8 
Minutes of Meetings and Field Dans. 
A preliminary meeting, for the purpose of organizing a Natural 
History Society in the College, was held on February 18th, in Mr. 
CuMMING’s rooms, when a Provisional Committee was appointed 
to draw up rules, and to make other necessary arrangements. 
MEETING HELD FEBRUARY 24th. 
The Principal in the chair. Rules, which had been previously 
framed by the Committee, were then submitted for approval, and 
were passed with a few alterations. 
MEETING HELD MARCH rst. 
The Officers of the Society for the term were elected. 
First MEETING FOR SCIENTIFIC PuRPosES, Marcu oth. 
Exhibitions :—A case containing the Moths and Cocoons of 
B. Yama Mai, B. Pernyi, B. Cecropia, B. Cynthia, and B, Mort. 
A paper was read by W. F. WELLs on his experiences in breeding 
B. Yama Mai, &c. The following is an extract :— 
**T sent for the eggs early in April, and in order to prevent the young worms 
being hatched before there was sufficient foliage on the oaks to feed them, I 
kept them in a cool place, where the temperature was seldom much above 58° 
Fahrenheit. Now, curiously enough, though the eggs are laid in August, and 
the larvee formed about a month after, they do not emerge till the following 
spring. Consequently the shell of the egg becomes dry and requires to be 
constantly moistened, or else it would be so hard that the larve could not 
break through it. When the oaks had sufficient foliage to support the larve, 
I brought the eggs on a plate into a warm room, and covered them with a 
piece of wire gauze, pouring water on them and straining it off about twice a 
day. Thus the plate was always kept moist, and the young were able to drink 
as soon as they emerged from the egg. I often watched them as they emerged, 
and they appeared to me to swell visibly while drinking. I then placed them 
upon large cut boughs of oak, placed in jars of water, which I kept pure by 
putting in charcoal. 
“At first they all went on well, eating very heartily, and my expectations 
rose high when the worms had passed their fourth moult. But, alas, these 
hopes were doomed to disappointment! During two fearfully hot days in June, 
notwithstanding all my efforts, (the room being in a wing and much exposed 
to the sun,) I could not keep the thermometer much below 100° Faht. This, 
added to the fact that their food was rather stale, caused the worms to die off 
rapidly, and soon I had not one left. Thus, then, I failed in my first attempt. 
On further consideration, I have attributed my failure to the following causes :— 
1.—That I covered the oak boughs with muslin bags, and thus prevented 
that free circulation of air to which the worms are accustomed on 
their native hills in Japan. 
2.—The two hot days. 
3-—The slight staleness of their food, 
