70 TJic Irish Xafiii'alist. April, 



Galiaii.^ J he nuixilla of the DasciUus grub is strikingly 

 like that of the adult, showing none of the secondary 

 simplification in that appendage which characterises beetle- 

 larvae as a rule. It seemed therefore that a detailed study 

 of the jaws might be pioh table. The resTilt was the estab- 

 lishment of the presence of maxillulae, comparable to those 

 of the Apterygota and of ma^^fiy-larvae, in the larval Das- 

 ciUus and also in the curious little woodlouse-like larva 

 of the sub-aquatic Helodes which belongs to the same 

 family.^ Here then was a discovery of some importance 

 to the student of insect morphology made as a bye- 

 product of an ordinary agricultural enquiry — another 

 illustration of the beneficial action and reaction of the 

 " pure " and the " applied " aspects of natural science. 

 I have ventured to bring these rather discursive re- 

 miniscences before the Club, because they illustrate how 

 frequentl}^ studies which the naturalist pursues for the love 

 of them ma^^ turn out to be useful in the economic sense ; 

 how frequent 1}^ too a }^)iece of work undertaken for the 

 sake of medicine or agriculture may lead the investigator 

 into paths of high theoretical interest. From either point 

 of view they may truly be hailed as " useful " studies for 

 field naturalists. 



Royal College of Science, Dublin. 



IRISH SOCIETIES. 



DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 



February 14. — The Club met at Leiuster House. X. Colgan, M.R.I. A. 

 (President) exhibited a series of slides illustrating variation in the form 

 of orchid seeds. The series included, along with the seeds of native orchids, 

 those of many hybrids and exotic species which Sir Frederick Moore 

 had kindly procured for the exhibitor from the famous orchid specialists, 

 Messrs. Charlesworth and Messrs. Sander and Sons. Much variation in 

 the percentage of perfect seeds was apparent in the specimens shown, 

 some of the hybrids being perfectly fertile, while accepted .species showed 

 either absolute infertility or a degree of fertility as low as 10 per cent. 



^Trans. Eut. Sue, 1908, pp. 275-282, pi. vi. 



-Carpenter and MacDowell, Quart. Joiirn. Microsc. Sci., vol. Ivii., iyi2. 

 PP- 373-396. 



