166 



^rocectliiv^jis of tlw ^od^tu. 



FIFTH \YIXTER SESSION— 1SG9-70. 



Ti!E FiEST Evening SIeetikg -was held on Tuesday, Nov. IG, at the 

 bouse of tiie President, the Eev. T. H. Browne, by his land invitation, and 

 was largely attended. The Secretary read a paper on " Double Flowers,' 

 demonstrating the various modes iu which tlilse beautiful monstrosities 

 are produced, and explaining their structure and the consequent meta- 

 morphoses of parts. This was illustrated by specimens and drawings. At 

 its conclusion, the President gave an address on the three scientific topics 

 of the day, viz. :— Ti>e discovery and measurement of sidereal motions by 

 means of the Spectroscope ; the Meteoric band and the appearance of it 

 by means of the November star showers ; and the observations that have 

 lately been made on the formation of chalk by means of deep ocean 

 deposits. These deposits throw great light on the mode by which the 

 chalk hills around us were built up. A rijicroscopic examination of the 

 minute organisms that form the bottom of the ocean, not only discovers 

 foraminifera which are kindred to those of the cretaceous period, but rings 

 and disks that constitute the cementing element in chalk having living 

 analogues in seas of recent times. Disks from the upper chalk near 

 Wycombe were exhibited through the President's microscope. There was 

 on the table a large collection of Icthyio and Molluscous remains 

 from the chalk, many of them collected from onr own neighbourhood. 

 By means of the spectroscope different kinds of absorption bands were 

 shown, in different alcoholic solutions of chlorophyll, etc. There was, aa 

 usual, a large exhibition of objects, and the meeting did not separate until 

 a late hour. 



The Second Evening Meeting was held on Tue.sday, Dec. M, at the 

 house of Mr. R. Vernon, by kind invitation. The first paper was one by 

 Dr. BoWSTE.'kD, on " The Gamekeeper's Museum," in which were described 

 those of our animals and birds which fall a prey to the ignorance of the 

 gamekeeper, a sketch of the habits of each being given ; and it was clearly 

 shown that, in the majority ol cases, his supposed foes are, in reality, his 

 most useful friends. This paper was liBlened to with great interest, and 



