32 Proceedings. 
earliest history of the civilized world. Mr. Duncan took as his 
illustration of the Solitary Bee, the Rose-leaf-cutting Bee, which 
burrowed in the ground or in decaying wood, forming a tunnel 
in which to place its cells, which were constructed from rose- 
leaves. The leaves were twisted by the bee into little funnel- 
shaped cones, in which a cake of honey and pollen was deposited, 
together with an egg. The Solitary Wasp (Philanthus api- 
vorus) preyed upon bees as food for its young. It dug galleries 
in sandy soil to a considerable depth. It would seize a bee as 
large as itself and sting it, and, though the bee made a brave 
fight, it was overcome by the poison of the sting, and was 
carried off by the wasp and deposited in a cell as food for its 
young. 
Mezetine, held at Reigate, 18th of December, 1896. 
Dr. Bossey exhibited a Jumping Bean. He explained its 
motion as due to the presence of the larva of a winged insect. 
Mr. C. E. Salmon exhibited some beautiful photographs of 
birds’ eggs taken in situ. These included the eggs of the 
Great Plover, Kentish Plover, Little Tern, Redshank, &c. 
Mr. H. M. Wallis, of Reading, described a visit paid by him to 
NortrHern [vaty AND THE TYROL. 
On Lago Varese he explored a lagoon or marsh which in the 
winter time is frequented by Widgeon, Pintail, and Cormorant. 
Here he found the Little Bittern nesting. The nests consisted 
of 3 or 4 reeds flattened down; most of them contained a 
single white egg. He observed the Little Bittern’s wonderful 
powers of mimicry. It drew itself up into the semblance of a 
reed, and allowed itself to be captured without relaxing its 
position. The Dutch reed-cutters call it the ‘“ wood-ape,” 
because it mimics a stake of wood. 
The other birds frequenting Lago Varese are the White- 
winged Black Tern, Common Tern, Reed Warbler, Great Reed 
Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, and Smaller Grey Shrike. 
