Notes and Comments. 3 



"by W. Salmon ; ' The Life of the Honey Bee,' by Frederick 

 H. Taylor ; ' Mounting in Fluids,' by Win. Cookson ; ' The 

 Preparation of the Knife for Section Cutting,' by Albert 

 Newton ; ' The Preparation and Staining of Material for 

 Mitosis,' by A. E. Openshaw. In addition are the usual reports 

 of meetings and rambles. We as glad to find that this Society 

 continues to issue its welcome reports, which keep up the well- 

 known standard of excellence. 



POPULAR LECTURES. 



Mr. P. J. Ashton's paper on ' Popular Lectures.' read 

 before the Conference of Delegates at the Newcastle Meeting 

 of the British Association, is printed in The Selbome Magazine 

 for November, and is worth the serious consideration of prov- 

 incial societies. His conclusions are : — (1) The objects of the 

 various societies should be carefully scrutinised to see whether 

 any alterations in the rules are necessary in order to widen 

 the scope of their activities. (2) A central Bureau for the 

 supply of lecturers should be established in order that profess- 

 ional or other competent lecturers can be at the service of the 

 Societies, regulating their visits in a manner which will com- 

 pensate them for their services, and be within the financial 

 scope of the Societies. (3) Where the funds of the Society 

 will not permit of direct payment of fees, the difficulty of 

 raising the necessary expenses can be overcome by dividing 

 the meeting into two classes : (a) special members' evening 

 for discussion of local or advanced topics ; (b) popular 

 evenings to which a charge for admission could be made, and 

 the public admitted. This method has been adopted with 

 success in many Societies, including recently the Selborne 

 Society. Our subscription (five shillings per annum) being 

 manifestly inadequate to meet the expenses of professional 

 lecturers and guides, the lectures and rambles have been 

 subdivided, the members' excursions, under voluntary guidance, 

 l)eing continued side by side with a new series of public rambles 

 and lectures under professional leadership. 



LEAF SKELETONS. 



Miss F. A. Gordon writes on ' Leaf Skeletons ' in The 

 Selborne Magazine for December. She says she prefers the 

 method of using fresh water only. ' It is very slow, but the 

 results are better, and patience is occasionally rewarded with 

 a really perfect specimen, with every fibre quite unbroken. 

 It is also possible to preserve skins. It is always easy to 

 get one skin, the upper and strongest. To get both is difficult, 

 but it is worth the trouble and care. This fresh-water method 

 is quite wholesome, with no unpleasant and stagnant water. 

 For the best results, gather well-developed leaves, put them 

 in Water at once, changing it every day for about two weeks, 



1917 Jan. 1. 



