HERTFORDSniRE NATUHAL HISTOET SOCIEIT. XV 



The following paper was read : — 



" Geueral Observatious on Spiders." By F. M. Campbell, F.L.S., 

 F.Z.S., F.R.M.S. {Transactions, Vol. I, p. 37.) 



Several questions having been asked, Mr. Campbell, in reply, said that the 

 duration of lite of a spider varied very much, and was greater in a female than a 

 male. Ilt^ had a house-spider which he had kept for two years, and it was full 

 grown when he got it, as shown by its not casting its skin. The male spider 

 certainly did not spin a web. The number of webs a spider would spin would 

 depend "upon the quantity of food it had ; and Dr. Wilder, when he wanted the 

 silk to be stronger than iisual, gave his spiders tlies which had been feeding on 

 raw meat. 



Diagrams and specimens were exhibited by Mr, Campbell in 

 illustration of his paper. 



Ordinaey Meeting, 16th December, 1879, at St. Albans. 



Joseph Pollard, Esq., in the Chair. 



The following lecture was delivered : — 



"Homology and Analogy of Plant Organs." Bj the Eev. George 

 Henslow, M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S. {Transactions, Vol. I, p. 49.) 



The Chairman, in proposing a vote of thanks to Mr. Henslow, said that he had 

 noticed during the past season that many rose trees had developed a crop of buds 

 instead of roses, and inquired as to the cause of this. 



Mr. John Hopkinson remarked that he had noticed on Mr. Henslow's diagrams 

 illustrating certain abnormal functions of the leaf, their carnivorous habits 

 named, and as he was exhibiting a leaf of the sundew dining off an insect it had 

 captured, he would ask Mr. Henslow to give an explanation of this habit, which 

 he presumed had been acquired by the Drosera and other carnivorous plants. 



Mr. Henslow replied that the abnormal growth of roses which had been 

 mentioned was doubtless due to the damp weather. He then gave an account of 

 the carmvorous habits of the flowers and leaves of certain plants, illustrating his 

 remarks with drawings of Drosera, Dioncea, and other carnivorous plants, and 

 explaining the different methods by which insects are captured, killed, and finally 

 absorbed by them. 



After some discussion as to the best time of the year for holding 

 meetings at St. Albans, resulting in a suggestion that the opening 

 meeting of the following session (in October) should be held there, 

 the meeting resolved itself into a conversazione, at which micro- 

 scopic and other natural-history objects were exhibited by Mrs. 

 Blagg, Mr. Cole, the Kev. H. N. Dudding, Mr. A. E. Gibbs, the 

 Rev. Dr. Griffith, Mr. Harris, Mr. John Hopkinson, Mrs. Masters, 

 Mr. Xowell, Mr. Henry Lewis, the Rev. C. M. Perkins, and Mrs. 

 S. Monkton White. 



Bye Meeting, 1st January, 1880, at "Ware. 



This meeting was held in conjunction with the Ware Institute, 

 and was devoted principally to microscopic study and to the exami- 

 nation of objects of interest in science, art, and antiquity. Many 

 of the objects, including several natural-history collections, had 

 been found in the neighbourhood. Of these may be mentioned a 

 collection of lichens from Amwell, exhibited by Miss Middleton ; 



