lately mounted, and the more striking differences between the two were pointed out. Mr. MOORE also exhibited a stuffed specimen of the Bat fish, Platax vespertilio? part of a collection lately presented to the Museum by Captain Mackay, of the ship "Bedfordshire;" also specimens in spirit of the same genus, forming part of a very extensive and valuable collection of fish, &c., from Singapore, presented by Robert Baker, Esq.; also specimens of a new genus of frogs, forming part of a large collection of Natural History specimens collected at Lagos and the neighbourhood, by R. B. N. Walker, Esq., and presented by him to the Museum. This is an instance of the additions, often important, that may be made to science by collecting the commonest objects of a district, as they are so generally neglected as often to be the least known. These frogs were found in abundance, in the tadpole state, in a pond adjoining the garden of Mr. Walker's residence, and on some of them being submitted to Dr. Gray, of the British Museum, he immediately described them (in the annals of Natural Hitory / for this month) as a new genus, under the name of Silurana tropicalis. They present a remarkable resemblance to certain fish of the Siluroid family, in the peculiar flat form of the head, and in the possession of long filamentous or beardlike processes from the lips. Also a living specimen of the alligator tortoise, or terrapin, Chelydra serpentina, brought over with several other North American tortoises, by Captain Anderson, of Richmond Terrace, Associate of the Society; also examples of ten species of small Cephalopods, or cuttle fishes and squids, and a specimen of the rare genus Cranchia; also some fine specimens of Pyrosoma, which in the living state are highly luminous, forming part of a rich and interesting collection of small marine specimens from the Atlantic and Pacific, collected and presented by Captain Whiteway, ship "Annie Chesshyre," proposed as an Associate of the Society; also a series of twenty-one species of the delicate and beautifully transparent shells of Pteropoda and Heteropoda, obtained by skimming the surface of the sea during the same voyage by Captain Whiteway, and by him presented to R. J. Keen, Esq., by whose kindness they were now exhibited. So large a series is probably unrivalled in a private collection as the result of a single voyage. Mr. MOORE also reported the occurrence of the short sunfish Orthagoriscus mola at Southport. This is the first recorded instance of its capture in the Liverpool district. The skeleton has been obtained through Alderman Woodruff for the Museum. Also, the capture of a fine specimen of Rossia macrosoma at Egremont, of which only one or two specimens have been previously taken in the district. Also, specimens of a very delicate and beautiful little crustacean, the Pasiphaa sivado, very rare in the Mersey. Also, a large specimen of the angel fish, Squatina angelus, taken in Liverpool Bay, and of which Mr. Byerley only records a single example, which was thrown ashore during a storm. The recent occurrence in the Mersey of three very large specimens of the angler fish, Lophius piscatorius, within as many weeks, was also mentioned, and the good service that would be done by the destruction of these ravenous monsters. which prey most greedily upon good edible marketable fish, of which they destroy large quantities. Mr. Isaacs had informed him of one instance, in which several pairs of soles were taken from an angler's stomach; and one instance had come under Mr. Moore's own observation, where a fourteenpound codfish had been swallowed whole; and another, where two conger eels, two feet in length, and a large fluke, met with a similar fate; and almost every specimen taken will afford similar evidence of their destructiveness. SECOND ORDINARY MEETING. ROYAL INSTITUTION, October 30th, 1864. The Rev. C. D. GINSBURG, LL.D., VICE-PRESIDENT, in the Chair. Mr. Thomas Jevons, Mr. William Fearenside, and Mr. William Bromham were balloted for and duly elected members. The following gentlemen were elected Associates of the Society, on the recommendation of the Council :-Captain Thompson, ship "Admiral Lyons;" Captain Edward Berry, ship"Charmer;" Captain Alexander Browne, steamship Agia Sofia; and Captain Whiteway, ship "Annie Chesshyre." The SECRETARY read letters from Dr. John Edward Gray, F.R.S., British Museum, and Professor Rolleston, F.R.S., Oxford, who were elected honorary members of the Society at the last meeting, acknowledging the distinction. Dr. NEVINS explained, and illustrated by some curious sections and drawings, the remarkable form assumed by the stems of tree ferns, whereby, although they only grow by their summits, they appear to be thicker at the base or commencement of growth than higher up the stem, owing to the accumulation of ramentum about the base to afford support to the superstructure. Mr. MOORE exhibited a specimen of the Hippocampus, or sea horse, in spirit. It was captured on the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, by Captain Mortimer, of the ship 66 America," an associate of the Society, on his voyage to New York. It was their described by Colonel Pike as a new species, under the name of Hippocampus Mortimeri, in honour of the discoverer, who endeavoured on his return voyage to bring it alive to the Derby Museum, but unfortunately it died the day before the vessel reached Liverpool. At the conclusion of the miscellaneous business, Dr. Nevins, Vice-President, having taken the Chair, a paper was read ON THE ANCIENT VERSIONS OF THE BIBLE. BY THE REV. C. D. GINSBURG, LL.D. This paper will appear in the succeeding volume. THIRD ORDINARY MEETING. ROYAL INSTITUTION, November 13th, 1864. J. A. PICTON, ESQ., PRESIDENT, in the Chair. Ladies had been invited to this meeting, and, notwithstanding the inclement nature of the weather, there was a large attendance. The PRESIDENT, in welcoming the visitors for the evening, said: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,-It gives me great pleasure to welcome here this evening his Worship the Mayor, Edward Lawrence, Esq., whose election to the office of chief magistrate has met with the cordial approval of all parties. Mr. Lawrence is a gentleman of education, and has given high promise, by his conduct in his public as well as in his private capacity, of the manner in which the functions of the mayoralty will be discharged during the ensuing year. It is a great pleasure and satisfaction to us that Mr. Lawrence should show his desire to encourage literature and science, by making his appearance here to-night the first public act of his official life. I will not ask Mr. Lawrence to become a member, but I feel sure that, whether a member or not, his presence here to-night proves that he will be a well-wisher of the Society, and I call upon the members to thank his worship for the countenance he has so readily given us. The MAYOR briefly replied to the President's remarks, thanking the Society for the welcome they had given him, and adding that the countenance of his official position would always be readily accorded to an institution such as that whose members he now addressed, the object of which was the encouragement of literature and science. With regard to the fact of his visit to the Literary and Philosophical Society being his first public act, he could not do better, and he thus was willing to show his interest in their labours. He himself felt considerably indebted to a kindred society, for it was in the Chatham Society that he learned whatever facility in public speaking he had been successful in achieving. But whether a member of this Society or not, he assured them that he appreciated their labours and felt an interest in their success. Mr. Henry Imlach, jun. and Mr. J. M. Bennett were balloted for and duly elected members of the Society. The Rev. H. H. HIGGINS exhibited a specimen of Geaster hygrometricus, recently found on a bank at Rainhill, growing upon a portion of a decayed root of a beech tree; and |