TransacHonfi. 17 



Chrystie ; series of all the species of wasps occurring in this dis- 

 trict, by Mr K Service ; Edinburgh halfpenny, by Mr Adamson. 



Papers. — The Pi'esident read a memorandum explanatory of 

 tradesmen's tokens; and also a paper, "An Antiquary's Tour in 

 Switzerland," descriptive of his journeyings there in August and 

 September last. The latter paper was illustrated by many photo- 

 graphs of scenery, historic buildings, monuments, together with 

 exquisite specimens of Swiss wood-carving, and a few pretty 

 groups of dried Alpine plants — Edelweiss, Alpine Ross, &c. 



Mr Rutherford read a paper entitled " A Wasp's Nest, and 

 how she built it." In the beginning of May last, he said, he 

 observed where a wasp ( Ves^M vulgaris) had begun to build her 

 nest. From day to day he carefully watched her operations ; and 

 he particularly noted that when she returned with each load of 

 l)ul|), she spent half her time on the small dome under which were 

 the eggs. This he believed was for the purpose of imparting heat 

 to the eggs from her body. Mr Rutherford also referred to the 

 large quantities of wasps in this country in the summer of 1880, 

 and the scarcity of these insects in the following year, when, as 

 he believed, the cold weather which prevailed in June and July 

 was fatal to nearly all the queens and their eggs. The nest 

 described in the paper, dissected to shew the internal structure, 

 was presented to the Society. 



ith December, 1881. 



Mr Neilson, Vice-President, in the Chair. 

 Eighteen Members present. 



N'ew Members. — Mr W. M'Dowall ; Mr Irving Edgar. 



Donations. — Seven coins, by Mr Forsyth, College Street ; series 

 of 25 coins, by Mr R. Fisher; two French sou pieces, 1692, by 

 Mr Service ; and the Bulletin of the U.S. Geographical and 

 Geological Survey of the Territories, sent by Dr V. Hayden, 

 New York. 



Exhibits. — By Mr Fisher, several I'are old tomes, including a 

 Huguenot Bible, 1616, " The Battle of Craignilder " (a Galloway 

 legend in verse), and a curious collection of sermons dated from 

 1614 to 1680 ; by Mr R. Grierson, Chapmanleys, a potato 

 through which a spear of couch grass had pierced a passage for 

 itself. 



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