Mr. W. Low Sarjeant on Pond- Life. 5 



An outline map, showing the districts and subdistricts, is in 

 preparation, and I shall be happy to send a copy of the same, 

 together with any further information that may be desired, on 

 application to me at my address, 14, Kidinghouse Street, 

 London, W. 



42. — Remabks on the Physical Geography and Geology of 

 Italy.* 



By Wu-llvm Topley, P.G.S., Geological Survey of England, 

 President of the Geologists' Association. 



(Read April 9th, 1884.) 



43. PoND-LlPE. 



By W. Low Sarjeant. 

 (Eead May 14th, 1884.) 



I HAVE several times been asked, when exhibiting pond-life at 

 our meetings, where I procured it, or whether it had been 

 supplied by Bolton, the well-known collector, the question 

 seeming to imply that it is of no use looking in the ponds in our 

 immediate neighbourhood for any good micro-material, an idea 

 which I hope to dispel. As a matter of fact there is not an 

 object described in ' Slack's Pond-Life ' which I have not taken 

 in this district, and the captures form a very small portion of 

 the good things that may be found. 



All I shall attempt this evening is simply to enumerate a few 

 of the most interesting forms taken within an easy walk of this 

 building, and to mention where I have generally found them, 

 after which I think it may be useful to make a few suggestions 

 on collecting and illuminating such objects. 



I will take first the ponds in the fields lying to the left of the 

 Morland Eoad, Addiscombe, proceeding from Croydon to South 

 Norwood, which are the nearest. These ponds are in an old 

 brick-field, and they contain at times very interesting specimens, 

 Volvox (jlohator being frequently in great abundance. If we are 

 fortunate in procuring Volvox, either late in the autumn or early 

 in spring, the embryo plants contained in the mother cell are of 

 a bright orange colour, and of quite a different character to the 

 ordinary embryo. The contrast between the orange colour of 

 the young plant and the greeji of the mother cell renders it a 



* Abstract not received in time for printing. 



