41 



Vi^idth, across the lines of growth. When the animal was 

 living this appeared to be much lighter than it did in the 

 empty shell, where it showed clearly as a more opaque 

 deposit of shelly matter. Mr. Step remarked that he had 

 taken a similar specimen many years ago on Putney Heath, 

 but which had disappeared from his collection. 



[On the occasion of the Society's Field Meeting at Wisley, 

 on June i6th, Mr. Step was so fortunate as to take a similarly 

 banded var. of L. peregra from the same pond.] 



Mr. Step then read a paper on " Land Crabs." 



In answer to Mr. West, Mr. Step said the ova of land 

 crabs were deposited by some species on land, by others in 

 the water. A few species were born of the same form as the 

 adult, undergoing their metamorphoses within the ovum, but 

 most species were born of an immature form and underwent 

 several metamorphoses, generally in the water, before reaching 

 the adult stage. 



In answer to Mr. Williams, Mr. Step said that it was a 

 very tedious and difficult process to prepare specimens of 

 crabs for the cabinet, entailing the almost entire dismember- 

 ment of the specimen if large. 



Mr. Hall proposed, and Mr. Manger seconded, a hearty 

 vote of thanks to Mr. Step for his interesting paper. 



Referring to a newspaper account of a robin building its 

 nest in a chapel on the book-ledge and against a prayer-book 

 and a hymn-book, Mr. Frohawk remarked that this year 

 there were several records of hedge sparrows {Accentor 

 modiilaris, L.) building in old tins. As far as he knew these 

 were the first recorded instances of such nidification, and 

 were very remarkable. He also reported that a pair of 

 robins {Erithacus rubec7ila, L.) had built their nest under the 

 gutter of his house some twenty feet from the ground, and 

 stated that he had been unable to ascertain any similar in- 

 stances of so unusual a selection by this bird. They worked 

 for only about an hour a day while building the nest. As 

 regards the length of time taken by birds to build, he thought 

 it was generally determined by the desire to lay. If the 

 desire was paramount, the nest would be finished in two or 

 three days ; if no great impulse existed, the building might 

 extend over several weeks. 



JUNE \i,th, 1894. 

 E. Step, Esq., President, in the Chair. 

 Mr. Adkin exhibited, on behalf of Mr. W. H. Tugwell, a 



