XXXVIU PEOCEEDINGS OF THE 



Mercurialis perennis (dog's mercury) was generally in flower ; Veronica agrestls 

 and V. hederifolia showed tlieir dark and light blue flowers ; and the little 

 whitlow-grass put forth its tiny head of blossoms upon some old walls. The 

 date of the last-named appearing last year was April 12. By the 25th of 

 February the woods were generally dotted over with primroses. Mercurialis 

 perennis was in full flower, and so were the wild hyacinth and anemone. A wood- 

 anemone {Amnione nemorosa) was found in flower in Molewood on the 24th of 

 February, four weeks earlier than in the previous year. At this date Viola 

 odorata re-commenced flowering. On the 6th of March the stitchwort was found 

 in flower at Brickendon Green, thirty- seven days earlier than last year. Ulmiis 

 montana and U. campestris were about nine days earlier than in 1881. By 

 the 19th of March plum-trees and the blackthorn were in flower, the latter 

 being thirty days earlier than in last year. The butterbur showed its head of 

 pink, starry flowers twenty-one days earlier than last season. By the 23rd of 

 March, notwithstanding severe frosts and some snow and hail, groimd-ivy, 

 hemlock, various kinds of buttercups, the kingcup, and several of the forget- 

 me-nots were in full flower in the fields, and other plants, such as the red nettle, 

 broom, wood-anemone, etc., were in flower in the woods everywhere. The 

 flowering of the sweet violets, yellow daft'odils, and palm was nearly over, and the 

 blackthorn flower was rapidly disappearing. Oak and ash buds were rapidly 

 increasing in size, and on several chestnut- trees buds were showing themselves. 

 Poplars were in flower, and "lords and ladies," wall-cress, three-fingered 

 saxifrage, mouse-ear chickweed, ivy-leaved toad-flax, and wallflower were also 

 in flower. April witnessed a large accession to the number of plants in flower, 

 some of them being much earlier than last year, but by the 20th of the month all 

 the spring flowers had disappeared, and many of the summer flowers were in full 

 bloom. 



Mr. Gosselin exhibited a latcli-lock, which, being found, to be 

 unworkable, was taken off a gate, when it was discovered that it 

 had been taken possession of by the mason-bee. 



Bte Meeting, 21st November, 1882, at "Watford. 



This meeting was devoted to the exhibition of microscopic 

 objects, amongst which may be mentioned as of local interest 

 the leaf-fungi JEcidmm Sanimla from Leavesden woods and Uredo 

 Filicum from Watford, exhibited by Mr. J. "Watson Walker, the 

 former having been collected at the field meeting on the 24th June, 

 and the latter being noteworthy as a very rare species. 



Bye Meeting, 15th December, 1882, at Watford. 



This meeting, like the preceding one, was devoted entirely to 

 microscopical study. The objects exhibited were almost entirely 

 the preparations supplied by Mr. A. E. Cole with his ' Studies 

 in Microscopical Science,' for which the Society subscribes. Of 

 these a number of injected pathological specimens were exhibited 

 by Dr. Brett, and rock-sections with polarised light by Mr. J. 

 Hopkinson. 



Ordinary Meeting, 19th December, 1882, at St. Albans. 



S. MoNCKTON White, Esq., Mayor of St. Albans, in the Chair. 

 Mr. Frederick George Lloyd, Cranleigh Yillas, Watford, and 

 Mr. Henry S. Sherry, Dynmore, Watford, were proposed as Mem- 

 bers of the Society. 



