Proceedings. xxxiii 



year. The sale of tickets realised £20 9s, The societies repre- 

 sented were as follows ; — 



Exhibitors. Microscopes. 



Croydon 30 17 



Royal 3 5 



Quekett 12 13 



South London 5 6 



Holmesdale, Redhill and Reigate 5 6 



Various and Unattached 26 22 



81 69 



The number of microscopes was less than on previous occasions, 

 but the falling-oflf was mostly in familiar objects, many of the 

 slides exhibited being of a very interesting character. Among 

 these may be mentioned : wax insect (W. West) ; living rotifer, 

 Rhinops vitrea (C. Rosselet) ; tail of goldfish showing circulation 

 of blood (T. D. Ersser) ; eyes of living spider (J. A. Smith) ; 

 section of pearl (W. Smart). A very fine series of photographs 

 was exhibited by the Photographic Section in lantern, and as 

 transparencies, as well as on the walls of the corridor. Among 

 the other exhibits were a large collection of British Lepidoptera, 

 by Mr. Crowley ; zoological specimens, by Mr. Drage and Mr. 

 Thorpe ; a collection of fish-hooks, illustrating their develop- 

 ment from prehistoric times, and a miniature rock garden with 

 living plants, by Mr. Lovett; Roman coins found at South 

 Croydon, and Anglo-Saxon weapons and ornaments found on the 

 Elms Estate, by Mr. Rigby ; relics of Roman and mediaeval 

 London, by Mr. Straker ; Japanese articles of daily use, by Mr. 

 Alfred Parsons ; steel mill formerly used for giving light in 

 collieries, by Mr. E. Bidwell; photographs of pathological Bac- 

 teria, by Dr. Klein, F.R.S. ; a fine series of rare plants, chiefly 

 from Surrey, Berks and Argyllshire, by Mr. C. E. Salmon, &c. 

 The collection of flowers gathered in the open air at Addiscombe 

 comprised 78 kinds, as against 113 the previous year ; while that 

 of fungi from the neighbourhood of Croydon numbered 28 species, 

 against 38 in 1892 ; the diminution in each case being due to 

 the cold ungenial weather which had prevailed for some weeks 

 before the Soiree. 



On December 19th a lecture was given by Mr. H. B. M. 

 Buchanan, B.A., on " Evolution." 



The lecturer said that evolution, that is the development of 

 all forms of organic life from previous forms, was now generally 

 accepted by scientific men, at any rate as a working hypothesis, 

 which was more likely to be true than untrue. The analogy of 



