180 HALF-AN-HOUR AT 



as they pass from one leaf to another. Some Acari also are 

 frequently found revelling amongst some of these leaf-fungi ; as 

 well as the larvce of some " Thrips," and (speaking from memory) 

 I think some other minute larvae also. 



From considerable experience, I feel persuaded that many of 

 these leaf-fungi are very local. Mr. M. C. Cooke speaks of the 

 present one as "common" (p. 193), but though often searching 

 for it I never found it but once, and that was on Coltsfoot growing 

 in a deep, narrow, dry ditch at Hunstanton on the Norfolk coast 

 about 8 years ago. There it occurred in very fine condition. 



I believe myself that the Coleosporhwi Tussilagi/iis, so exces- 

 sively common as bright orange . patches on the under surface of 

 Coltsfoot leaves, is nothing but the same thing growing in a 

 random sort of way under unfavourable conditions, but this is 

 utterly heterodox, and I must seek to emulate the stoicism of a 

 Red Indian under the merciless treatment I may expect to receive 

 from one of our members for venturing to have an opinion of my 

 own. 



Dolichopus simplex.— (PL XX., Figs. 1—2). I would draw 

 attention to the antenna, as it furnishes one of the characters of 

 the genus. "Third joint of antenna trigonate, with a pubescent 

 dorsal seta." I have been much struck Avith the remarkable arrange- 

 ment of the " eyelashes " in connection with the ocelli and the 

 compound eyes. Two strong bristles arise from a little in front of 

 the posterior pair of ocelli on lines which would form the sides of 

 a triangle (Fig. 2), at each angle of which an ocellus is seated. 

 Now continue in imagination these sides of the triangle for an 

 equal distance behind, and at the lower angles of the projected 

 triangle we find two more strong bristles. Can we help seeing 

 design in all this ? Is it not as evident on consideration as that 

 manifested in the various arrangements of our own eyes ? And 

 then, again, we find an eyelash protecting each compound eye, with 

 the number 4 again present. I cannot tell just the direction in 

 the specimen before us, it having been disturbed, but in the blue- 

 bottle and smaller house-fly it may be readily seen by putting one 

 bodily on the stage of the microscope. The former, I think, has 

 five or six setse on either side, arching over the ocelli ; the latter 

 has ten on each side. They form beautiful objects. 



Cuticle of Darnel Grass is from the stem of " Lo/ijtm pcrauic,'' 

 the common or perennial Darnel. It shows an interesting 

 structure which was described by the late Rev. J. B. Reade and 

 Prof. Quckett as " Little cui)s of Silica." The indulation of the 

 walls in seven lines of stomata-bearing cells, the entire absence 

 thereof in the intermediate lines of cells, are points well brought 



