453 



Collembola may be found in many situations, especially if they 

 -are moist ; favourite places being under bark, stones, or sticks on 

 the ground, under flower-pots in greenhouses, amongst grass, and 

 on the surface of ponds. There are now between 400 and 500 

 species known. Finland has the greatest number of species 

 recorded 163. Britain has 107, Germany and America 100 

 each, about 60 from the North Polar regions, and the same 

 number from South Polar regions. In concluding, Mr. Shoe- 

 botham spoke of the dearth of British workers in this order, and 

 hoped to find others interested in the subject, which, he was sure, 

 would well repay the trouble. He referred to the increase in the 

 number of species of Collembola recorded in Britain during the 

 last few years, and saw no reason why many more species should 

 not be added to the list if fresh districts were systematically worked. 

 The subject was illustrated by numerous drawings, and specimens 

 of the various generic types were exhibited. 



The President said they had to thank the lecturer for a very 

 interesting contribution to their knowledge of this group. These 

 insects suggested many important questions for the morphologist, 

 particularly in regard to the ocelli and their relation to compound 

 eyes. Keferring to the absence of wings, the President said that 

 as all present insects either had wings or were descended from 

 ancestors which had, this group, the Collembola, must be of extreme 

 antiquity. They knew, for instance, of a cockroach with wings, 

 of Silurian age, and the group they had just been hearing about 

 must, therefore, date back very much further in its origin than 

 that epoch. He hoped Mr. Shoebotham's remarks would gain 

 some workers from the many ardent microscopists of the Club. 



The thanks of the Club were unanimously voted to Mr. Shoe- 

 botham for his very interesting lecture and for the gift to the 

 Library of two of his published papers on the Collembola, 



Messrs. Watson exhibited an interesting series of mounts of 

 embryos of Decapods. 



At the meeting of the Club held on November 28th, 1911, 

 Prof. E. A. Minchin, M.A., F.R.S., President, in the chair, 

 the minutes of the preceding meeting, held on October 24th, 

 1911, were read and confirmed. 



Messrs. J. Omer-Cooper, H. P. Elmsley, H. F. Nutt, A. Schmerl, 



