12 



to give the necessary time and attention for that purpose. 

 He was sure they would all concur in the proposal to award 

 the best thanks of the meeting to Mr. Dowker, the secre- 

 tary, and Mr. Reader, the treasurer of the Society. Mr. 

 Brent then alluded briefly to the pleasure afforded by a 

 study of the wonders of natural history. He had been 

 much interested in a book which he had lately been reading 

 bearing on the influence of insects on the yield of certain 

 descriptions of crops. The book was by that well known 

 and enthusiastic naturalist Mr. F. H. Newman. He was 

 particularly struck by a theory that the growth of a certain 

 description of clover was influenced by the visits of the 

 humble bee. It was also stated that the field mice were 

 very destructive to the humble bee from the depredations 

 committed on their stores of honey. Hence it was an ascer- 

 tained fact that the humble bees were found in larger num- 

 bers in the neighbourhood of dwelling houses than far 

 away from the haunts of men. This was attributable to 

 the number of cats kept for domestic purposes which would 

 keep down the field mice. From this it was to be inferred 

 that the flora of a neighbourhood might be very greatly in- 

 fluenced by the number of cats kept. Mr. Brent then 

 alluded to a wonderful fact in natural history— the enor- 

 mous increase of the aphis. It was admitted that the pro- 

 duce of a single aphis in one year would be equal in bulk to 

 500,000,000 of stout men. The earth would consequently 

 be soon overrun with insect life if means were not provided 

 to counteract such astonishing increase. 



The Chairman remarked that Mr. Darwin, in his book 

 on The Origin of Species, made almost precisely the same 

 statements as had been given by Mr. Brent, who had found 

 them in another author. It would be somewhat remark- 

 able if it should be found that he had obtained the theory 

 from the writings of a naturalist of a somewhat earlier 

 date. 



Mr. G. EiGDEN seconded Mr. Brent's resolution, which 

 was ajjrced to unanimouslv. 



