Proceedings. 16 



By percussion the chief fire-producer is the flint and steel. 

 Whether this is in use amongst the Fuegians is doubtful. 

 Probably having once obtained fire they have never let it die 

 out. Each Fuegian boat has its slab of stone with fire 

 burning on it. Probably during the Middle Ages in Great 

 Britain the flint and steel were not in use, but fire was care- 

 fully stored. Tinder-boxes were certainly not known before 

 the 16th Century. In those days fire would often be borrowed 

 on a pot-sherd exactly as described by Isaiah. 



The smugglers' tinder-box was an elaborate weapon with 

 flint-lock which fell upon the steel and sent sparks into the 

 tinder. 



By compression, fire is produced in Java and Burmah by 

 means of a piston-rod tipped with phosphorus, which when 

 forced into a tube compresses the air, causing heat which 

 ignites the phosphorus. 



The modern match depends on three substances for ignition. 

 In the safety-match two of these are upon the match, and 

 the third upon the box. 



Mr. Lovett exhibited many interesting specimens of the 

 various apparatuses referred to. 



Evening Meeting. — November 21st, 1890. 



The following Presentations were made : — ' Proceedings of 

 Croydon Microscopic and Natural History Club, Feb. 1889 — 

 Jan. 1890.' ' Annual Report and Transactions of North 

 Staffordshire Field Club and Archaeological Society, 1890.' 

 ' Eochester Naturalist, Oct. 1st, 1890 ' ; presented by the 

 West Kent Nat. Hist. Soc. Reprint of paper on ' Tubercu- 

 losis in Fowls,' by Walter K. Sibley, M.B. ; presented by Dr. 

 Holm an. 



The following records of fresh localities for a number of 

 plants in our district were presented by Messrs. E. S. & C. 

 E. Salmon, supplemented by records made by Mr. B. B. 

 Gough and Mr. W. F. Tindall :— 



