119 



local committee arranged a supplementary treat for the 

 townsfolk in the shape of an evening lecture on "Aquatic 

 Autocrats and Fairies.," bv our friend Mr. F. Knock, 



JULY 2SM, 1910, 



Mr. F. W. \\'ood, of Ashtead, and Mr. P. Humm, of 

 Streatham, were elected members. 



Mr. Dennis exhibited a photograph of a lichen new to 

 science, recently found at Horsley, and described as Gongylia 

 viridis (see "Journal of Botany," February, 1911). 



Mr. Main exhibited the larvae and luminous ova of the 

 glow-worm, Lainpyris noctiluca. 



Mr. Clark (on behalf of Mr. Gadge) exhibited a specimen 

 of a species of mite found on an example of Melanargia 

 galatca, taken at Ventnor. It was considered to belong to 

 the genus Trcuibidiuui. Mr. Step said that he had found 

 mites on most of the butterflies he had met with at Beachy 

 Head. 



Mr. B. H. Smith reported finding larvae of Cucullia 

 vcrbasci feeding on Buddlca variabilis. 



Mr. Sich reported having found a larva of Zciizcra pjrina 

 (cTsculi) attacking jessamine ; and also stated that he had 

 taken a mite from a specimen oi Gclechia tcnebrosa. 



Mr. Step exhibited CaJla paliistris, a marsh plant of Europe 

 and North America, which has become naturalized in the 

 large pond at Wisley. It is the only species of the genus, 

 the so-called Calla, or arum-lily, of conservatories being a 

 Richardia. A member of the family Aracecr, the form of its 

 leaves and the arrangement of its simple flowers on a spadix, 

 at once suggest an affinity with our cuckoo-pint {A nun 

 maculatinn). In Calla, however, the spathe only for a short 

 time forms a protection to the flowers, soon turning back 

 and curving downwards so as to exhibit its pure white inner 

 surface to insects flying over it, and thus constituting at 

 once an attraction and an alighting platform. In Arum the 

 unisexual flowers are arranged around the lower portion of 

 the central spadix or "pintle" in distinct whorls, those of 

 the female whorls maturing before the males. In Calla the 

 flowers form an o\oid cluster at the summit of the spadix, 

 the upper part consisting entirely of a dense crowd of stamens. 

 The other flowers are all bisexual, consisting of a green 

 ampulliform pistil with a simple purple stigma, surrounded 

 bv a ring of stamens, which have stout white filaments and 



