ProceediiHis. 37 



Evening Meeting. — Febeuaey 10th, 1882. 



Dr. Bossey exhibited under the microscope specimens of 

 Valisneria, showing the circulation. 



Mr. Henry Boyie, of Clapham, gave an address in con- 

 tinuation of that given at the meeting in December, narrating 

 some of his experiences in Natural History. Mr. Boyle 

 described the manner in which he tried, but in vain, to 

 induce Swallows to build on his house. He prepared nests 

 for them, and, climbing up at night to their own nests, took 

 the birds out and placed them in the new ones he had made 

 for them, on one occasion finding six old bmls in one nest ; 

 but all his efforts were fi'uitless. On making a new pond in 

 his garden, he sent to a dealer in Seven Dials for some fish, 

 and he received by rail a consignment of 112, all alive and 

 well. In addition to these he had a number brought over 

 from Grasmere Lake. Some of these he noticed had turned 

 black in transit, and on examining them closely he found 

 that each of them had been blinded either from the jolting of 

 the conveyance or from their dashing wildly about and 

 injuring their eyes against the sides. Mr. Boyle supposed 

 that, finding all dark around them, they assumed the black 

 colour to correspond with their supposed surroundings. This 

 led Mr. Boyle to speak of the change of coloiu- that he had 

 observed Green Trout fr-om a Welsh lake to undergo when 

 dying. He also alluded to the small size of Mountain Trout, 

 and fish from mountain streams generally ; and he said he 

 had tried again and again to feed them up and increase their 

 size in his own ponds and streams, but was forced to the 

 conclusion that they were a naturally small variety. He 

 next alluded to the trouble he in common with other pos- 

 sessors of fish-ponds had experienced with the rapid and 

 prolific growth of American weed. It threatened at first 

 quite to spoil his pond, and he expected to be compelled 

 either to abandon it altogether or annually to drain off the 

 water, and at great trouble and expense dig up the roots of 

 the troublesome weed, as so many have had to do year after 

 year. However, he decided to leave it alone awhile and see 



