xlii 



conceive what the Entomological Society had to do with them. Insects, 

 Crustacea, Arachnida, and Acari came properly under the charge of the 

 Society, but the Entozoa were quite foreign to its scope, and fell more 

 strictly within the province of the Liunean or Zoological Societies, with 

 which latter Society he believed Lord Walsingham to be connected. It 

 was a case he considered of ultra vires, and when he used that expression 

 he was in hopes that he should induce a lawyer whom he saw present to 

 rise and say a few words on that text. 



Sir John Lubbock stated that the offer for these prize essays had first 

 been made to him by Lord Walsingham, and, as President of the Society, 

 he did not take upon himself to refuse what appeared to him a valuable 

 opportunity of extending the knowledge of an obscure group of Annulosa, 

 but had forwarded the letter to the Secretary, to be laid before the Council, 

 by whom the offer had been accepted. He fully agreed with Mr. M'Lachlan 

 and Mr. Stainton that these Entozoic parasites could in no way be regarded 

 as coming within the scope of Entomology proper ; but he was of opinion 

 that in accepting Lord Walsingham 's offer a useful precedent was established 

 for receiving future support from others who might be disposed to extend 

 similar aid to the investigation of subjects coming more strictly within the 

 province of the Society. In conclusion, the President stated that the 

 Council were in the hands of the Society, if any member chose to put 

 the objections raised to the acceptance of the offer in question into the form 

 of a resolution. 



Mr. Stainton said that he had no intention of moving aay resolution on 

 the subject. He thought the Council was the proper body to deliberate 

 on the matter ; but if a suggestion were made to Lord Walsingham that 

 the development of Entozoa was a subject which came very properly in the 

 province of the Zoological or Linnean Societies, but that to the Entomological 

 Society the matter was altogether foreign, his lordship would be found quite 

 ready to transfer his proposal to one of those Societies. 



Mr. Pascoe observed that the subject was one which should be settled 

 entirely by the Council. 



Mr. C. 0. Waterhouse remarked that in accepting this offer the Council 

 could not be considered to have claimed for the Society any special knowledge 

 of the subjects proposed for competition ; they were simply placed in the posi- 

 tion of having to award a certain sum placed at their disposal for essays, the 

 quality of which they would be at liberty to refer for determination to any 

 competent authority, whether in the Society or not. If the prizes had been 

 offered by the Council, or to members of the Society only, there would have 

 been good grounds for objecting to their acceptance, but as the competition 

 was open to any person, whether a member of the Society or otherwise, the 

 Council were only the means of communication between Lord W^alsingham 

 and the essayists, to which no objection cuuld bo raised. 



