192 PEOOEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



mention tliose which attacked living flies or moths and glued them to 

 a window-pane, the caterpillar-fungus of Australia, the fungus-foot 

 of India, ringworm, &c. 



As regarded the mistletoe, there was no doubt birds were the chief 

 agents in its propagation, for it was generally found high up on trees. 

 One very curious fact must have been noticed, viz. that its most 

 active period of growth was during the winter months, when the trees 

 were said to be dormant. Then it wag it flowered and ripened its 

 fruit. 



There had been great difference of opinion whether the Druids 

 held sacred our Viscum album, or the Lorantlius Europoeus, commonly 

 found in oaks in the south of Europe, whereas the former was now but 

 rarely found on the oak ; in fact, some, in ignorance of its existence, 

 went so far as to say it did not grow on the oak in England ; but 

 examples could be found in all oak-growing districts. People seemed 

 to forget that it was not the mistletoe, but the oak-growing one which 

 was held sacred, and which, from its comparative rarity, was searched 

 for with great care. The greater proportion of the mistletoe sold at 

 Christmas came from the Channel Islands and France, where its 

 berries were produced much earlier than in England. While it grew 

 on a great number of trees, the apple-crab, poplar, and ash were the 

 most common. 



Mr. G. Scott mentioned that he had seen it on the laburnum. 



Mr. Sewell had seen it growing on fuchsia trees in Jersey. An 

 example of an internal parasite w^as the Sarcina ventriculi. 



The meeting then became a conversazione, when J)x- Hallifax, 

 Messrs. E. Glaisyer, Sewell, and Wonfor, exhibited male flowers of 

 mistletoe, containing pollen, sections of the seed, leaf, stem, and of 

 mistletoe and crab growing side by side, the caterpillar fungus, the 

 potato fungus obtained in the autumn of 1865, and other interesting 

 examples of parasitic plants. 



Mr. Wonfor exhibited a very ingenious slide for opaque objects, 

 consisting of a thin wooden slide, with circular cell turned and 

 blackened, and having two very shallow grooves around, one for the 

 covering glass, and another for a circular patch of gummed paper to 

 fasten the cover. He had obtained them of Mr. Baker, Holborn, who 

 supplied a dozen slides, with covers and patches to match, at Is. 6(i. 

 per dozen. 



In the account of the soiree of the Brighton and Sussex Natural 

 History Society, in our last number, the names of Messrs. E. and J. 

 Beck, as exhibiting some very exquisite photograjihs of microscoj)ic 

 objects, and of Mr. Hennah, as exhibiting a microscope and objects, 

 were accidentally omitted. The omission was altogether due to the 

 gentleman who furnished the report to the Editor of this Journal. 



