21 



June 29th. — On this day a Field Meeting was held. Dr. 

 Spurrell very kindly conducted the members from Greenhithe, 

 through Darenth Wood, to Dartford ; and under his able presi- 

 dency the meeting passed off pleasantly. 



Odoh&r 2Srd. — Mr. BaiTett exhibited a case of exceedingly rare 

 Britisli Lepidoptera, including Argynnis Lathonia, of which 

 species, several specimens have been captured in the South of 

 England during this year. The President also exhibited a collec- 

 tion of insects, caught by himself during the year at Abbot's 

 Wood, Hailsham, Sussex, including two specimens of Agrotera 

 Nemoralis. 



Nmemher 2Tth. — Mr. Ritchie showed a singular cluster of pears, 

 exemplifying pleiotaxy and prolification. From one stalk, four 

 pears were produced by pleiotaxy. From the third pear in the 

 series, a second stalk projected bearing a fifth perfect pear. Mr. 

 Clift stated that in the beginning of the month a heron was killed 

 in the grounds of John Penn, Esq., at Lee. 



December I8th. — At this meeting Mr. J. C. Breese, an abstract 

 of whose paper on the Earthworm was published in the transac- 

 tions of the Society last year, was unanimously elected an 

 Honorary ]\Iember. 



Mr. Gooding exhibited two Slow-worms, which had been cap- 

 tured in a walled garden of a house situate in the Circus, 

 Greenwich, It was considered remarkable that any of the lizard 

 family should linger in so old an inliabited neighboui'hood as 

 Greenwich. 



Mr. Hingeston read a paper on Gold and the methods of its 

 refinement, upon which followed an interesting and animated 

 discussion. 



Soiree at the Crystal Palace. 



The Council co-operated with the Directors of the Crystal 

 Palace Aquarium Company in an-anging for a Soiree to be held 

 on November 6th in the Crystal Palace Aquarium, to which the 

 members of this Society, with their friends, were invited. 



The president delivered an able and instructive lecture on the 

 Aquarium and its Inhabitants, an abstract of which is appended 

 to this Report. Numerous appropriate microscopical objects were 

 exliibited by members of the Society, thus adding greatly to the 

 interest of the evening. 



