I 7, May 17, 1887. Prof. W . H. Flower, LL.D., F.R.S., President, in the Chair. The President read some extracts from a letter which he had received from Dr. Emin Pasha, dated Wadelai, Nov. 8, 1886. Dr. Emin stated that he was forwarding along with the letter some objects of Natural History procured in Monbottu, amongst which were the skull of an old male Chimpanzee, killed by his party on the 13th of July, some skulls and bones of natives of the Akka tribe, together with some boxes of mammals' skins, birds' skins, and butterflies. Mr. A. Thomson exhibited specimens of Papilio porthaon (Hewitson, Exotic Butterflies, vol, iii. Papilio, nos. 21 & 22) reared in the Society's Insect-house, together with the empty pupa-cases. Eighteen specimens of the pupa of this fine insect had been deposited in the Insect-house by Mrs. J. Monteiro in September last, having been brought home by her on her return from Delagoa Bay. Out of these 2 had died, and 3 emerged in October last. The remaining 13 remained in the pupa stage all through the winter, and had emerged at various dates, from the 19th of April of this year till this day (May 17th). Prof. G. B. Howes, F.Z.S., exhibited and made remarks upon an original drawing of the head of a Palinurus (P. penicillatus; Mauritius), originally described by M . Alphonse Milne-Edwards', F.M.Z.S. Having recently had occasion to correspond with M. Milne-Edwards concerning the same, that gentleman, with great courtesy, had sent the sketch especially made in reply. As the interest of the case was very great and as the original paper had been published without illustration, he thought it desirable to bring the drawing before the notice of the Society2. The chief interest of the specimen lay in the fact that the left ophthalmite had taken on antenniform characters, this being the only Crustacean yet recorded in which that had been observed. Prof. Howes stated the facts of the case, and recapitulated the leading arguments for and against the supposition that the ophthalmite is the homologue of an appendage, and its supporting skeleton that of a somite. He wished especially to draw attention to one feature which it appeared to him M . Milne-Edwards had not noted. It was well known that the cornea of the decapod crustacean eye does not, in many instances, surmount the entire free end of the eye-stalk; a portion of the latter (generally the outer free border) is often destitute of corneal facets, and frequently swollen and well differentiated. Comparison with the drawing which he had the honour to exhibit, and which he had ascertained was a faithful representation of fact, showed that the filiform appendage was derived from a similar non- 1 Compt. Eendus, vol. lix. (1864). 2 The Society is indebted to the generosity of M. Milne-Edwards for permission to reproduce the same. |