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Show 1883.] ON THE MOLLUSCA OF THE ' TRITON ' EXPEDITION. 389 within two years ; but most of the green ones are still living, and one of them has just changed its plumage. I first noticed the black feathers appearing about two months ago, and now it is altogether of a glossy blue-black, being, I suppose, about ten years old, but possibly more. This proves, I think, that only the very old cocks change their colour, and soon die off afterwards, which would account for the very few black cocks to be met with in the bush." Remarking upon this, M r. Sclater said that there was no doubt that these Bower-birds were a long time assuming the adult dress, but that male birds in full plumage had certainly lived for several years in the Society's Gardens. Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S., read a memoir on the muscular and endoskeletal systems of Limulus and Scorpio, drawn up by himself with the assistance of his two pupils, Mr. W . J. Barham and Miss E. M . Beck. These investigations seemed to confirm Prof. Lankester's previously expressed views as to the near affinity of these two forms, hitherto usually referred to different classes of the animal kingdom, and to justify the association of Limulus with the Arachnida. This paper will be printed entire in the Society's 'Transactions.' The following papers were read :- 1. On the Mollusca procured during the Cruise of H.M.S. ' Triton' between the Hebrides and Faroes in 1882. B y J. G W Y N J E F F R E Y S , L L . D , F.R.S., F.Z.S. [Received June 10, 1883.] (Plate XLIV.) The sea-bed lying between the Hebrides and the Faroe Islands, or the submarine region now known as the " Faroe Channel," has been partially examined during the last few years for zoological and physical purposes. In 1868 the first experimental or tentative expedition was made in one of our small Government steam-ships, to explore the deeper parts of the sea around our coasts ; and the Surveying-ship ' Lightning ' was assigned and equipped for that service. The expedition was placed under the scientific charge of Dr. Carpenter and the late Sir Wyville Thomson ; and the results were given by Dr. Carpenter and published in the ' Proceedings of the Royal Society' for December 1868. In that short cruise, part of the submarine region above mentioned was described as the " W a r m area," and another part as the "Cold area"-the bottom temperature of the former ranging from 46° to 50° F. and of the latter from 32° to 41°. Dr. Carpenter noticed that the Fauna inhabiting the " W a r m " area was comparatively of a North-British type, and that of the " Cold " area more Scandinavian or Boreal. The depths examined in the cruise were from 60 to 650 fathoms. |