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Our Annual Exhibition, which this season was open for 

 two days, the 30th and 31st of October, was again a very 

 great success, beyond our most sanguine expectations, being 

 visited by upwards of 2,200 people. Our Exhibition Com- 

 mittee, Messrs. Adkin, Barker, Carrington, Manger, South, 

 Tugwell, Rice, and Yardley, were indefatigable in their 

 exertions, and worked with such unanimity that there was no 

 possibility of failure ; and although it was thought that 

 hardly so large a number of specimens was brought together 

 as on our last Exhibition, the deficiency was well made up 

 for by the valuable quality of the objects lent by our many 

 friends. Probably one of the most interesting and instructive 

 sights was the exhibition of living ants, kindly lent by Mr. 

 H. Burns, F.E.S., who spared no pains in explaining to the 

 numerous visitors the habits of these little creatures. Amongst 

 the species which he exhibited we noticed a nest of Mynnica 

 scabrinodes , Nye, which he had brought from France ; another 

 of Lasmsjlavus, De Geer. — in this family the queen might be 

 seen attended by her numerous court — and several other 

 species, the whole occupying a large room, which was crowded 

 by an appreciative audience both evenings : in fact, I fear, a 

 number of our own members missed certainly one of the most 

 instructive sights in the Exhibition. If so, it may be some 

 gratification to them to know that Mr. Burns has kindly pro- 

 mised not only to exhibit his little pets again, but also to read 

 a paper on their life history, etc., during the coming spring. 

 The large room was again filled with vast numbers of specimens 

 of Natural History, embracing most known orders in the 

 insect fauna, and many valuable specimens from the ornitho- 

 logical world, some of the objects on view being unique. 

 For me to attempt to individualise where all was so good, 

 would be quite out of place ; but I cannot help thinking that 

 the innovation of introducing living objects, such as the 

 valuable birds of Mr. Castang, the newts and snakes of 

 Messrs. Adkin and Cook, as also the water spiders of Mr. 

 Perks was a step in the right direction, for the more we are 

 enabled to observe Nature's living wonders the greater will 

 be our surprise that we have not sooner become students of 

 her marvellous organisms. 



I cannot pass by the South London Microscopical Society 



