13 



thrown out as to the way in which the 

 interests of the Society and of Natural His- 

 tory in general might be advanced. Mr 

 Wonfor pointed out that the annual reports, 

 until the last year, gave hut an incomplete 

 idea of the worlc done, for many other subjects 

 had been introduced, but not coming imder 

 the denomination of papers read, they had not 

 appeared in the annual reports. Various 

 suggestions were made in the course of a 

 discussion, Avhicli ended in a request to the 

 Conunittee to organize Field Excursions for 

 the summer mouths. 



1868, 



■Til II. A paper by Mr John Kobertson, on Flying, 

 was read by Mr Wonfor. After an inductive 

 examination of all the different tyx^es of 

 flying animals, the result arrivetl at maj' be 

 stated in the following terms: — "Flying 

 consists of two things, buoyancy and waftage; 

 and without saying that wings have nothing 

 to do with buoyancy and lightness nothing 

 to do with waftage, it may be submitted that 

 buoyancy depends on gaseous structure, and 

 waftage on the mechanism of wings, flying 

 being the combination of the two as guided 

 by the instinct or will of the animal." 



Feb. A Microscopical Meeting, at which the prin- 

 cipal objects exliibited were sections of fossil 

 teeth, the crane fly, &c., by Mr Dennant ; sec- 

 , tious of spider's fang, shewing the poison ducts 

 andiioison glands, by Dr. Hallifax ; anatomical 

 preparations, tape worm and male itch insect 

 (Sarcoptes Scabsei) by Mr Sewell; hair worm 

 (Gordius aquaticus), &c., by Mr Whately ; 



