18 



Dionaea in both the active and passive state, but that, just as 

 in animal muscle, the strength of the current is weaker in the 

 former condition. 



A higlily interesting group of Insectivorous Plants is 

 composed of those whose leaves take the form of pitchers containing 

 copious secretions at their bottom. Such are the Sarraceniacese, 

 in which, however, the secretion is not digestive, but unlike 

 digestive juices, accelerates rather than retards putrefaction. 

 These merely absorb the products of decay, like the bladders 

 of the Utricularia. The pitcher plant proper, the ISTepenthes, on 

 the other hand, is a true digesting insect-feeder. In all these 

 forms the insects are attracted to the pitcher by the presence of 

 honey glands, and it has recently been shown that these honey 

 glands are much more abundantly distributed over the pitcher 

 and the neighbouring parts than was at one time supposed. 



SATUKDAY, JUXE 20th. 



The Association visited the Natural History Museum, South 

 Kensington, where the members were received by Professor 

 Flower, LL.D., F.R.S?, and under his guidance went over some 

 of the departments. He described the recent additions to the 

 Museum, including the fine series of groups illustrating the habits 

 of wild birds, and gave at some length an account of the collection 

 of skeletons of various species of whale. The newly-erected statue 

 to Darwin was much admired. 



TUESDAY, OCTOBEE 6th. 



A Paper on "Thought-Eeading," was read by Percy "W. 

 Ames, Esq., F.E.G.S., F.E.S.L. 



Indications may be observed, at the present time, that the 

 uncompromising attitude maintained by men of science towards 

 psychical phenomena is undergoing a change. That intolerance of 

 questions beyond the frontier of their own activity often laid to 

 the charge of Theologians, has, in this direction, been no less 



i 



