XI 



seventeen ; but with the advance of autumn the numbers 

 rose again, reaching at one Meeting the satisfactory total of 

 fifty-one. 



Owing to the redecoration of the Society's rooms, and the 

 introduction of the electric light, the Meetings fixed for 

 July 28th and August nth and 25th were cancelled ; but 

 any little inconvenience that the Members may have thus 

 been put to has been amply compensated for by the greatly 

 improved condition of the rooms and their lighting. 



Three Field Meetings, held during the summer months, 

 attracted somewhat better attendances than those held during 

 immediately preceding years. They were as follows : 



May 2 1st, when Major Ficklin and Mr. Lucas conducted 

 a considerable party of Members over Oxshott Heath and 

 through the adjacent pine woods to the Black Pond, nu- 

 merous interesting .species of various orders being obtained 

 or noted by the way. 



June nth was devoted to an investigation of the portion 

 of the North Downs adjacent to the town of Reigate, Messrs. 

 R. Adkin and H.J. Turner being in charge of the party ; and 

 although the limited time at their disposal did not admit of 

 any very great area being covered, it is satisfactory to know 

 that the observations made were sufficiently encouraging to 

 induce some of the Members present to subsequently revisit 

 the same locality. 



July 9th was also spent on the chalk, but on this occasion 

 the hills running off from the Medway Valley were selected. 

 On arriving at Chatham the party was met by several 

 Members of the Rochester Naturalists' Society, including 

 Mr. J. J. Walker, R.N., who took charge of and conducted 

 the party over a particularly interesting country, and called 

 attention to numerous objects of interest that were met 

 with by the way. 



Two parts of " Proceedings" have been issued in accord- 

 ance with the plan commenced in 1897, and although not 

 quite so bulky as on some previous occasions will be found 

 to be quite equal in other respects. 



The collections of the Society remain under the able care 

 of Mr. West (Greenwich), who has had an unusually busy 



