xevili Proceedings. 
protect themselves by encouraging the growth of sponges and 
alge upon their shells. The fresh-water crayfish is the only 
indigenous fresh-water stalk-eyed crustacean. They are abun- 
dant in Wiltshire, where they burrow in the calcareous clay-banks 
of streams. They run at dusk, and it is no uncommon thing to 
catch 500 or 600 in one evening. Packed in nettles, they may 
be kept alive for at least three weeks. 
April 28rd.—Mr. Ernest Straker gave a lecture, illustrated by 
photographs, on ‘‘ Fair Isle Scenes and Fair Isle Folk.’”’ This 
little island, lying between the Orkneys and Shetland, is, with 
the exception of St. Kilda, the most isolated of the British Isles. 
There are twenty-two houses on the island, and 230 inhabitants, 
who are of Norwegian descent, and are all more or less related. 
The men are fishermen, and their wives and daughters do farm 
work. Peat is collected on the moors, and brought down by 
means of ox-carts. The day’s work begins about midnight, as the 
oxen will not work by day. Theislandis much divided by fiords, 
and the cliffs, which are very high and precipitous, are penetrated 
by numerous arches and caverns. Up these cliffs in the summer- 
time sheep are hauled from boats and left for the season to find 
their own subsistence. The coal-fish, a species of cod, is ex- 
tremely abundant, and the catching and drying of these is the 
principal employment of the islanders. The fishing-boats, ten 
in number, are small and light, and have the form of the old 
Viking ships. Sea-birds swarm on all the ledges of the rocks ; 
among these are gulls, terns, puffins, and eider-ducks. Seals of 
various species and colours are frequently seen. The photo- 
graphs with which Mr. Straker illustrated his lecture are believed 
to be the first taken of the island. 
May 21st.—Mr. H. C. Collyer read ‘“‘Some Notes on the 
Opening of some Tumuli on the South Downs.” The ex- 
cavations were made by the author on the downs near the 
valley of the Arun. One contained the skeleton of a man about 
6 ft. 8 in. in height, the skull being deeply cleft as by a sword 
cut. The paper will appear in the ‘ Transactions’ (Trans., 
Art. 128). 
September 17th.—Mr. Lovett read a short paper on ‘‘ The 
Protective Methods of Certain Larve” (Trans., Art. 124), allud- 
ing to the irritating hairs, acrid tastes, or menacing attitudes 
of some species, and the protection derived from mimicry or 
resemblance to inanimate objects exhibited by others. 
The evening was principally devoted to the exhibition of 
specimens and objects of interest obtained during the recess. 
Dr. Parsons exhibited Nyctalis asterophora, a parasitic agaric 
