the late Mr. Hugh Heywood Jones; offered by his brother, Mr. B. Heywood Jones, on behalf of the family, in his letter of January 17, and accepted by the Committee January 20, 1887.

The Collection consists of 160 unstuffed skins, chiefly of perching birds and birds of prey. It comprises examples of most of the characteristic birds of Western Palestine, as well as of species whose range extends to India, to Egypt and other parts of Africa, and to Britain, thus illustrating among birds the peculiarities of the Palestine fauna. These are due to the unparalleled physical conditions of wilderness, mountainous ranges, and the deep gorge of the Dead Sea, whose surface is nearly 1,300 feet below the ordinary sea level, the deepest depression on the earth's surface.

Mr. Hugh Jones made collections in Palestine in 1880 and 1881, and again in 1885. Of the first and second he gave us small selections. These, with the birds now received, include all that he obtained in the three expeditions, whose primary object was to study the Ornithology of the country.

Beside the birds above referred to, three small Palestine Mammals have been received with them. One or two larger species were previously given by Mr. Jones from his earlier expeditions to that country. A few skins of birds from India, Madeira, and the Isle of Lewis, collected by him, have also been given with the above.

All the specimens have been carefully labelled with the place and date of capture, and, in the 1885 collection, with still further particulars of colour of feet, eyes, &c., at time of capture, adding still further to the scientific value of the specimens.

Mr. Hugh Jones was a liberal donor to the Museum. Among his gifts may be mentioned a series of Hyrax from Palestine, a series of small Mammals collected in Wyoming, and of heads and horns of large game shot by himself during his various excursions to the Himalayas, Cachmere, and Thibet, where he made numerous graphic sketches of the scenes he visited and the game he met with. These sketches have been copied and printed, and a set has been given for use in the Museum when the drawings may serviceably illustrate the specimens collected on these excursions.

The Curator has also been favoured with the loan of Mr. Hugh Jones's numerous and extensive notes on birds observed by him in India, Palestine, and elsewhere. These notes are of a highly valuable character, and are now being carefully copied.

A selection of the more interesting of the birds from Palestine was exhibited, and further communication promised thereon.

Mr. E. DAVIES read a Paper on the "Life and Writings. of the Hon. Robert Boyle."*

ELEVENTH ORDINARY MEETING.

ROYAL INSTITUTION, March 21st, 1887.

DR. CARTER, PRESIDENT, in the Chair. Professor HERDMAN read a Paper on "An Ideal Natural History Museum.” †

TWELFTH ORDINARY MEETING.

ROYAL INSTITUTION, April 4th, 1887.

DR. CARTER, PRESIDENT, in the Chair.

Mr. STEEL read a Paper on "Pythagoras and the Transmigration of Souls."

THIRTEENTH ORDINARY MEETING.

ROYAL INSTITUTION, April 18th, 1887.

DR. CARTER, PRESIDENT, in the Chair.

Mr. JAMES BIRCHALL was unanimously elected President for the next two Sessions.

Rev. H. H. HIGGINS contributed the following Notes on the Third Appendix of the Flora of Liverpool, by Robert Brown.

*

See page 109. † See page 61. ‡ See page 83.

FLORA OF LIVERPOOL, APPENDIX III.

BY ROBERT BROWN.

The second Appendix to the last Flora of Liverpool was published in April, 1875, so that twelve years have elapsed, during which time much additional information has been gathered respecting the distribution of plants in the district. The third Appendix will contain several species entirely new to the district, including Stellaria nemorum, Elatine hexandra, Cotula coronopifolia, Campanula rapunculoides, Cuscuta, Epilinum, Statice bahusiensis, Asparagus officinalis, Ruscus aculeatus, Chara syncarpa, and Chara (Nitella) translucens. There are also new localities given, or special reference is made, to 168 species.

Mr. R. Brown has had the assistance of botanical friends, whose names are duly acknowledged; but it will be found that he himself has been the largest contributor.

The first Flora of Liverpool was published under the auspices of the Natural History Society, by Mr. T. B. Hall, 1838. It included 648 species.

The Flora named after Dr. Dickenson followed in 1851, containing 809 species.

The Naturalists' Field Club Flora was brought out in 1872, numbering 857 species.

Amongst our early local botanists were men of wide reputation. We have a little gallery of Liverpool celebrities whose portraits look down upon us, I trust approvingly, in in our council meetings, and in our preliminary social gatherings that are so pleasant. Two of these were botanists, Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Trail, the latter of whom was a fine example of an all-round man of science, "one of the olden time." The authorities of the home where we assemble have I am glad to say, reserved Dr. Trail's collections, which

f

will remain in charge of the Institution which for so long a time he honoured and adorned.

The Rev. H. H. HIGGINS also exhibited twenty-one plates of Radiolaria from the "Challenger" office, contributed by Mr. John Murray, F.R.S.; and a remarkably fine specimen of Mocha-stone, from the private collection of Mr. F. P. Marrat.

RECENT AND FOSSIL SPONGES.

Mr. T. HIGGIN, F.L.S., exhibited a very valuable collection of Fossil Sponges; also several specimens of recent Sponges in an ovigerous state, from Western Australia, preserved in spirit-all lately presented to the Free Public Museum by Mr. H. J. Carter, F.R.S., of Budleigh Salterton.

The Fossil Sponges are from the collection of Dr. Karl A. Zittel, of the University at Munich, and are all named by him; Mr. Carter having sent with them the original labels in the Professor's own hand-writing. These specimens were collected and prepared by Dr. Zittel when writing his work on Fossil Sponges (Handbuch der Palæontologie, 1 Band, 2 Lieferung, München, 1879), and represent most of the species described and illustrated by him. The examples of the Hexactinellid and Lithistid species are so well prepared, that the beautiful structure of these remarkable Sponges may be clearly seen with the aid of an ordinary pocket lens. The collection has a priceless value, and is of great importance to Spongologists.

The recent Sponges from Western Australia, contain ova in an advanced state of development, easily seen with unaided sight, but they have been so long a time in strong spirit, that the ova have assumed a "cheesey" consistency, and in that state, unfortunately, it is impossible to make out the structure of them under the microscope. They are, however, most interesting, and such specimens have not

previously been seen. They, with the Fossil Sponges, are a most valuable addition to the Liverpool Free Museum collection.

Dr. HICKS exhibited and described two of the Blaschka Glass Models, Hydractinia echinata and Corymorpha nutans, from the Free Public Museum.

Mr. E. DAVIES, F.C.S., read a short Paper on "Saccharine and its Applications."

The following note was also read:

A DOOMED RACE: THE AINOS OF JAPAN.

By R. McLINTOCK.

Those who have ever looked at the map of Eastern Asia with any interest will remember that the empire of Japan consists of a chain of islands, arranged on a curve, which stretches southwards from the peninsula of Saghalien, and bends round westwards towards the Corean peninsula, almost enclosing what is called the Sea of Japan. Of the larger of these islands, the most northern is called Yezo-variously written Ezo, Jesso, Yesso, and perhaps in still other ways. In area it is something like the size of Ireland, and in latitude it corresponds with that part of Italy which lies between Turin and Rome. The population in 1873 was only 123,000, mostly Japanese, who, however, are immigrants, and have taken possession within historical times. The aborigines are a race whom it seems wrong to style savages, or even barbarians, but who certainly cannot be called civilised. For some two hundred and fifty years they have been more or less known to the European learned world by the name which they give themselves-the Ainos; and now the Professor of Japanese and Philology in the infant Imperial University of Japan, Professor Chamberlain—an Englishman by his name-sends us a carefully written treatise on The Language, Mythology, and Geographical