1 82 THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 



hay at Ongar, There was some apprehension in that district as to whether 

 there was any possibility of a locust plague arising there next year. He did 

 not suppose, however, that the locust was likely to breed and thrive in a 

 climate like ours. He had suggested to Mr. Mugleston, farmer, of East 

 Hanningfield, who was in possession of a number of locusts, that he should 

 send them to Mr. Cole — not with a view of having the Secretary eaten up by 

 these voracious insects next season [laughter] — but in order that all that was 

 possible might be found out about them. 



Mr. E, A. Fitch thought that there need be no apprehension of a locust 

 plague in Essex. The specimen produced was a mature locust, and, remembering 

 an " exhibit " (in the medical sense) of dried edible locusts at the Entomolcgical 

 Society some years ago, in which he and Mr. Cole participated, he rather 

 thought the Secretary would eat the locusts, instead of the locusts eating the 

 Secretary [laughter]. 



Professor Meldola said it was encouraging to know that the locust was not 

 likely to become an additional cause of agricultural depression. 



[These specimens of locusts are referred to in a note in the present number, 

 see p. 196.] 



Rev. W. Linton Wilson exhibited specimens of the " cherry-gall " of the oak, 

 Dryoplianla scutellaris, from Epping Forest. 



Mr. J.T. Cunningham, M.A., of the Marine Biological Laboratory, Plymouth, 

 and Lecturer on Fisheries and Oyster Culture to the Essex County Council, then 

 delivered a very able and interesting discourse on the transformations of marine 

 animals. The lecture was illustrated by many beautiful and original slides, 

 shown by the oxy-hydrogen lantern. Mr. Cunningham first dealt with the 

 transformations of Jelly-fishes, and the phenomena called "Alternation of Gene- 

 rations," or Metagenesis. He then treated of the main facts in the development 

 of the Echinodermata — Starfishes, Sea-Urchins, and Feather-Stars (Crinodea). 

 The transformations among the Crustacea were next described, the Zoea stages, 

 and the remarkable " retrograde development " of the " Barnacles " and " Acorn- 

 Shells " (Cirripedia) as studied by Darwin. 



The lecturer then dealt with the transformations among fishes, showing the 

 remarkable differences in the development of the various species of flatfish, and 

 followed with a lucid explanation of the theorj' of evolution among fishes, and 

 the causes ;f their hereditary modification. He also alluded to the great problem 

 of modern biology raised by the German jai'rtw^ Weismann, who holds that there is 

 no transmission of acquired characters. The lecturer thought that the facts of 

 metamorphosis and recapitulation could not be explained logically on this assum]i- 

 tion. He said : We could not at present form any conception of the manner in which 

 changes produced in the body by the conditions of life could affect the properties 

 of the germ cells in such a way as to reproduce those changes in the offspring. 

 For instance, the asymmetry of the e3'es in the flat fish might be caused in indi- 

 viduals by the strains and pressures due to the new horizontal position of the 

 fish on the sea-bottom ; but we cannot understand how the asymmetry so pro 

 duced could become hereditary, how the change in the structure of the head 

 could have any effect on the eggs and spejms. On the other hand, on the hypo- 

 thesis that all hereditary changes have originated in the germ-cells, there is no 

 reason why the older history of the race should be recapitulated in the develop- 

 ment of the individual. On this hypothesis, the egg of the flat fish ought to 



