323 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 



MEETING 



Held on the 15th April, 1914, at 20 Hanover Square, W., 

 Professor G. Sims Woodhead, M.D., etc., President, in the 

 Chair. 



The Minutes of the Meeting 1 of March 18, 1914, were read and 

 confirmed, and were signed by the President. 



The List of Donations (exclusive of exchanges and reprints), received 

 since the last Meeting was read as follows, and the thanks of the Society 

 were accorded to the Donors : — 



From 



Chapman, F., Australasian Fossils. 1914 The Publishers. 



Johannsen, A., Manual of Petrographic Methods Ditto. 



The President announced that the evening was to be devoted to a 

 lecture by Mr. Frederick Enock, F.R.M.S. F.L.S., on "The Insect 

 Pests of the Wheat Crops," and without further introduction called upon 

 Mr. Enock to give his demonstration. 



Mr. Enock, who illustrated his remarks by coloured slides, described 

 in detail the life-history of that wheat pest known as the Hessian fly. 

 This insect had been known in America from the time of the War of 

 Independence, when it was supposed to have been introduced into the 

 country in the straw mattresses of the Hessian soldiery from Germany — 

 hence its name. There, had been some discussion as to the accuracy of 

 this supposition ; but Mr. Enock had proved by experiment that under 

 certain conditions the larvse might be retarded in their development for 

 fifteen months. However the Hessian flies had effected their entrance, 

 the Americans were well aware of the danger of their existence, and 

 took all the means at their disposal to avert the damage done to the 

 crops by these pests — an example which could be followed with 

 advantage by our own country. 



The first notification of the Hessian fly having invaded our own 

 shores was on July 27, 1886 — though, probably unknown to ento- 

 mologists, it had been present before this time. 



Somewhere abou^ this date Mr. George Palmer, of Revells Hall, 



