394: PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



hear with consternation and regret of the proposal to utilise a 

 portion of the Natural History branch of the British Museum for 

 Government offices. Such a proposal is in their opinion opposed 

 to the best interests of the nation as threatening serious damage 

 to priceless and irreplaceable scientific specimens, and tending 

 greatly to embarrass the scientific work for the country both now 

 and in the future." 



Mr. F. J. Perks, in seconding the resolution, said that if space 

 was required other more suitable buildings might be used ; picture 

 galleries, for instance, where the floor space could be used without 

 disturbing the pictures on the walls. Mr. Perks considered that 

 if the Natural History Museum was used great damage would 

 be done to the collections unless they were treated very differently 

 from the furniture and papers at his office which the Government 

 had occupied. 



Mr. R. Paulson, F.L.S., said that shutting up the Museum would 

 mean the shutting up of a great deal of valuable scientific work. 

 In peace time the Museum is a centre for the whole world. Even 

 at the present time work of great value to the community is being 

 done there in connection with the preservation of food, such as 

 biscuits and grain, and the investigation of timber diseases. 

 Quite recently, the Museum staff had suggested a remedy for a 

 fungus which had attacked and destroyed thousands of pounds' 

 worth of army tents in Malta. 



The resolution was passed unanimously, and the Secretary was 

 directed to send copies to the Prime Minister and The Times. 



Mr. J. Milton Ofiord, F.R.M.S., then gave an address on Mos- 

 quitoes and Malaria. The common house gnat [Culex pipicns), 

 he said, is a beautiful object for the microscope, and has a most 

 interesting life-history. The eggs are glued together in the form 

 of a raft and are kept in position during oviposition by the crossed 

 hind legs of the female. The raft is unsinkable, and always floatr> 

 the riglit way up. The eggs are pointed at the top and flat at 

 the bottom end from which the young larva escapes. The larva 

 is aquatic, but breathes air, and for this purpose it comes to the 

 surface of the water and thrusts its breathing- tube through the 

 surface film. This tube projects from the dorsal surface of the last 

 segment but one, and one or two large tracheae open at its distal 

 end. At the fourth moult the larva changes into a pupa which 

 breathes air in a similar way, but by means of two tubes emergirig 



