152 The Field Naturalisfs Quarterly May 



The president, Mr W. H. Bidwell, then read the annual address, in 

 which he reviewed the work of the past year, which had been a prosper- 

 ous one for the society, as evidenced by the increase in the number of 

 members, the attendance at the meetings, and the papers contributed to 

 the Transactions. The estabhshment of a fresh-water biological station 

 at Catfield by Mr Eustace Gurney was one of the events of the year, as 

 it was the first which had been inaugurated in England, though many 

 were in working order in Europe and America. Mention of the pleasant 

 excursions taken by some of the members last summer, and the enjoy- 

 ment derived from the sights and sounds and scents of the country, 

 suggested a few thoughts as to floral scents, to the consideration of 

 which the remainder of the address was devoted. The classification of 

 floral scents according to their chemical properties had been but re- 

 cently attempted, but an outline was given of the five groups into which 

 they were now arranged. Next, reference was made to the intermittent 

 scents emitted by some flowers, and the difficulty of ascertaining how 

 this was brought about. The advantages gained by plants from their 

 perfumes were next considered, the chief of which was the allurements of 

 insects for the distribution of pollen, whether sight or scent played the 

 chief part in drawing insects to the flowers being a question much in 

 dispute. The interception of radiant heat by their perfumes was a great 

 advantage to plants growing in hot countries. The advantages to man 

 of the fragrance of plants were shown in nervous diseases and the sooth- 

 ing effect of pleasant smells, and a short account was given of the art of 

 the perfumer in extracting these from the flowers and in imitating them 

 in compounds obtained from coal-tar products. In conclusion, the pre- 

 sident spoke of the pleasure derived from perfumes, which recalled so 

 vividly to our minds the scenes of bygone years, and remarked that in 

 the enjoyment of these happy memories — 



" The present joys of life we doubly taste 

 By looking back with pleasure on the past." 



Correspondence. 



" I see that in your first number you decline to believe that the adder 

 ever takes to the water, and leave the ofius probandi with me. I there- 

 fore venture to send you the following, which I took down in dictation 

 from Ivaar Kriken, a young Norwegian with whom I have spent much 

 time talking Natural History, both in Norway and in England, where 

 he has been with me for some eight months. I have found him a keen 

 observer and naturalist, and much above the average in the accuracy of 

 his observations: 'In August 1898 I was fishing with a worm in 

 Gusdalswand. I caught a brown trout of about a pound and a-half. 

 It was rather big in the stomach, and I cut it open to see what was 

 inside. I found a small snake, with a yellow-brown zigzag mark down 

 its back. It was 6 or 7 inches long. I showed it to Hendrik Vicken, 



