45 



the snow, while the portions of the plants in question which were 

 exposed to the free air were dead or very greatly injured. 



The President exhibited an interesting series of wasps' nests, 

 chiefly afhoreal, from Trinidad, with the wasps, the constructors of 

 these curious examples of insect architecture. 



The President then gave a short description, illustrated by speci- 

 mens which he placed on the table, of the various ways by which the 

 seeds of plants wei'e dispersed over the surface of the earth : he 

 referred to the agency of man and various animals, of the air, water, 

 and other means of their dispersion. He then showed the various 

 appendages to seeds, by which the various agencies alluded to were 

 assisted in this distribution, and also the peculiarity of many seed- 

 vessels, by which the seeds were propelled into the air and distributed 

 at considerable distances from the parent plant. 



February 8, 1867. — Mr. Thomas Nickalls made the following 

 statement respecting the rainfall at Dover in the month of December 

 last. In the town of Dover, situate just above the sea-level, the 

 quantity registered during that month was 2.70 inches ; while at 

 Dover Castle, at an elevation of 515 feet above the sea, only 0.44 

 inch was registered. 



The Secretary read the following communication which he had 

 received from Mr. Alfred Bennett, of Croydon, in reference to the 

 Botany of the county : — 



" 107, High Street, Croydon, 

 To Mr. J. A. Brewer. December, 1866. 



Sir, 



In compliance with your letter, in which you so 

 kindly thanked me for the little information I could give you 

 towards the ' Flora of Surrey,' I send you a few more notes, which 

 I have collected during 1865-6. Knowing that it is desirable to 

 have good opinion on the species collected, I shall endeavour during 

 1867 to obtain specimens of the critical species, and transmit them 

 to you, so that should they be published they may be authen- 

 ticated." 



