15 



Mr. Lewcock exhibited larvae and imagines of Mezmni 

 affine, Boield., and remarked that he had fed the larvae on 

 pupae of Arctia caia, L. 



Mr. Carrington exhibited a specimen of the Blind-worm 

 or Slow-worm {Anguis fragilis, L.), found sunning itself on a 

 common near East Grinstead, during the week. 



Mr. Jenner Weir said it wa» exceedingly early to find the 

 species, as it did not generally appear before May. Mr. Step 

 stated, however, that he generally saw them out the first 

 warm and sunny day after Christmas. 



Mr. R. Adkin exhibited cast skins of the Great Water 

 Newt {Molge cristatus, Laur.), and remarked that the entire 

 skin was thrown off and left floating in the water, showing the 

 whole shape of the reptile, even to the paws and the head ; he 

 had noticed a very large number of minute teeth on the palate. 



Mr. Step said that it was well known that the group of 

 amphibians to which the newt belonged had immense numbers 

 of minute teeth on the edge and roof of the mouth ; also that 

 the newt cast its skin during the summer. Miss Hopley had 

 shown him a long series of skins which she had mounted so 

 successfully that they gave one the impression that they were 

 prints of the reptile ; she had told him that when the skin 

 was floating in the water, she slipped a piece of note-paper 

 underneath, and carefully arranged, with a camel-hair pencil, 

 the different parts, and then took the paper out of the water 

 and dried it. 



Mr. Weir observed that it was curious that this group did 

 not eat the discarded skin, as the toads did. The process of 

 mounting the skins was the same as that adopted with sea- 

 weeds. Miss Hopley had also mounted the skins of a number 

 of lizards in the same way. 



Mr. M. H. Winkley said the Salamander {Salamandra 

 maculosa) always ate the discarded skin. 



Mr. Carrington, referring to the mildness of the season, 

 remarked that on the 20th instant, at Chelsea, he saw an 

 almond tree in bloom ; he had never before seen them in 

 bloom so early in the year. 



Mr. Tugwell said that at Greenwich they were not in bud, 

 and Mr. R. Adkin observed that at Lewisham the buds were 

 just breaking. 



Mr, Kenward recorded taking a specimen of Hybernia 

 marginaria, Bork., on the 2nd January. 



The President made some observations and suggestions for 

 improving the meetings ; in the course of which he remarked 

 that he thought it desirable that more attention should be 



