42 THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 



Prof. Meldola said that he was also most particularly interested in the 

 examples ot protection among galls referred to by the author. He suggested 

 that the term " protective resemblance" would be more appropriate than 

 mimicry in such cases. The instance of a gall protecting itself by a secre- 

 tion which was attractive to ants was one of the most interesting cases he had 

 heard of of late years. The protection was indirect; the ants protecting the 

 gall because of the food which they found on it. This was quite parallel 

 to the case published many years ago by the late Thomas Belt in his well- 

 known Naturalist in Nicaragua. That distinguished observer had dis- 

 covered that certain acacias were provided with hollow-thorns which secreted 

 a juice palatable to ants, these insects finding both food and shelter within 

 the thorns. By means of these standing armies of ants the shrubs were most 

 effectively protected from other insect marauders which were immediately 

 attacked if they alighted on the shrubs. It was a case of symbiotic association 

 in which both insect and plant benefitted by the association and the same was 

 doubtless true in the case of the gall mentioned by Mr. Lewis. 



Mr. John Spiller, F.C.S., commented in a laudatory way on the beauty 

 of the drawings shown by Mr. Lewis. 



Votes of thanks were passed to the authors of the papers, and the meet- 

 ing concluded. 



THE TWO HUNDRED AND FIRST ORDINARY 



MEETING. 



Saturday, February 23RD, 1901. 



The 20ist Ordinary Meeting of the Club was held in the Physical Lecture 

 Theatre of the Technical Institute, West Ham, at 6.30 p.m., Mr. David 

 Howard, J. P., F.C.S., President, in the chair. 



The vote of condolence with the Duke of Connaught, Patron of the 

 Club, on the death of the Queen, passed at the last meeting, had been 

 engrossed on vellum and forwarded to His Royal Highness. The President 

 read the following reply which had been received : — 



" Buckingham Palace, 



" February nth. 

 "Sir, 



" I am desired by H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught to convey His 

 Royal Highness' warmest thanks to the members and Council of the Essex 

 Field Club for the sympathy which they have shown with him in his great 

 and deplorable loss, and to assure them of his grateful appreciation of their 



kind message. 



" Believe me, 



" Yours very faithfully, 



"Alfred Egerton, Col., 



" Comptroller. 

 «• W. Cole, Esq., 



" Secretary, Essex Field Club.'" 



The first business of the meeting was the nomination of officers and new 

 members of Council in anticipation of the Annual Meeting to be held on 



