Proceedings. iii 



27 new members have been elected. Eleven members have 

 withdrawn, and the Club has, I regret to state, been deprived by 

 death of four members, namely, Mr, A. A. Campbell, Mr. 

 William Drummond, Mr. J. Spencer, and Mr. Alh-ed Tylor, 

 F.G.S. Mr. Tylor was a member who had contributed much 

 to Science. One of his latest publications was his description, 

 in the ' ArchsBologia,' vol. xlviii., of the remarkable Eoman 

 remains excavated on land in Warwick Square, in the City, and 

 now deposited in the British Museum. I am sure we must all 

 regret these losses, more especially when the list contains such 

 men as Mr. Tylor. The total number of our members on the 

 31st December last was 251 ordinary members as against 238 

 the previous year, four honorary members, and two associates. 



In January, 1877, the title of the Club was changed to that 

 of " The Croydon Microscopical and Natural History Club," 

 and I am sure you will all agree that this altered title was more 

 in accord with its works, as i;nder its present rules it embraces 

 not only Microscopy, but Meteorology, Geology, Botany, and 

 Zoology, most of which sciences depend so much on the 

 assistance of the microscope for their proper elucidation. 



Judging fi-om the work which our Club has done this past 

 year, I think I may say it has not been idle ; the papers have 

 been of a very interesting character, and I am sure many of our 

 members must have gained much useful information fi-om those 

 papers and the discussions on them. Keferring to papers at 

 our meetings, I should just like to impress on our members, 

 especially the younger ones, that short papers may be quite as 

 interesting, instructive, and acceptable as long ones, and that 

 there is frequently more gathered from a short paper, as it 

 affords a longer time for discussion ; it also frequently happens 

 that with a long paper some of our members living outside 

 Croydon have to leave before the paper is ended, and lose nearly 

 all the benefit which they would otherwise derive from its 

 discussion. I mention this, as I think there may be many 

 members who think it useless to prepare a short paper, fancying 

 it would not be acceptable. The following is a list of the papers 

 read before the Club during the last year : — 



Feb. 18«^.—" The Natural History of the Hydra," by Mr. Turner. 



March 12th. — " The Flora of Surrey," by Mr. W. H. Beeby ; 

 a most interesting paper by a very hard-working member, and 

 who has been very successful in finding new plants. It is only 

 lately that Mr. Beeby has met with a plant new to Science, 

 Sj)arganium negJectnm, sp. nov. This new species of Sparganium 

 was exhibited by Mr. Beeby at a meeting of the Linnean 

 Society held on the 18th December, 1884. The plant was first 

 noticed in October, 1883, at Albury Ponds, near Guildford, but 



